Before real professional life begins, it's the perfect time to gain some new experience and get clear about what you want to do on a trip abroad. This is why many young people are attracted to go abroad, especially after graduating from high school or university. Work & Travel stays abroad are the most popular form of travel. The benefit: Taking on small part-time jobs in the respective destination country not only keeps the travel budget stable; as a traveller, you also come into contact with locals and gain valuable impressions of life there. In order to enjoy the time at your destination, the organisation of your Work & Travel trip is one of the most important things, according to testimonials. How best to prepare and what to look out for in your insurance cover.
Work and Travel insurance – Your protection as a globetrotter
How do I prepare for my Work & Travel trip?
The preparation time for your Work & Travel stay depends primarily on which destination country you want to travel to and over how many months you are planning your trip. If you are travelling outside the EU, you should find out whether you need a visa for your destination country and what the requirements are. Only after your visa has been confirmed does it make sense to book flights and arrange your first accommodation in your destination country. Depending on the effort involved, you have the option of booking your trip through an organisation that helps you apply for visas and other documents, for example. Once you have planned this far, the next step we recommend is to find suitable insurance cover for your trip. Here, too, you should adapt your travel protection to the conditions in the respective destination country.
Do I need additional insurance cover within the EU?
If you are planning your Work & Travel stay within the EU, you have the advantage of not having to apply for a visa. If you need medical help while travelling through Europe, you can show the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) on the back of your e-card to your doctor. As a holder, you are assured that you will receive medical care according to the rules of the respective EU country. In addition to the EU Member States, the EHIC also applies in the EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) as well as Switzerland, Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. The downside: Some EU countries do not reimburse medical services at the same rate as in Austria. If you are travelling without private travel insurance, it is, therefore, possible that you will have to pay part of the costs yourself, depending on the treatment. Even if you are travelling within the EU, it is, therefore, worth taking out additional travel insurance that reimburses you for 100% of inpatient and outpatient medical treatment.
Am I covered by health insurance outside the EU?
Even though EU stays enjoy better cover in the form of basic insurance through the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), Work & Travel travellers favour international destinations. According to surveys, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are the top destination countries among "Work & Travellers". What do all three countries have in common: an expensive health system. Medical treatments there are usually many times more expensive than in Austria.
As the EHIC does not apply internationally, you do not have health insurance in these countries and must pay for medical treatment in full. If you injure yourself during a leisure activity in Australia, for example, the medical costs will reduce your travel budget so much in the worst case that you will have to shorten your trip. For international Work & Travel stays, we, therefore, always recommend comprehensive travel protection with international health insurance.
What should I look out for in my travel protection for a Work & Travel experience?
If you already have international health insurance, find out about all the benefits included and whether you are covered for the entire duration of your trip. Some insurers' international health insurance policies only cover shorter stays of several weeks. This also applies to existing accident or liability insurance policies.
In addition, your travel insurance should ideally cover medical treatment up to 100% – this includes outpatient as well as inpatient treatment in hospital. Check whether not only emergency treatment but also dental treatment is covered by your international health insurance.
You should also make sure that your insurance covers a medically reasonable return transport to your home country. If you are in a foreign hospital, this gives you the option of continuing your treatment in a hospital at home. If the insurer only covers medically necessary return transport, you will only be transferred if, for example, you cannot receive a necessary treatment abroad.
When do I need an additional package?
The type of insurance cover you would like to start your Work & Travel trip with depends not only on your individual requirements but also on your need for security. In addition to essential international health insurance, accident and liability insurance offer additional protection when travelling. With HanseMerkur, you have the option of taking out both insurance policies within a supplementary package to an international health insurance policy. Travel assistance insurance rounds off the additional package: It helps you in an emergency, e.g. in case of prosecution or loss of means of payment or credit and debit cards.
The best travel insurance policies for your Work & Travel stay
Work & Travel with international health insurance for young people
If you are under 39 years old, we recommend our international health insurance for young people for a Work & Travel stay. You have the option of choosing between the Carefree and Premium plan without deductible. With an international health insurance policy, you benefit from:
- Full cost coverage of outpatient and inpatient medical treatment (in the Carefree plan up to € 300,000)
- Pain-relieving dental treatments and repairs of dentures
- Medicines and dressings
- If you are younger than 29, you will receive a discounted rate.
Especially for international travel, we recommend that you book an additional package. It completes your insurance cover with travel accident, travel liability and travel assistance insurance in the event of an emergency.
All benefits and insurance conditions of the Young Travel international health insurance at a glance.
Work & Travel with travel protection insurance
For particularly high travel costs, we recommend taking out travel protection insurance, which provides you with comprehensive cover during your stay. If you have to interrupt your Work & Travel stay for various reasons, the travel curtailment insurance that comes included will protect you. This will reimburse you for return travel costs and unused travel services, for example.
Further benefits:
- Cover in the event of travel irregularities (e.g. flight delay)
- Luggage insurance
- Travel accident insurance
- Travel liability insurance
- Travel assistance insurance