Authorities and Offices

To better plan our trip and to clearly understand how everything works, we wanted to clarify a few things.

Authorities and public offices: completely chaotic… or just total madness?

Employment Agency

It was clear that we had to go to the employment office to register as unemployed and that, due to resigning voluntarily, we would initially be “blocked” for three months from receiving unemployment benefits. But did we even want unemployment benefits for the transitional period before our departure? Our main goal was simply to make sure that, once we returned to Germany and - against all odds - were “too clueless” to find a job (if necessary, we'd even bridge the gap working at a supermarket checkout or doing anything else), we wouldn't be left hanging without any income at all.
Because once you register as unemployed, you are entitled to unemployment benefits for four years, although they are only paid out for 12 months. If you do not register, the entitlement expires after just one year.

However, there was another catch when it came to registering as “seeking employment”. Being registered as seeking employment and being registered as unemployed are two completely different things.
As soon as you submit your resignation to your employer, you are required to register as seeking employment with the employment office even if you are still employed or already have a new job lined up. If you fail to do so, your unemployment benefits may be reduced or you may face a one-week suspension period.
If you are genuinely prevented from registering immediately, it is important to have proof explaining why you were unable to register as seeking employment right away (for example, a medical certificate) but more on that later.

And this is where the first real madness begins.
Nowadays, it is possible to register as unemployed or as seeking employment online. Nevertheless, it is still mandatory to appear in person as well. In addition, you have to sign up for the online portal, since almost everything is handled through it afterward. Since we didn't know about the online option - and because you have to show up in person anyway - we took the time and sat down in the waiting room. As we arrived very early, we were among the first and were called in quickly. Now it was time to “spill the beans”. Why were we registering as unemployed? Could we have avoided it? Where had we last worked, and in what position? Full-time or part-time? They wanted our bank details. We also had to hand an information sheet to our former employers so that they could provide the employment office (or rather, the Federal Employment Agency) with details about our employment history and salaries.
Since we hadn't brought our résumés to the appointment, we were told to correct or complete them later in the online portal. So we registered on the portal immediately. But anyone who thinks you can simply view and edit your résumé there is mistaken. Even after a lengthy search, we couldn't find anything about ourselves except our address and bank details. So we weren't able to revise our résumés. But it didn't really matter? We hadn't planned to apply for jobs anyway.
Even though we had clearly stated during registration that we did not intend to apply for new positions for the time being - since we were planning to travel from the end of May 2025 - we started receiving job offers in our inbox shortly afterward. On top of that, we were invited to a placement interview. The invitation made it very clear that attendance was mandatory. What was that supposed to achieve?

But as they say, “what must be done, must be done”. Of course, we couldn't attend the appointment together after all, each of us has our own caseworker, and they don't communicate with each other.
Fortunately, it turned out not to be a direct job placement interview. Rather, they wanted to ask us a few more questions in order to assess us better and potentially place us more effectively. We also finally had the chance to ask some of our own questions and to explain our long-term travel plans in detail.
Naturally, the discussion also covered the fact that, as unemployed individuals, we are obligated to apply for suitable jobs and make ourselves available to the labor market. Given our plans, that didn't make much sense but those are the rules. The caseworkers showed full understanding of our situation, yet explained that only under these conditions would we be entitled to unemployment benefits. When we pointed out that we merely wanted to secure our entitlement, the final decision was left to us. We could, without any problem, receive unemployment benefits since we are unemployed. Although we are subject to a 12-week suspension due to voluntary resignation, social security contributions - especially health insurance - would still be covered during that period.
Considering a minimum contribution of over €240 per month for each of us, we ultimately decided to receive unemployment benefits after all. In the end, it would only be about one or two months anyway. Upon returning, we would still have seven or eight months of entitlement left.
When we asked what would happen with our unemployment benefits after that, the only answer we got was: “That's handled by the benefits department!”

Alright, registered as unemployed, all data submitted, the employers had also fulfilled their obligations. So everything should be settled. Unfortunately, no. Time passed and nothing happened. The health insurance company continued to deduct the mandatory contributions regularly, and in April 2025 no unemployment benefits were paid. So what was going on? We contacted the employment office and once again encountered bureaucratic madness. Yes, we had registered as unemployed but we were also required to submit a separate application for unemployment benefits. Excuse me? Isn't registering as unemployed exactly how you apply for unemployment benefits? And why did we have to provide all our data already? But arguing didn't help. The application could also be submitted online. Provided you were able to find the form in the portal.
And what can we say? In the application, we once again had to answer the same questions as when registering as unemployed, provide our bank details yet again, and the employment office even asked whether they should take care of contacting the employer or whether we would arrange that ourselves. Only one additional topic suddenly came up: Why had we not registered as seeking employment immediately? It was even possible to directly accept that you had registered late without a valid reason. But no matter what option you selected, it was mandatory to attach proof explaining the delayed registration in order to submit the form. How exactly were we supposed to provide proof if there was no valid reason? So we basically attached a blank page. Well, if that's what the authorities require…
In addition, we could - or rather had to - state that from May 25, 2025 onward, we would no longer be available to the labor market. The specific reason didn't matter. Ultimately, this simply meant that from that date on, there would no longer be any entitlement to unemployment benefits.

