Travel Insurance for Asia
Travelling to Asia? With half the world to explore, there's a lifetime of adventure just waiting for you.
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Travel in Asia
Draw a circle around the section of the globe that contains India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia and you have more than half the people on the planet. Now imagine the diversity and adventures you can experience in Asia. Spanning approximately 30% of the world’s landmass, there’s a wide range of things for adventurous Kiwis to do and see and varying degrees of safety in between.
World Nomad’s Travel Insurance cover may be able to help you if something unexpected happens on your Asian odyssey.
- What's covered
- How can travel insurance help when travelling to Asia?
- What's not covered
- Handy tips for travelling in Asia
What's covered
In most cases, travelling goes without a hitch, but if something unexpected does happen, with travel insurance you may be covered.
With World Nomads, you can buy travel insurance as soon as your trip is locked in and you're ready to go, or while you're on the road travelling around Asia. World Nomads offers cover (up to the policy limits) including, but not limited to:
- Overseas medical expenses: if you become sick or injured during your trip. You can submit a claim to recover unexpected medical expenses while travelling around Asia.
- Medical evacuation and repatriation: We can offer if you need emergency transport home due to a serious illness or injury. For example, if your trek to Tigers Nest in Bhutan goes sideways, with our coverage for medical evacuation, you can get transported to the medical facility best for your care, subject to approval from us.
- Trip cancellation: if your trip is cancelled due to an insured event. Depending on what’s happened, we may pay for the value of your unused, non-refundable expenses.
- Baggage and valuables: if your belongings are stolen, accidentally damaged, delayed or lost. The level of cover available varies between the two plans – Standard and Explorer- so check before you buy.
- Adventure, work, study and volunteering: we cover more than 150 activities so you can have fun adventuring your way around Asia’s mountains, waters, cities and skies.
Travel insurance tip: to avoid any surprises when making a claim, it’s a smart idea to become familiar with the various limits, benefits, available upgrades, terms and conditions before you buy a policy.
How can travel insurance help when travelling to Asia?
Asia covers a massive area and is made up of a diverse range of countries, cultures, people and access to facilities such as hospitals. Our travel insurance could help if you land in Phuket but your baggage doesn’t, your valuables are stolen while you’re browsing the market in Delhi, you or your travel buddy suffer an injury whilst hiking the Annapurna circuit or you catch Covid-19.
World Nomads offers two plans – Standard and Explorer. Each policy provides different levels of coverage depending on what you need:
- The Standard Plan covers a range of benefits and certain adventure activities and has lower coverage limits.
- The Explorer plan covers all the benefits of the Standard plan, with larger coverage limits, more benefits and covers more sports and activities.
Depending on the level of cover you choose, our policies may cover you for:
- Overseas medical cover and cover for Coronavirus-related events: If you become sick or injured in Asia with anything from ‘Bali Belly’ to an injury whilst participating in an activity, our policies can cover you for medical treatment including hospitalisation, prescribed medicines and prescribed physiotherapy treatments. If you catch Covid-19 overseas we will cover you for medical expenses and hospital assistance, as well as repatriation. Our Explorer plan offers extra cover for Coronavirus-related events such as cancellation, trip interruption expenses and some quarantine costs. You can read more about it in our Coronavirus cover article, which has all of the details, including terms, conditions, benefit limits and exclusions.
- Access to our 24/7 Emergency Assistance team: Our multi-lingual team helps take the stress out of already stressful situations and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They can help such as arranging medical transport and giving support to you and your family.
- Lost, stolen or delayed baggage: if your luggage or personal items are stolen, lost or accidentally damaged, you may be able to claim to replace or repair the item. If your luggage is delayed for more than 12 hours, you may be able to claim for essential clothing and toiletries while you wait for your bag to be returned. Remember you’ll need official reports, supporting documentation and copies of your receipts if you need to make a claim.
- More than 150 sports and activities: Depending on what plan you choose, you can be covered for hiking trips, road trips, kayaking/rafting, surfing, scuba diving and scooter riding. If you use a scooter or motorbike whilst in Asia, you’ll need to ensure you hold the required license in New Zealand and in the country you’re travelling in and be sure to always wear a helmet, or you may not be covered. You can find the full list of covered activities here.
