Got a big trip coming up? Chances are you are excitedly planning your itinerary around Canada or mapping out your European driving vacation, but don't forget about one very important thing: international travel medical insurance. Most overseas vacations are very successful and you do not need to make a claim, but if disaster strikes you want to make sure that you are covered.
It is a no brainer to take out the insurance, but you might find it confusing knowing which company to go with. In order to choose insurance that is right for you, you will need to do some research. There are some existing policies that you may have that include travel insurance and some credit card companies also have this service.
Work out roughly what level of coverage you require and from there choose a few different companies' products to compare. Look at what they cover and the amount that they will cover you for, check how long it takes them to make payment and what happens in the case of emergency. It is no good having the insurance if the company is slow to respond in times of emergency. Also compare the prices of the policy, but the cheapest is not always the best.
There are a few basic types of travel insurance that you can find: short term coverage for a single trip, open ended or longer term coverage and coverage for multiple trips. If you are planning to live overseas there are expat policies that can cover you indefinitely.
The tricky part of choosing between insurance policies for your Canada trip is comparing the different policies that are available. There can be a lot of difference between what is covered by travel insurance and what is not. The pricing of what is covered and the amounts you are covered for can also be quite different.
There are a number of inclusions in a policy that are pretty standard. The basics to look out for include: emergency hospital care, emergency dental treatment, emergency medical removal from the country, trip delays, lost luggage covers up to a set price and includes sending the luggage onwards. You may find some more expensive policies are more comprehensive and this may appeal to you, but if you do not think you need some of the inclusions, then you may be able to get a lower priced policy.
There are also some items that are not typically included in a travel insurance policy. It is common for pre existing conditions to be excluded. If you do have some condition that you need covered, you will have to find out whether the company will insure you. If they do, you may have to pay an extra fee. Extreme sports are not usually covered by insurance companies. Pregnancy, mental illness and self harm incidents are also unlikely to be covered.
Before you take out your international travel medical insurance you should check all the details of the policy that you are considering. You do not want to be caught out and have your vacation ruined by unforeseen costs.
Dan Pucher Insurance is an independent Travel Health Insurance Broker offering personal and corporate solutions. When looking for Visitors to Canada Insurance and information on Canada Travel Insurance please give us a call.
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