These travel insurances are worthwhile

In this article, I want to show you why you should never set off without a good travel insurance policy. I can't stress enough how important it is, as mishaps and accidents happen all the time, especially when you least expect them.

So here's my tip: the iati insurance covers all your wishes and needs. The best part: my readers get a 5% discount when you take out one of the following policies.

Talking about insurance is never fun, and it can be a daunting task to go through policies with endless pages and fine print to figure out what's included.

I'll reveal here why having travel protection is necessary, what types of travel insurance are available, and which ones you should consider and take out.

Whether you take out insurance doesn't depend on the type of trip. It doesn't matter whether you're going on an all-inclusive vacation, a personalized road trip, or backpacking. If you want to travel with peace of mind and without stress, you should consider what eventualities you can or should insure against before your trip. The right travel insurance can protect you from significant financial losses.

I've summarized here who would find what vacation insurances sensible and when they are unnecessary. I will also mention which insurances I have taken out with which providers in this article.

Travel insurance is meant to cover specific needs during your journey. These needs can range from medical assistance, emergency evacuation, trip cancellations, damage or loss of luggage and technical equipment, theft, and other unexpected events.

These insurances are meant to protect you while traveling, unlike your regular health insurance back home. This means that your travel insurance will not cover costs for pre-existing conditions or routine check-ups.

Nonetheless, travel insurance is much more than just health insurance, as it covers other components (like those mentioned earlier).

A travel health insurance is a must for trips abroad. This way, your costs for doctors and hospitals are covered even outside the United States. Even if you don't want to take out any of the other insurances, I strongly recommend you get this international policy.

Take out insurance with Hanse Merkur starting at $17 per year right here

I advise everyone to take out additional international health insurance. If you travel without having taken out international health insurance, you are taking a high risk of being stuck with significant costs in the event of an illness. The insurance in the United States will not cover these costs in the event of a claim. This can become extremely expensive, especially if you suffer an accident while skiing or crash with a rental car.

A medical repatriation is extremely costly; hospitals in Asia or Africa do not meet U.S. standards. I wouldn't wish a hospital stay in Uganda or South Africa on anyone.

Since international health insurances are not expensive, I recommend that everyone takes one out.

For years, I used one of the many cheap overseas insurances (available from health insurance companies and banks, etc.). The cost of $10 is very manageable. Last year, some friends experienced minor to severe accidents during their travels or had to go to the hospital due to illness, so I decided to take out a more comprehensive insurance policy.

Recently, I therefore took out the Hanse Merkur annual travel health insurance for abroad. So far, I have had very good experiences with it. This insurance is a travel health insurance for an unlimited number of foreign trips within a year for private vacations as well as business trips.

A fee of $17 is due per year. The only condition: you must have a residence in Germany (View product information).

Scope of the travel health insurance:

You can easily take out the insurance online. Also, good service is one reason I can recommend Hanse Merkur.

Take out Hanse Merkur travel health insurance right here

For long-term travel, I recommend the insurance from World Nomads. Experienced long-term travelers have tailored insurance specifically for this target group and their needs.

Here you can enter your details and get an immediate quote:

Here, Hanse Merkur also offers two specific plans for longer stays abroad. The insurance is called "Young Travel - travel protection for young people up to 5 years abroad" (View service overview).

Enhance your travel protection for cases related to the coronavirus. With this special Corona add-on protection, you have the best possible coverage in addition to cancellation insurance.

The special Corona coverage is an add-on to the cancellation insurance. The additional protection includes coverage for cancellation costs before the trip and trip cost coverage during the trip in the following cases:

You can take out the Corona travel protection together with your travel insurance or separately. You can thus supplement and secure your protection retroactively.

View the Corona travel protection insurance here

Do you have accident insurance? This is often forgotten. According to statistics, 3/4 of all accidents occur in private settings. I can personally share several stories from my life regarding this. Many credit cards advertise that they include accident insurance. Check exactly what is covered and to what extent. The details are in the fine print.

You can configure your own accident insurance with Hanse Merkur.

To this day, I have not taken out travel baggage insurance. Why? It is usually unnecessary and expensive. Additionally, it only offers coverage under very specific conditions. In almost all cases I have encountered, the chance of getting something reimbursed was very low.

With travel baggage insurance, items are only replaced partially or at their current value. Not, as many think, at full replacement cost or purchase price. Also, depending on the insurance, a deductible per claim may apply. This could exceed the replacement cost or current value of the item.

I once had a pair of sunglasses stolen. The current value after a year was so low that travel baggage insurance would not have been worth it. A condition is also that you must provide a receipt for the item.

In doing so, you should pay close attention to the fine print of the insurance to ensure that the items are included and insured. If you have home contents insurance, you should clarify whether your luggage is also covered on trips abroad.

The cancellation insurance, also called travel cost cancellation insurance, makes sense, but it is not a must. I have never taken out cancellation insurance as I never assume the "worst case" - such as an illness or other hindrance.

Again, I recommend the cancellation insurance from Hanse Merkur. This insurance also includes trip interruption insurance if you have to interrupt your trip during the vacation for the reasons listed below.

The cancellation insurance for a flight trip (8 days, value $2,500) costs, for example, $33. Details about the scope of coverage can be viewed here.

The coverage of cancellation insurance includes - the vacation guarantee (In case of trip interruption):

I never take out cancellation insurance. Why should I? Cancel a trip due to an illness? Never in my lifetime. That's my opinion. But then everything turned out differently.

Exactly two weeks before the start of a trip, I had an unfortunate fall while bouldering and broke the radius head in both elbows (luckily clean fractures, nothing shattered, and thus no surgery required). Until three days before the departure date, I didn't know if I would be able to go on the trip. That would have been devastating since we had already spent over $800 on the planned trip.

At that time, I regretted the carelessness of not having taken out cancellation insurance. One always thinks of a flu, but never of more severe injuries.

In the end, everything turned out well: One day before departure, both casts came off, and the doctor gave the green light as long as I didn't put pressure on both arms. My companion supported me a lot, and so we could start the trip.

Since I still hardly book long-term in advance, and if I do it's often just the flights and first accommodation, I very rarely take out cancellation insurance to this day.

Take out Hanse Merkur trip cancellation insurance

Personal liability insurance while on vacation comes into play if you harm another person or their property. If the injured party makes a claim for damages, it can get quite expensive for you.

If you already have personal liability insurance, overseas trips of up to six or even twelve months are usually included in the coverage. Check this for certainty or ask your insurance again.

Info: If there's a burglary in the hotel room, your personal contents insurance, if you have one, will be liable.

Do you want to simply hop into a vehicle in the vacation country, drive off, and have fun? Without the fear that theft or an accident might hold you back? Because what many don't know: the deductible in the "worst-case scenario" is usually $1,000 (often even higher). Standard insurances often do not cover personal and material damages. If you take out rental car insurance, you reduce your own share of the costs in the event of damage.

Hanse Merkur supplements the coverage amount of the car liability insurance for cars (and motorcycles) up to $1 million. This way, you can enjoy your road trip relaxed.

View all the advantages of the two insurances here

*Mallorca Policy

The Mallorca policy is a Europe-wide additional insurance for rental cars. Just not for Mallorca, which is misleading given the name. The insurance usually costs no more than $20 per month. Consumer protection recommends this insurance. I prefer to ensure that all insurances are included when renting a rental car and do without additional Mallorca coverage.

All tips for renting a car abroad

Before your trip, create a list of all important emergency hotlines and insurance numbers:

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