Travel insurance tip: if you intend to rent a car or motorbike you must check the licensing and local laws for the country you’re going to. You must also be adequately insured elsewhere, as you are not covered under this insurance for third party liability in respect of any mechanical or motorised vehicle.
What's not covered
Our policies aren’t designed to cover everything and there are some important general exclusions you should be aware of, including:
- Pre-existing medical conditions – see the Policy Document for details.
- Travelling to, planning to travel to, or choosing to remain in a country or region that is subject to a ‘Do Not Travel’ warning issued by the New Zealand Government (see https://www.safetravel.govt.nz)
- Neglecting to observe applicable preventative measures for the travel region, as outlined by the World Health Organisation, including obtaining relevant vaccinations, malaria prophylaxis, and hygiene measures.
- Participation in a sport or activity not listed or failing to adhere to the terms of coverage for listed sports or activities.
- Being intoxicated by alcohol or drugs.
Be sure to read the Policy Document and General Exclusions for other scenarios and expenses we don’t cover so there’ll be no surprises if you need to use your cover.
Handy tips for travelling in Asia
- Always check the Visa requirements – some Asian countries require you to have at least 6 months validity on your passports and some may require Visas that can take several weeks to organise.
- Check the season, especially in Southeast Asia. Will you be travelling in the rainy or dry season? Be aware of how this may affect your travels.
- Look after your health by having the appropriate vaccinations, taking your own medications from home, bringing insect repellent and checking out the latest health advice from the World Health Organisation.
- Watch out for pickpockets – petty theft can be common in some parts of Asia. Protect yourself and your belongings.
This is only a summary of coverage and does not include the full terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of the policy. You should read your Policy Document in full so you understand what is and isn’t covered. That way there won’t be any surprises if you need to use it. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
The information provided is of a general nature and is provided for information purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice in any form, and should not be relied on as a substitute for obtaining professional advice that is specific to your circumstances. You should seek advice from a financial advice provider if you would like further information about whether a particular product is appropriate for you and your circumstances.
Travel Insurance Benefits: how we can take care of you
Trip Cancellation
Protect your trip from unexpected cancellation.
- Explorer Plan: Unlimited
- Standard Plan: $5,000
Trip Protection
- Unexpectedly hospitalised?
- Travel buddy unfit to travel?
- Close relative suddenly dies?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Medical Overseas
Take the pain out of medical costs.
- Explorer Plan: Unlimited
- Standard Plan: $5,000,000
Emergency Medical Insurance
- Need meds quick?
- Accidentally injured?
- Suddenly sick?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Medical Transport
We'll get you to hospital in a flash
- Explorer Plan: Unlimited
- Standard Plan: $500,000
Evacuation and Repatriation
- Banged up abroad?
- Need a hospital urgently?
- Medivac home?
Help starts here.
Protect your gear
Cover your stolen or damaged gear and tech.
- Explorer Plan: $10,000
- Standard Plan: $2,000
Protect your gear
- Passport or tech stolen?
- Airline lost your gear?
- Bags delayed?
Help starts here.
- Overseas Medical Expenses
- Emergency dental treatment
- 24 hour assistance
- Emergency medical transport & repatriation
- Cancellation costs
- Trip interruption costs
- Compassionate emergency visit home
- Resumption of trip
- Theft or accidental damage to baggage and personal items
- Baggage delay over 12 hours
- Funeral expenses overseas or repatriation of remains
- Personal liability
True Claims Stories
“A motorcycle came from behind me and stopped next to me, so I stopped walking. Two people wearing helmets were on the motorcycle. The driver was gesturing although I didn't know why, I didn't hear him/her say anything. I felt a slight pull on my bag and on my backpack strap, and then the motorcycle rode away out of sight. The motorcycle passenger had taken my bag. The strap of the bag must have been cut. I couldn't see a license plate. I continued to my hotel and reported the theft to the police the next day.”
Japanese resident in Thailand
24/7 emergency assistance
If you need medical assistance or emergency medical evacuation our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year before and during your trip.
Are you in need of emergency assistance right now?
From New Zealand & Overseas:
+61 2 8263 0470 or
+61 2 8292 1470
(reverse charges via an operator from anywhere in the world)
Within Australia (Free call): 1800 611 210
Before your trip, check the latest government advice for any travel alerts for your destination.