Figuring out how to buy travel insurance if you’re already traveling isn’t as easy as you might think. Fortunately, World Nomads has come to our rescue, twice three times now.

Preparing for 7 months out of the country got the best of us. Despite having 2 months to plan and prepare for our South American journey, there simply wasn’t enough time to take care of everything. Months turned to weeks. Weeks turned to days. And then, we were off. Many of you have probably been there before.

Now, most of the important tasks were checked off the to-do list before we left. But somehow, travel insurance—one of THE most important—wasn’t.

The travel insurance landscape is intimidating.

Every time we said “today’s the day!”…we found ourselves confused and frustrated. Then we said “enough of this; maybe tomorrow.”

Fast forward three weeks.

We had just spent 10 days in Curaçao—an incredible trip that included our first (and second…and third…and fourth) scuba diving experiences post-certification—without travel insurance. Not smart.

Now, we find ourselves in Ecuador, again researching travel insurance. There’s only one problem: we’re well into our trip, and we’re thousands of miles away from home. After 10 minutes of research, we realize: hardly any major travel insurance companies will sell you a policy if you’ve already left for your trip.

World Nomads is one of the few that will.

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How to Buy Travel Insurance If You’re Already Traveling

When you’re on the road, your travel insurance options are surprisingly limited. Below are a few companies that do offer policies if you’re already away from home:

Big Cat
1Cover
Downunder
TID

Each of these companies has its own restrictions based on age, home country and other factors. You’ll need to check with them directly to see if they’ll cover you.

After going through the options, World Nomads was the clear choice. I had used them in the past (a 2-week sailing trip to Greece & Croatia in 2013), and had recently heard positive reviews from travel industry folks whom I respect.

Endorsements from Lonely Planet and National Geographic certainly don’t hurt either!

The process of securing a policy from World Nomads is a breeze.

List the countries you’re visiting (including the one you’re already in)
List the start and end dates of your trip
Enter your country of residence
Enter your age
Generate a quote

About 10 seconds later, World Nomads will display quotes for their two plan options.

World Nomads Standard Plan vs. Explorer Plan

World Nomads offers two plan options: the Standard Plan and the Explorer Plan. Below is a brief summary only. Please carefully read your policy wording for a full description of coverage.

Cost comparison for a 78-day policy:

This is the second policy I’ve secured through World Nomads, while already on the road:

Cost breakdown on a per-day basis:

Standard Plan – $291.36 ÷ 78 days = $3.74/day
Explorer Plan – $434.66 ÷ 78 days = $5.57/day

After closely comparing the benefits (which we do recommend), I determined the Standard Plan offered the coverage I needed. Minutes after making the purchase, I received an email with all of my policy information. Tomorrow, the policy will be active.

Are you somewhere out there in the world…trying to figure out how to buy travel insurance if you’re already traveling?

Generate a World Nomads travel insurance quote…right now.

World Nomads: travel insurance for the adventurous traveler

Skiing in Slovenia? Canyoning in Montenegro? World Nomads covers a wide range of adventure sports and activities (probably the widest we found).

Here are a few more highlights:

Available to people from 140 countries
Expand your existing coverage or claim online while traveling
Give a little back and support a community development project

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Like many of you, we’ve had our fair share of negative experiences with travel insurance companies. After hours of research spread across multiple frustrating sessions, World Nomads came to our rescue—as they have for thousands of other travelers that dropped the ball on this very important piece of travel prep.

But we encourage you to do your homework. World Nomads made the most sense for us, but it may not be right for you. Research and compare options, so that you find the right provider & plan that fits your needs.

For some of the considerations we factor into our own travel insurance decisions, visit this page.

For more background on emergency evacuation coverage, visit this page.

Cheers!

-DnA

▾ Ready for your next adventure?! ▾

If you don’t have the time to research and plan your own trip, we can help. Family vacations…group friend trips…honeymoons…we’ve got you covered. We’ll take care of the details, so you can focus on the good stuff!

Visit our Plan A Trip page and set up your free 30-minute Discovery Call.
Check out our Resources page for some of the best trip-planning tools we use daily.

Disclaimer: We receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.