Don’t take out additional insurance when booking your trip

Anyone who books package holidays, flights or accommodation knows the game. Various online platforms try to sell insurance to travelers several times. Be it travel cancellation insurance, holiday liability insurance or international health insurance. But which of them really make sense?

Only a few, said Elke Weidenbach, insurance consultant at the NRW consumer advice center. ““Airlines and other booking platforms often offer entire insurance packages,” she says. These include several different policies. “Instead, travelers should take out individual insurance policies so that they fit exactly to them and the planned trip.”

Really important: international health insurance

There are definitely many offers. If you are looking for suitable insurance, you should start with international health insurance, advises Weidenbach. This is particularly important for those with statutory health insurance. This applies to other EU countries and to countries that have a social security agreement including health insurance with Germany, such as Israel, Kosovo or Morocco. However, travelers should not rely too much on insurance.

On the one hand, the health insurance company only reimburses services that you would be entitled to in Germany, and anyone who ends up in a private hospital on vacation will probably not get the costs paid in full. “And the most important thing: return transport is never included. For that alone, international health insurance is worth it,” says Weidenbach.

International health insurance is available for individual trips or for the entire year and continuously. Annual policies for Europe are available from ten euros upwards, so the costs are manageable. Even those who live in the border area benefit from the insurance every time they travel to a neighboring country. Only those who want to go abroad for several months need to check how many days per year the insurance is valid for. In such cases, travelers often have to take out other, more expensive international health insurance.

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance does not help in the event of a strike

Illnesses not only occur on vacation, but can also make the planned trip impossible. In such cases, travel cancellation insurance helps. It pays when people withdraw from the trip and do not start. Reasons for this can be, for example, illnesses, but also deaths in your own family. The insurance is usually taken out for a specific trip. “You just have to make sure that all parts of the trip are insured and not just the flights, for example,” says insurance expert Weidenbach.

Travel cancellation insurance does not apply if the insured person wants to cancel the trip due to illness or other special circumstances. There is separate demolition insurance for this. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance is often available in combination. Incidentally, both insurance policies do not apply in the event that the booked flight is canceled or cannot be reached due to a strike. Vacationers’ only option is to discuss matters with airlines and airports.

Stay away from luggage insurance

One insurance that travelers can safely do without is luggage insurance. “This only applies in very special circumstances and not even if your luggage is stolen at the airport due to carelessness, for example,” explains Weidenbach. Nevertheless, most suitcases and bags are covered even without this special policy. If these are stolen from the holiday apartment or hotel room, household contents insurance takes effect. “The only condition is that the luggage is in a building. Campers, tents and cars do not count as protected space,” says the expert.

There is also no need for special travel accident insurance or travel liability insurance. Anyone who has already taken out normal accident or liability insurance is also protected abroad. An exception can be booking a rental car. There are often additional motor vehicle liability offers that, for example, cover damage to third parties such as in a car accident.

“People who have their own car at home and therefore also have vehicle insurance are also covered abroad,” says Weidenbach. This regulation is also known as the Mallorca policy. However, it only applies within the geographical borders of Europe and only on the European part of Turkey. If in doubt, travelers should ask their insurance company in advance whether the destination country is included. The vehicle owners, i.e. the rental car providers, are also insured. The only question is how much. If you are unsure and do not have your own vehicle insurance, additional insurance can make sense.