Travel health insurance for 30 days: Optimal coverage for your short trip
8 Apr 2025
11
Minutes
Katrin Straub
CEO at nextsure
A medical emergency abroad can quickly become expensive, often costing several thousand euros. Foreign health insurance for 30 days protects you from these financial risks. Learn what you need to consider when choosing one.
The topic in brief and concise terms
A travel health insurance for 30 days is essential, as the statutory health insurance often only offers basic protection and repatriations usually cost over 10,000 euros.
Ensure 100 percent coverage for treatments, medically necessary repatriation, and ideally no deductible.
Annual policies for trips up to 63 days often tend to be more cost-effective (starting from around 10 euros per year) than single-trip policies and cover 30-day journeys.
Quick Facts: Foreign protection for 30 days
A foreign travel health insurance for 30 days is often part of annual policies. These cover trips lasting up to 63 days.
The costs for this start at about ten Euros per year.
Public health insurance provides limited coverage within the EU. Outside of Europe, there is usually no coverage through the statutory health insurance.
A medical repatriation often costs over 10,000 Euros.
Pay attention to the area of coverage, especially when travelling to the USA or Canada. Many policies can have premiums up to 50 percent higher in these areas.
The policy can usually be taken out until shortly before departure. Some providers even allow this on the day of departure itself.
Why is travel health insurance for 30 days so important?
Your statutory health insurance (GKV) often offers only basic coverage abroad. Within the EU, costs are reimbursed according to the rates of the country of travel.
However, a maximum of German rates is covered. This often means a coverage gap of 20 to 40 percent.
Outside the EU, you usually bear all the costs yourself. Medical treatment in the USA can quickly cost several thousand dollars.
Therefore, comprehensive international health insurance is worth its weight in gold.
A medically necessary repatriation is rarely covered by the GKV. The costs can easily reach five-figure amounts.
For example, an air ambulance flight from Asia costs 25,000 Euros. A good policy covers these costs in full.
Many travellers underestimate treatment costs abroad by up to 70 percent. A broken bone can cost over 5,000 Euros.
A private foreign health insurance closes this gap.
A short holiday of 30 days is meant for relaxation. Financial worries due to unexpected medical costs can quickly reach 500 Euros.
With the right protection, you travel more relaxed.
Coverage: What does a good policy cover for 30 days?
A comprehensive international health insurance covers several core areas. Outpatient and inpatient medical treatment with a doctor is standard.
Hospital costs should be covered at 100 percent.
Medications, dressings, and medically prescribed aids must be reimbursed. Pay attention to the transport to the hospital.
Costs for transport to the nearest suitable hospital are often covered up to 100 percent.
Medically advisable repatriation is essential. It should not only occur in cases of medical necessity.
Organisation and reimbursement up to 100,000 euros are common here.
Pain-relieving dental treatments and simple fillings are included. Temporary dentures are often covered up to 250 euros.
For an optimal travel health insurance, these points are important.
Other important benefits may include:
Coverage of search, rescue, and recovery costs up to at least 5,000 euros.
Rooming-in for children up to 18 years old in the hospital.
Visit from a close person during a longer hospital stay (over five days).
Repatriation in the event of death or burial abroad up to the amount of repatriation costs.
Some tariffs even offer hospital daily allowance of 50 euros per day for up to 30 days. This can provide financial support.
This helps you better understand what an international health insurance costs and offers.
Cost factors and tariff choice for your 30-day protection
The cost of international health insurance for 30 days varies. Annual policies for trips up to 63 days often start at ten to twenty euros per year.
Families usually pay between 20 and 35 euros annually.
Some providers charge on a per-day basis, especially for longer trips. A basic 30-day tariff without USA/Canada cover can cost around 37.50 euros.
With USA/Canada cover, premiums often increase by 50 to 100 per cent.
The age of the insured plays a role. From the age of 65 or 70, many insurers levy surcharges.
These can increase the premium by 25 to 50 per cent.
Some policies include an excess, often 25 or 50 euros per claim. Policies without an excess are usually only a few euros more expensive.
These policies are often the better choice. Check whether your current health insurance is sufficient.
Compare the benefits carefully. A cheap tariff with exclusions can become expensive in serious cases.
Pay attention to the definition of “medically necessary” repatriation. An annual travel health insurance can be more cost-effective for frequent travellers.
Expert Depth: Legal Aspects and Pitfalls
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is not a full replacement. It only covers medical care according to the rules of the host country.
