Information for volunteers

You are drawn to faraway places and at the same time you would like to promote nature conservation or make a small contribution to improving the local living conditions? Volunteering abroad offers you a variety of opportunities to get involved in projects in the fields of social work, medicine, to engage in education, environmental protection and nature conservation. By working and living together with the local people you will make new friends, learn about everyday life and culture in another country and gain valuable experience. You will also expand your language skills along the way.

In order to be able to embark on this adventure with complete peace of mind, reliable insurance cover is particularly important. After all, you can also fall ill abroad and there are many other risks against which you should insure yourself.

A few practical examples:

• In the rented apartment your perfume bottle falls into the sink and causes a crack.
• When you walk alone through a remote side street, another person threatens you and demands that you hand over your wallet.
• When skiing in the mountains you are seriously injured and must be rescued by the mountain rescue service.
• Your grandfather died unexpectedly and you want to travel home for the funeral.

We therefore recommend that you take out complete cover, including health insurance, personal liability insurance, accident insurance and assistance insurance.

All these insurances are included in a PROTRIP-WORLD insurance package. If you are under 29 years of age, you can even get PROTRIP-WORLD at a special rate.

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How do I find the right insurance?

If you organize your stay as a volunteer yourself, you also have to take care of your insurance coverage yourself.

If you organize your stay through an organization, their insurance offer is suitable in many cases. Nevertheless, you should take your time and check the insurance offered.

Here are some questions that you should clarify before taking out an insurance:

• Does the insurance meet the requirements of the destination country?
  You can get information on this e.g. from the responsible embassy or consulate.
• Are the benefits of the health insurance sufficient?
  A good health insurance should offer you protection in case of illness and accident and cover medically reasonable return transport. Furthermore, the costs for individual treatments should not be limited and illnesses should not be generally excluded from the insurance cover.
• Is there protection in case of interruption of your work, for example for a holiday?
• Does the insurance also cover sports accidents?

Our recommendation

The PROTRIP-WORLD insurance for volunteers adapts to your travel plans. You have the choice between different travel regions and you can also flexibly choose the scope of insurance: PROTRIP-WORLD always includes a strong international health insurance. We especially recommend volunteers to supplement their insurance cover with the Standard or Complete Package to be able to travel and work without worries. The two packages differ in the scope of the liability insurance. The Complete Package includes a higher basic insurance sum and covers, for example, the risk of losing your keys and damages arising from an act of favor (e.g. at a garden party of another volunteer, you are asked to carry chairs from the flat into the garden, breaking the glass pane in the process).
If you choose a PROTRIP-WORLD insurance package, you benefit from the following insurance coverage:

You will find a detailed list of benefits at benefits overview.

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Before the stay abroad

Many embassies require a confirmation of insurance for a visa. Take out the insurance in good time. If the travel period is postponed later, you can have the insurance period changed. All you need to do is send an e-mail before the planned departure date. If the notification after the originally planned date of departure, we need a proof (passport copy or ticket) from you.

During the stay abroad

Should you need medical treatment during your stay abroad, we will be happy to assist you via chat, email or phone. we will explain what you need to know when visiting a doctor abroad. You will also find all the details in our section What to do in the event of a claim. PROTRIP-WORLD is valid in the area of validity of your choice (Europe, worldwide without USA and Canada, worldwide incl. USA and Canada). In addition, accidents and emergency treatments are also covered worldwide and in your home country during holidays with a duration of up to 6 weeks.

Do you have questions about a holiday following your stay abroad? We answer questions like these in our FAQ section.

After your stay abroad

You should always keep your insurance certificate since the authorities in a number of home countries require proof of insurance for the time spent abroad.