If you’re ready for a trip to Denmark to experience hygge—the renowned Danish word that means coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment—consider buying travel insurance. It can protect your trip investment if unforeseen events harsh your hygge, which is always a possibility.
Savvy Travelers Buy Travel Insurance Early
It’s also smart to purchase a travel insurance policy within15 days of the initial deposit date for your trip. By doing so, you can benefit from extra coverage options that can only be bought during that time-frame, says Scott Adamski, spokesman for AIG Travel.
Buying your travel insurance early also provides more time for standard trip cancellation benefits. However, you can buy a policy up to 24 hours before your departure date.
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Trip Cancellation Insurance for Ditching DrageKonge
You can file a claim under your plan’s trip cancellation insurance to recoup prepaid, non-refundable deposits you forfeit if you cancel your trip due to an unforeseen event listed in your policy.
For example, if you have a family emergency such as a house fire and have to back out of your vacation plans, your trip cancellation benefits can apply. You can be reimbursed for non-refundable airfare and hotel stays. You can also recoup money spent on prepaid activities, like the non-refundable, advance tickets you purchased to Djurs Sommerland to ride DrageKonge, one of Europe’s fastest suspended roller coasters
Not every possible problem is covered by trip cancellation insurance. Acceptable reasons for cancellation are specified in your policy and vary by insurance company. That’s why it’s smart to review the details. For example, if you ditch your Denmark trip to go to the Far East because a coveted spot opened up on the waiting list for a Japan tour, you would not be covered under trip cancellation insurance.
If you want to cancel your trip for a reason not listed in the policy, consider adding “cancel for any reason” travel insurance. With this add-on benefit, you can back out of a trip up to 48 hours before your departure and be partially reimbursed—generally 75% of your trip costs. This upgrade typically adds an average of 50% to your total policy cost.
Trip Delay Insurance for Putting Denmark on Hold
No matter how well you planned your trip, you may hit snags on your journey. A delay on a stop-over flight, severe weather, airline mechanical issues or other emergencies can create a hiccup in your itinerary.
Trip delay benefits can cover expenses associated with a delay, such as the cost of a night in a hotel, transportation, meals and personal necessities you need to tide you over until your trip is back on track. For example, if your flight is delayed because of a security breach at the airport, you can turn to your travel delay insurance for a helping hand.
In addition to a daily stipend, your travel delay insurance will reimburse prepaid and non-refundable outlays you miss due to delays covered in your travel insurance plan. Let’s say you miss a private tour of Tivoli Gardens you booked for the morning of your arrival. Your travel delay benefits can compensate you for the non-refundable payments you made in advance.
Note that trip delay benefits have a specified waiting period before coverage kicks in, for instance six or 12 hours, so read your policy for time parameters.
Your travel insurance plan will also have a per-day and a total maximum limit per person, so be sure to stick within the guidelines and keep your receipts.
Trip Interruption Insurance Benefits: Farvel, Denmark
Not all of Hans Christen Andersen’s stories have a fairy tale ending, and unfortunately that can be true for vacations. For instance, the last thing on your mind while strolling through the Aarhus Botanical Garden might be getting a call to notify you that a family member at home is seriously ill or injured, but it can happen.
If your trip is unexpectedly cut short due to a covered event, your travel insurance company can help make arrangements to get you home. Trip interruption benefits can cover the cost of a last-minute, economy plane ticket to return to the U.S.
The trip interruption insurance within a travel insurance plan also cover non-refundable, prepaid outlays you lose due to an unexpected early departure from Denmark.
For example, if you miss a tour of Hans Christen Andersen’s home because your trip is cut short due to an emergency, trip interruption benefits can compensate you for the cost of the tickets.
Typical problems covered by trip interruption insurance include a death, illness or injury to you, a travel companion or an immediate family member back home, severe weather or a family emergency. The acceptable reasons for a trip interruption insurance claim vary from one company to the next, so it’s wise to review your policy’s specific details.