This often means co-payments of ten to 30 percent.
Social security agreements with countries like Turkey also only offer basic protection. Billing is done according to German rates.
This often does not cover the full costs. A gap of 25 percent is not uncommon here.
Our Expert Tip: Clarify in advance whether pre-existing conditions are covered. Acute deteriorations of chronic illnesses are usually covered.
Planned treatments, however, are never insured. A deterioration can lead to treatment costs of over 1,000 euros.
Pay attention to exclusion clauses. Treatments due to addiction are often excluded.
Participation in professional sports competitions is also often excluded. Travelling to areas with travel warnings jeopardises the cover.
The terms of insurance should be clearly formulated. Terms like “acute” or “unforeseeable” illness offer room for interpretation.
Look for policies that clearly define “medically necessary and unforeseeable treatments”. That way, you are properly insured abroad.
The question of whether you can claim foreign health insurance on taxes is relevant.
Contributions can be claimed as special expenses. This provides a saving of up to 20 percent.
Checklist: Choosing the Right Travel Health Insurance for 30 Days
With this checklist, you can find the right protection for your trip of up to thirty days. It helps to consider important points.
In an emergency, you are 100 percent optimally covered.
Duration of coverage: Does the maximum travel duration of, for example, 63 days fit your 30-day trip?
Scope of coverage: Is your travel destination (including the USA/Canada if necessary) covered?
Range of benefits: Are outpatient/inpatient treatments insured 100 percent?
Return transportation: Is a medically reasonable return transportation included without any conditions?
Deductible: Is there an excess, and how high is it (ideally zero euros)?
Dental treatment: Are pain-relieving dental treatments and simple dentures covered (often up to 250 euros)?
Emergency number: Is there a 24/7 accessible German-speaking emergency number?
Pre-existing conditions: How are acute exacerbations of existing ailments regulated?
Also check whether travel health insurance for Europe offers special conditions. There are often cheaper rates available.
The question of whether one generally needs travel insurance is usually answered with yes.
nextsure: Your partner for tailored protection
As a digital insurance portal, nextsure offers you transparent solutions. We help you find the right international health insurance for your 30-day trip.
Our experts individually analyze your needs. We compare a variety of rates for optimal coverage.
This ensures you secure optimum conditions. We have over 10 years of experience in the insurance market. [:10]
Benefit from our digital platform and simple processes for completing your application. In just three steps, you can obtain your coverage. [:]
Have your insurance situation reviewed for free. Receive specific optimization suggestions. [:]
More useful links
The Auswärtige Amt provides comprehensive travel and safety information, which also includes health aspects.
Specific health information for various travel destinations can also be found at the Auswärtige Amt.
The Bundesgesundheitsministerium offers important information on prevention, particularly for the summer and travel season.
Current statistics on tourism and travel behaviour are published by the Federal Statistical Office Destatis.
FAQ
Do I need international health insurance for a 30-day trip within the EU?
Yes, it is highly recommended. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) only covers services that are also available to locals, and often there are substantial co-payments. A medically necessary return transport is not covered, which can lead to costs exceeding 10,000 euros.
What happens if I have to extend my 30-day trip due to illness?
Good international health insurance will continue to provide coverage if the insured travel period needs to be extended due to an acute illness until you are fit to travel. Check the specific terms of your policy, as this is often limited to 30 to 60 days.
Are pre-existing conditions covered by international health insurance for 30 days?
Acute and unforeseen deteriorations of existing chronic illnesses are generally covered. Scheduled treatments or those anticipated due to pre-existing conditions are usually excluded. Check this with the insurer beforehand.
Does the travel health insurance cover activities like hiking or skiing for 30 days?
Normal leisure activities such as hiking or skiing are usually covered. However, risky sports may be excluded or require an additional premium. Check the insurance terms or ask the provider if you are planning specific activities.
How can I get emergency assistance from my international health insurance?
Most insurers offer a 24/7 emergency hotline in German. There, you can get support, information about doctors or hospitals, and assistance with arranging repatriation. Save this number before your trip.
What is the difference between a one-time policy for 30 days and an annual travel health insurance?
A single-trip policy is only valid for the specific 30-day journey insured. An annual travel health insurance covers all trips within a year up to a certain maximum duration per trip (e.g. 45, 56, or 63 days). For a single 30-day trip, an annual policy can often be more cost-effective and offers flexibility for additional short trips.
