Why I Don’t Recommend Them

Final up to date on August 13, 2024 by Shannon

Once you’re planning world journey—both a fast journey or long-term journey—you’ve gotten a dizzying variety of choices to evaluation in terms of selecting one of the best journey insurance coverage.

I first used World Nomads in 2008, and I continued utilizing it for greater than a decade—however since then, I don’t assume it’s one of the best journey insurance coverage for many vacationers. I finished recommending World Nomads again in 2022.

I’ve accomplished in depth analysis over time—I’ll evaluation who I believe World Nomads continues to be proper for—together with what’s coated and the kinds of journeys the place it’s splendid. Then I’ll focus on why I exploit IMG travel insurance and SafetyWing on my travels now, each of which supply journey medical insurance coverage.

Of the three, my most up-to-date private expertise with a journey insurance coverage declare is with IMG Global in 2022, and it was seamless. So I’ll go into what you must find out about that, too.

Notice: I finished shopping for World Nomads insurance policies in 2017—I personally felt like the standard of protection modified. Different journey insurance coverage firms supply higher protection at a greater worth for the various months I spend touring yearly—that’s what informs this evaluation of World Nomads. I share my very own private issues: what I search for in protection when selecting journey medical insurance coverage for me and my son in 2024. I could obtain a fee from a number of the hyperlinks on this publish, which doesn’t have an effect on my suggestions.

Ought to You Purchase World Nomads Journey Insurance coverage in 2024?

Solely you may make the decision of if journey insurance coverage is value it for you normally, however journey insurance coverage gives important medical, gear, and journey safety for every part from brief holidays to long-term, adventurous backpacking journeys. I believe journey insurance coverage is value it, once you perceive what precisely you’re insuring, and which firm will greatest shield you.

What you’re searching for is one of the best journey insurance coverage for your particular journey. Should you drill down to know how they differ, and evaluation every coverage for the way it could work on the journey you’ve gotten deliberate, then you will discover the correct one—it won’t be World Nomads. Slick advertising and marketing doesn’t imply it’s proper to your journey.

You need an organization that efficiently pays claims, has a simple on-line system for making these claims, and fewer loopholes than opponents.

As a result of each insurance coverage firm has sneaky loopholes in place to make sure you have been following the principles, so I evaluation the particular recommendation wanted to efficiently make a journey insurance coverage declare—there are just a few loopholes you must know earlier than shopping for any journey insurance coverage!

Beneath I’ll evaluation why I purchased a World Nomads insurance coverage coverage for my eight years of long-term world journey, and why I exploit IMG Patriot Platinum or SafetyWing for my travels now.

What’s the Finest Journey Insurance coverage?

Let’s evaluation which kinds of world travels pair greatest with the completely different journey insurance coverage firms. The fundamentals of who ought to typically decide every insurance coverage firm seems to be like this:

What Forms of Vacationers Ought to Purchase World Nomads?

Anybody claiming they know the flat-out greatest journey insurance coverage is mistaken: It’s important to evaluation journey insurance coverage insurance policies based mostly on your precise circumstances.

World Nomads

World Nomads was as soon as the one viable possibility for backpackers—it was the highest identify in insuring world journey when there was no actual competitors. It’s each journey insurance coverage and journey medical insurance coverage.

It consists of the adventurous actions widespread on long-term journeys and whereas backpacking, and the plans are designed with only a couple customizable add-ons, so that you get a bundle that works for a typically massive common of individuals.

The insurance policies value quite a bit although—it’s the most costly of the three I reviewed right here, and its claims course of leaves quite a bit to be desired. In newer years, vacationers are less-than-thrilled—a dismal 3.3 rating on Trustpilot leaves quite a bit to be desired.

IMG International

IMG Global isn’t well-known within the backpacker world since its advertising and marketing isn’t as shiny, however its 4.6 rating on Trustpilot is properly deserved. It’s an insurance coverage firm with each journey insurance coverage and journey medical insurance coverage insurance policies designed for long-term vacationers, expats, seniors, volunteers, and extra.

All the things I beloved about World Nomads is out there with IMG Global, nevertheless it’s additionally much more versatile—once you decide a coverage, you may select deductibles and protection ranges. The Patriot Lite policy is a journey medical insurance coverage that might work for a lot of vacationers, or the iTraveledInsured policies present wonderful protection if you happen to’ve booked plenty of costly points of your journey—cruises, excursions, and so forth—and wish to shield that funding.

SafetyWing

SafetyWing is a beginner to the market (2018) and rose alongside the distant work motion, as extra digital nomads and vacationers hit the highway for months at a time. Those that use it rave—it has a 4.2 rating on TrustPilot, and the corporate has large objectives to make long-term journey quite a bit simpler on the insurance coverage entrance. So far as I can inform, the unfavorable feedback are all from those that don’t perceive issues like having chosen a coverage with a deductible.

