World Nomads Travel Insurance Review (After 7 Years + 2 Claims)

Signing up for a World Nomads travel insurance plan is easy. You simply put in your country of residence, and country or countries you’re traveling to. It then may ask you for other details like how long you will be traveling. 

You’ll also want to consider the few different plan types: standard, explorer, and epic, each of which offer more coverage than the one prior. World Nomads also offers an annual plan for long-term travelers and digital nomads.

Be sure to read through the details of a plan before selecting, as not all specific circumstances may be covered. But generally, plans will cover:

• Emergency medical expenses
• Trip cancellation
• Baggage and gear
• Trip delays

You can also add multiple people to one policy, with a max of two adults, and seven kids.

One thing that also makes World Nomads stand out is that they’re particularly suited for active travelers.

They specify coverage for 250 different activities, such as hiking, mountain biking, zip lining, and more. 

The more adventurous activities like sky diving, back country skiing, and cave diving up to 165 feet will be covered under the “explorer” plan, which is the mid-tier option, while the riskiest activities, such as cliff diving, hiking or camping at super high elevations, and scrambling, are under the “epic,” or top-tier plan. 

⛰️250 activities covered, and countries around the world — plus emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation, and more. Find out more about World Nomads at this link.

Why I use World Nomads

Now, I can’t legally tell you that you need travel insurance, or which one to choose.

But here’s my line of thinking for my own choices when I’m planning a trip.

Not only does your normal health insurance typically not cover you when you’re abroad, but you’re also on the line if any of your plans change. Issues with the hotel you booked, flight canceled, getting sick abroad and needing to change your flight home and get medical care … the potential things that can go wrong are limitless. 

Not to mention the fact that there are tons of activities we do on our travels, like hiking, camping, jet skiing, or snorkeling, that can have increased risk, along with just regular safety issues we can unfortunately encounter when traveling.

If you think about all the things that can possibly go wrong, travel can become quite scary, and travel insurance is seriously the No. 1 I protect myself and give myself peace of mind.

I’ve been using World Nomads for basically every international trip over the past six years, and I’ve been super happy with their coverage and value, so I haven’t had any reason to waver from them. 

I’m also speaking from specific experiences needing to file a claim — they came through for me in huge ways the two times I’ve needed them, and that has earned my loyalty.

✈️Unfortunately, things can go wrong when you travel. World Nomads offers four different plan options for your specific needs. Get more details here.

6 Years, 2 Claims Filed

Now, I’ve gotten sick abroad before, but never as seriously as when I got covid in Rio de Janeiro.

After days of being the sickest I’d ever been in my adult life, my husband, boyfriend at the time, insisted I go to the hospital. Although Brazil does have free healthcare, we went to the fancier private hospital where I could get seen quicker.

Although it was still significantly cheaper than a similar visit in the U.S. would be, it also wasn’t nothing, especially since I was a student with a low income.

It gets worse though — did I mention that this was at the height of the pandemic, when you needed a negative covid test to fly, and couldn’t fly if you received a positive diagnosis within a certain time period?

Ah yes, good times.

So this all meant that I couldn’t fly home the following week as planned. I needed to rebook my flight for the next week after the required quarantine time, and also extend my time at my accommodation. 

World Nomads covered everything. My extra week at our airbnb, my new flight, my hospital costs. This was my first time ever filing a claim, and I was in disbelief that I could get refunded for all of that.

The second incident was a couple of years later, when I was coming home after an amazing 10 days in Guatemala. 

Let me set the scene for you — this was before my husband and I got married, so we were still long-distance, and we had met up in Guatemala for our trip. He had gotten on his plane back to Rio de Janeiro a couple of hours prior, and I was a teary mess waiting to board my flight back to Los Angeles. 

As soon as my flight was about to board, thunder and lightning struck. And … you can probably guess what happened next.

I could turn this into a 10-page essay of what unfolded after, but the gist is: 

• The flight was canceled. 
• I stood in a six-hour line, only to then be told there were no flights available for two more days with the same airline. I was expected to be back at work the next day.
• I panic-booked the one flight I could find for the following day. Since it was with a different airline, I had to pay out-of-pocket, and as a last-minute flight, you just know that was expensive.
• The airport wasn’t open overnight. So I then managed to find a hotel to shower and lie down for a couple hours before hauling myself back to the airport the next morning to try again.

Somehow, I made it home in one piece, albeit around $1,000 poorer, and slightly traumatized. 

The airline did (eventually) end up reimbursing me for my original flight. But World Nomads covered my new flight as well as my hotel cost. 

Am I still scarred by that event? Unfortunately, yes. But I’m seriously so grateful that I had travel insurance and that it came through for me.

It’s important to point out that in both cases, I kept every piece of documentation possible to prove both what had happened, and exactly what I was requesting reimbursement for. 

You’ll want to be able to provide as much information as possible when filing a claim. What you’re ultimately reimbursed for, or not, will also depend on your specific case and plan, and it’s also why it’s important to thoroughly read through your coverage details before purchasing your insurance.

If your claim is denied, you do have the option for appealing.

🌟 Travel insurance is something I personally never skip. Learn more about World Nomads here.

Why World Nomads may not be best for you

It’s always worth comparing various plans, and the specific circumstances of your trip may call for different coverage needs.

For instance, at this time in my life, I never really travel for more than a few weeks at a time, so I can’t really speak to World Nomad’s prices or scope of coverage if you travel for longer or are a digital nomad.

I have also heard that World Nomads can be a bit costlier than other alternatives out there, and some people have reported difficulty with communication and getting their claims covered. 

Since I haven’t tried other types of travel insurance, I can’t truly compare, but what I will say is that I’ve always been happy with my experience. I found filing a claim to be relatively easy (a bit annoying to compile and send over a lot of documents, but nothing you wouldn’t expect), and I received responses within a few weeks both times. 

🗺️Check out prices and coverage details for your trip here.

Price and value for money

I usually spend in the $90 to $120 range on travel insurance, depending on the length of the trip, country, and other specifics.  

Yes, it kind of sucks to spend money on insurance, and then not need it. But the two times I actually needed World Nomads to come through, I got that money back and more, which does make it overall worth it for me, even if the majority of time, I don’t end up using it.

If you take just one thing from this World Nomads travel insurance review, is that you’re also paying for piece of mind.

After years of traveling across the world, I’ve unfortunately learned that as fun as travel can be, things do go wrong. And having that coverage in place makes all the difference between something being just stressful and disruptive, to really affecting your financial wellbeing.

So you want to base your decision to 1) get travel insurance and 2) which company you ultimately go with, on what will make you feel most confident on your travels.

For me, I’m a budget traveler who hates overspending, so I wouldn’t pay for something I didn’t think was really important.

Ultimately, travel is all about having fun, making memories, and having enriching experiences — and not worrying about if something can possibly go wrong has been worth every penny for me. 

🌎Find out more about World Nomad’s different plans, and which one may be right for you.