It is important to have proper insurance coverage while travelling abroad. Medical care abroad or transport home by medevac can be very expensive if you are not insured.

Make sure that you have comprehensive insurance coverage for your entire time away and supplement any coverage via your insurance company or through the travel agency. Remember that the insurance policy does not always cover illnesses or accidents resulting from one’s own abuse of alcohol or narcotics.

If you pay for your trip with a bank card, a certain amount of travel insurance may already be included. Therefore, check with your card issuer to find out what is included!


Home Insurance
often includes a basic travel coverage, that applies - as a rule - to the first 45 days of the trip and covers damaged or lost baggage, hospital and pharmaceutical costs, as well as homeward journeys if you or a close relative become seriously ill or injured. It also covers the cost of the homeward transportation of deceased persons.

Most often, the coverage also extends to family members in the same household, as well as one’s own children under 18 years of age registered at another address.
However, with basic travel coverage, there is a deductible for each claim. Since the basic travel coverage in your home insurance policy has a few limitations, it may be a good idea to supplement the policy with a separate travel insurance policy. You can do this through your insurance company or travel agent.


Accident Insurance
is a must if you want to be compensated for disability in connection with an accident.

Insurance may be included if you pay for your trip with a bank card, but the scope and conditions can vary greatly between different banks, so you should check carefully what is applicable.

Supplemental Insurance
In order to avoid the deductible in your home insurance policy’s basic travel coverage, and in order to get help directly on site, you can purchase a separate supplemental travel policy from your travel agent or via your insurance company.

If you are going to be away for more than 45 days, you should extend your insurance period by obtaining supplemental insurance coverage. Such a policy may be relevant if you take part in particularly “risky” activities, such as parachuting, hang-gliding or in sports and athletics in connection with club activities abroad. However, please note that the conditions for these kinds of activities differ from one insurance company to another.
The insurance companies often have a maximum level of compensation, which is why you should also obtain supplemental insurance coverage if you have valuable equipment with you.

If you have a family, you should also think about your life insurance policy.


Cancellation Insurance
should perhaps also be considered if you become ill and cannot go on your trip. Look around and compare your travel agent’s and insurance company’s prices for cancellation insurance. This is most often included if you pay by card.


Rental Car Insurance
It may be wise to obtain coverage equivalent to your car insurance policy in your home country. This is usually called “third-party liability”. Make sure that the coverage pertains to the driver, to the passengers and to damages to the car.
Also keep in mind that the deductible can be very high if you do not have the right insurance coverage.


Pregnancy
As of the 29th week of pregnancy, no travel insurance policy will cover the medical costs associated with pregnancy. This means that if you deliver after this point in time, but before the time of normal delivery, any health care costs or other economic aid, such as for homeward transport of a prematurely born child, are not covered by the policy.