World Nomads review

World Nomads sells two plans to U.S. residents, and both are built around activities that other insurers exclude. The Standard plan includes $125,000 of emergency medical cover, $400,000 for medical evacuation and repatriation, $2,500 of trip cancellation and cover for 250+ activities. The Explorer plan raises that to $150,000 medical, $500,000 evacuation, $10,000 trip cancellation and 300+ activities, and adds an optional cancel for any reason benefit worth up to 50% of the non-refundable trip cost. Both include $25,000 of political, security and natural disaster evacuation. The covered activity list runs from hiking and skiing to scuba diving and surfing. World Nomads explains that price depends on trip length, destination and plan, and shows no starting figure, so it is priced by quote. Medical limits are modest next to IMG Patriot or GeoBlue, and the bundled trip cover makes it dearer than a medical-only plan.

Who it is for

adventure travelers and backpackers

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Standard plan: $125,000 emergency medical and $400,000 medical evacuation and repatriation
• Explorer plan: $150,000 emergency medical and $500,000 medical evacuation and repatriation
• 250+ activities covered on Standard and 300+ on Explorer
• Trip cancellation of $2,500 (Standard) or $10,000 (Explorer)
• $25,000 political, security and natural disaster evacuation

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Activities from scuba diving to mountain biking covered as standard
• Strength: Explorer adds optional cancel for any reason, up to 50% of the trip cost
• Strength: Portable health records store medical records and emergency contacts
• Weakness: No starting price on the plan page; the cost depends on trip length, destination and plan
• Weakness: Medical limits of $125,000 to $150,000 are lower than IMG or GeoBlue
• Weakness: Bundles trip cancellation, so it costs more than medical-only plans

Key facts

• Emergency medical: $125,000 (Standard), $150,000 (Explorer)
• Evacuation: $400,000 (Standard), $500,000 (Explorer)
• Activities: 250+ (Standard), 300+ (Explorer)
• Trip cancellation: $2,500 or $10,000
• Price: Quote based (USD check pending)

Where it ranks

World Nomads is No. 8 in our Best Travel Medical Insurance verdict.