World Nomads in 60 seconds
World Nomads at a glance (2026)
Not sure World Nomads is right for your trip?Compare World Nomads against every other major UK travel insurer in our up-to-date guide to insurance providers.
About World Nomads
World Nomads was founded in 2002 by Australian traveller Simon Monk, who had been frustrated by the inability to buy travel insurance from a hostel in Asia or extend a policy from the road. The Sydney-based business pioneered online-only travel insurance for backpackers and quickly built a global reputation among long-haul travellers.
In 2015, World Nomads Group was acquired by Australian health insurer nib Group, which has owned and operated the business ever since. The UK operation distributes Lloyd's-underwritten policies through worldnomads.com and serves several hundred thousand UK travellers each year.
Why the name World Nomads?The name captures the original target market: travellers who live on the road for weeks or months at a time, often without a fixed itinerary or destination. The brand has since broadened to mainstream adventure travel but has kept the original ethos.
Ownership: nib Group
nib Group is an Australian health and travel insurer listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: NHF). It is the second-largest private health insurer in Australia and has grown its travel insurance arm aggressively since acquiring World Nomads in 2015 and Travel Insurance Direct in earlier years. nib also owns related travel brands SureSave, Travel Insurance Direct and Kanetix in different markets.
Strategy: adventure travel and long-stay
World Nomads has steadily expanded beyond pure backpacker cover into mainstream adventure travel: trekking, scuba diving, motorbike riding (up to 250cc on Standard, larger bikes on Explorer), white-water rafting, ski touring and around 150 other activities. The brand also offers a paid-for Footprints ethical-travel storytelling programme and contributes a portion of each policy to the World Nomads Footprints Network, which funds grassroots community projects.
In the UK, World Nomads policies are underwritten by Lloyd's Insurance Company SA (Lloyd's Brussels) and distributed by nib Travel Services Europe Ltd, authorised and regulated by the FCA. The brand competes with True Traveller and Battleface in the UK adventure-travel segment.
World Nomads insurance: cover and prices in 2026
World Nomads sells two policy levels — Standard and Explorer — with single-trip and (in the UK) annual multi-trip options. Both can be extended online from the road in around 130 countries.
The World Nomads product range
Standard Plan
Single-trip cover for travellers up to age 70 (Standard) with up to £5m emergency medical, £2,500 cancellation and a strong list of included adventure activities.
- Up to £5m emergency medical cover.
- More than 100 adventure activities included.
- Trip cancellation up to £2,500.
Explorer Plan
Higher-cover tier for adventure travellers: more activities, higher medical limits, expanded gadget cover and longer trip durations. Up to age 70.
- Up to £10m emergency medical cover.
- 150+ activities including scuba and bungee.
- Search and rescue costs up to £25,000.
Annual Multi-Trip
Unlimited trips in 12 months, each up to 30 days (Standard) or 60 days (Explorer). Available for UK travellers up to age 65. Worldwide, worldwide ex-US/Canada or European regions.
- Trips up to 60 days on Explorer.
- Includes winter sports on Explorer.
- Family cover for up to four children.
Extend From The Road
Once you are on a trip, World Nomads lets you extend the cover online from around 130 countries — the original feature that built the brand and the reason backpackers stick with it.
- Extend in around 130 countries.
- Add destinations after departure.
- Switch from Standard to Explorer mid-trip.
Adventure activities
World Nomads is one of the few UK-available travel insurers that automatically covers scuba diving (Standard 30m / Explorer 50m), trekking up to 6,000m, motorbike riding up to 250cc and many more.
- Scuba diving to 50m (Explorer).
- Trekking up to 6,000m.
- Motorbike riding up to 250cc on Standard.
Footprints Network
World Nomads contributes a percentage of every policy to the Footprints Network charity. Travellers can opt-in to add a top-up donation to a grassroots community project at the point of purchase.
- 100% of opt-in donations go to projects.
- Funds 30+ grassroots community projects.
- Travellers select the destination project.
World Nomads' best feature is the extend-from-the-road optionYou can extend cover from around 130 countries without going home, switch from Standard to Explorer mid-trip or add new destinations. For long-haul, flexible travellers, that flexibility is what justifies the modest price premium over a generic single-trip policy.
Making a claim with World Nomads
World Nomads claims are filed via the customer portal at worldnomads.com or by phone. The brand operates a 24/7 worldwide medical-emergency line and a separate non-medical claims team during UK business hours. Most non-medical claims are settled within 10 working days on the brand's internal SLA.
For a side-by-side comparison with True Traveller and Battleface, see our guide to UK travel insurance providers.
World Nomads online account
World Nomads does not publish a dedicated branded app, but the entire policy lifecycle — buy, extend, claim — runs through the worldnomads.com account portal, which is mobile-responsive and works well over patchy hotel Wi-Fi.
- Sign in: by registered email and password.
