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For beer lovers, history enthusiasts or foodies, Germany has been a destination for millions of American tourists each year. There are sophisticated city centers like Berlin, while little towns throughout the county offer authentic and immersive experiences. Because of its convenient location, it’s common to make Germany part of a multi-country European vacation.
When traveling internationally, it’s always a wise decision to purchase travel insurance. The best travel insurance plans are rich in benefits that include trip cancellation, trip delay and interruption, baggage loss coverage, and medical insurance and medical evacuation coverage.
Locking in Trip Cancellation Insurance
Although you likely have no thoughts of canceling your Germany trip, unfortunate events can happen.
For example, if a few days before your flight to Munich your grandfather passes away, you likely would want to stay home. Trip cancellation insurance would cover any non-refundable, prepaid deposits that you would lose if you cancel the trip. If you paid in advance to attend a private beer and food tasting, this cost would be covered by trip cancellation benefits.
It’s important to understand what events trigger trip cancellation coverage, and they are listed in your policy. These events typically include illness or injury of yourself, your travel companion or a family member, severe weather, a family emergency, terrorism, or a national emergency such a transportation strike.
Make sure you know what reasons are covered by the policy. For example, trip cancellation coverage will not cover a breakup with your significant other a week before a planned vacation.
If you want the most flexibility regarding travel plans, consider upgrading your standard insurance policy with “cancel for any reason” travel insurance. This upgrade allows you to cancel your trip for any reason—like that nasty breakup—but you must do so at least 48 hours before your scheduled departure. This flexibility comes at a price: You can typically recover 50% or 75% of your trip cost and the upgrade tacks on about 50% more to your premium.
Related: Travel Insurance: USA To Munich Trips
Travel Medical Expense Insurance for Illness and Injuries
Germany is home to the Autobahn—a high-speed freeway—and if you’re on a tour bus, you are going to be traveling fast, and we mean fast. It’s not uncommon that the flow of traffic is 90 mph. If your vehicle makes a sudden stop in traffic, you could suffer a whiplash. If this happens you will need to be seen by a medical professional. Many U.S. health plans have no global coverage and Medicare is not accepted outside of the U.S. or its territories.
A comprehensive travel insurance policy will provide travel medical insurance for these emergency situations.
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Medical Evacuation Travel Insurance
If you suffer severe injuries during your trip and you need to be treated by a trauma unit, your travel insurance company can work quickly to identify an appropriate facility for care and transport you there. The transportation will be to the closest adequate medical facility.
Medical evacuation travel insurance compensates you for medevac expenses, which can be significant, depending on your condition and location.
Travel Delay Insurance for Germany Trips
We’ve all worried about missing a connecting flight, but what happens if you do miss it? It could be that you catch the next flight to your final destination, but in some cases the next flight may be totally booked, or you may have missed the last flight of the day.
Since Germany is often a stop in a multi-country European holiday, travel delay insurance is a safety net for pre-paid and non-refundable expenses you lose if you don’t arrive on time due to a trip delay. If you are traveling to Barcelona to enjoy the beach for a few days, and you miss your connecting flight back to Germany due to an airline’s mechanical issue, you could be reimbursed for extra costs .
There are other scenarios where you can be reimbursed under a trip delay benefit. If your flight is canceled due severe weather, and you are stuck somewhere on a layover, you can recover expenses such as a night’s hotel cost, food and other associated expenses.
Trip delay benefits usually start after a certain delay period, such as six or 12 hours.
Trips Interruption Insurance for Germany Trips Cut Short
Once you’re on your trip, travel insurance can come to the rescue if you have to cut the trip short. If you are in Berlin on a college trip with friends, and your spouse suffers a stroke, your swift decision would be to return home.
Trip interruption insurance pays for a flight back to the U.S. and will cover any non-refundable expenses that you lost out on. For example, if you had booked a boutique Berlin hotel and the room was pre-paid with no refunds, your benefits would reimburse you.
Baggage Insurance
If your baggage or personal items are lost, stolen or damaged, you can file a baggage insurance claim. You’ll be compensated for the depreciated value of your items, up to your policy limits, for items covered by your policy.
Baggage delay insurance compensates you if your luggage arrives after a specified time listed in your policy, such as six or 12 hours. You can be reimbursed for purchasing items like walking shoes, a change of clothes and some toiletries to tide you over until you’re reunited with your bags.
Plan for Adventurous Sports
Many tourists head to Germany to enjoy skiing and other sporting activities.
“Germany has seen some severe winters with heavy snow, and many adventure sports accidents have been reported in the Alpine and coastal regions,” says Lisa Cheng, spokesperson with World Nomads, a travel insurance company. “Whether you’re skiing the Bavarian Alps, snowshoeing in the Black Forest or participating in any other activity in any season, take the time to double-check to see if your travel insurance covers adventure sports.”
Many policies have specific exclusion lists for extreme and adventure activities, so make sure you check the exclusions if you’re planning such activities.
World Nomads includes coverage for more than 150 sports and adventure activities in its Standard and Explorer plans, so you don’t have to buy an upgrade to get coverage for an active vacation.
“Remember, travel insurance usually doesn’t cover search-and-rescue missions, so try to go out in groups, stay on trails, and bring or download maps to avoid getting lost,” advises Cheng.
Related: Traveling To The Germany From The U.S.: Requirements And Restrictions
Compare & Buy Travel Insurance For 2024
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