World Nomads travel insurance

World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance to suit a wide range of travellers. Learn more about the different policies on offer and see if one is right for you.

Travel is fun, unpredictable and memorable, allowing you to immerse yourself in experiences you will never forget. Unfortunately, travel can also be risky, with missed flights, lost baggage, stolen passports and even overseas medical emergencies all having the potential to wreak havoc with your holiday plans and leave you substantially out of pocket.

But this is where travel insurance comes to the rescue. It offers financial protection against all the common risks you face when you pack your bags and hit the road, allowing you to explore the best the world has to offer with complete confidence.

World Nomads is an Australian travel insurance provider that offers insurance cover designed by travellers, for travellers. It provides flexible cover to people from more than 150 countries, so let’s take a closer look at World Nomads policies to find out whether it’s the right insurer for you.

World Nomads offers a choice of two travel insurance plans:

• Standard Plan. Designed to give affordable cover for travellers on a budget, the Standard Plan offers cover for a range of essential travel risks. It covers overseas medical expenses, trip cancellation, lost and stolen luggage, trip interruption and more. However, benefit limits are kept lower to reduce the cost of premiums.
• Explorer Plan. The Explorer Plan offers comprehensive travel insurance protection for people who have extensive pre-booked arrangements and want a higher level of cover. As well as cover for unlimited overseas emergency medical expenses, it provides unlimited cover for trip cancellations and higher benefit limits across a wide range of cover features.

What will you be covered for?

World Nomads offers the following benefits to Australian travellers:

• Overseas emergency medical expenses. If you suffer a sudden serious illness or injury overseas, World Nomads travel insurance can cover your hospitalisation, outpatient treatment, medicines and prescribed physiotherapy.
• Overseas emergency dental treatment. You’re also covered if you require dental treatment when you suffer sudden and acute pain to previously healthy teeth.
• Out-of-pocket expenses in hospital. This is a daily cash benefit to help you pay out-of-pocket costs such as phone calls, magazines and TV rental while hospitalised overseas.
• Emergency medical transport and repatriation. This benefit provides cover if you require emergency medical transport overseas or need to be repatriated home for medical reasons.
• Local funeral expenses or repatriation of remains. In the event of your sudden and unexpected death overseas, World Nomads provides cover for the cost of local burial or cremation, or the transport of your remains back home to Australia.
• Cancellation expenses. If you’re forced to cancel your trip due to a sudden and unforeseen event beyond your control – examples include the death of a relative, serious injury or illness to a member of your travelling party, your home being severely damaged by a natural disaster or you losing your job – World Nomads can cover your lost deposits and cancellation fees.
• Trip interruption expenses. If your trip is interrupted by a sudden and unforeseen event beyond your control, you’ll be covered for the additional transport and accommodation expenses you incur as a result.
• Compassionate emergency visit. This benefit covers your additional transport and accommodation expenses if you need to return home for a compassionate emergency visit, for example if a close relative dies or suffers a serious illness or injury.
• Resumption of trip. This benefit covers the cost of additional transport and accommodation expenses incurred to resume your trip following medical repatriation home or a compassionate emergency visit.
• Kidnap or hijack (daily benefit). This pays a daily cash benefit if you’re kidnapped or are a victim of hijacking while overseas.
• Baggage and personal items. If your belongings are lost by a common carrier, stolen or accidentally damaged, your policy will help cover the cost of their repair or replacement.
• Baggage delay. If your baggage is delayed for more than 12 hours by an airline or other carrier, you’ll receive an emergency allowance to help you purchase underwear, toiletries and other essentials.
• Passports, travel documents and credit cards. This benefit provides cover when your passports, travel documents or credit cards are stolen or accidentally damaged.
• Personal liability. World Nomads provides personal liability cover if you injure someone or damage someone else’s property overseas.
• Rental vehicle insurance excess. This benefit covers the rental company insurance excess (or the cost of repair, whichever is less) if your rental vehicle is involved in an accident, damaged or stolen.
• Return of rental vehicle. If you’re certified medically unfit to drive, this benefit covers the cost of returning your rental vehicle to the nearest depot.
• Personal accident. If you die or suffer total and permanent disablement as a result of an accident overseas, World Nomads can provide a lump sum benefit.
• Adventure, work, study and volunteer. World Nomads automatically covers you for claims resulting from your participation in low-risk adventure sports and activities (eg fishing, boating, elephant riding and horseriding), non-manual and manual work, and study and volunteer experiences.

How do the policies compare?

Check out the table below for a rundown of the benefits offered by each World Nomads travel insurance plan.

What additional options are available?

