With World Nomads, you can easily get travel insurance while already travelling.
As featured in:
You’ve waited for this special getaway for so long. Maybe you’re heading out on a safari in Africa, backpacking through Europe, or learning to make pasta in Italy. With all the excitement of packing your bags, jumping on a plane, and jetting off to a faraway destination, travel insurance may have been the last thing on your mind. If you’ve already left Canada, you may now be asking yourself “Can I buy travel insurance while already abroad?” The answer is yes!
If you’ve left home without travel insurance, or your policy has run out and you’re still on the road, don’t panic. With World Nomads, you can easily get travel insurance while already travelling.
Anytime you’re travelling, there’s always going to be some things you can’t anticipate. Because of this, travel insurance may be something you want to consider. As travellers ourselves, we’ve experienced cancelled flights and have been left sitting at the carousel for the bag that never came. We’ve also known nomads who have dealt with everything from biking injuries to stolen iPhones. Nobody enjoys dealing with these things, but they happen.
If you don’t start thinking about all of the “what if’s” until you’ve left Canada though, that’s ok. It’s still easy to get travel insurance while already abroad.
You just need a good internet connection to get a quote for travel insurance while overseas. You’ll answer a few simple questions about your trip and follow the prompts that will outline the coverage and benefits offered by World Nomads travel insurance. You can then compare our Standard and Explorer plans side by side and select the best travel insurance plan for your needs. You’ll see that the Explorer plan costs more but has higher benefit limits and/or sub-limits than the Standard.
Make sure to add any activities you plan to participate in, read and accept the terms and conditions, pay for your insurance, and you’re done. It’s a simple process to buy travel insurance while already travelling, and within just a few minutes you’ll be back to lounging by the pool at your resort.
When you get a quote and purchase your travel insurance while overseas, you’ll see there’s several things that are covered.
World Nomads covers more than 250 activities for Canadian residents. When you get a quote and purchase your World Nomads travel insurance, you’ll need to list your planned activities. You won’t be able to add or remove activities after you make your purchase, so make sure you add them all at that time. It is best to list out all possible activities you may do on your trip, even if you aren’t sure. This way you can travel worry-free. If you plan on participating in an activity that isn’t listed in your policy wording, you can contact us to determine if you’ll be covered.
Even if you have a Government Health Insurance Plan, it may only pay a small portion, if any, of your medical expenses while you’re travelling internationally. Unless you have travel insurance that includes emergency medical coverage, you will be responsible for any out-of-pocket expenses you incur when you see medical attention. Medical providers in some areas may even require upfront payment and in some cases, if you have travel insurance, the 24-hour Emergency Assistance team may be able to arrange payment directly with the medical provider.
Travel insurance from World Nomads includes overseas emergency medical coverage for Canadian travellers, and you could be reimbursed for things like an ambulance transfer, medication, or a hospital stay. You will still need to have Government Health Insurance Plan coverage in your home province while you are on your trip though. If you don’t, your total limit for all emergency medical expenses during your trip is limited to CAD $40,000.
Note that if you buy your World Nomads travel insurance plan while already abroad, there will be a 48 hour waiting period before you have emergency medical coverage for injury or sickness.
The availability of medical care is not the same in all destinations. If you get hurt hiking in a remote jungle in Thailand, you may find limited medical services available. Even if you’ve purchased your travel insurance while already abroad, local ground or air ambulance transportation and emergency evacuation and repatriation coverage will still be included in your World Nomads travel insurance plan. This coverage may help get you to a place that offers the level of care that you need, and could even assist with getting you back home to Canada if your attending physician and the 24/7 Emergency Assistance team agrees that’s best for your treatment.
Baggage insurance may help reimburse the cost to replace your belongings if your bag was lost by a common carrier. World Nomads travel insurance includes coverage for lost bags, as well as delayed bags (up to your policy limits.) If your luggage is delayed more than 12 hours, you could be reimbursed for the costs of things like toiletries and a change of clothes.
Travel insurance covers many unwelcome situations that can occur while you’re on your trip. What happens if you unexpectedly get hurt while skiing in Japan and have to cut your trip short? Even if you wait to purchase your travel insurance while already abroad, your trip interruption coverage could help you be reimbursed for your prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs if you can’t recover those costs from the travel supplier.
The Canadian government offers travel advice and advisories for destinations across the world, and you can easily see if there are specific risks for your destination. For example, the Canadian government offers warnings about volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis in Chile. You often can’t plan for the unpredictable forces of nature, and World Nomads offers coverage for unanticipated natural disasters that may cause the Canadian Government to issue a travel advisory against travel.
Even the best travel insurance plans don’t cover everything. If you’ve thrown back too many cervezas in Mexico and trip and fall, you wouldn’t be covered for that.
A few other things that wouldn’t be covered include:
This is only a summary of coverage and does not include the full terms and conditions of the policy. It is important you read and understand your policy as it contains benefits, conditions, exclusions and pre-existing condition exclusions. If you do not understand your coverage, or if you have questions, just ask us.
On Christmas Day, I woke up feeling nausea, fever, headache, and lethargy. After two days the symptoms hadn’t disappeared so I went to a clinic and was admitted with severe malaria. I was in the hospital for two days and had to take medication.
Protect your hard earned vacation from unexpected cancellation.
We’ve got your back.
Take the pain out of medical or dental costs.
We’ve got your back.
We’ll get you to hospital or home quickly.
Help starts here.
Covers the theft, damage or delay of your bags, tech and sports gear.
Help starts here.
Whether you need medical or dental assistance or advice, emergency evacuation or travel assistance, our team 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?
Telephone +1 866 878 0192 (toll-free from Canada and the Continental U.S.) or +1 416 646 3723 (collect from anywhere else in the world)
Contact the teamHere are our most frequently asked questions about buying travel insurance away from home. You can also find the answers to other questions in our Helpdesk or you can ask our customer service team.
Yes. If you buy travel insurance while already abroad, there is a waiting period. There will be no coverage for any injury or sickness that occurs in the 48-hour period after your departure date (as defined in the policy).
World Nomads offers two different options for Canadian travellers. When you get a quote, you can check out the Standard and Explorer plans to compare coverage side by side. You can then determine the best travel insurance plan is the best for your particular needs.
You can get an instant quote for travel insurance online and the whole process only takes a few minutes. Be sure to read your policy to see exactly what coverage is included.
Yes, World Nomads covers domestic travel for Canadians travelling within Canada. Your travel insurance can be used anywhere outside of your home province and you can still get a quote and purchase World Nomads travel insurance if you have already started your trip to another province.
You can start a claim online at any time. Make sure you keep all receipts and documentation that you may need for your claim.
With World Nomads travel insurance has options for solo travelers, as well as couples and families. You can include up to 2 adults and up to 7 children per policy. When you get a quote, you’ll be asked for information on the others in your travel party.
Before your trip, check the latest government advice for any travel alerts for your destination.