OxfordWarrior

Hi - new member here. I am planning a dream trip to Australia in Oct 2022. Travel agent is working on plans for a 3 week trip. We are a couple, 66 and 67 y/o, and I'm researching trip insurance. We have used World Nomads for our international trips many times, and are happy with the coverage. They responded well on a claim for a cracked windshield in the UK a couple years ago. But the company our agent offered gave a quote of $1700 for us - and that covers only land part of the trip, not our flight from the US. Nomads - for the same coverage, has a price of $300. Allianz and some of the other usual trip insurers want $1290-2200. What accounts for this vast difference? I did a spread sheet comparing all coverage, exclusions, and amounts, and truly it's the same. No pre-existing coverage with Nomads, but the agent's company (Cavalry) only covers that if you book within 2 weeks of the first deposit, and the trip is too far off to do that. Is COVID what's jacking up some of these prices?
Reviews of course vary, and Nomads has both "great company" and "don't ever use them" reviews. I can't see why I shouldn't go with them, but thought I would ask for advice.

Often1

It all depends on what you mean by "trip insurance." While a cracked windshield, a lost bag or an air ticket you can't use may seem important, consider what happens if you are seriously injured while overseas and cannot fly home commercial for 90 days. Who pays for the hotel once you are out of the hospital, who pays for someone to be with you and what if you need an air ambulance to fly home?

What if it's something much more minor, but still costly or an illness requiring a night in the hospital? If not covered by your own health insurance, the costs can be ruinois.

This is all to say that you really need to sit down and determine what coverages you have and what you will need. Different policies will be priced differently, but will cover different things and with different coverage limits. Many people think that their credit card has coverage for a lot of ths, but it is often patchy and limited.

At the present time, I would not commit to anything, especially anything requiring a non-refundable deposit because we have no idea what conditions will be and whether you will want to travel.

MSPeconomist

Are you working with a real live human travel agent or an OLTA? Is this a custom itinerary or a package trip?

I'd be very careful about buying travel insurance from an OLTA or a travel provider, such as an entity that's selling your package or cruise.

If you have a decent real live human travel agent, he/she should be able to explain and compare the travel insurance policies, especially since he/she is trying to encourage to buy from the travel agent, who presumably would earn a further commission on the transaction.

OxfordWarrior

Thanks for the comment. This trip is a high end, customized one by a very reputable company with a real agent, who is super knowledgeable. She isn't pushing the insurance they have--it's there as a convenience if we want to use it. What has me stumped us the fact that 3 or 4 other, large travel insurance companies are 4 to 5 times more expensive for exactly the same coverage. And by 'exactly the same,' I mean that. I copied the coverage and exclusion wording from each one and compared. I mean going to wait till 364 days before the trip and run the quotes again. I think that Covid is messing everything up. And frankly, we couldn't even go to Australia if we were leaving now--it's still closed to international travellers.

Thanks again.

erik123

You might get what you pay for. It might be a reseller that uses Trip Mate as a servicer?

I did a quick search and see lots of complaints. I'd likely go with one of the larger, established companies.

Often1

If the contract terms are the same, then reputation, e.g. customer service matters. Talk to friends and colleagues and ask them for their experiences. A good example is air evacuation. Basic service is to pay the claim. Top-notch is that the company makes all the arrangements and hires a provider that handles liaison on the ground wherever you are and then with your doc back home.

400-500% sounds a bit off. The cheapest may well be the best, but at that point I would look to ease of use.

OxfordWarrior

You are correct about Trip Mate. I'll explore the comments about them too.

MSPeconomist

With medical evacuation insurance, who determines that the service is needed? Do they transport home or to the nearest suitable facility?

WilcoRoger

I had to use med-evac once. It was the doctor who decided and the insurance co agreed and arranged the flight (plane, med crew, ambulance both ends) home (a no brainer, as it was under 3 hrs flight)

Travelin_Matt

I'm also just starting some research on travel insurance providers. I don't know why I thought it would NOT be a rabbit hole of research but it's insurance...of course it's complicated. Personally I'm interested in mainly emergency medical coverage. Like OxfordWarrior, I saw the relatively affordable costs of World Nomads and have been investigating as best I can to understand if it's legitimate competition or something else is just missing. Just sharing my notes here:

• After calling TripMate today, they clearly describe themselves as the "claims administrator for World Nomads" (at least for residents of the US; maybe elsewhere too)
• Speaking with a TripMate rep by phone, they confirmed this. They also confirmed Generali Global Assistance is the group that handles emergency. In an emergency medical situation, after getting local assistance, you would contact Generali Global. This is also where World Nomads directs you on their own site.
• Nationwide is the underwriter for World Nomads
• In summary: I now see that World Nomads is 'the travel brand' in name only, not an insurance company. Their 'about us' page is 100% marketing and content, and designers which makes sense - they are promoting content and 'safe and responsible' travel lifestyle. They are successfully reselling actual insurance coverage underwritten by Nationwide, with claims administration handled by TripMate, and logistics are handled by Generali Global Assistance.
• On a related note: just saw that Nationwide--who underwrites for World Nomad-- apparently has their own affordable travel insurance options. Can't post a link since I'm a new poster.

One article on World Nomads I found helpful is on the "Insurance Blog by Chris" (can't post link)

OxfordWarrior

As I've noted in my OP, I've been happy with World Nomads, yes, and Tripmate, for several international trips, and a claim for a car repair in the UK. Since my trip is over a year out, I can't purchase the insurance till October, but plugging in notional dates for the same amount of time got me the low price. That, and some really negative reviews about Nomads' customer service made me really twitchy. Because this is an expensive trip, 3 weeks long and on the other side of the planet, I need good trip cancellation coverage (though not cancel for any reason), and medical. The language in the Nomads policy is virtually identical to the $1200+ policies. I'm not an insurance agent or a lawyer, but it sure looks like coverage is comparable, and in some cases, more robust, tha the other guys'.
So right now, I'm waiting till October to compare again.
Good luck in your search!

boerne

Also searching and have a bunch of higher end trips theoretically starting mid July, but that may cancel. We have a Capetown TA agency we have used before and were super happy (our puddle jumper plane to the okavango delta didnt show up, one phone call to them and we had the head pilot find us and fly us, so they rock in Africa), so we have another Africa trip in 2023. We are looking at the 5 year plan. We are optimistic..

https://www.globalrescue.com/

TA https://www.rhinoafrica.com/en

OxfordWarrior

OP here--wanted folks to know I actually sent an inquiry to World Nomads about why their quote was so different than others'. According to the answer, t"World Nomads does not base the price off your trip cost like most other insurance. World Nomads bases their price off of the length of time you're gone and where you're traveling to." Since another search indicated they provide no coverage for countries currently closed to international travel (Australia is, still, for US), I'm just waiting till 365 days out to make the decision. But all this, and everyone's comments, just proves how careful we have to be in researching this important part of our trips!