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  5. Overseas Medical

Travel Insurance for Overseas Medical

Don't let your medical expenses bury you.

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At a glance

  • Emergency medical help abroad: Coverage for hospital stays, ambulance transport, prescriptions, and emergency dental treatment when you’re injured or sick overseas.
  • Medical evacuation and repatriation: If medically necessary, World Nomads can arrange and cover your transport to the nearest suitable hospital—or even back home.
  • 24/7 global assistance: Our Emergency Assistance team is on call 24/7 to help you find suitable care, communicate with doctors, and coordinate logistics in any language and in any time zone.
  • Stay healthy on the road: Get pre-trip telehealth advice, upload portable medical records, and follow simple steps to prevent foodborne illness and altitude sickness while traveling.

We’ve seen just about everything on the road—from motorbike spills and sudden illnesses to allergy attacks and even a shark bite. When the unexpected happens, knowing who to call and how to get help overseas can make all the difference. With a World Nomads Travel Insurance plan, you can explore with confidence knowing you’re prepared for those “just in case” moments.

Why consider travel insurance for medical emergencies abroad?

One of the top reasons our nomads buy travel medical insurance is to protect themselves if they get sick or injured while abroad. Food poisoning, car accidents, or sudden illness can strike when you least expect it. Sometimes you just need a doctor to prescribe medicine, but serious cases may require hospitalization, surgery, or emergency evacuation.

Your regular health insurance back home may not cover you once you leave the country, which can make getting care abroad expensive and complicated. With travel insurance that includes overseas medical coverage, you can get help arranging treatment and avoid paying high out-of-pocket costs if you end up in a hospital or need emergency care while traveling.

Benefits

Excluded

  • Non-emergency treatment that can wait until you return home
  • Care or treatment that is payable under any other insurance plan (travel insurance is considered secondary, or excess)
  • Ongoing treatment at home
  • Any reckless or illegal behavior, including being under the influence of drugs or alcohol

Emergency Medical Coverage: Plan Comparisons

Choosing the right travel insurance coverage depends on your trip type and planned activities. We offer four plans – Standard, Explorer, Epic and Annual – each with different coverages or levels of coverage.

Standard PlanExplorer PlanEpic PlanAnnual Plan
$125,000

Get a quote		 $150,000

Get a quote		 $250,000

Get a quote		 $100,000 per trip

Get a quote
Compare all benefits and plans

How to use your Emergency Medical Expense Coverage while Traveling

  1. Get to safety. In a serious emergency, go to the nearest hospital or safe location immediately.
  2. Call our 24/7 Emergency Assistance team. For non-life-threatening situations, they can guide you to trusted doctors or clinics nearby.
  3. Stay in touch during treatment. Our team can help with translations, coordinate payment, and communicate with medical staff on your behalf.
  4. Need to be moved? If medically necessary, they’ll arrange medical evacuation or repatriation—just make sure to contact them first before organizing transport yourself.
  5. Keep your paperwork. Save all medical reports and receipts, then file a claim within 20 days.

What you’ll need to file a claim

The exact documentation will vary, depending on the care you received and the out of pocket expenses you paid. Some examples of required documents could include:

  • Discharge records of injury or illness
  • Copies of all bills, receipts, invoices and relevant bank statements
  • An incident report from the local authorities

Traveler Tips

  • Make use of our non-insurance service perks included in all plans.
    • Pre-Departure Telehealth Service – chat virtually with a medical professional who can prescribe you travel medications, like for altitude sickness or traveler’s diarrhea. They can even prescribe you necessary vaccines.
    • Portable Medical Records – upload your medical records online so your necessary information travels with you.
  • Be smart about food and water. To avoid foodborne illness while traveling, follow the rule: boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it. Don’t forget about safe water for brushing your teeth too.
  • Prepare a basic travel health kit. Pack essentials like pain relievers, bandages, electrolyte packets, and prescription meds. Include copies of your insurance card and emergency contact numbers.
  • Stay aware of altitude and climate risks. If you’re traveling to high elevations or hot, humid regions, learn the symptoms of altitude sickness or heat exhaustion and pace yourself.

FAQ

Here are our most frequently asked questions about cover for non-insurance services. You can also find the answers to other questions in our Help Center or you can ask the customer service team.

  • Does my U.S. health insurance cover me overseas?

    In most cases, your domestic health insurance or Medicare won’t cover you outside the U.S. That’s where travel medical insurance comes in — it can help pay for hospital stays, doctor visits, or emergency medical evacuations abroad.

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. 

Travel Insurance Benefits: how we can take care of you

Trip Cancellation

Protect your hard earned vacation from unexpected cancellation.

  • Explorer Plan: $5,000
  • Standard Plan: $2,500
Trip Protection
  • Unexpectedly hospitalized?
  • Travel buddy unfit to travel?
  • Close relative suddenly dies?

We’ve got your back.

Emergency Medical Insurance

Take the pain out of medical or dental costs.

  • Explorer Plan: $10 million
  • Standard Plan: $5 million
Emergency Medical Insurance
  • Need meds quick?
  • Accidentally injured?
  • Suddenly sick?

We’ve got your back.

Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation

We’ll get you to hospital or home quickly.

  • Explorer Plan: $500,000
  • Standard Plan: $500,000
Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation
  • Banged up abroad?
  • Need a hospital urgently?
  • Medevac home?

Help starts here.

Protect your gear

Covers the theft, damage or delay of your bags, tech and sports gear.

  • Explorer Plan: $3,000
  • Standard Plan: $1,000
Protect your gear
  • Passport or tech stolen?
  • Airline lost your gear?
  • Bags delayed?

Help starts here.

  • Emergency Medical Expenses
  • Emergency Dental for Injury or Sickness
  • Bedside Companion Travel and Subsistence
  • Emergency Professional Services
  • Emergency Evacuation and Repatriation
  • Return of Travel Companion/Dependent Children
  • Return to Your Trip Destination
  • Return of Remains
  • Travel Accident
  • Flight Accident
  • Trip Cancellation
  • Trip Interruption
  • Trip Delay
  • Baggage and Personal Effects Theft or Damage
  • Baggage and Sporting Equipment Delay
  • Travel Documents Theft or Damage
  • Sporting Equipment Theft or Loss by a Common Carrier
  • Covered Adventure Sports listed in Policy
Assistance Services Included
  • LiveTravelTM Emergency Assistance
  • Worldwide Travel Assistance
  • Adventure Travel Hotline
  • 24/7 Security
  • Travel Medical Assistance
  • Bag Trak
This is a general summary for Canadian residents only. It does not include all terms, conditions, limitations, exclusions and termination provisions of the travel insurance plans described. Coverage may not be available for residents of all provinces. Check the Travel Insurance Policy for full details.