The corporate’s Nomad Insurance gives journey medical insurance coverage particularly, so it’s a mix of some journey protection (for some delays and misplaced checked baggage) and emergency medical in your journey. The truth that you pay month-to-month is a boon for these on extra open-ended journeys.

The corporate additionally presents a Nomad Health coverage that acts as precise medical insurance coverage—checkups, medical doctors visits, and you’ll even add on dental and imaginative and prescient protection. This full-fledged international medical insurance is right for these dwelling outdoors their dwelling nation, however perhaps not expat-ing in a single single spot (the place you might then purchase native insurance coverage as I’ve accomplished dwelling in Spain). This insurance coverage could be splendid for digital nomads touring on vacationer visas and staying months fairly than years in a single spot—particularly since there’s some protection to your dwelling nation too (not together with the U.S.).

Why are journey insurance coverage insurance policies costs so wildly completely different?

All of it comes all the way down to what’s coated, and who the insurance coverage firms each goal and canopy. SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance is inclusive, that means many older vacationers can use it, however its major viewers is 18-39 yr olds—these are the most cost effective insurance policies. The insurance coverage additionally has a $250 deductible and a decrease coverage most than World Nomads, for instance.

World Nomads, however, has constructed a handful of coverage choices and you’ll’t customise the quote a lot, in order that they’re earning money on individuals who select a plan and are literally over-insured for his or her deliberate journey.

One of many causes I really like utilizing IMG Global is as a result of I can select the precise deductible I need, and the coverage most too—it’s the one one of many three to permit that. And so the costs are aggressive. World Nomads doesn’t enable that possibility; the insurance policies are packaged up and offered as-is, together with protection limits, deductibles, journey sports activities, and extra.

Backpackers and long-term vacationers want the flexibleness and safety of figuring out they gained’t go bankrupt if one thing occurs on the highway. It’s why I can unequivocally say that journey insurance coverage is helpful, and I like each IMG Global and SafetyWing as splendid choices  for backpackers and long-term vacationers.

With each firms, along with shopping for a coverage on-line, you may prolong your insurance coverage coverage, and even purchase one once you’re already touring. They each supply a pleasant on-line interface so you may care for enterprise and get again to touring—a good travel insurance allows you to journey with out the fear, that’s the whole level!

What’s Coated by World Nomads (And What’s Not)?

The protection in your journey insurance coverage coverage is a very powerful half—so that is the place it’s very important you’re taking time to know precisely what shopping for journey insurance coverage can get you on a visit. It’s on a regular basis safety for you, to your baggage, and in addition within the occasion of BIG points with a capital B (assume catastrophic climate occasion, traumatic harm, and so forth).

Let’s evaluation the 5 key protection areas on any World Nomads coverage:

1. Abroad medical care
2. Medical evacuation (Medevac)
3. Baggage claims
4. Theft on some belongings and electronics (learn the coverage particulars!)
5. Journey cancellation protection

Past these 5 areas that any good journey insurance coverage coverage should have, these are just a few different issues which might be bonuses and in addition included—no less than to some extent. Protection on these areas depends upon your nation of residence:

• Pure disasters
• Being pregnant issues (however not beginning)
• Emergency dental
• Stolen passport

As soon as you recognize what is roofed by World Nomads, it comes all the way down to the extent of protection. You must not join a coverage that skimps in any of those areas. However some protection does actually rely in your journey, particularly after we get into limits.

IMG lets you tweak and regulate protection limits—that is important for me once I’m touring dwelling to the U.S. as an expat. I normally pay further for a low deductible if I’m touring in locations with costly healthcare methods, and I’ll decide the next deductible touring in locations the place a medical go to may cost a little $50 and I in all probability wouldn’t undergo the trouble of claiming that on the insurance coverage anyway. Notice that that is my calculus when shopping for journey insurance coverage—your state of affairs my fluctuate!

Journey Exercise Protection

Earlier than I left on my world travels, I made an inventory of the entire loopy and wild journey actions that I wished to take part in whereas touring—then I used the World Nomads’ A-Z Record of Journey Actions to verify they have been coated in a coverage.

Each exercise I hoped to expertise was on the record of what’s coated. In later years, I’ve accomplished the identical with the sports activities rider for IMG Global—and a few issues aren’t coated by IMG which might be coated on World Nomads, however they have been all very harmful issues like canyoning, which I wasn’t going to do anyway.

Whereas not your whole actions could also be coated—there are some issues journey insurance coverage will simply not cowl—the whole record is complete, on-line, and damaged down by nation. This is a crucial step! I actually wished to know that rock-climbing in Laos was coated simply as absolutely as scuba diving on the Nice Barrier Reef.

