Travel insurance, plainly.
Your provincial health card usually stops covering you the moment you leave the country, sometimes even the moment you leave your home province. Travel insurance is what fills that gap. Here’s what it actually protects.
Everything to know about travel insurance
Who it is for
- Frequent travellers and snowbirds
- Families heading on vacation
- Students and workers abroad
- People with medical conditions who still travel
How it works
- You choose single trip or annual multi-trip cover
- The plan covers emergency medical care, hospital stays and medical transport
- Optional trip cancellation and interruption cover protects prepaid costs
- You call the assistance line and the insurer arranges or pays for care
What affects the cost
- Age and trip length
- Destination, especially the United States
- Medical cover amount and deductible
- Stability requirements for existing conditions
Common mistakes to avoid
- Buying after a medical issue has already come up
- Not checking the stability period for existing conditions
- Assuming credit card cover is enough
- Not telling the insurer about health changes
A couple spending the winter somewhere warm buys a multi-month plan with emergency medical and trip interruption cover. Illustration only.
Questions people ask
Is provincial health coverage enough when I travel?
Provincial plans cover little outside Canada, so a hospital bill abroad can be very large. Travel insurance fills that gap.
When should I buy?
As early as possible, ideally when you book, so trip cancellation cover applies.
What is a stability period?
A period before your trip when a medical condition must stay stable to be covered. Requirements vary by plan.
What travel insurance actually is
Travel insurance is short-term coverage for medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and lost belongings while you’re travelling, most commonly outside your home province or country. Unlike Super Visa or visitor insurance (built for people visiting Canada), travel insurance is built for Canadians travelling elsewhere.
What’s typically covered
| Coverage type | What it protects |
|---|---|
| Emergency medical | Hospital stays, doctors, ambulance, emergency dental, medical evacuation |
| Trip cancellation/interruption | Non-refundable costs if you cancel or cut a trip short for a covered reason |
| Baggage & personal effects | Lost, stolen, or damaged luggage and belongings |
| Flight/travel delay | Meals and accommodations during a covered delay |
Get a sense of the cost
Quick premium estimator
A starting point for the conversation, not a quote.
A simplified illustration for education only, actual premiums vary by insurer, destination, and any declared medical conditions, and should not be relied on as a quote.
The mistakes we see most
- Assuming a credit card’s built-in travel insurance is enough without checking its actual coverage limits and exclusions
- Not declaring a pre-existing condition accurately, which can void a medical claim entirely
- Buying single-trip coverage repeatedly through the year instead of a cheaper annual multi-trip policy for frequent travellers
- Assuming provincial out-of-country coverage (where it exists at all) comes anywhere close to covering real costs abroad
- Not reviewing coverage for activities like skiing or scuba diving, which some policies exclude or require an add-on for
Traveling soon?
MS Insurance Inc. compares travel insurance options across carriers, and can review your specific trip, age, and health situation.
Frequently asked
Does my provincial health plan cover anything outside Canada?
Most provinces cover only a small fraction of out-of-country medical costs, at rates far below what foreign hospitals actually charge, travel insurance is meant to cover the rest, not duplicate provincial coverage.
What counts as a “pre-existing condition”?
Generally any diagnosed condition you were being treated for, monitored for, or had symptoms of before your trip, insurers typically require it to have been “stable” for a set period before departure to be covered if it recurs.
Is COVID-19 or other illness covered like any other medical emergency?
Most current policies treat it like any other covered illness, though it’s worth confirming directly, since travel insurance terms have evolved quickly in recent years.
Do I need travel insurance for trips within Canada?
Provincial health plans generally cover emergency care in other provinces, but often not at that province’s full billing rate, and don’t cover trip cancellation or lost baggage, some travellers still buy a policy for domestic trips for that reason.
Is annual multi-trip insurance worth it?
For anyone taking more than two or three trips a year, an annual policy is often cheaper in total than buying single-trip coverage each time, and removes the risk of forgetting to buy coverage before a trip.