When you call to book with Target Tours we always ask if you require travel insurance and a quote from us. You should never travel outside your province, let alone the country, without proper travel insurance. I’m not going to list off all the things that can happen, you probably have already heard the horror stories.

What I am going to do is try to make a distinction between comprehensive travel insurance and minimal coverage.

Often group insurance through an employer or credit cards has some level of travel insurance that comes with the plans. But take a second and think, if you’re not paying any additional for that coverage, how good do you really think it is? That is not to say that some plans may not be outstanding, but it is our experience that more often than not they can be lacking and leave people in unexpected situations.

When reviewing your existing travel insurance here are a few things you should look for:

1.The most common unexpected event: A death or sickness in the family (including aunt/uncle) or key person (caregiver, business partner, or employee) before the departure of your trip.

Will your insurance cover the non-refundable portion of your trip?

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2. During your trip, you must make an emergency return due to the death or sickness of a family member or key person.

Will you insurance cover a one-way economy flight for you and your travel companion to return home PLUS a refund of the prepaid unused portion of your vacation?

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3. You become hospitalized while on your vacation and your travel companion is responsible for paying the costs of hotel, meals, phone calls, and taxi transportation to and from the hospital to be at your bedside.

Will your insurance cover the out-of-pocket expenses for your travel companion plus a refund of the prepaid unused portion of your vacations?

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4. If you travel alone and you become hospitalized.

Will your insurance cover the costs of airfare and out-of-pocket expenses for someone to be at your bedside?

Bonus question: How many days must you be hospitalized before this coverage can be enacted? Commonly you must be hospitalized for 3 – 7 days before the coverage can be enacted. 

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5. You are hospitalized during your trip and you require a medical attendant to escort you home by the recommendation of a physician.

Will your insurance cover the costs of airfare and expenses of a medical attendant to escort you home in addition to your flight and expenses?

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6. You lose your job due to layoff or dismissal without just cause prior to your departure.

Will your insurance cover the non-refundable costs of your travel due to the loss of your job?

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7. You must cancel your trip before departure due to an event that you suspected could happen, due to an unstable medical condition, or you simply change your mind.

Does your insurance have a Cancel-For-Any-Reason clause? If so, what percent will they refund? (If this clause is included it is typically between 50% – 80% if the insurance was purchased within 72 hours of booking the trip.) Target Tours’ favourite feature of our insurance!

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8. You arrive in destination and your luggage didn’t follow you or has been misplaced.

Does your insurance provide an allowance to replace necessary items until you can be reunited with your belongings? (This is a common inclusion but many group plans do not include it. Double check your coverage to be sure.)

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9. Does your insurance have Covid-19 coverage now that it is a known risk?

One thing we learned about Covid-19 is that it became a known risk on insurance policies meaning that any claims related to Covid-19 would be denied. But there is a additional insurance  that you can purchase that will cover medical expenses and trip interruption due to Covid-19. (This may require a medical questionnaire if you are over 60)

A few bonus questions to review:

• Is there a deductible for any of the coverages (common for medical costs) and how much is it?
• How does your insurance define “stability” if you have a medical condition? (Often, stability means ANY change to your condition or medication, good or bad.)
• How many days of travel does the insurance cover? (Watch for credit card coverage on this one. Some only cover 3 days of your trip which leaves you on your own for the remaining portion.)
• Do you require receipts of expenses in order to have your insurance company reimburse you? (Most do. Do your best to remember that in an emergency. This can include any meals or taxi rides so collect any and all receipts.)

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Common Misconception: Your provincial health care covers you anywhere in Canada and portions when you leave the country.

The following information is taken directly from the Government of Canada website (click HERE to visit website):

Why should I purchase travel insurance?

• Your Canadian health insurance is almost certainly not valid outside of Canada.
• Your provincial or territorial health plan may cover nothing or only a very small portion of the costs of medical care abroad, and never up front.
• Foreign hospitals can be very expensive and may require immediate cash payment. You could face years of debt paying off the costs of treatment for an illness or accident you suffered abroad.
• The Government of Canada will not pay your medical bills.

So now this is the part where we tell you about the insurance we sell, right?

While we do sell travel insurance in-house (and you can be sure it’s one of the best on the market check it out HERE) we just want to make sure you have coverage. In the interest of being transparent, we do make a commission on sales of insurance but so does anyone who sells you insurance. It has more to do with who you trust to sell it to you.

Frankly, we don’t care where it comes from, so long as it will look after you while you’re away. We’ve been in business for long enough to have seen our fair share of folks have their travel dreams interrupted by the unexpected and it can be heartbreaking. Insurance isn’t for the expected, it’s for the unexpected.

While you might not be able to buy happiness, you can buy peace of mind in the form of Travel Insurance.