On my first long-term backpacking journey, I used to be energetic and adventurous, and it was dead-simple to confirm on World Nomads’ guidelines if an exercise was coated. Notice that what World Nomads covers for every coverage is clearly outlined on-line—it’s simple to verify earlier than you do the exercise; that’s crucial!

You don’t wish to be ready for an e mail out of your insurance coverage firm whereas the boat leaves in your deliberate scuba diving journey. With different insurance policies (just like the expat insurance I use with IMG), including any journey sports activities requires paying for a further rider, and the protection just isn’t as strong.

World Nomads‘ protection was designed by a world traveler—a Aussie named Simon Monk who wished to demystify the whole journey insurance coverage course of. That’s why the insurance policies appear single-handedly designed for long-term vacationers and backpackers—they’re! Somewhat than being left to decide on your personal protection limits, the insurance policies are designed to offer you most safety for the kind of issues most vacationers face on the highway.

Solely some journey insurance coverage insurance policies supply journey sports activities riders (and even fundamental out of doors journey actions could fall below that!). Evaluation the actions rigorously—be optimistic that you simply’re choosing one which covers every part you’ve gotten deliberate.

Is World Nomads Journey Well being Insurance coverage?

Insurance coverage firms don’t, by default, supply common medical insurance as part of their journey medical insurance policies. Protection is supplied for emergency medical bills—that’s a key purpose you’re shopping for the coverage, however be aware that this isn’t the identical as well being protection like common physician visits.

Journey medical insurance coverage just isn’t designed to imitate medical insurance. That’s why, written into the coverage, your journey insurance coverage will finish both when you step foot on dwelling soil, or inside about two weeks—verify your coverage.

World Nomads is not going to present to common checkups, it’s solely meant as a backstop to emergencies that crop up whereas touring.

Shopping for International Medical Insurance coverage for Vacationers

IMG Global and SafetyWing supply medical insurance insurance policies meant for expats with a residence abroad, or dwelling on the highway as a digital nomad or distant employee. The IMG Global Medical Insurance plan does cowl lots of the similar points as conventional medical insurance, and you’ll even purchase them with a $0 deductible (I purchased a $0-deductible expat coverage for my first yr dwelling in Spain, which was a situation of my visa).

IMG & SafetyWing Protection for International Healthcare Insurance policies

Making Journey Insurance coverage Claims On-line

Most insurance coverage firms now help you file your claims on-line. A seamless system is a big should for long-term vacationers and backpackers particularly as a result of you may’t wait till the top of your journey to kind all of it out—you’re going to should file your insurance coverage declare on the highway.

For World Nomads, SafetyWing and IMG International, you may course of your whole claims on-line, and there aren’t any caps on the size of time you may be insured. That is not the case with all journey insurance coverage insurance policies. Some max out at three months and some nonetheless don’t have a completely on-line claims course of.

For many insurance coverage firms, if it’s a medical emergency and you’ve got time, you’re obligated to contact them and let it undergo their approved suppliers—that hastens the method. Both method, I discovered the web claims course of simple and the corporate presents 24 hour helplines for fast help, in addition to helplines for determining the typically bureaucratic strategy of submitting a journey insurance coverage declare.

TL;DR: World Nomads Protection Evaluation Recap

• Having journey insurance coverage by means of World Nomads after which IMG Global made my life simpler as a digital nomad dwelling on the highway for 15+ years by providing a completely on-line course of.
• The journey sports activities protection is included in World Nomads insurance policies by default, that means there’s no probability you missed a vital protection step within the select-it-yourself insurance policies. With IMG, just be sure you add this rider into your coverage if you happen to’re doing something greater than sunning your self on a seaside.
• IMG International and SafetyWing are my journey insurances of alternative for long-term vacationers. It’s throughout my solo backpacking journeys that I’ve used World Nomads to one of the best success, however then for the final decade IMG International has provided me the flexibleness I wanted to reside and journey abroad.
• You’re solely coated for these issues you’re legally allowed to do—no medication or drunk driving, and no driving with out a correct license.
• Questioning what one of the best journey insurance coverage is for anybody visiting the U.S. as a non-resident? I like IMG Global, as a result of that is the place World Nomads and SafetyWing protection have large gaps for a lot of worldwide vacationers (as a result of the U.S. healthcare system is so whack, residents of most international locations aren’t provided the kind of full protection I imagine important to long-term travels within the U.S.).

The best way to Assist Your Claims Get Permitted

Journey insurance coverage is the one greatest approach to shield your self in opposition to the unknown going through you on the highway. Throughout my greater than a decade of journey, I’ve had dysentery, Giardia, scabies, strep throat, and a bunch of well being points. I’m a wholesome individual, however journey illness is part of long-term journey.

