Our verdict: World Nomads Travel Insurance is a good option for younger travellers who are planning an adventurous trip. However, there’s no option to cover pre-existing medical conditions which will leave some travellers at risk.
A wide range of obscure and high-risk adventure activities can be covered, including elephant trekking, dog sledding, and WWOOFing.
You can extend your cover while overseas, if you decide you’d like to keep travelling a while longer.
Cons
Cover is only available to people aged 69 and under, making World Nomads unsuitable for older travellers.
There’s no option to add cover for pre-existing medical conditions, so if you’re living with a medical condition you might want to look elsewhere.
World Nomads Travel Insurance is not currently available via Finder. You can head to the World Nomads website or compare alternative options available below.
Summary of World Nomads International Explorer policy
Overseas Medical and Hospital Expenses
Unlimited
Cancellation and Amendment Fees
Unlimited
Luggage and Personal Effects
$10,000
Maximum Age Limit
69
Table updated October 2023
How does World Nomads Travel Insurance cover COVID-19?
World Nomads’ Explorer plan offers a range of benefits related to COVID-19. Here’s what you can expect:
Overseas hospital and medical expenses if you need treatment for COVID-19
Medical evacuation and repatriation costs related to COVID-19
Travel costs if you or a member of your travelling party are diagnosed with COVID-19 and you have to cancel your trip
Travel costs if your close relative or business partner in Australia is hospitalised or dies due to COVID-19 and you have to cancel your trip
Travel costs you or a member of your travelling party are permanently employed as a healthcare worker, residential care worker or law enforcement officer, and your or their pre-arranged leave is cancelled due to COVID-19
Costs to cover travel and accommodation if you’re unable to stay at your pre-booked accommodation due to it being closed for cleaning following a confirmed case of COVID-19
Costs for additional travel, meals and accommodation if you are denied boarding on your scheduled public transport due to you being suspected of having COVID-19
Travel, meals and accommodation costs if you or a member of your travelling party are confined to compulsory quarantine as a result of being diagnosed with COVID-19
Childcare costs if you’re unable to take care of your dependent children due to being diagnosed with COVID-19
Pet care costs in Australia if you’re unable to return home at your scheduled time due to COVID-19
There are some scenarios that are not covered by World Nomads including if you knowingly and intentionally come into close contact with someone who has COVID-19, if you travel against medical advice, or you travel knowing you already have COVID-19.
What policies does World Nomads offer?
World Nomads offers two insurance policies to travellers - the Explorer Plan and the Standard Plan.
Explorer
Standard
The insurer of this product is Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd. It comes with a cooling-off period of 21 days and choice of $100 standard excess for international plans.
Here's a breakdown of World Nomads Travel Insurance features
These are some of the main insured events that World Nomads will cover. Some of these benefits may only apply on the Explorer Plan.
Emergency medical treatment
Emergency dental treatment
Lost, damaged or stolen property
Trip cancellation or amendment
Additional accommodation and transport
Theft of money
Luggage and travel delay
Theft or damage to your passport
Rental vehicle excess
Personal liability
Permanent total disability
Accidental death
Optional add-ons
World Nomads also offers two add-ons that provide cover for a wider range of activities.
Adventure, Work, Study, & Volunteer - Level 2. Upgrade your policy to cover higher risk adventure sports and activities, non-manual and manual work, study and volunteer experiences.
Adventure, Work, Study, & Volunteer - Level 3. A further upgrade to cover the highest-risk activities, working environments, and study and volunteer experiences.
Exclusions
Unfortunately, travel insurance doesn’t cover everything. Generally, World Nomads will not pay your claim if it relates to:
Unlawful, wreckless or unreasonably unsafe behaviour by you
Behaviour while you were drunk or under the influence of drugs
Expenses related to a pre-existing medical condition not automatically included on the policy
Self-inflicted injury or illness, suicide or attempted suicide
This is not an exhaustive list. Make sure you review the World Nomads PDS for a detailed breakdown of what won't be covered, found under its list of general exclusions.
How to make a World NomadsTravel Insurance claim
You can start your World Nomads claim online, from anywhere in the world.
Sign into World Nomads and submit your claim online. You’ll need to provide any supporting evidence relevant to your claim, such as medical reports, receipts, police reports, incident reports, repair quotes, and travel itineraries.
Here's the bottom line about World Nomads Travel Insurance
World Nomads is a great option for younger travellers heading on an adventurous trip. There’s protection for a range of high-risk activities that are often hard to find cover for.
You may need to upgrade your policy with one of the add-on options, but it’s easy to understand and all activities are clearly listed.
There’s also a broad range of protection for claims related to COVID-19 and cover for pregnancy is included up until the end of the 26th week.