- Forgotten password: reset link sent to your registered email.
- Extend a policy: from the account page while you are abroad, in around 130 countries.
- Submit a claim: upload documents and receipts directly to the claims portal.
Pre-trip checklistBefore you leave, save your policy PDF offline on your phone, screenshot the 24/7 emergency number and note the policy reference. Wi-Fi in a hostel reception is not always available when you need it most.
World Nomads customer service
World Nomads runs different lines for sales, customer service, claims and 24/7 worldwide emergency assistance, and those numbers can change, so the reliable source for the right one is your own paperwork.
Contact World Nomads by phone
- Your policy documentation: the customer-service and claims numbers for your cover are printed on your policy schedule and certificate;
- 24/7 emergency assistance abroad: the worldwide medical emergency number is printed on your policy documents, keep it with you while you travel;
- The official World Nomads website: worldnomads.com lists the current contact options and lets you buy, extend and claim online.
Contact World Nomads online
- worldnomads.com: live chat available from the help pages during UK business hours.
- Customer portal: log in for documents, policy extensions and claims.
- X (Twitter): send a DM to @WorldNomads for non-sensitive queries.
- Email: use the contact options on worldnomads.com for general queries; raise sensitive issues through the customer portal rather than personal email.
World Nomads UK: who underwrites and distributes it
World Nomads UK policies are distributed by nib Travel Services Europe Ltd and underwritten by Lloyd's Insurance Company SA (Lloyd's Brussels). For policy correspondence, use the address printed on your policy schedule; the current registered office is listed on the FCA Register.
How to complain about World Nomads
Raise the issue first with World Nomads UK by phone, email or via the customer portal. If World Nomads does not resolve the complaint within eight weeks, or you receive a final response you disagree with, you can escalate the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service free of charge.
Is World Nomads a good insurer? Reviews and ratings
World Nomads is consistently rated as one of the best UK travel insurers for backpackers and adventure travellers. On Trustpilot it sits at around 4.5/5 from over 35,000 reviews, ahead of most generic single-trip travel insurers. Specialist travel blogs (Nomadic Matt, The Broke Backpacker, World of Wanderlust) routinely list World Nomads in their top three for long-stay travellers.
The most common criticism is on price: World Nomads is rarely the cheapest quote on aggregators because the policy includes more activities and longer trip durations than mainstream travel insurance. Claims for stolen electronics (a frequent issue among backpackers) require a police report within 24 hours, which some reviewers find restrictive.
If price is your priority, run a World Nomads quote alongside our list of the best UK travel insurance providers before you book.
World Nomads news 2024–2026
- 2024: nib Group reports record UK travel insurance volumes for World Nomads, driven by post-pandemic backpacker resurgence.
- March 2025: World Nomads adds e-bike riding (up to 250W) to its included-activities list at no extra cost.
- October 2025: World Nomads expands its extend-from-the-road feature to nine additional countries, bringing the total to around 130.
- 2026: nib Group invests in AI-powered claims triage for World Nomads, with target turnaround under five working days on non-medical claims.
World Nomads timeline
- 2002: World Nomads founded in Sydney by Simon Monk.
- 2004: World Nomads launches the Footprints Network charity.
- 2007: World Nomads becomes the official travel insurer of Lonely Planet (partnership ended 2018).
- 2015: World Nomads Group acquired by nib Group of Australia.
- 2019: World Nomads launches its UK-specific annual multi-trip product.
- 2021: World Nomads switches UK underwriting to Lloyd's Insurance Company SA (Lloyd's Brussels) post-Brexit.
- 2024: Record UK travel insurance volumes.
- 2026: World Nomads remains the leading backpacker and adventure travel insurer in the UK by Trustpilot review volume.
World Nomads FAQ
Yes. World Nomads UK policies are underwritten by Lloyd's Insurance Company SA (Lloyd's Brussels), and the distributor (nib Travel Services Europe Ltd) is authorised and regulated by the FCA. Lloyd's policies are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS): 90% of an insurance claim is covered with no upper limit on most general insurance products.
World Nomads is owned by nib Group, an Australian health and travel insurance group listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. nib acquired World Nomads in 2015 and runs it as the global brand within its travel insurance division.
Yes. World Nomads lets you extend the cover online from around 130 countries without going home. You can also switch from Standard to Explorer mid-trip, add destinations or extend the policy duration up to the maximum allowed for your age and trip type.
Yes. Standard covers scuba diving up to 30 metres if you have an Open Water certificate or similar; Explorer covers scuba diving up to 50 metres if you hold an Advanced Open Water (or equivalent) certification. Diving without a qualification is not covered.
You have a 14-day cooling-off period after taking out a new policy in which you can cancel for a full refund, provided you have not travelled and have not made a claim. After the cooling-off period, World Nomads will keep the portion of premium covering the time on risk plus an admin fee.