Travel safely while pregnant
More and more expectant parents are choosing a so-called babymoon: a conscious break to recharge together one last time. The trip creates space for you and your family before a new and exciting chapter begins with the arrival of your baby. With the right preparation, you can enjoy your babymoon in a relaxed and carefree way, whether in Austria or abroad.
Key facts at a glance
- Good protection: Are you already pregnant when you book your trip, or do you only find out after your trip has been booked? Our CancellationCover helps in both cases. It covers the costs of trip cancellation or trip interruption.
- Protection for you and your family: If complications arise during pregnancy, a written medical confirmation is sufficient. Cancellation Protection will then cover the cancellation costs, including those of your partner.
- Important deadlines: Take out Cancellation Protection as early as possible, ideally within three days of booking your trip. This ensures full insurance coverage from the start of the contract.
- For medical emergencies abroad: If a premature birth or other medical complications occur during your trip, CompleteCover provides additional security. In addition to cancellation costs, it also covers medical treatment costs abroad up to and including the 35th week of pregnancy.
The right travel protection for pregnant travelers
Cancellation Protection from Europäische Reiseversicherung provides financial security for expectant parents. It protects you from unexpected costs if you suddenly have to cancel or cut short your trip due to pregnancy or another insured event. You can find information on what to do concretely in our article Cancelling a trip.
To be covered in the event of trip cancellation or trip interruption, choose one of the following travel insurance products:
- CancellationCover: Covers the costs of trip cancellation and trip interruption and provides protection for more than 20 recognized cancellation reasons.
- CompleteCover: Combines Cancellation Protection with travel health insurance, including repatriation and baggage insurance. This gives you comprehensive financial and medical coverage.
Important: Take out your travel insurance as early as possible, ideally within three days of booking your trip. In that case, full insurance coverage applies if a pregnancy occurs. If insurance is purchased later, coverage generally only applies to events occurring from the 10th day after the contract is concluded. Exceptions are accidents, deaths, and natural events.
A special rule also applies to pregnancy as a reason for cancellation: if the pregnancy was already known before the insurance was taken out, cancellation costs are only covered in the event of unexpectedly severe pregnancy complications or premature birth.
Until when can you fly while pregnant?
Many pregnant travelers are unsure about flying. As a general rule, if the pregnancy is uncomplicated, there is usually no reason not to travel by air.
Austrian Airlines allows passengers with uncomplicated pregnancies to fly without a medical certificate up to the 36th week of pregnancy. From the 28th week onward, pregnant travelers are advised to carry a current medical certificate confirming their fitness to fly and stating the expected due date. While not mandatory, the certificate may make check-in easier. Air travel during the 8th or 9th month of pregnancy is often only possible with restrictions.
If you plan to travel during the last trimester, choose a destination with good medical care and discuss your travel plans with your gynecologist in advance. If a premature birth or serious pregnancy complications occur shortly before or during an already booked trip, our Cancellation Protection applies and provides cancellation or trip interruption benefits.
Please note: insurance coverage applies up to and including the 35th week of pregnancy.
Pregnant when booking a trip
If you are already pregnant at the time of booking, it is particularly worthwhile to consider taking out trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance. Even in an uncomplicated pregnancy, unexpected medical events may make it impossible to take the trip as planned or may require it to be interrupted.
Pregnancy after booking a trip
Example: A couple books a safari in Kenya in January for late summer and takes out Cancellation Protection at the same time. In March, the insured traveler finds out she is pregnant. Since the travel date falls in the later stages of pregnancy and the gynecologist advises against long-distance travel because of necessary vaccinations and health risks, the expectant parents cancel the trip.
Because the pregnancy was not known at the time of booking, this constitutes an insured reason for cancellation. In this case, Cancellation Protection covers the cancellation costs in accordance with the insurance terms and conditions.
How Cancellation Protection applies if pregnancy occurs during travel
Have you already started your trip and cannot continue it as planned because a pregnancy has been diagnosed or because of pregnancy complications? In this case, the trip interruption benefit of Cancellation Protection applies.
It covers the additional costs of tickets for an early return journey as well as the costs of travel services that were paid for but could no longer be used.
What are pregnancy complications?
Pregnancy complications are medically confirmed health risks that make travel medically inadvisable or require it to be cut short. The following are recognized as pregnancy complications:
- Labor begins prematurely.
- There is a risk of premature birth.
- A pregnancy-related illness or complication is diagnosed.
Insurance coverage for these medical reasons applies up to and including the 35th week of pregnancy.
CancellationCover in the event of pregnancy complications
A distinction is made between pregnancy complications occurring before departure and those occurring during travel. Cancellation Protection offers financial security in both cases.
Example of complications before travel: Three weeks before her planned flight to Vietnam, Emma suffers a severe pregnancy complication that requires hospital treatment or strict bed rest. She is therefore unable to start the trip. If a medically confirmed serious pregnancy complication exists, Cancellation Protection covers the cancellation costs in accordance with the insurance terms and conditions.