However, World Nomads isn’t a good option for older travellers or anyone with a pre-existing medical condition. Other than the conditions included as standard, it’s not possible to apply for further cover, which will leave some travellers at risk.
Policies are also only available to under 70s, while many travel insurance brands don’t apply age limits to their policies.
Nicola Middlemiss is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience in personal finance and insurance. She has contributed to Domain, Yahoo Finance, Money Magazine and Insurance Business Australia, offering in-depth insights into commercial insurance in the Australian market. Nicola holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Leeds and a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification, which complies with ASIC standards. See full bio
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Nicola has written 251 Finder guides across topics including:
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Personal insurance, including car, health, home, life, pet and travel insurance
so how do i apply for WorldNomads insurance?? This website isn’t clear
Finder
RichardJanuary 28, 2016Finder
Hi Tony,
Thanks for question. World Nomads in not one of the insurance brands that is part of our panel. You will need to go to their site directly to apply for cover.
All the best,
Richard
AmberJuly 12, 2015
A family member has been suffering from cancer, when I booked my insurance the cancer was isolated and stable, now however it has spread and become terminal, and a emergency funeral visit may be on the cards in the near future.
Will the travel costs of a return trip hope be covered under my basic policy?
Thank you
Finder
RichardJuly 13, 2015Finder
Hi Amber,
Thanks for your question and I’m sorry to hear about your situation. finder.com.au is a comparison service and not an insurer. Generally, your policy will not cover you if the cancellation is due to a preexisting condition. However, every provider is different, so it would be a good idea to contact your insurer directly.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
SarahJune 7, 2015
Hi there,
I am interested in getting world nomads travel insurance for a year long trip. I was wondering if it’s possible to purchase basic cover and then upgrade the adventure activity cover for just a short period. The reason I ask, is that most activities I will participate in are covered at level one, but it’s possible that I will participate in a level three activity at some point during the year for a week or so. I don’t really want to pay for level three cover for the whole year if I only need it for one week of that. So would it be possible to buy the additional adventure activity cover for just the period that I need it?
Thanks,
Sarah
Finder
RichardJune 9, 2015Finder
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your question. finder.com.au is a comparison service and we are not permitted to provide personalised advice. Additionally, we do not currently have access to Nomad Travel Insurance products. You may wish to contact them directly for clarification in this matter.
Thanks,
Richard
PeterJuly 16, 2014
What cover can I get as I am 65 yrs old
Finder
ShirleyJuly 16, 2014Finder
Hi Peter,
Thanks for your question.
Nomad Travel Insurance doesn’t offer insurance to people aged 65 or over.
A long-term trip to Europe requires a visa and travel insurance of least €30,000 in medical benefits. Protect yourself from common travel concerns by reading Finder's comprehensive guide.
Domestic travel insurance can provide cover for trip cancellation (domestic flights), loss or damage to luggage and expensive items, car rental excess charges and much more. Find out why domestic travel insurance is worth getting and compare policies from Australian insurers.
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so how do i apply for WorldNomads insurance?? This website isn’t clear
Hi Tony,
Thanks for question. World Nomads in not one of the insurance brands that is part of our panel. You will need to go to their site directly to apply for cover.
All the best,
Richard
A family member has been suffering from cancer, when I booked my insurance the cancer was isolated and stable, now however it has spread and become terminal, and a emergency funeral visit may be on the cards in the near future.
Will the travel costs of a return trip hope be covered under my basic policy?
Thank you
Hi Amber,
Thanks for your question and I’m sorry to hear about your situation. finder.com.au is a comparison service and not an insurer. Generally, your policy will not cover you if the cancellation is due to a preexisting condition. However, every provider is different, so it would be a good idea to contact your insurer directly.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
Hi there,
I am interested in getting world nomads travel insurance for a year long trip. I was wondering if it’s possible to purchase basic cover and then upgrade the adventure activity cover for just a short period. The reason I ask, is that most activities I will participate in are covered at level one, but it’s possible that I will participate in a level three activity at some point during the year for a week or so. I don’t really want to pay for level three cover for the whole year if I only need it for one week of that. So would it be possible to buy the additional adventure activity cover for just the period that I need it?
Thanks,
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your question. finder.com.au is a comparison service and we are not permitted to provide personalised advice. Additionally, we do not currently have access to Nomad Travel Insurance products. You may wish to contact them directly for clarification in this matter.
Thanks,
Richard
What cover can I get as I am 65 yrs old
Hi Peter,
Thanks for your question.
Nomad Travel Insurance doesn’t offer insurance to people aged 65 or over.
If you’d like, you can compare alternative travel insurance options for over 65s.
Cheers,
Shirley