If you’d like to tailor cover to suit your needs, World Nomads offers the following extra-cost options:

• Specified high-value items. If you’re taking high-value personal items with you on your trip, for example, your new laptop, you can upgrade your policy to provide $6,000 cover for those items. However, a $3,000 sub-limit applies per item.
• Adventure, work, study and volunteer cover upgrade. You can also upgrade your policy to cover a wide range of high-risk adventure sports and activities, including abseiling, bobsledding, deep-sea fishing, parachuting, rock climbing, skiing and snowboarding. There are two upgrades available depending on the activities you want to participate in while travelling.

Can I get covered for pre-existing conditions?

WorldNomads.com provides cover for unforeseen medical events, so not all pre-existing medical conditions will be covered under your policy. The definition of pre-existing medical conditions includes a range of medical and dental conditions of which you are aware, which have been investigated and/or treated by a health professional, or any condition for which you have had surgery or for which you take prescribed medicine. As a result, many pre-existing conditions such as cancer, arthritis and depression are excluded from your policy.

But some pre-existing conditions are automatically covered by WorldNomads.com, as long as you haven't been hospitalised (including day surgery) or attended an emergency department in the past 24 months for that condition. These conditions include;

Cover is also available for pregnant women, but terms and conditions do apply. Read the PDS and speak to an insurance adviser to determine how the policy applies to you.

How do I make a claim?

If you need to make a claim on your policy, you’ll need to provide written notice to Cerberus Special Risks, the company that manages World Nomads travel insurance. You can do this online by logging into the World Nomads website and submitting your claim, or by contacting World Nomads and requesting a claim form. Notice must be provided within 30 days of your return home to ensure that your claim is successfully processed.

You will also need to supply documentation and evidence to support your claim, such as:

• Medical receipts and medical reports from treating doctors
• Receipts, valuations and proof of ownership for baggage items
• Police reports
• Original repair quotes
• Evidence of additional costs incurred

How much does World Nomads travel insurance cost?

Your World Nomads travel insurance premium is influenced by a number of factors, including:

• The plan you select
• The number of people covered
• Whether you add any extra-cost options
• Where you are travelling
• The length of your trip
• Whether you have a discount code

For a better idea of how much World Nomads travel insurance will cost you, get a quote and compare it to other brands.

What makes World Nomads different?

There are plenty of reasons why you might like to consider World Nomads travel insurance, including:

• 24/7 emergency assistance. If you suffer an injury, illness, accident or hospitalisation while overseas, World Nomads offers a 24/7 emergency assistance team so that you can access the help you need.
• Cover for a large range of adventure activities. Want to add a little bit of excitement to your overseas holiday? If you like activities that get the adrenalin pumping, World Nomads covers a wide range of adventure sports.
• Flexible cover. World Nomads travel insurance is flexible enough to be tailored to suit your needs. There are cover options available to suit budget travellers and those who want the most comprehensive protection, while you can also upgrade your policy to match your unique cover requirements.
• Easy online claims service. World Nomads travel insurance is backed by a quick and easy online claims service, allowing you to lodge your claim whenever you need.
• Footprints program. World Nomads runs Footprints, a program that collects micro-donations to fund projects all over the world designed to end extreme poverty. You automatically make a donation when you purchase a World Nomads policy.
• Money-back guarantee. You have 14 days after buying a policy to decide whether it’s right for you. If you change your mind and cancel cover, you will receive a full refund of your premium.

Who can get a policy?

To be eligible for World Nomads travel insurance you must:

• Be an Australian citizen or resident
• Be 69 years or younger when you purchase cover

While many people purchase insurance cover before they travel, World Nomads also allows you to buy cover if you are already overseas.

How do get a policy?

If you’d like to apply for World Nomads travel insurance, click on one of the “Get quote” links on this page. You’ll be taken to the World Nomads website where you can enter your travel dates and destinations, select your level of cover and obtain a quote. You will need to enter:

• Your country of permanent residence
• Where you are going
• When you want cover to start
• How long you want your policy to last
• The type of cover you want (Standard or Explorer Plan, and Single, Couple/Duo or Family cover

If you’re happy with the quote and you’ve compared options from a range of insurers, you can then purchase cover online.

Other questions you may have

• Q. Who is the underwriter?

  A. World Nomads travel insurance is underwritten by certain underwriters at Lloyd’s.

• Q. I’m 75 years old – can I take out cover?

  A. No, you must be under 70 years of age to qualify for cover from World Nomads.

• Q. Is there an excess?

  A. Yes, you must contribute a policy excess of $100 towards all expenses that arise from any one insured event.

• Q. I’m overseas and I’ve decided to extend my trip – can I also extend my World Nomads cover?

  A. Yes, you can extend your existing policy to cover your revised travel plans. However, if your initial policy has lapsed you will need to purchase a new policy.

• Q. Is there a cooling-off period?

  A. Yes, you have 14 days after purchasing a policy to decide whether World Nomads travel insurance is right for your needs.

• Q. Can I submit a World Nomads travel insurance claim while I’m still away from home?

  A. Yes, you can submit a claim while you’re still overseas using the online claims system.