Though I’ve by no means had main catastrophic well being issues, nor been robbed of any key gear, I might by no means take the danger of backpacking the world with out emergency assist obtainable. Journey insurance coverage firms have an enormous community of suppliers, and when you activate them, they negotiate (typically within the native language) with these offering your assist or care. That’s an enormous reduction when issues are going south.

Yow will discover horrible opinions on-line for all journey insurance coverage firms. There are some circumstances the place the traveler simply didn’t match throughout the coverage wording they usually weren’t coated. That’s powerful. It’s crucial that you simply learn the necessities for making a declare if one thing goes mistaken in your journey.

When reviewing any insurance policies, even one of the best journey insurance coverage has some loopholes. Listed below are key cautions and warnings to heed:

• Doc your valuables. To make a declare, you have to show you purchased it (receipts), that it was with you (take a photograph of all valuables earlier than you allow), and that it was stolen (a police report). Every step right here is important. Many unfavorable journey insurance coverage opinions are from individuals who didn’t have a duplicate of the police report, or couldn’t generate possession proof. Learn your coverage and perceive precisely what it requires to make a declare.
• Doc your sickness. Name your insurance coverage firm as quickly as you’re sick; they may enable you to discover one of the best suppliers within the area. Plus, it states in your coverage that you need to try this! When shopping for a coverage, you agree that they may select a supplier and be concerned within the course of—that is true for choosing hospital care, medevac suppliers, and extra. Should you don’t do that, they could not cowl your payments. Additionally, hold your paperwork! There might be plenty of back-and-forths as you make the declare—the extra info you’ve gotten the higher.
• Observe the regulation. One sticky state of affairs for backpackers is the rampant use of motorbikes in Asia. If you’re not licensed to drive the car in your personal nation, then even one of the best journey insurance coverage could not cowl you in an accident. This can be a large loophole. And it sucks. However double verify issues like this earlier than assuming you’ll be coated if one thing severe occurs on a distant stretch of mountains on a winding Thai highway .
• Learn your coverage. Severely. It’s dry and boring. It’ll take no less than an hour. However learn it, perceive what it covers, and spotlight something that isn’t clear. Should you’re not sure, e mail or name them! They reply questions earlier than, throughout, and after you’re a consumer. There’s additionally in depth Q&A within the feedback under as different vacationers and I hash out the superb print.
• Perceive what’s not coated. From pre-existing circumstances to excessive sports activities, there are some things you’re simply not assured in a normal journey coverage. However, each journey insurance coverage firm is completely different. The high-end Choose plan from TravelEx covers pre-existing circumstances, so if that’s an enormous issue for you, then the considerably larger value is perhaps value it. However if you happen to’re a backpacker planning a long-term journey that may embody journey sports activities, then you must as a substitute search for insurance policies from IMG and World Nomads which might be designed to fulfill that want. Should you’re a household planning to journey the world for a yr, and you’ll do adventurous issues, World Nomads may nonetheless work—they’ve household plans—but in addition look to an IMG coverage with the sports activities rider (you should add the sports activities rider, really).
• Perceive the goal market of your future insurance coverage firm. This helps you perceive if it gives the breadth of protection typically wanted by somebody of your age, well being, and elegance of journey.

Cheatsheet of Protection Comparability

FAQ About World Nomads & Journey Insurance coverage

After greater than ten years on the highway, I moved to Europe in early 2018, now I’ve native Spanish medical insurance and I exploit IMG Patriot Platinum once I journey again to the U.S., or to cowl me and my son after we journey Europe and the world.

Generate an IMG quote to see if it’s a very good match to your journey state of affairs, and have a look at SafetyWing if you happen to’re heading out on a long-term journey.

A bit about this World Nomads evaluation

I’m journey author and on-line marketer—I’m not an skilled and you must all the time conduct your personal analysis. I write from my lived expertise, in addition to 18+ years of suggestions from mates and readers. The very fact is, I’ve used each World Nomads and IMG International for properly over a decade, so it is a first-hand, trustworthy journey insurance coverage evaluation and nobody paid me to make use of them—my hard-earned cash purchased a coverage on each journey.

Disclosure:  I’m not a licensed insurance coverage agent, nor a medical skilled. Whereas the entire info on this publish is correct to my data, you have to do your personal analysis and confirm all points of your journey insurance coverage earlier than securing a coverage. I can’t be held answerable for your use of any of the knowledge supplied. 

*Please be aware that I make a small fee—at no extra value to you—on purchases you make by means of a choose few product hyperlinks. This by no means impacts my suggestions.