Example of complications during travel: During a hiking holiday in South Tyrol, Lena experiences unexpected complications in the 20th week of pregnancy. While immediate surgery is not necessary, the treating physician recommends an immediate return home, strict rest, and further care from her gynecologist. The couple must therefore end their vacation early. In this case, the trip interruption benefit of Cancellation Protection applies: it reimburses the proportional costs of prepaid but unused travel services, such as canceled hotel stays. It also covers additional costs for the unscheduled return trip, such as rebooking fees or new return tickets.
Is a partner covered by Cancellation Protection during pregnancy?
For many couples, a babymoon is a special opportunity to spend quality time together before the birth. If the trip has to be canceled or ended early due to a premature birth or pregnancy complications, it usually affects both travelers.
With Cancellation Protection from Europäische Reiseversicherung, not only the pregnant insured person but also the accompanying partner is covered. If the trip must be canceled because of a medically confirmed severe pregnancy complication or a premature birth up to and including the 35th week of pregnancy, Cancellation Protection also covers the insured cancellation costs for the partner.
This is possible because the partner is regarded as a risk person. Risk persons also include relatives of the insured person or partner, jointly insured persons, and certain caregivers. As a result, the entire jointly booked trip may also be financially protected, including older siblings for whom flights and accommodation have already been booked.
Things to keep in mind when traveling during pregnancy
With appropriate travel insurance, traveling during pregnancy becomes much more relaxed. In addition to trip cancellation and interruption insurance, travel health insurance is particularly recommended so that you are also financially protected in the event of medical emergencies abroad.
- Travel check with your gynecologist: Discuss your travel plans in advance to confirm that there are no medical objections to your trip and to obtain confirmation of your fitness to travel.
- Pack your maternity record: Keep it in your carry-on baggage so that all important pregnancy information is quickly available in a medical emergency.
- Check your fitness to fly: Many airlines require a medical certificate from a certain stage of pregnancy, often from the 28th or 32nd week. Check your airline's requirements in good time.
- Compression and movement: On longer journeys by car, train, or airplane, stand up and move regularly. Compression stockings can help reduce the risk of thrombosis.
- Travel medicine kit: Pack any medications you regularly need or that have been recommended by your doctor, as well as essential emergency medication. Also consider remedies for common pregnancy-related complaints such as heartburn or uterine contractions. In hot destinations, ensure adequate fluid intake, as dehydration can increase the risk of premature labor.
- Medical care at your destination: Research medical facilities at your destination before traveling. Easy access to hospitals or gynecological services can be crucial. Language barriers may also exist. The European Health Insurance Card on the back of your e-card does not cover all costs abroad and is not a substitute for private travel health insurance.
Our tip: With CompleteCover from Europäische Reiseversicherung, you and your unborn child are covered not only in the event of trip cancellation and interruption but also in serious medical emergencies. The included travel health insurance covers medically necessary treatment abroad, including severe pregnancy complications or premature birth. This additional protection is especially valuable when traveling to countries with high medical costs or outside the scope of the European Health Insurance Card.
Conclusion: Travel worry-free during pregnancy
An uncomplicated pregnancy does not have to be a reason to skip a trip or a babymoon. If you choose your destination carefully, discuss your plans with your doctor in advance, and arrange appropriate insurance coverage in good time, you can enjoy your time away together in a relaxed manner.
Frequently asked questions about Cancellation Protection during pregnancy
When is the best time to travel during pregnancy?
Whether travel during pregnancy is possible and advisable depends on your individual health situation. In an uncomplicated pregnancy, the second trimester, approximately between weeks 13 and 28, is generally considered the best time to travel. During this period, nausea and fatigue have often subsided.
Many airlines allow pregnant passengers with uncomplicated pregnancies to fly until the beginning of the 36th week of pregnancy, although a medical certificate may be required from a certain stage onward. Be sure to check the regulations of your airline.
According to current medical knowledge, pressure changes in the aircraft cabin and the usual turbulence experienced during commercial flights do not pose an increased risk to the unborn child.
Is a positive pregnancy test alone sufficient proof for trip cancellation or interruption?
No. A positive pregnancy test alone is not sufficient proof. A medical certificate or a copy of the maternity record showing when the pregnancy was diagnosed is required. A medical statement confirming that the trip cannot reasonably or safely be undertaken at the planned time is also a valid form of proof.
Is travel intolerance due to pregnancy-related nausea an insured reason?
Yes, but not for every form of pregnancy-related nausea. Coverage applies if the symptoms reach a medically significant level and make travel medically unreasonable.
What happens if necessary vaccinations are not possible during pregnancy?
If a vaccination is required or strongly recommended for your destination, the inability to receive it may constitute an insured reason for cancellation. The condition is that the vaccination cannot be administered because of a pregnancy that was unknown at the time of booking. In this case, Cancellation Protection applies if the requirements of the insurance terms are met. This is because a medically confirmed intolerance of a vaccination is among the recognized reasons for cancellation.
Can I cancel my travel insurance later because of pregnancy?
No. Travel insurance cannot be canceled after the contract has been concluded solely because of pregnancy. Cancellation Protection remains in effect until the trip begins or until an insured cancellation or interruption occurs and is specifically designed to provide financial protection for such unforeseen events.
From our travel magazine:
Better not travel without travel insurance!