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Question regarding travel health insurance
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2025 6:08 pm
by Alberto
This coming summer my wife and our daugther will go to Japan and spend 6-weeks there. They reside in Germany but they're actually Japanese.
We want that they have health insurance during their time there. My daugther will even be 2-weeks in school, normal/local school there, no expensive posh private or international. I presume the school will demand that she has health insurance, perhaps third party insurance too.
Will travel insurance do? For "normal" health care things?
I never bought travel insurance in my life, but I though/think "travel insurance" are only for health emergencies/repatriation, not for "normal" boring things like you get influenza or stomachache....
In fact, they look surprisingly cheap for health coverage.
What should I look at?
Thanks,
Re: question regarding travel health insurance
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2025 6:25 pm
by Franklan
Alberto wrote: ↑Sun Jun 08, 2025 6:08 pm
[..] I presume the school will demand [..]
Why do you ask this here when the obvious way is
asking the school what kind of insurance the kids need?
Re: question regarding travel health insurance
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2025 8:51 pm
by bethannbitt
I have an ongoing travel insurance. Close friends of ours run a satellite branch of Hanse Merkur here for travel insurance. I would suggest asking someone you know who may have a reputable agent to recommend who can answer your questions from this end. What the school requires should be directed to them.
Re: question regarding travel health insurance
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 5:33 pm
by Alberto
Spoke with the school. They say she will need "health insurance". Well, no brainer here.
My question is wether "travel insurance " counts as "health insurance". I don't expect a school to know this.
I know there are limitations on the duration of stay, but they will stay 6 weeks (and of these, 2 weeks in school), and this "short" period is within the limit.
I will have to speak to an insurance professional.
Thanks everyone nevertheless.
Re: question regarding travel health insurance
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 6:46 pm
by Alberto
Just spoke with an insurance professional.
Travel insurance should do.
Thanks everyone.
Re: question regarding travel health insurance
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 8:57 pm
by LukeSkywalker
My ongoing travel insurance also covers „boring“ things like theft/damage/missing of luggage and legal assistance
.
Re: question regarding travel health insurance
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 9:23 pm
by Alberto
LukeSkywalker wrote: ↑Mon Jun 09, 2025 8:57 pm
My ongoing travel insurance also covers „boring“ things like theft/damage/missing of luggage and legal assistance
.
Ok, thanks for mentioning this.
But I actually thought every travel insurance covers them.
BTW not sure how "boring" is having the luggage stolen.
.
Re: question regarding travel health insurance
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 9:48 pm
by Franklan
BTW, If you have "credit cards" like "American Express" or "Visa", check the T&C's...
Just as an example, if I book a vacation and pay by "American express", it automatically includes a travel insurance! You might be in a situation were you do not have to book anything additional at all! That's one hint, just saying.
But here, another serious issue: When you want to go abroad on a vacation and you book a travel insurance for that, certain things might not be covered as the "small print" of the insurance contract declares them as not vacation related.
What I mean: Let's assume an American guy wants to help his brother-in-law to reroof a house in Sicily; So, the American guy goes to the insurance broker and says that he is on "vacation" in Sicily for 6 weeks, and the insurance guy sells him a "travel insurance" for that...
Q: What happens if the American guy breaks his hips due to falling of the roof while reroofing it? Is that covered by a "travel insurance"? Falling of a roof while reroofing a house certainly is not a common risk while on vacation?
Alberto, what I want to convey here: Going to school for 2 weeks is not "vacation related" in my book. Make sure that the "travel insurance" covers that.
Re: question regarding travel health insurance
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 10:22 pm
by Alberto
Franklan wrote: ↑Mon Jun 09, 2025 9:48 pm
BTW, If you have "credit cards" like "American Express" or "Visa", check the T&C's...
Just as an example, if I book a vacation and pay by "American express", it automatically includes a travel insurance! You might be in a situation were you do not have to book anything additional at all! That's one hint, just saying.
But here, another serious issue: When you want to go abroad on a
vacation and you book a travel insurance for that, certain things might not be covered as the "small print" of the insurance contract declares them as not
vacation related.
What I mean: Let's assume an American guy wants to help his brother-in-law to reroof a house in Sicily; So, the American guy goes to the insurance broker and says that he is on "vacation" in Sicily for 6 weeks, and the insurance guy sells him a "travel insurance" for that...
Q: What happens if the American guy breaks his hips due to falling of the roof while reroofing it? Is that covered by a "travel insurance"? Falling of a roof while reroofing a house certainly is not a
common risk while on vacation?
Alberto, what I want to convey here:
Going to school for 2 weeks is not "vacation related" in my book. Make sure that the "travel insurance" covers that.
Fair points, thanks.
In fact, "going to school" is not a typical holiday activity.
But also, reading a million pages of small print German legalese is not only a torture but it's also beyond my possibility.
These insurances are not called "holiday insurance", they are actually called "travel insurance". Some specifically state they do cover not only holiday travel, but also business travels....
Re: question regarding travel health insurance
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2025 6:07 pm
by kiplette
Does your kid's German school offer exchanges with schools in other countries? If so, you could ask them what kind of insurance they recommend for kids going on such exchanges.
Re: Question regarding travel health insurance
Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2025 2:06 pm
by kaffeemitmilch
I'm quite sure travel insurance should suffice for any mishap or illness that requires it. Check24 will compare for you. There's also this, that you can buy after entering Japan:
https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html
Re: Question regarding travel health insurance
Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2025 3:19 pm
by Alberto
Thanks everyone for the good contributions.l, much appreciated.
.