A 2024 survey commissioned by TD Insurance found that one-third of Canadians planning leisure travel in the next year did not intend to buy travel insurance. Saving the premium may reduce an immediate expense, but an uninsured medical emergency or cancellation can cost far more.
The survey measured intentions
Maru Public Opinion surveyed 1,520 Canadian online panel members on July 29 and 30. Sixty-eight per cent planned leisure travel, and one-third of that group said they would not purchase coverage.
Online survey results and future intentions may not exactly predict actual purchases or represent every traveller.
Provincial health plans have limits abroad
Public coverage may reimburse only a small portion of hospital or physician costs outside Canada. Air ambulance, repatriation and private foreign hospital charges can create very large bills.
Travellers should check their province’s current rules instead of assuming a Canadian health card follows them worldwide.
Existing coverage may already apply
Employer benefits, retiree plans or credit cards sometimes include emergency medical, cancellation or baggage insurance. Eligibility may require charging the trip to the card or meeting age and trip-length limits.
Reading the certificate prevents both unnecessary duplicate purchase and a dangerous coverage gap.
Medical exclusions require attention
Policies may exclude unstable pre-existing conditions or require health answers at application. A medication change or recent consultation can affect eligibility under contractual definitions.
Applicants should answer accurately and obtain written clarification rather than rely only on a salesperson’s verbal assurance.
Cancellation and medical insurance are different
Emergency medical coverage pays eligible treatment costs, while cancellation or interruption coverage protects defined prepaid expenses. Baggage, delay and rental-car protection are separate again.
A low-cost policy can appear comprehensive while omitting the risk a traveller actually wants to insure.
Government advisories can affect claims
Coverage may change when Canada issues an avoid-non-essential-travel or avoid-all-travel advisory. Travelling after a known event can also trigger exclusions.
Policy wording and the advisory date matter; generic assumptions about “acts of nature” are unreliable.
Price should be compared with risk tolerance
A traveller may reasonably self-insure a replaceable hotel deposit but be unable to absorb foreign hospitalization. Deductibles and benefit limits can tailor cost while preserving catastrophic protection.
Age, destination, health and activities matter more than a one-size-fits-all recommendation.
The safest decision is an informed one
Before departure, travellers should confirm insurer contact procedures, carry documents and disclose planned high-risk activities. They should compare definitions and complaint processes, not just premium.
Skipping a separate policy is not automatically reckless when equivalent coverage already exists. Skipping verification is the greater danger, because apparent savings can leave a household exposed to expenses it could never comfortably pay.
Travellers should also keep emergency numbers available offline and understand whether the insurer requires approval before treatment or transport. A hospital may demand payment regardless of a later claim. Coverage should be purchased before a known illness, storm or other event arises, because insurance protects against uncertain losses rather than situations that have already become foreseeable.
Receipts and medical records should be retained for any claim.
