It's almost time, you're going on a world tour! Before you leave, you must prepare well, an important part of this is arranging insurance. In this article we tell you which insurance policies you need when you travel for a longer period of time.
Table of contents
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is one of the most important insurance policies to take out when you travel world trip go. There are many different providers, who generally offer the same services.
What is reimbursed with travel insurance? Please note, this is just an example of what is possible. View and compare different travel insurance policies yourself and choose one that suits you.
- Unforeseen expenses: Think of transport and accommodation costs in the event of illness, an accident or the death of a family member.
- Rental: Damage to the holiday home or the loss of the key to your holiday home.
- Corona costs during your world trip: costs caused by corona. Think of an extra stay if the return trip is delayed because you have to go into quarantine. Always keep an eye on the corona rules for travel from the government.
- Medical expenses: You may end up in hospital while traveling. Medical costs abroad can be quite high. In Aruba, for example, I had to pay $250 for a 2-minute ambulance ride. Trust me, financial worries are the last thing you want to think about when you find yourself in the hospital.
- Insure luggage: Your belongings will be reimbursed to a certain extent in the event of theft, damage or loss. When you travel with expensive electronics (laptop, drone, action camera) it is nice to also insure these extra.
- Special sports to ensure: Are you going to practice extreme sports while traveling? Then it is wise to take out extra insurance for special sports. Examples of these types of sports are mountaineering, diving or (kite) surfing.
- car help: Car assistance can come in handy when you are traveling around the world by car or campervan. In the event of a breakdown or accident with the car, you will be helped to get your vehicle back to the Netherlands.
- Helpline: Most travel insurers offer a 24/7 helpline. If you find yourself in an unpleasant situation, you can contact us immediately to discuss the next steps.
funeral insurance
This is not a fun topic to think about but let's be realistic, an accident is just around the corner. Of course we don't assume that, but if fate meets you, funeral insurance covers the transport of your body to the Netherlands. When you go on a world trip as an 18-year-old, you may not immediately think of funeral insurance, but it is nice to have something like this on hand. This way you don't saddle your family members with high costs when something happens to you. Have you never thought about this? Then you can take the time to enjoy different compare funeral insurance policies.
Health insurance
'Since travel insurance also covers medical costs, can I just cancel my health insurance?' No definitely not. Your Dutch health insurance is important and also mandatory as long as you are registered at a Dutch home address.
It is even advisable to take a close look at your health insurance and possibly increase it with 'accident cover abroad'. Compare health insurance and travel insurance so that you can see exactly what you are insured for.
Many world trips go to distant destinations. To protect yourself against nasty diseases abroad, you can take vaccinations against, for example, Hepatitis A, yellow fever or DTP. You will not receive a reimbursement for these travel vaccinations from the basic insurance. You can check whether your health insurer covers this with the supplementary insurance, it may be cheaper.
GGD is the specialist for travel vaccinations and inoculations in the Netherlands. The specialized vaccination nurses and doctors advise and vaccinate more than 35.000 travelers every year.
Obtained vaccinations can be put in an official vaccination passport (yellow booklet).
In most cases, the vaccinations can be reimbursed via the health insurance - contact your health insurer for this.
- Low prices
- Often fully reimbursed
- Evenings and weekends
- Yellow booklet / passport
- Locations throughout the Netherlands
Also read: Vaccinations for a world trip | Everything you need to know
Cancellation
In times of corona, unfortunately, it can sometimes happen that your last-minute trip cannot take place. A country that suddenly no longer allows tourists or a positive test result can mean that your long-planned trip has to be postponed. A real waste of the money you have already spent on your plane ticket and the booked overnight stays.
Fortunately, there is a cancellation insurance, which ensures that you get all or part of your money back if you are unexpectedly unable to travel.
Before you take out cancellation insurance, it is advisable to check what exactly falls under the cancellation conditions. For example, not all insurance policies reimburse your costs if you travel to a red area (with regard to corona). So read the fine print carefully and compare different insurance companies with each other.
You do not always have to look for a third party, many airlines also offer cancellation insurance when you book a ticket online.
A second option is to buy a flexible flight ticket, with which you can change the flight date. The condition of this differs per airline. In January 2022 I will leave for Mexico and because I have a cheap ticket price wanted to buy my ticket in October 2021. I found that quite exciting in times of corona, which is why I opted for a flexible ticket with KLM. This allows me to shift my flight up to 3 months, which gives me a lot more peace of mind.
Also read: A world trip itinerary planning | How do I do that?
Seen a mistake? Ask? Remark? Let us know in the comments!