Travel Insurance Coverage for Motorbike and Scooter Adventures

For information relating to policies purchased prior to October 23 2024, please check the Policy Wording provided with your purchase. You can contact us if you need this sent to you again. For plans purchased after October 23 2024, please see below.  

Motorbiking is a popular way to get around in many countries—and let’s be honest, it’s a fun way to cruise around Bali or explore the winding coast of Vietnam. In some instances, it could be covered by your travel insurance plan - but it’s not guaranteed. Just because it’s easy to rent a motorbike at your destination, doesn’t mean you should, and it doesn’t mean you’ll be covered.   

We get a lot of accident claims from nomads who hop on a motorized bike for the first time on their travels, from Thailand to Goa, because it’s cheap and easy to rent. However, safety is not always top priority for other drivers – speed and convenience are. The rules of the road and the road quality itself can be very different from back home in the United States. Motorbike accidents are quite common and can lead to many claims.

If motorbiking is something you insist on doing, you’ll need to look at getting the proper license for motorbiking for the country (or countries) you plan on visiting before you leave the USA. You can get specific license requirements for your intended destination(s) on the US government’s website. You’ll also want to review your plan wording carefully when you get a quote for World Nomads travel protection.  

Which travel insurance coverage should I choose for motorbike and scooter adventures?

We offer four plans – Standard, Explorer, Epic and Annual – each with different coverages or levels of coverage. All four plans cover losses resulting from motorcycling (although not the motorcycle itself) but only the Epic Plan covers moto racing.   

When you get a quote, you can compare the plans, which offer coverage up to 180 days per trip (45 days for the Annual plan). Choose the one that best meets your travel needs and matches your specific plans. And if you plan to take numerous trips during the year, then the Annual Plan could be best for you.  

Terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions apply. Read the wording carefully to choose the right plan for your trip. If you have any questions about your plan, just ask us.  

What travel insurance benefits and non-insurance assistance services could help cover you for motorbikes and scooter trips?

World Nomads offers coverage (up to the plan maximum benefit amount) for:

  • Medical expenses: if you fall off the bike and need medical attention, our accident and sickness medical expense insurance benefit may provide reimbursement for  the treatment you need.
  • Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation: Your motorcycle adventure may be far away from medical facilities. If your injuries are severe, acute, or life-threatening our plans may cover evacuation and transportation to a medical facility best suited for your care, subject to approval from the treating medical physician and the non-insurance 24/7 Emergency Assistance Team. In the event of a life-threatening emergency, call the local emergency authorities first to receive immediate assistance.
  • Baggage and personal effects protection: What happens if you drop your camera while cruising at full speed on your motorcycle and damage it? Our gear coverage may help with reimbursement of the cost to repair or replace damaged, lost or stolen items if you took reasonable precautions to protect it.
  • Trip cancellation: If you need to cancel your trip due to a covered reason such as an unforeseen event such as illness, we may be able to reimburse your pre-paid, unused, nonrefundable expenses like flights, tours and accommodations.
  • Natural disaster evacuation assistance: If an unforeseen severe weather event or natural disaster event puts a stop to your biking adventure, or your destination is affected by severe damage, your plan may cover costs to get you out of there and to the nearest place of safety. Certain conditions and limitations apply.

Top tips for your motorbiking adventure 

To make the most of your time on the road, we recommend you keep the following tips in mind:

  • Talk to locals and do some advance reading to know the rules of the road for where you’re driving. 
  • Wear a helmet—safety really is first. 
  • Where protective gear and/or clothing on a long-distance trip to help protect you in case of any falls. 
  • Travel with a small first aid kit in your motorbike in case anything happens to you or someone else while riding. 
  • Save the phone numbers and plan number for the travel protection plan purchased in your phone. It’s not a bad idea to have a copy of this printed as well, but we know our phones rarely leave us.

Get a quote 24/7 

With World Nomads Travel Protection Plans, you can buy travel insurance and non-insurance services before you go or when you're already traveling, anytime, anywhere, 24-hours a day. When you’re ready, head to our website to get a quote and compare plans, and reach out if you have any questions.  

This is not a full list of what is and isn’t covered, so please check your plan document for a full list of terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions that may apply to your specific plan. Any example scenarios provided above are not a guarantee of coverage. All claims are subject to review, require documentation and are considered individually. Exclusion applies to Adventure or Extreme Activities.

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