Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, or don’t observe the holidays at all, you might also opt to go to a sunny locale to beat the Canadian winter blues. Taking a trip across the country or to far stretches of the world takes a lot of planning. Be sure to include purchasing travel insurance on your to-do list. You don’t want to get stranded …health-wise.

Tropical Getaways and Long-Term Stays

For many Canadians who are retired or able to work remotely, it’s possible to travel down South and live there temporarily, like the retirees living in Florida, who are affectionately referred to as “snow birds.” Many of them rent or own condos in the southern U.S. and spend their winters in the warm weather.

As a Canadian citizen, you are responsible for your own health insurance when you’re away from home. Your province of residence provides very limited coverage for physician and hospital fees, but they typically won’t pay for medication, different therapies, or hospital stays.

Having a health insurance plan will help you cover the costs of services that aren’t covered by your provincial plan. Also, provincial plans may not reimburse many costs incurred while you are outside of the province or country.

It’s not enough to have just a provincial healthcare plan. If something happens to you or a family member while travelling or temporarily residing outside your own province, you could be stuck with very large medical bills that might ruin you financially. This is easily avoided if you act beforehand.

Travel Insurance Plans

As stated before, your provincial plan may cover a small portion of some small medical expenses that come up when you’re travelling outside of your province, or Canada. But keep in mind that medical care can be very expensive.

As Canadians, we sometimes take for granted the costs related to healthcare. We’re accustomed to having our doctor visits and hospital services paid for. We don’t see the bill for those visits, but they are expensive. If you get hurt while travelling, even a broken limb can cost thousands of dollars.

With a travel insurance plan, you can offset these costs and have everything taken care of. Be sure to talk to an insurance broker who will go over the different types of plans that you can buy. Some may be more robust than others, so you can choose the one that is the best fit, depending on any coverage you may already have through a group plan.

You’ve Had An Accident. What Happens Next?

Let’s say you went to visit some family in the U.S., and everyone decided to go skiing one day. Unfortunately, you had a tumble and broke your leg. The hospital will need your insurance information so they can bill your insurance company directly for the services.

active female fell down on snow during ski training

Your insurance company will work with the hospital to get your bills paid, so you don’t have to worry about it. If you don’t have insurance in this situation, your provincial plan may cover a small portion, but the rest is your responsibility.

What if you’re incapacitated? Your travel insurance company will provide you with a card to keep on your person listing your policy number and other relevant information the hospital might need to get in contact with them.

What if Your Family Comes to You?

Alternatively, if your family decides to come visit you instead, it’s worthwhile to look into travel insurance for them. If they are visiting from another country, they may need coverage while they’re in Canada. It would be a great gift for you to help arrange this.

The same goes if they are from another part of Canada. Their provincial plan may cover a little bit, but they’ll want to have a multi-trip plan that will cover everything else.

Purchasing a Travel Plan

While many people go through a travel agency for most of their planning, be sure to talk to an actual insurance broker for travel insurance. They are the true experts in the field. If you call us today, our customer service reps will be able to find a plan that suits your needs.

Everyone should have a plan when they travel. Even Santa Claus himself probably has one. Don’t be one of those people who gets stuck with exorbitant medical bills because they neglected to buy insurance! It doesn’t seem like a big deal when you’re at home dreaming of sunny beaches, but it will certainly be if you get sick or have an accident far away!

We would love to help you find your plan, so call us today and let’s talk.