Travel Insurance and Trip Cancellation
For when you have to cancel your trip unexpectedly
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For information relating to policies purchased prior to 31 July 2023, please check the Policy Wording provided with your purchase. You can contact us if you need this sent to you again. For policies purchased from 31 July 2023, please see below.
Cancellation insurance is there for when life throws you a curve ball, helping you reduce out-of-pocket expenses if you’ve had to put your journey on hold.
From jury duty to an unexpected illness or redundancy, there are many reasons why you may have to stay at home instead of taking a cooking class in Chiang Mai… even if that’s the last place you want to be.
What’s covered by travel insurance for cancellation?
As long as you haven’t left home, we may cover you if you have to cancel your trip under certain circumstances like:
- You or your close relative or a member of your travelling party is injured, gets a serious illness or dies.
- You are unexpectedly called to do jury service or appear in court as a witness (but not as an expert witness.)
- You’re made redundant.
- You are a student of a recognised school, college or university and you are required to re-sit an exam.
- Your home or business becomes uninhabitable within two weeks of your travel start date.
- There’s been a theft from your home within two weeks of your travel start date and the police want to speak to you about it.
In addition, travellers with the Explorer Plan may be covered if the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) or similar body in the circumstances issues a travel warning advising against ’all travel’ or ‘all but essential travel’ to a specific region or country and that warning was first given after you purchased your policy and after you booked the trip.
Am I covered for Cancellation due to Coronavirus?
While epidemics and pandemics are excluded from the Cancellation, Curtailment & Trip Resumption sections as well as the Trip Interruption sections of our policy, there may be some benefits available to you if you've purchased our Explorer Plan, which includes a Coronavirus Travel Costs section.
If you have purchased the Explorer Plan, you may have some cover for trip cancellation or curtailment events that are outside of your control and caused by:
- You or a member of your travelling party being diagnosed with the Coronavirus;
- Your close relative in the United Kingdom being hospitalised or dying due to the Coronavirus;
- You or a member of your travelling party who are permanently employed as a healthcare worker, residential care worker or law enforcement officer having pre-approved leave cancelled due to Coronavirus.
You can check out our What’s covered for Coronavirus article which has all of the details, including benefit limits and exclusions
What’s not covered by travel insurance for cancellation?
There are a number of things you’re not covered for if you cancel or curtail your trip. Exclusions include but are not limited to:
- Pre-existing medical conditions as outlined in your Policy Wording
- The policy excess
- Additional costs incurred as a result of not immediately telling the travel agent, tour operator or provider of transport or accommodation that you need to cancel the trip
- Costs recoverable from elsewhere
- Costs incurred by travelling party members who are not on the Certificate of Insurance.
The policy isn’t designed to cover everything, so take the time to read the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions in the Policy Wording for full details so that there are no surprises if you need to use it. If you’re not sure if something is covered, get in touch.
Get a quote today and find out if this policy is right for you.
Be prepared if you need to claim for cancellation or curtailment.
Depending on your claim, you'll need copies of:
- Receipts
- Itineraries
- Doctors' reports/death certificates
- Medical history
- Written documentation from the travel provider of reason for cancellation and any refunds
Grandma passed away
My wife and I had planned to fly via Dubai on our way out to New Zealand. However my wife's grandmother suddenly passed away. We had to cancel our flights, which the airline will refund and waive cancellation fees due to the situation. But our hotel reservation in Dubai was a non-refundable booking.
Travel Insurance Benefits: how we can take care of you
Trip Cancellation
Protect your trip from unexpected cancellation.
- Explorer Plan: £5,000
- Standard Plan: £3,000
Trip Protection
- Come to a sticky end?
- Called to jury duty?
- Been made redundant?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Abroad Medical Expenses
Take the pain out of medical costs while traveling abroad.
- Explorer Plan: £10 million
- Standard Plan: £5 million
Emergency Medical Insurance
- Need drugs?
- Accidentally injured?
- Suddenly sick?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Medical Transport
Expenses included in Emergency Medical limits.
Evacuation and Repatriation
- Banged up abroad?
- Need a hospital urgently?
- You or a family member dead?
Help starts here.
Protect your gear
Cover your lost, stolen or damaged gear and tech.
- Explorer Plan: £2,000
- Standard Plan: £1,000
Protect your gear
- Luggage lost?
- Passport pilfered?
- Tech trashed?
Help starts here.
- Emergency Medical Expenses
- Baggage & Personal Belongings
- Cancellation
- Trip Curtailment
- Personal Accident
- Loss of Passport or travel documents
- Personal Liability
- Legal Expenses
You can still purchase a World Nomads policy if you have a Pre-Existing Medical Condition (PEMC) – whether it is serious or not – but we won’t cover any claim/s made by any traveller under the policy as a result of this condition (this includes if you’re on separate or joint policies). This exclusion can’t be removed from the policy.
The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has a travel insurance directory on its Money Advice Service website, or you can contact the service on 0800 138 7777. This service provides details on what may be considered a PEMC, and travel insurance providers that may cover serious PEMCs, which may assist travellers wanting cover for these conditions.
24/7 emergency assistance
If you need medical assistance or emergency medical evacuation our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year before and during your trip.
Are you in need of emergency assistance right now?
For policies purchased on or after 1 September 2021:
+44 (0) 2030931750 (Call via an operator reverse charges. Not toll free.)
For policies purchased before 1 September 2021:
Phone: +353 21 237 8005 (Call via an operator reverse charges. Not toll free.)
Phone: +61 2 8263 0470 (Call via an operator reverse charges. Not toll free.)
Wherever you are, whatever has happened, our multi-lingual assistance teams are here to help you and your family.
Emergency Assistance, World Nomads
Travel insurance. Simple & flexible.
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.
FAQ
Here are our most frequently asked questions about buying travel insurance for cancellation. You can also find the answers to other questions in our Help Center or you can ask the customer service team.
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Is there a time period that I have to claim within?
You're welcome to submit a claim whenever you're ready. If you're waiting on documentation, just let our customer service team know so they can make a note. The sooner a claim is made, the easier it is to get documentation and contact witnesses, as required.
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I’ve decided not to go travelling – can I cancel my policy?
If you cancel your policy within 21 days of our issuing your Certificate of Insurance, and you have not yet left home and are not going to use the policy, including making a claim, we will refund your premium, as it’s within your cooling-off period. After 21 days, contact our Customer Service team.
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If I'm having trouble getting documents from my travel provider, will you get them for me?
It's up to you to provide all of the documentation to support your claim.
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Can I get a refund on my policy as I'm not travelling?
If you're making a claim, or you're outside of the cooling-off period, you may not be eligible for a refund.