Product

  • What is travel insurance and how does it work?

    Travel insurance is designed to help customers cover expenses if something unexpected goes wrong before or while on their trip, for certain defined events such as lost, stolen or damaged baggage, cancellation, medical events and more.

    The cover we offer:

    • Single Trip policies – for a trip outside of the United Kingdom; up to a maximum duration of 365 days, including extensions.
    • Annual Multi-Trip policies – to cover multiple trips taken domestically and outside of the United Kingdom within a 12-month period; up to 31 days or 45 days each trip.

    A customer may currently be in the United Kingdom or already travelling when they buy or extend their policy (see below at: “Can a customer buy travel insurance if already travelling?”).

    Travellers pay the insurance company a fee, called a 'premium, which varies based on where they’re travelling, how long the trip is, the number of travellers, their age(s) and what activities they plan to participate in.

    The insurance company agrees to cover costs (up to a certain limit) for events and benefits like emergency medical treatment abroad, damaged or stolen luggage, delayed flights, or non-refundable expenses should the customer have to unexpectedly cancel their trip.

  • Is travel insurance the same as health insurance?
    No. Travel insurance is not a substitute for primary health insurance and won't cover non-essential overseas medical treatment, such as routine exams, or treatment already planned. Also, personal health insurance may not cover costs while travelling out of the country. With travel insurance, a customer can explore their boundaries (within reason, of course) and still be covered.
  • Who are World Nomads UK policies underwritten by?
    The policy is underwritten by Collinson Insurance, which is a trading name of Astrenska Insurance Limited, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority (FRN 202846).
  • Who is eligible for cover?

    Customers are eligible to purchase a policy if their home address where they live is in the United Kingdom and they are registered with a General Practitioner in the UK. They must be 69 years old or younger at the time they buy or extend their policy.

    ‘United Kingdom’ means England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland; it does not include the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

    ‘Home’ is defined as: The address where you live in the United Kingdom and where you are registered with a General Practitioner.

    NOTE: We are unable to offer a policy when the traveller:

    • has been diagnosed with a terminal illness;
    • is travelling with the intent to receive medical treatment; or
    • is travelling against the advice of a medical practitioner or would be if they asked for medical advice.

    See “Health Cover Restrictions” in the policy wording for further terms and conditions.

  • What are the differences between a Standard and an Explorer Plan?

    World Nomads offers two plans:

    • Standard Plan: Includes a range of benefits such as emergency medical expenses overseas, coverage for personal belongings, pre-trip cancellation and certain adventure activities.
    • Explorer Plan: Has all the benefits of a Standard Plan and a few more, including delay, abandonment and missed departure and connections, along with higher benefit limits.

    An easy way to see the differences is to refer to the Sales Guide which gives a quick breakdown of benefits available under each plan and the applicable benefit limits, or refer to the policy wording which details the coverage in full.

  • Can I upgrade my plan mid-trip?
    A customer cannot upgrade from a Standard Plan to an Explorer Plan mid-trip, so they are strongly advised to choose carefully from the outset.
  • Do World Nomads cover adventure sports and activities?

    Yes – World Nomads travel insurance plans offer cover for more than 150 adventure sports and activities. The list of covered activities, along with other helpful information on sports, activities and experiences, is found on our website at: https://www.worldnomads.com/uk/travel-insurance/whats-covered/adventure-sports-and-activities.

    Each activity listed has a level of cover. When a customer buys a policy and adds the activities they plan on doing, they will be covered for participating in all activities at that level and all activities in the levels below.

    (1) Level 1 (lowest level)

    (2) Level 2

    (3) Level 3

    (4) Level 4

    Note: Some activities have special conditions and specific exclusions. Customers should always check the list of covered activities and policy wording for full details.

  • Do customers need to include stopovers as a destination when buying travel insurance?
    While there may be many reasons to buy travel insurance to help protect against unforeseen events such as trip cancellation, injuries, overseas medical or dental emergencies, or lost baggage, customers don’t need to purchase any extra travel insurance if you are making a quick stop-over in a country and not planning to leave the airport.
  • Can a customer buy travel insurance if already travelling?

    With a World Nomads policy, customers can buy cover anytime, anywhere. Plus, if they decide to stay somewhere longer or want to change direction on a whim, World Nomads are happy to extend their policy (Single Trip policies only) as long they meet all eligibility criteria and it’s extended before 11.59pm UK time on the end date shown on their Certificate of Insurance.

    Please note, if a policy is purchased after a customer has already left home, a 72-hour waiting period applies before cover becomes available.

