BootsnAll Travel Community

Well, I know a lot of folks here are always asking about good cheap travel insurance. Most of the time people reply "I got so and so insurance pretty cheap. But I haven't needed to use it yet so I don't know how good they are" And that is what people want to know most about the cheap insurance: Do they come through when you need them?

Well, I just returned from a 3 day stay at Bangkok General Hospital. (Read about it in my blog) And it seems the insurance company many people here buy because it is cheap, but they don't know if it's any good, World Nomads, will pay for the entire thing.

I called them before I went to the hospital, and they called me back in about 5-7 minutes to tell me which hospital to go to. They said if I went on an out patient basis, then I'd have to pay up front, and to make a claim. And if I was admitted, then the hospital would bill them.

While I was in the hospital, WN called me in my room to see how I was doing, and to tell me that they would pay for everything. Upon leaving the hospital, all I had to pay out of pocket was for my phone usage. So far it looks like they really will pay for everything. And it was a relatively easy process.

So it looks like for travel health insurance, World Nomads is a good deal . . . so far. I still won't be convinced until enough time has gone by and no one is asking me for any money (except maybe the $100 {Australia} deductable). But I'm pretty sure they'll keep their word.

Although, I did lose my wallet a couple of weeks ago and lost a good bit of money, and World Nomads does not cover that (I didn't even call them about it. It's in the contract). Other, more expensive, insurance companies may cover that. But that was my own stupid fault. Perhaps though, they would cover my costs if someone steals my identity. But I never reported it, so I won't be covered anyhow. I already know that no one used my credit cards.

Hope this helps everyone. And if someone from the hospital comes knocking on my door asking for money, then I will retract my positive assessment of World Nomads. But for now, I have to say, "I got World Nomads insurance pretty cheap, and I did need to use it, and it worked."

Mark

Thanks for sharing.. It's good to hear an account of actually needing to either file a claim or in your case, needing medical care, and how the insurance company handled it. Sounds like it was pretty stress-free, aside from being hospitalized and all. Hope you are feeling better now!

You're welcome. I just know that I was one of those people who wanted to know which cheap insurance companies were worth it. So I thought I'd help others in the same boat. So far no one has come calling for money from me.

And I am all better for now, thank you. Hopefully I am now immune to whatever it was.

Mark

Yeah, thanks for the info. I'm about to purchase a plan with them, but I'm curious about a promotional code. Did you buy it straight up or did you have a code?

Hi,
I googled for 'world nomads promotion code' and found the following site offering 5% off World Nomads policies:
http://www.britbound.co.uk/travel_insurance.php
The promo code is BRIT01 , and it knocked my quote down by about $10.
Happy travels,
AM

I went with World Nomads a couple months ago after shopping around quite a bit, and I have heard nothing but positive things. My only complaint is that they cover tons of adventure activites but not rock climbing. I'm glad to hear that you had a good experience with them, thats reassuring in case I need them!

Greg

Wow, I'm really pleased to hear all this good stuff about them - I've just taken out my first policy with World Nomads and had had a few "hmmmm, just why is this so cheap, what am I missing?" qualms, but I'm much reassured now. Thanks!

I'm looking into travel insurance myself, and am curious about a few things with WN.

Under their exclusions they have listed, simpley, Epidemic. Now i'm not worried about contracting H5N1 while in Asia, but what I am worried about is getting some sort of illness that could be considered an Epidemic depending on how it is described. I know it seems low and shady but this IS an insurance company. Has anyone heard of this happening?

Secondly, has anyone extended their coverage while on the road? I have no idea how long my travels will last so I'm planning on buying a couple months of insurance at the start and then hoping to extend my plan while on the road. Do they have different rates for this? If you have had any experiences like these please share.

Global, I know WN is famous for allowing extensions right from the web on the road. I have seen a few posts here on BnA from people that did just that.

I have no idea about the epidemic stuff. Insurance companies like to CYA themselves. There are actually several phrases in their policy that could be leveraged for abuse if they felt like it. One example was "anything that puts yourself in danger deliberately".

Hey Global,

I've extended my World Nomads coverage while on the road and they didn't charge more for this. I simply paid the difference.

Kath

Thanks for the info guys. I haven't read any really alarming reviews of them so I'm sure thats who we'll go with.

I've looked into World Nomads and they don't offer anything over 6 months, or at least i couldn't find anything. I have a 9 month trip coming up in April and would like to get some insurance locked up before i go...any suggestions.

Brian

See above re. renewal on the road (over the World Nomads website). That's what I plan to do. I'll bet they limit it overall to 12-18 months (I think most travel insurers do), but 9 mos probably isn't a problem. I'm sure they have a tel number you could call and ask.

Worldnomads are just as bad, if not worse, than any other insurance company and I regret taking up a policy with them.

This is what happened to me:

I was waiting at the Pelni Terminal in Makassar for the ship to Maumere, due to leave at 4 am. I was smoking with my backpack a few metres away from me, next to some people sleeping. A guy distracted me for a few seconds and when I turned around again, my backpack was gone. Evidently, these people had been watching me for some time; according to the 'security' personnel at the gates, somebody drove off with the backpack on his back.

