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While there may be many valid reasons why you need to travel during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, when it comes to knowing what you are or are not covered for can be tricky.
That's why we've put together this guide to help you navigate travel during Coronavirus, with tips on trip planning, selecting travel insurance and more.
While we would like to sell travel insurance to every country or region, in some instances this will not be the case. Please be aware that some of our policy coverage depends on government travel advisories and your coverage could be invalidated if you travel against government advice.
For example, if a government issues warnings against travel to a specific region or country due to COVID-19 cases, your policy may be invalidated depending on your Country of Residence. This travel warning does not apply to US residents.
Many travel bubbles can change at a moment’s notice when COVID-19 cases go up or down and may cause a big headache if you’ve booked tours, have connecting flights, and need to cancel or rearrange your flight and accommodation dates.
If you’ve purchased a World Nomads policy and a government travel warning is given after you bought your policy and before you left home, and you have no option but to cancel your trip, you may be covered for the costs incurred of cancellation.
Coverage depends on your Country of Residence and varies between plans.
Don’t forget to read the policy wording when you hit the quote button as all plans are different – don’t just assume you’re covered in every situation, as conditions or exclusions may apply.
Regardless of where you may be traveling to, when it comes to COVID-19, you will need to abide by any country or regions’ rules. If you don’t do your research and prepare in advance, you’ll be in for a few stress-related headaches.
Be aware that we won’t cover you if you decide to travel abroad and you buy or extend a policy when you are aware of circumstances that may impact your travel plans, or if you knowingly put yourself in a risky situation, such as:
As the world continues to be affected by various COVID-19 strains, it is trickier than ever to plan a trip overseas without potentially getting denied entry because of a positive COVID-19 test or having to go into mandatory quarantine due to a confirmed case of Coronavirus.
Some of our plans have always had coverage for sudden sicknesses such as COVID-19, but more recently, we've added insurance coverage for some Coronavirus-related events to the plans that don't have them. To find out more about coverage, terms, conditions and benefits check out our Coronavirus cover article.
Our Coronavirus-related coverage will vary depending on your Country of Residence and which plan you have selected.
Before you head off on your trip, you'll need to gather evidence of your planned travel and accommodation costs, medical documents that show proof of vaccination or negative COVID tests and which confirm you’ve got a clean bill of health. If you need to make a claim after you’ve returned home, you may need to provide proof of:
If you’re planning on traveling abroad or transiting through or near a country or region with a high number of COVID-19 cases, please check any travel and health advice issued by your Country of Residence and monitor the situation through local and international media as it may affect your travel insurance policy.
Helpful links:
If you or someone in your traveling party tests positive for COVID-19, you should isolate immediately and contact the 24/7 Emergency Assistance Team as well as a local medical practitioner for advice on what to do.
You should also contact your airline or travel provider to reschedule your travel plans and seek advice on whether you can continue travelling. You may need to go into mandatory quarantine depending on the country that you’re in.
If you need to change your travel arrangements because you’ve contracted COVID-19 or been deemed a close contact and you need to go into mandatory quarantine, in the first instance contact your airline, cruise company or travel agent for assistance and to reschedule your flights. Refer to your policy wording for more details or contact us to discuss your plans before making any changes.
Also, if you are feeling unwell and need urgent medical assistance contact the 24/7 Emergency Assistance Team as soon as possible.
Depending on your Country of Residence, and as part of our Coronavirus Travel Costs benefits (Explorer Plan only), if you need to go into mandatory quarantine we will pay for your reasonable additional travel, meals, and accommodation, including in-room entertainment.
You must provide satisfactory written evidence of the timing and circumstances of the quarantine event and the actual costs incurred. Where applicable, this includes written advice from the attending medical practitioner or local health authority confirming that your quarantine is necessary.
If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 while overseas and it’s not considered an ‘existing medical condition’ under our policy, and there is not a warning against travel in place for COVID-19 in the location you are currently visiting, your benefits may include:
Depending on your Country of Residence you could have access to Coronavirus Travel Costs benefits (Explorer Plan only) for certain events such as cancellation, trip interruption expenses, as well as additional benefits for healthcare workers, residential care workers and law enforcement officers who have their pre-arranged leave cancelled by their employer due to COVID.
You can check out our Coronavirus cover article which has more details, including benefit limits and exclusions.
If you make a claim, you must show the event was unexpected and occurred after you purchased the policy and after you booked or paid for any travel arrangements.
In the event of a claim covered by your policy, you must do everything reasonable you can to reduce the cost of the claim and provide all supporting documentation of the event and expenses incurred.
If you intend to submit a claim, please complete the claim form, and if you have questions about what's covered and not covered, just ask us.
We have compiled this general information if you’re looking for more information on COVID-19-related articles when planning your next trip, check out our articles below:
Watch our True Claims video to get a glimpse of how we help travelers when something goes wrong.
Waiting periods apply
In the 25th of December I woke up feeling nausea, fever, headache, and lethargy. After two days with the symptoms not ceasing I went to a clinic and was admitted with severe malaria. I stayed in the hospital for two days taking shots for malaria and also saline drip.
Travel insurance for independent travelers and intrepid families. Nobody wants to think about all the things that could go wrong on their trip, but these things can and do happen. So be prepared and get your travel insurance today.
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Whether you need medical assistance or emergency evacuation, our teams are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year before and during your trip.
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Contact the teamBefore your trip, check to see if there are current travel alerts for your destination – you can also check travel advice and restrictions for your destination(s) as these may impact cover, or your ability to travel.
Gaza−Israel conflict: For travellers in, or planning on travelling to, Israel or the Palestinian Territories, please see our travel alert with more information.