What is travel insurance? The term does not stand for a single policy but for a bundle of different types of protection around travelling: international travel health, trip cancellation, trip interruption, luggage and travel liability insurance. Not all of them are worth the money – we honestly show you what you need and what you don't.
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It covers doctor, hospital and medication costs abroad as well as medically reasonable repatriation to Germany – benefits that statutory health insurers do not pay at all outside the EU and only at local standards within the EU. For a few euros a year, it is the most important travel protection of all.
It reimburses cancellation costs if you cannot start the trip due to illness or other insured reasons, or extra costs if you have to cut it short. Sensible above all for expensive, early-booked trips and holidays with children – details under Sick on Holiday.
All-round packages from the travel agency sound reassuring, but the consumer advice centre's verdict is clear: "In most cases, these packages are superfluous" (source: verbraucherzentrale.de, translated). Good private liability insurance applies worldwide when travelling, accident coverage should be arranged year-round anyway, and for luggage the airline or household contents insurance is often already liable – more under Lost Luggage: Compensation.
With package tours you enjoy special statutory protection: "Through the package travel contract, the operator is obliged to provide the traveller with a package tour" (source: Section 651a BGB, gesetze-im-internet.de, translated) – with extensive warranty rights in the event of defects and insolvency protection for the operator. Individual travellers bear more risks themselves and should choose their building blocks in a more targeted way.
Good international travel health insurance as an annual contract is available for individuals from about 10 to 20 euros per year; families pay little more. Trip cancellation coverage costs a few percent of the trip value depending on price and age; annual contracts pay off from two to three trips. More important than the price are benefit details such as "repatriation as soon as medically reasonable" – a criterion we always check at Spreefinanz.
Which travel building blocks fit you? Start the Insurance Check or ask via WhatsApp (+49 151 28937141).
An umbrella term for insurance around travelling: illness abroad, cancellation costs, trip interruption, luggage. The core is international travel health insurance; other building blocks are sensible or dispensable depending on the trip.
Within the EU you are treated at local standards with the EHIC; repatriation is never covered. Outside the EU, the fund generally pays nothing – without international travel health insurance it gets risky.
From about two trips per year, the annual contract is usually cheaper and more convenient – it automatically covers all trips up to the agreed maximum duration.
Often not: benefits sometimes only apply if the trip was paid with the card, with deductibles and gaps in repatriation. Check the conditions carefully – we help with that.
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Sources: Verbraucherzentrale: "Auslandsreisen – welcher Versicherungsschutz ist notwendig?" · Section 651a BGB – Typical contractual duties in the package travel contract, gesetze-im-internet.de · Updated: 2026
We advise travellers and expats on trip risks. You get a clear recommendation on travel insurance – health, cancellation and luggage cover compared transparently, in German and English.
When something happens abroad, every hour counts. We are available via WhatsApp, video call or phone – across time zones.
You see what really matters: coverage scope, limits, exclusions and how claims are handled – compared clearly side by side.
Posting, workation or permanent move: we check whether your existing cover is enough – or which international solution fits.
From claim reporting to settlement – we guide you through the process, regardless of which country the incident occurred in.
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