This is what WorlNomads has to say:


We refer to your claim for your personal belongings and advise that your claim has now been assessed.

SECTION 3: DAMAGE OR PERMANENT LOSS OF LUGGAGE/PERSONAL EFFECTS

13.1 WE WILL PAY
a)We will reimburse the repair cost, or loss, of any luggage/personal effects which are stolen or accidentally lost or damaged be we can reduce any amount we pay having regard to depreciation and wear and tear.

GENERAL EXCLUSION
12. Loss, or theft of, or damage to:
c) Property that you leave unsupervised in a public place to which the public has access, or that happens because you do not take reasonable care to protect it.

Unsupervised means:
• Leaving your luggage with a person you have not previously met
• Leaving it in any position where it can be taken without your knowledge
• Leaving it such a distance from you that you are unable to prevent it being taken

Public Place means:
any place where the public has access to, including but not limited to, planes, taxis, buses, trains, shops, airports, railway stations, museums, galleries, hotel foyers and general access areas, beaches, restaurants and public toilets.

Based on the information provided on the 05/01/2006 you were waiting at the harbour terminal for the Pelni ship ‘Awu’ to sail to Maumere. A man spoke to you and when you turned around again, your backpack had disappeared. It was leaning against a wall a few metres away from you.

As the backpack was in a position where it was taken without your knowledge it was clearly unsupervised. As per the policy definition above the harbour terminal where the backpack was taken from is also considered a public place.

Subsequently, from the information provided, it is clear that your personal effects were left unattended and unsupervised in a public place. It is also clear that you had not taken reasonable care to protect them from loss.

Therefore we must advise that we are unable to offer settlement for your personal belongings as you have left your property unsupervised in a public place. Furthermore your claim has been denied.

For your information, there is no limit to a World Nomads policy; not 12 months, not 18 months. No limit.

And 'Whatewatcher' is just a pissed off traveller because he was careless with his posessions.

Be careful whose advise you take.

Thanks for this post! I was definitely considering World Nomads, but was also curious what I was missing with respect to coverage in regards to it being so cheap. Glad to know it worked in the case of a medical emergency!

Regarding Whalewatchers comment about all insurance companies being the same, there's an element of truth to that. I know it's a pain in the butt to read through all the fine print and fancy wording of insurance contracts, but if you do read the contracts and compare them to each other you will find that they are almost identical. World Nomads promotes themselves as being an insurance company for backpackers and adventure travellers, but it's crap. If you read the fine print in the policy you basically have to have your hand held just like every other insurance company. You cannot trek on your own in the mountains, or the jungle, you can't go down a river on your own in any craft, you can't do many things on your own or with others without a licenced guide or company. The only thing World Nomads is good for is being able to extend the policy on-line for as long as you travel and being able to claim on-line. These are good things, but aside from that WM is the same as everyone else. I've been using World Nomads for about five months and I did have an issue with their customer service about a month ago that was fortunately cleared up. I'll probably keep using them because they are cheap and easy, but the restrictions of all these companies is a drag. Whalewatcher screwed up by letting her guard down. No insurance company would be responsible for that kind of theft. If some guy pulled a knife and demanded the bag, that would be different. I'm sorry you lost your bag Whalewatcher, that really sucks, but you did fall for the oldest trick in the book of scams. Watch out for dorms too, because no insurance company that I know of covers theft in a dorm room unless the goods are in a locker. I confirmed this with WN and the last insurance company I used. They may not hold to that exclusion, but usually these companies stick to the contract word for word. The same goes for renting motorcycles without an official licence from your home country. Technically insurance companies don't have to cover your injuries if you have an accident without a licence, because technically your breaking the law. Most days my things or my person would not be covered because of the way that I travel, but it just wouldn't be fun sticking to the contract all the time. I'm willing to take a risk here and there with my insurance, but if you're not comfortable doing such things then I suggest you fully read the fine print in whatever contract you choose.

I find World Nomads pretty expensive for what they are, but I do trust them to pay out based on past experience.

By the way, using the World Nomads Promotional Code of STPJMS gets you 5% off your policy - and it works a treat!

I am in the throws of planning a RTW trip with my 3 children......we have great health insurance for home(medical/dental) and they cover ER visits while we are away. The insurance is thru a large coorporation (my husbands employer). Do I still need travel insurance? Please advise! Other than ER visits do folks need heathcare much while on the road?

I think that our insurance will even cover all of the vaccinations for the various countries we will be visiting.

Mom,

Travel insurance is a very vague term. You have health coverage for ER visits, but travel insurance can also include things like trip delay, baggage loss, flight cancellation, emergency evac, etc. I would read the fine print of your hubbie's insurance policy bc most have a lot of weird "out of country" stipulations, regardless of how generous they are at home. I got hurt in a small city in China and had to visit a local clinic because there was no ER. It's things like that that may fall between the cracks and which 3 kids, you don't want any falling in the cracks!

Where are you traveling to? THat also may help answer the question.

PC