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Seasonal travel insurance advice

Summer is here, as are family trips, solo holidays, and summer vacations. We’ve compiled a guide with helpful advice for those traveling in the summer, with special tips for other seasons too. Travelers can find the advice and coverage they need with Saskatchewan Blue Cross.

Overall benefits of holiday travel insurance

No one expects that on their vacation they’ll get sick, suffer an injury, lose something, or miss out on something they’ve booked. These unexpected things can rack up costs quickly and ruin your vacation. That’s why smart travelers use holiday travel insurance: to prepare for the unexpected.

With insurance for holiday travel, members can travel with peace of mind and a safety net to protect their budget. The extensive planning and finances that went into planning the perfect trip won’t go to waste. Travel insurance covers a multitude of things such as medical expenses in case of emergency to trip cancellation or interruption. Insurance for holiday travel can protect many aspects of your travels, not only medical emergencies.

The best holiday travel insurance will cover trip cancellations, flight delays, lost baggage, emergency medical scenarios, and more. At Saskatchewan Blue Cross, you’ll also have access to the following:

  • $5 million for Emergency Medical Care per trip, including coverage for hospitalization fees and professional fees for nurses, physicians, and other health professionals for emergency medical treatment and care
  • Up to $2,000 for emergency dental treatment as a result of an accident
  • Transportation and out-of-pocket expenses for a relative coming to your bedside if you are hospitalized for more than seven days
  • Up to $3,000 with an Annual or Individual plan or up to $1,500 with a VIP Travel plan for accommodation and meals if your return is delayed due to a medical emergency
  • 24/7 access to Travel Assistance

Please note, the Visitors to Canada plan offers different coverage levels. 

Summer travel insurance advice

Travel needs and risks differ depending on the season as well as the location. Many families like to travel to amusement parks with children in the summer. Couples might like to travel to beaches, explore other provinces, or adventure to European destinations. Individuals might opt for jungle escapades or ocean activities. 

Consider your itinerary

Are you traveling to lounge on the beach? Go ziplining? Learn snorkeling? Visit a spa? Vacations have different levels of risk. A trip within Canada to stay at a spa resort for a week isn’t going to be as risky as a trip overseas to trek up a mountain. Consider what activities you’re going to take part in and ensure it’s covered through your holiday travel insurance plan. Coverage for injuries resulting from extreme sports and excursions are often excluded from travel insurance plans. Your itinerary and length of stay will also help determine which travel insurance plan to choose.

Sunstroke and heat exhaustion

Summer trips are more likely to cause sunstroke and heat exhaustion, especially for Canadians traveling to other countries where we’re not so equipped for the sun, heat, and humidity. Pair that with how distracted we can be with making connections, participating in activities, and participating in the culture, we might not be as on top of drinking water, replacing our sunscreen, and seeking out shade. Travel insurance for summer can offer emergency medical care should you get sunstroke or heatstroke that requires medical attention.

Insects and illnesses

Traveling within Canada doesn’t introduce us to insects and illnesses that we’re not already privy to. Although there’s still a risk, holiday travel insurance will have the basics needed to provide you with access to medical care for common illnesses and bites. Oftentimes frequent travelers will get vaccines before traveling to other countries to protect against some of the unfamiliar diseases that insects might carry in other countries and to bacteria found in water, food, or other places. Get holiday travel insurance that includes emergency medical care in case you happen to fall victim to a serious illness or insect bite. Have a plan of action for scenarios like:

 

  • An allergic reaction to an unfamiliar insect
  • A poisonous spider bite
  • Illnesses from a  mosquito bite
  • E. coli from contaminated food or water

Winter holiday insurance advice

Winter travel has its own set of risks, as do most things in life. While summer weather is usually a direct risk to a person’s health, winter weather is more of a risk to the environment around a person, meaning snowfall, reduced visibility, and storms will affect things a person is trying to use such as planes, roads, and activities. Especially since Canadians are usually more used to cold temperatures and snowfall, it’s normally other aspects that produce the risk during winter travel. We might be able to put on a coat to withstand the chill, but planes may not be able to take off during a storm.

Flight delays and cancellations

That leads us to one of the first seasonal travel tips for winter. Make sure you consider flight delay and cancellation coverage as part of your winter holiday insurance.  A flight delay or cancellation isn’t only a timing problem or a ticket problem. Depending on the delay, you could be stuck paying for extra accommodations, extra food, transportation, or a new flight entirely. That will become a hefty fee. However, with holiday insurance from Saskatchewan Blue Cross, you can benefit from Flight Delay Service, included at no extra cost. Get complimentary access to an airport lounge or even a hotel room, depending on the length of the delay.

Protect your baggage

Winter holidays will likely come with extra baggage. One, because you’re packing bulky winter attire to stay warm, and two, because there are plenty of holidays during the winter where we get gifts for others, especially when we’re on a trip and want to bring back souvenirs. This is an added risk to you if your luggage is lost, stolen, or damaged. Often, this isn’t even under your control, so it’s best to have winter holiday insurance covering lost baggage. You can be reimbursed up to a certain amount to cover your losses.

Find the coverage you need with Saskatchewan Blue Cross

There are a few holiday travel insurance options at Saskatchewan Blue Cross depending on the frequency of your travels and how much coverage you want. Check out your options here and learn how to make a claim should you ever need to.