Find the Best Travel Insurance for Your Vacation: Protect Yourself and Save Money

Anyone who falls seriously ill while on holiday has a big (expensive) problem without the right insurance cover. The best travel cancellation insurance & international health insurance.

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Finally vacation, finally far away from everyday life. Maybe even travel to an exotic country, dare a little adventure. For many, vacation is the best time of the year – but in the worst case, it can turn into a nightmare. Namely, if something happens before the planned trip and you cannot start the trip. You are then left with all costs such as flight, hotel, rental car and the like.

Even worse when an accident occurs far from home or someone suddenly becomes seriously ill. Without insurance, treatment abroad can get really expensive.

A day in a US hospital costs around 1,500 dollars (approx. €1,350), in the intensive care unit between 3,000 (approx. €2,700) and 10,000 (approx. €9,000).

With the right travel cancellation insurance or international health insurance, you are in good hands in all cases. For contributions of sometimes less than 20 euros per year, you are well protected and can sit back and relax.

Key facts at a glance

What types of travel insurance are there?

cancellation insurance
It comes into effect if you are unable to start your trip at all and reimburses cancellation fees. Typical reasons are a sudden illness of the traveler or a relative. Unexpected professional commitments can also force you to resign.

international health insurance
It covers the treatment costs in the event of illness or an accident abroad and, if necessary, takes care of the return transport. Statutory health insurance often does not reimburse these costs in full. Therefore, an additional foreign health insurance is recommended.

Trip Interruption Insurance
If a journey has to be cut short due to illness or an accident, the return journey costs will be reimbursed. There is also compensation for lost vacation days.

Baggage Insurance
In the event of loss, theft or damage to luggage during the journey, this insurance covers the replacement value. Expensive items such as photographic equipment or laptops should be insured individually.

Which insurance is most important for a trip abroad?

Travel and insurance experts from consumer advice centers recommend taking out international health insurance. Because the statutory health insurance companies often only cover part of the treatment costs abroad. Especially if you are traveling outside the EU and need a doctor, the hospitals and practices often settle the bill immediately. That means you have to pay directly on the spot. If it is a major medical intervention, it can be very expensive without insurance cover.

Why travel cancellation insurance makes sense

Important to know: The international health insurance only covers the costs of illness during the trip. Travel expenses already paid will not be reimbursed. For example, if you miss your flight or train because public transport is late, travel cancellation insurance will reimburse the costs for replacement bookings.

Insurance companies assume that about five to ten percent of all vacation trips are usually canceled. The costs for this are staggered depending on the time of the cancellation. Loud urlaubsguru.de the cancellation costs fall on the popular booking platform Expedia as follows:

International health insurance and travel insurance: What you should pay attention to

Travel insurance in comparison: These 6 providers provide you with all-round protection on vacation

The good thing about various travel insurances: If you wish, the insurance protection takes effect immediately. That means: Even if you start your vacation tomorrow, you can still take out insurance today – and you are immediately covered.

1. Allianz Direct travel insurance from €3.28/month

Often praised: the top price-performance ratio of the German insurance provider Allianz. These are particularly cheap, with really all services Allianz Comfort and Premium package. This includes both baggage insurance and trip interruption insurance.

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2. Allianz Travel from €25/year

Allianz’s special insurance for all travel-related matters. The Alliance Contribution Calculator even works for mini trips with only one overnight stay.

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3. AXA insurance – all-round package from family to business

Stay flexible, that’s what AXA says: whether it’s just a weekend trip or insurance cover for a whole year – the AXA Contributions and Benefits can be individually adapted to your trip.

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4. Hanse Merkur – from €18/year, test winner from Stiftung Warentest Finanztest

The Hanse Merkur scores with Stiftung Warentest, among other things, for the flexible family and annual tariffs. The top seller, the Annual international health insuranceare available from 18 euros per year.

For international health insurance

For travel cancellation insurance

Savings offer annual insurance

5. Sparkasse travel insurance

Many savings bank customers have the “Sparkassen Gold Credit Card” (Mastercard), which includes travel health insurance and travel cancellation insurance. But beware: Stiftung Warentest judgedthat these are “unsuitable” for various reasons to offer comprehensive protection when travelling. Therefore it is better to take out an extra travel insurance.

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6. German family insurance – “very good” at Stiftung Warentest

Stiftung Warentest Finanztest took a close look at 44 family tariffs and 53 single tariffs for international health insurance. The DFV foreign travel insurance received the top mark “very good” in both categories.

Tariff details

^{* Annual full protection for 1 night in Italy (100 € travel price) for 1 person born in 1980
**Price calculation information: Individual | Sum insured up to €1,000 | Birthday of insured person 08.08.1994 | Excess 300 € | Monthly Payment | Price calculation on 08.12.2022
*** 18 E example price per year, up to the 65th birthday; €49 example price per year, travel price up to €1,000 per trip, without travel interruption insurance
**** Example price for a 42 year old person and up to €1,500 worth of travel each under an Annual Travel Cancellation Policy}

^{This article was created with the help of machines and carefully checked by the editor Nina Dudek before publication.}