Now those applications had finally been submitted, and shortly afterward we received our benefit calculations, and the payments were made promptly. At last! The matter of the employment office should now have been settled. But we had reckoned without the host. Out of nowhere, Frank still received unemployment benefits in June. So once again, we had to send an email to the employment office, pointing out that he had officially deregistered as of May 25, 2025. At least that resulted in no payment being made in July. But what about the overpayment? For a long time, nothing happened. Then, at the beginning of September 2025, a payment reminder suddenly arrived. What do you mean, a payment reminder without any prior payment request? Apparently, there had been a correction and a payment notice but we had never received it. Well, so be it. It was clear that Frank had to repay the amount, so we arranged the repayment based on the reminder. At the same time, we informed the employment office that the final statement had never reached us and asked whether it could be sent again by email.

Health Insurance Funds

In Germany, there is generally a mandatory health insurance requirement. However, this only applies to employees up to a certain income level. The obligation is based on reciprocity: as an employee, you must have health insurance, and a statutory health insurance fund must insure you. If you are self-employed, earn above the threshold, or - as we like to call it - are “work-free”, you are not required to remain insured under the statutory system.
An insurance broker advised us that it would be wise to coordinate with our health insurance providers regarding how to handle things during our trip. One option would be to simply cancel the mandatory insurance and rejoin upon returning. However, this carries a risk: if you were to become seriously ill during your travels and unable to work, you might return to Germany neither as an employee (meaning no statutory insurer would be obliged to take you) nor attractive to a private insurer. In that case, you could end up uninsured. To prevent this, there is what is known as a “qualifying membership”. You arrange this with your preferred health insurance provider for the duration of your trip or stay abroad. In return for a significantly reduced contribution, the insurer guarantees that they will take you back under any circumstances once you return.
Given our somewhat advanced age and the uncertainty about the length of our trip, we decided to arrange such a qualifying membership with our health insurance funds. But how much would it cost?
So we contacted our insurers. Frank quickly received a response with the requested information from TK. From Barmer, however, we heard nothing at all. That surprised us, so we went there in person. When we asked about the qualifying membership and voluntary insurance, we were positively surprised for the first time. During all our previous research, we had never come across this: because Andrea receives a widow's pension, she is automatically subject to mandatory statutory insurance. Therefore, she does not need to arrange a qualifying membership or take any further action, as long as she continues to receive the widow's pension.
That removes a significant cost factor from our calculations for Andrea. For Frank, however, the situation is different. As long as he remains in Germany, he must continue paying his health insurance contributions himself. As of 2025, the minimum contribution amounts to €257.78 per month. Once we are abroad, the health insurance fund will still cover costs for a standard six-week vacation period but beyond that, coverage ends. From that point onward, Frank must arrange a qualifying membership with TK, which costs €79.59 per month as of 2025.
This means that once we leave Germany, we will also need to take out long-term international health insurance for both of us.

Long-Term International Health Insurance

Since our trip would definitely take us abroad, we had to deal with the issue of long-term international health insurance. Standard travel insurance policies only cover trips of a few weeks per year and are therefore unsuitable. For backpackers and expats, there are special policies available.
Apparently, there are no traditional insurance brokers who can properly advise you on this type of policy. It is too specialized. So you simply have to research online and compare offers yourself.
However, all long-term international health insurance policies have one thing in common: they generally exclude treatment related to pre-existing conditions. Any necessary preventive check-ups or required medication related to such conditions are also not covered. This is something you absolutely have to consider when planning your trip and potentially budget for in advance.
Depending on the provider, coverage is available for one to five years. It is important to note that the policy must be taken out while still in Germany and cannot be extended from abroad. Naturally, monthly premiums increase with the planned duration of coverage. The destination region also affects the price significantly. If you want to include the USA and Canada, premiums are considerably higher.

German Pension Insurance

For our trip, another question arose: what happens to our pension points, and how many would we lose during a period abroad without a job and therefore without income? So we wanted comprehensive advice from the German Pension Insurance.
In Augsburg, Andrea already knew from dealing with the widow's pension that it is wise to schedule an appointment early, as waiting times can easily be up to eight weeks.
Fortunately, we were given an appointment after just six weeks. At that meeting, we were able to clarify two issues at once: our own retirement pension and pension points, and the widow's pension.

Widow's Pension

For the widow's pension, it is important to have a residence and a bank account in Germany or in a country where the pension can be paid (this includes most European countries, as well as Morocco and, for example, one or two countries in South America). Since we are subletting a room from Frank's parents (and paying things like waste disposal fees), and because we didn't want to simply throw away certain belongings (wedding photos, photo albums, the elegant suit, the “little black dress” - we've already mentioned that), Andrea therefore maintains the required residence in Germany for the widow's pension.

Retirement Pension

To ensure that you do not “miss out” on your own statutory pension entitlements, it is necessary to demonstrate 35 years of mandatory contributions if you want to qualify for certain pension benefits. If you are self-employed, a freelancer, or traveling, it is possible to pay a minimum voluntary contribution that counts toward these contribution years.
Since we have not yet completed the full contribution period, we opted for this solution. To anticipate a potential increase in the minimum contribution, we decided to pay €120 per month instead of the official €103.42 minimum (as of 2025).