Travel interruption insurance doesn’t cover every reason for cutting a trip short. For instance, if you find the cold weather unappealing or the hotel you picked isn’t as advertised online, you would not be eligible to file a claim.
Travel Medical Insurance for Denmark Trips
It’s important to consider travel medical insurance when taking a trip outside of the U.S. because coverage under your U.S.-based health insurance policy may be limited or not accepted internationally. Also, Medicare isn’t accepted in foreign countries, so senior travelers need to be prepared.
Travel medical benefits can cover the cost of a doctor’s visit, hospital bills, X-rays, lab work, medicine and other expenses you may face if you’re injured or become ill while on your trip. Without this coverage, you would have to pay these costs.
Consider this scenario: let’s say you are taking an architectural walking tour of Copenhagen’s city center and twist and fracture your ankle on a cobblestone street. You can file a claim under your travel medical insurance and be reimbursed for medical expenses up to the limits in your policy. The most generous travel insurance plans provide $500,000 in medical expense coverage, per person, but you can find lower amounts of coverage.
Hospitals in Denmark may require cash payment, says Lisa Conway, spokesperson for Battleface, so having travel medical insurance is a good idea.
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Medical Evacuation Travel Insurance for Denmark Trips
It’s prudent to have medical evacuation insurance when traveling because the cost for medevac services can be steep—tens of thousands of dollars or more—depending on your condition and location. Medical evacuation insurance pays for you to be airlifted to the nearest adequate treatment center if you have a medical emergency during your trip—up to your policy’s limits.
Let’s say you’re on a Scandinavian tasting tour, and the shellfish in the Smørrebrød triggers a severe food allergy that requires immediate medical attention. Your travel insurance plan’s emergency evacuation coverage can cover the cost of an air ambulance to transport you to the closest hospital for life-saving care.
Baggage Insurance for Your Belongings
If your luggage is lost, your baggage insurance applies. You can file a claim and be compensated for the actual cash value of your possessions, which is the value of your items minus depreciation, up to your policy limits. Note, however, that you may not be reimbursed for everything in your suitcase. Certain items, such as electronics, watches and gold, may be excluded. It’s also important to understand that your policy will have per-item limits and an overall maximum coverage amount, per person.
Baggage delay insurance reimburses you for expenses you have to pay because your baggage is delayed. A policy can cover the cost of necessities like a sweater, toiletries and walking shoes. Be sure to hold on to your receipts for when you file a claim. It’s important to note that baggage delay benefits come with a waiting period (e.g., 12 hours) before coverage applies.
Also, the benefits of your policy can extend to other types of belongings when they’re lost, stolen or damaged during a trip. If your wallet is stolen or your backpack is snatched, be sure to file a report with the local authorities, your tour operator or a hotel manager. You will be asked for this documentation when you file a claim for reimbursement.
You’re out of luck if cash is swiped or lost—cash is not reimbursable by a travel insurance plan.
Copenhagen is the most popular destination in Denmark, and as with other large cities, pick-pocketing and other petty theft is a possibility, cautions Adamski of AIG Travel.
To reduce the chance you’re a potential target, refrain from announcing you’re a tourist, skip wearing flashy jewelry and keep your belongings concealed using a money belt.
Another built-in benefit of your travel insurance plan is your travel company’s 24/7 assistance hotline. It can provide assistance if you need to replace a stolen passport, secure emergency funds or help procure a credit card if yours is lost or stolen.
Cruise Considerations
Copenhagen is a popular cruise destination as well as a departing port for Baltic cruises, so if you’re going that route, considering a cruise insurance plan is a smart move, says Adamski.
“In particular, cruise shore excursions may be quite expensive, ranging from a few hundred dollars, to several thousand, per person,” he says. “Most cruise lines offer excursions at nearly every port, so for travelers seeking excursions at multiple ports, the overall cost could be significant.”
A travel insurance policy purchased for a cruise should have enough coverage for the cost of any prepaid excursions, as it would for all other prepaid, non-refundable costs associated with the trip, he says.
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