The review
World Nomads is the one most travellers have heard of, and it does a different job from the rest of this list. It is travel insurance in the old sense: medical emergencies, yes, but also a stolen laptop, a cancelled flight, a trip cut short by a family emergency.
If you work from your laptop, that gear cover is worth more than it first looks. Most of the nomad health plans will treat your broken leg and leave you to replace your own camera.
The trade-off is that it is written for travellers rather than residents, it is quote-only so you cannot compare it on price without filling in a form, and what you can buy depends on where you live. Check the version of the site for your own country, not the one a blog links to.
What works
- Covers baggage, cancellation and trip interruption
- Can be bought or extended after you have left
- Adventure activity cover available as an upgrade
- Explorer waives some pre-existing exclusions in places
What does not
- No published prices anywhere; quote only
- Medical maximum lower than the health-first plans
- Cover and pricing differ by country of residence
- Cannot upgrade from Standard to Explorer mid-trip