Is travel insurance unnecessary or essential?
As the summer of 2025 approaches, German travellers heading to the Mediterranean are encouraged to prioritise comprehensive travel insurance to ensure a worry-free holiday. Here are some key recommendations and the role of travel cancellation insurance.
### Key Travel Insurance Recommendations
1. **Comprehensive Coverage**: A policy that covers trip delays, cancellations, interruptions, baggage issues, and medical emergencies is essential for unexpected events such as flight delays or medical issues.
2. **Medical and Emergency Services**: Medical insurance should include emergency medical care, hospitalization, and repatriation, as these are vital for travelers in foreign countries.
3. **Pre-existing Conditions**: If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, ensure your policy covers these or obtain a waiver if necessary.
4. **Check Policy Exclusions**: Be aware of what your policy does not cover, such as negligence, illegal activities, or known risks like storms or civil unrest.
5. **Provider Reliability**: Choose a reputable insurance provider known for efficient claims processing and customer support.
### Role of Travel Cancellation Insurance
Travel cancellation insurance plays a significant role by providing financial protection in case you need to cancel your trip due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness, emergencies, or travel advisories. It can reimburse you for non-refundable trip costs if you need to cancel your trip, helping mitigate financial losses.
It's important to note that not every travel insurance is useful, and some can be too expensive. A travel luggage insurance offers minimal protection for a comparatively high contribution. It's better to supplement existing insurance coverage instead of buying all-inclusive packages.
For more information on insurance coverage for international travel, visit the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Advice Center. Travel cancellation insurance is rarely useful, but can be beneficial for expensive trips or holidays with children.
In addition, it's essential to take care of your luggage as if it were not insured, especially during train journeys. Hotel room theft losses are usually covered by the household contents insurance, but some insurers exclude cash and valuables.
Germans prefer to travel to the Mediterranean for their summer vacations in 2025. Package tours to eastern Mediterranean countries, cruises, and long-distance travel are experiencing the highest growth rates compared to last summer. Travel remains the top priority for consumer spending in Germany for the year 2025, according to Norbert Fiebig, president of the German Travel Association (DRV).
Insured persons of statutory health insurances do not have insurance cover for travels outside Europe, but Germany has social security agreements with some countries like Turkey, where private travel health insurance is recommended. European Health Insurance Card holders can claim medical services in all EU member states, Switzerland, the UK, and some other European countries, under the same conditions as locals. However, a return transport is not covered by the European Health Insurance Card, even if medically necessary.
Families often choose Turkey for its affordable all-inclusive holidays. Luggage loss in the custody of an airline is often covered for damage replacement. Private liability insurance is the most important insurance for travel, covering damages caused to others. Taking out travel liability insurance is usually not necessary, as it is often included in existing insurance coverage.
Lastly, for those planning trips to countries with social security agreements, it's important to note that not every travel insurance is useful, and some can be too expensive. It's crucial to check insurance contracts for exclusions before signing. The cost for a travel cancellation or travel interruption insurance depends on the travel price, the scope of services, and in many tariffs, the age of the insured. An annual contract for travel cancellation insurance can be worthwhile for several trips per year.
- To ensure a worry-free Mediterranean holiday next summer, German travelers might consider prioritizing a travel insurance policy that includes comprehensive coverage, catering to trip delays, cancellations, interruptions, baggage issues, and medical emergencies.
- For peace of mind during travels, travel cancellation insurance can offer financial protection in the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as illness, emergencies, or travel advisories, reimbursing non-refundable trip costs if necessary.