    1. If after purchasing an Annual Multi-Trip or Single Trip policy after boarding their transportation for their international departure; or
    2. If after purchasing an Annual Multi-Trip policy after leaving their home to start their trip for trips solely within the UK:
    • No cover is available under Cancelling Your Trip for the trip they have started; and
    • All other cover becomes available 72 hours after we issue their policy certificate, and only for events that first occur after the 72-hour waiting period, or after the policy start date, whichever is later;
    • However, cover is available if the traveller suffers an accidental injury after the policy Start Date and when that accident is witnessed and verified by an independent third party. (Cover is not provided under Cancelling Your Trip.)
  • Cancelling Your Policy: Cooling-Off Periods Explained

    All World Nomads Travel Insurance policies are subject to a 21-day ‘cooling-off period’ within which a customer may cancel their policy without any penalty. Outside of this period, if a customer wants to cancel their policy, they can contact World Nomads. A premium refund may only be provided at the insurer’s discretion and in exceptional circumstances.

    UK residents have up to 21 calendar days from when we issue their Certificate of Insurance and policy wording and before the policy Start Date to cancel their policy. This is called their cooling-off period.

    If they choose to cancel their policy within the cooling-off period, we will refund their premium in full, provided that:

    • they haven’t travelled under their policy; and
    • they are not making a claim.

    A customer may cancel their policy within the cooling-off period and before the Start Date on the policy by signing into their World Nomads membership or by contacting the Customer Service team.

    Outside of the Cooling-Off Period

    Outside of the cooling-off period, when the policy has not started, the insured has not travelled, and no claim is being made:

    Single Trip policies:

    • A 75% premium refund may be provided at the insurer’s discretion and in exceptional circumstances.

    Annual Multi-Trip policies:

    • A partial refund may be provided at the insurer’s discretion and in exceptional circumstances. Any refund will be based on how long the policy was active; refer to the refund scale in the policy wording under “Cancelling or amending your policy” in Section 1 Policy Information.

    Refer all enquiries to World Nomads’ Customer Service team.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

  • What is a pre-existing medical condition?
    A ‘pre-existing medical condition’ is defined in the policy wording as: “Any medical or dental condition, or related complication that has required or is awaiting medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, prescribed medication, consultations, check-ups, surgery, tests or investigations in the 180 days before you buy or extend your policy or book your trip (whichever you do last)."
  • Are pre-existing medical conditions covered by travel insurance?

    World Nomads do not cover claims or expenses arising from a customer’s pre-existing medical conditions.

    Customers will ultimately be liable to pay for all expenses incurred as a result of a pre-existing medical condition, which can be prohibitive in some countries.

    Also, we are unable to offer a policy to a traveller who:

    • has been diagnosed with a terminal illness;
    • is travelling with the intent to receive medical treatment; or
    • is travelling against the advice of a medical practitioner or would be if they asked for medical advice.

    Refer to the section “Health Cover Restrictions” in the policy wording for further terms and conditions.

    Changes in health after a policy is purchased

    If a traveller experiences a change in health after buying a policy, such as a new or increased medication, any referral for tests or a specialist appointment, if they have received or are awaiting results of tests/investigations or a new diagnosis/course of treatment, they will need to be able to provide medical confirmation from their General Practitioner that they were fit to travel in the event of a claim.

    Annual Multi-Trip policy – additional terms:

    If after purchasing a policy they experience a change in health, the ‘pre-existing medical condition’ definition applies each time they book a new trip. If the change in health is considered a pre-existing medical condition at the time of booking the trip, there is no cover for any claim arising from that condition.

    See “Health Cover Restrictions” in the policy wording for further terms and conditions.

    Health of others

    If a customer has to cancel their trip due to the poor health of an immediate relative, travelling companion or a person they are planning to stay with, we’ll require that a medical practitioner confirmed in writing that when the policy was bought or the trip was booked:

    • The non-insured party was not seriously ill in hospital or receiving palliative care, and
    • There was no reason to expect their state of health to deteriorate so much that the insured would need to cancel.
  • My pre-existing medical condition isn’t covered but I still want travel insurance, can I buy a policy through World Nomads?

    Absolutely. If the customer has checked their eligibility under “Health Cover Restrictions”, and if their pre-existing medical condition is not covered but they’re not concerned about covering it, they can still buy a World Nomads travel insurance policy. It’s important to make it clear to them, though, that any claim made in relation to their pre-existing condition will not be covered.

    In most instances, for travellers with pre-existing medical conditions, our policies may still cover many events that can take place while on the road, as long as the event is not as a result of the pre-existing medical condition(s). This includes cover for:

    • Baggage and personal belongings
    • Medical expenses abroad, including evacuation and repatriation for unexpected illness and accidental injury that are not pre-existing medical conditions
    • Lost or damaged passports, licenses or other travel documents
    • Natural catastrophe (medical expenses covered under both plans; only Trip Disruption is offered under the Explorer Plan)
    • Travel delay (Explorer Plan only).