Travel insurance to get you home
When illness or injury trashes your trip, get home in one piece
- Trusted by:
Trusted by:
For information relating to policies purchased prior to 8 November 2022, 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 8 November 2022, please see below.
Serious accidents or illnesses can happen at any time during your trip, whether you’re trekking through the Eurasian Steppe or (not so) simply crossing the road in Vietnam. And if it’s bad enough to end your trip mid-way or if our medical teams recommend you return to your country of residence for treatment, our repatriation cover can help get you home as fast as possible.
Medical evacuations are expensive depending on where you are and the amount of medical support you might need. That's what our emergency medical, evacuation and repatriation insurance in all of our plans is designed to cover.
Keep in mind that you’ll first need to contact your private medical insurance (PMI) provider (if applicable) and follow their emergency medical procedures and their claims procedures. Cover available under this travel insurance policy is in excess of any cover provided by your PMI. Also, provide us with details of your PMI provider to help us co-ordinate your care. Where your PMI provider does not cover you, contact our 24/7 Emergency Assistance Team before incurring medical costs. You must let us know how you are going and keep in contact with our EA team until you no longer require treatment or assistance.
I need help now – what do I do?
The first step is to get medical help.
If you have private health insurance/private medical insurance (PMI) that covers you while abroad, first contact your insurance provider (or get someone else to do so on your behalf) and follow their emergency and claims procedures.
If not, it's essential that you get in contact with our 24/7 Emergency Assistance Team as soon as possible so that our team can support you from the time your fall sick or get injured until the time you get home.
Our 24/7 Emergency Assistance Team can make arrangements and get pre-authorisation for your repatriation home. Our doctors and nurses have seen some horrific accidents and illnesses and have helped thousands of travellers get home safely to fully recover. Our teams are trained to help in these situations, negotiating the complexities of hospitals, specialist transportation, airline approvals and medical escorts so you (and your family) can focus on your recovery.
World Nomads now offers benefits for medical issues related to Coronavirus (COVID-19) under the Overseas Medical Expenses section; please note that benefit limits vary between our Standard and Explorer Plans. If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 while abroad, your benefits include evacuation or repatriation if deemed necessary by us and in consultation with your attending physician.
Our article What’s covered for Coronavirus explains the benefits available if you get COVID-19 and need urgent assistance.
Please note that cover is up to the amount shown in your policy wording and is subject to our 24/7 Emergency Assistance Team or us, on the advice of a medical practitioner appointed by us in consultation with your medical practitioner overseas, first deciding that:
- Transportation is medically necessary; and
- The style and timing of the transportation are reasonable and appropriate; and
- You're medically fit to be evacuated; and
- You should be transferred back to your country of residence
How World Nomads travel insurance can get you home
Travel insurance is made to cover emergency treatment abroad and, if necessary, to provide cover to rearrange your initial travel plans or for specialist medical transportation to get you back home. If our medical teams believe it’s necessary to bring you home for treatment or ongoing care, there’s cover in all of our policies for:
- Air Ambulance
- Sea Level Aircraft
- Helicopter evacuation
- Ground Ambulance
- Flight changes, upgrades or just more space
- Flight upgrade + medical staff
What's not covered
There are some cases where it's just not possible to provide cover:
- Flight upgrades, new flights or changes without our approval (or where it's not medically necessary).
- Refusal to return home for treatment.
- Changing your mind to not continue your trip, even if you're fit to travel.
- Medical expenses once you're back home (as that's when travel insurance ends).
- A joy flight to get down off the mountain after you've reached Base Camp.
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 there are no surprises if you need to use it. If you’re not sure if something is covered get in touch.
How to get assistance
If you suddenly fall ill or are injured, it’s essential to contact our 24/7 Emergency Assistance team as soon as possible. That way, we can ensure you get the right care from the beginning to the end – from initial emergency treatment in a local hospital, through to medical repatriation home if medically necessary. So that we can assist you quickly, please be ready with the following when you contact us:
- Your policy number
- A contact number for where you are now
- The nature of your problem
- Your location
Dislocated shoulder
Skiing at Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, CA, USA. On an intermediate run, clipped into a snow drift and tumbled over landing on shoulder. Shoulder dislocated. Taken to Squaw Valley Medical Clinic and given x-rays then had the shoulder put back into place.
Travel Insurance Benefits: how we can take care of you
Trip Protection
Protect your hard earned vacation from unexpected cancellation before you leave home.
- Explorer Plan: €10,000
- Standard Plan: €4,000
Trip Protection
- Unexpectedly hospitalized?
- Travel buddy deceased?
- Close relative dropped dead?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Abroad Medical Expenses
Take the pain out of medical costs while traveling abroad.
- Explorer Plan: €12,500,000
- Standard Plan: €3,750,000
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?
- Medivac home?
Help starts here.
Protect your gear
Covers the loss, theft or damage of your bags, tech and gear (just not sports equipment when in use).
- Explorer Plan: €2,500
- Standard Plan: €1,250
Protect your gear
- Luggage lost?
- Passport pilfered?
- Tech trashed?
Help starts here.
- Overseas Medical & Dental Expenses
- 24 hour Emergency Assistance
- Emergency Medical Transport
- Repatriation & Travel Expenses
- Pre-Trip Cancellation
- Trip Interruption (Explorer)
- Resumption of Trip (Explorer)
- Travel Delay (Explorer)
- Missed connection (Explorer)
- Hijacking (Explorer)
- Baggage & Personal Items
- Passport & Travel Documents
- Personal Liability
- Rental vehicle insurance excess (Explorer)
- Personal accident
24/7 emergency assistance
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.
Are you in need of emergency assistance right now?
| Country of residence | Phone |
|---|---|
| Belgium | +32 (0)2 808 66 32 |
| Denmark | +45 89 87 30 23 |
| Germany | +49 (0)335 5622 3012 |
| Ireland | +353 (0) 90 640 6460 |
| Netherlands | +31 (0)20 8080731 |
Contact the team
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 on medical repatriation. You can also find the answers to other questions in our Helpdesk or you can ask the customer service team.
-
Can my mum come and get me?
In some situations we can pay for a loved one’s transport and accommodation so they can accompany you home. If you’re on certain types of medication, we might send a nurse or doctor instead.
-
If I'm on really strong pain killers, will I be allowed to transit in all countries?
There are some countries that will not allow you to enter (even in transit) with certain medications. In these cases we will either reroute you or discuss with your treating doctor alternative pain killers.
-
What happens if I’m on life support?
That’s a really bad way to end your holiday and we hope it never happens. But if it does, we will look at the best possible solution to either get you home, or get your family to you to say goodbye.