Travelling abroad comes with costs: airfare, hotels, car rentals, restaurants, and more. It’s understandable that you shy away from thinking about travel insurance. It’s just one more thing to pay for.
But, imagine being in a foreign country and your travelling companion falls unexpectedly ill on the final day of the trip. Think about the potential costs:
- Flight change fees or new flight paths
- Extending your hotel stay by a day, a week, a month
- Missed income
- Extending child or pet care back home
- Possibly a whole new travel plan: air travel especially can either be out of the question or medically unfeasible.
In the end, hotels, restaurants, and air travel providers don’t accept responsibility for your personal health issues.
But none of these costs will compare to having a medical emergency in another country.
Understanding travel health insurance in Canada
Travel health insurance is a type of coverage that protects you from unexpected medical costs while travelling outside your home province or country. Even though Canada has a robust healthcare system, provincial health plans offer limited or no coverage when you’re outside your home province.
Canadians travelling to the US
Travel insurance is especially important for Canadians travelling to the USA, where medical expenses can be significantly higher. A trip to the emergency room in the United States can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars if you’re injured or fall ill without insurance.
For example, if you are in the United States, the average daily hospital cost is $3,130 USD. The average hospital stay is just over 5 days, bringing your total cost to over $16,000 USD.
Canadian travel insurance to the USA ensures that you’re covered for these costs, whether it’s for a sudden illness or an injury while exploring.
What medical expenses does travel insurance cover?
Most Canadian insurers offer $1M – $5M in emergency medical care and trip cancellation insurance. Coverage includes things like:
- $5 to $10 million for emergency medical care
- Hospitalization fees
- Ambulance (Ground or Air Transportation)
- Fees for nurses, physicians and other health care professionals for emergency medical treatment
- Prescription drugs required to treat emergency situations
- Emergency repatriation by air ambulance or commercial flight with a medical escort
- Emergency dental treatment as a result of an accident
- Return of your travelling companion and/or family members covered by the same policy
Non-medical travel insurance coverage
Comprehensive travel insurance includes additional protections, beyond medical expenses. These may include:
Trip cancellation or interruption insurance: If you have to cancel your trip due to illness, family emergencies, or other unforeseen circumstances, this coverage ensures you’re reimbursed for non-refundable expenses such as flights, hotel bookings, or event tickets.
Baggage insurance: Lost or delayed luggage can disrupt even the shortest trip. This coverage reimburses you for replacement costs or helps recover lost items.
Emergency evacuation insurance: If a natural disaster or political unrest forces you to leave your destination, this coverage helps with evacuation costs.
If this doesn’t seem like enough, learn about Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) insurance.
What travel insurance is covered with my credit card?
Some credit cards come with an embedded travel insurance policy. However, look closely at the policy wording. These areas are especially important:
- Coverage for pre-existing conditions
- Maximums and limits on the benefits offered
- Length of stay
Read this article on the value of credit card insurance for travel.
What if I’m only going on a short trip?
Many travellers believe they don’t need insurance for a short trip, but unexpected events can occur anytime. Short trips don’t eliminate the risks of illness, injury, or travel disruptions. In fact, the condensed time-frame often leaves little room to recover from mishaps, making insurance even more critical.
One of the advantages of short term travel insurance is its affordability. Coverage for a short holiday often comes at a lower premium compared to long-term plans. So even for a weekend getaway, this small investment can save you from significant financial losses and provide peace of mind.
How much does travel insurance cost in Canada?
It’s hard for us to give you a specific cost. Expect to add between 4 – 12% to the total cost of your trip.
Why the big variance? There are many factors that determine the cost of your travel insurance policy:
- Ages of those on the trip
- Duration of your trip
- Value of your trip
- Current health and medical stability of all travellers
This is where talking to an expert helps. Comparing multiple policies from a number of insurers is daunting as the coverage and wording is all a little different. And when you consider the unique health situations for yourself and your fellow travellers it can seem impossible.
Is travel medical insurance worth the cost?
If you’re spending $10,000 for a bucket-list experience, adding $400 – $1,200 (4-12%) to give you peace of mind doesn’t seem like a stretch. Learn more about travel insurance options.
Travelling is meant to be a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Don’t let an unexpected illness, accident, or trip disruption turn a dream getaway into a stressful ordeal you’ll be paying for long after the trip is over.
Talk to a certified travel advisor
If you’d like to have a conversation with one of our advisors, we’re happy to answer all your questions and provide a quote.
Our advisors are not tied to a particular insurance company—they work for you, and their services and advice are free. As well, they are all certified by TRIP- a governing body for travel insurance professionals.
