Travel Health Insurance of Canada (THIA) revealed that 17% of Canadians do not know what their travel insurance policy covers, whereas in the United States, it is the opposite. In the United States, 4 out of 10 Americans purchase travel insurance.
This is a real cause of concern for Canadians. Not knowing what their travel insurance contains increases the chance of their travel insurance being canceled. The same goes for Canadians sponsoring their parents and grandparents to visit them in Canada through SuperVisa insurance, a type of travel insurance required for foreign visitors.
Not knowing the fine details can delay the process and lead to Canadian authorities to reject their Super Visa application. Regardless of the type of travel insurance you are getting, it’s imperative to learn about the different ways that can void it to protect yourself. Following is a list of ways that will void your travel insurance:
1. High Risk Sport Adventures
If you are an adrenaline junkie, discuss it with your insurance company so they can provide you with adequate coverage. Otherwise, partaking in extreme activities, such as bungee jumping, skydiving, and rock climbing, can void your travel insurance. If you sustain an injury, your general travel insurance policy will not cover the expenses.
Look for terms such as “extreme” or “hazardous” in the terms and conditions of the travel insurance policy. Clarify what sports come under that category. If an extreme sport that you want to do comes under it, you will need to take out an extra policy to cover it.
2. Drinking
You can still drink, party, and have a good time on your vacation. If you injure yourself while under the influence, it is likely that your travel insurance policy will not cover it. Review the travel insurance policy if you plan to drink on your vacation.
3. Scuba Diving
Your travel insurance policy may only cover you if you got your scuba diving certification from an internationally recognized program. If you are not a certified scuba diver and you get sick or injured due to a scuba diving incident, your travel insurance might not pay for your medical expenses. If you plan to go scuba diving, check your travel insurance policy before you buy it.
4. Neglecting Travel Warnings
Before traveling to another country, pay attention to the travel warnings released by your country. If you travel to a country that your country has asked you to avoid traveling to, your travel insurance provider may decide to cancel your coverage.
Travel warnings include terrorist threats, civil unrest or political instability, such as protests and riots, war or military coups, natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, typhoons, or tsunamis, and health emergencies due to diseases such as Ebola, Zika, and Chikungunya. It is better not to travel to these destinations if these warnings are in effect because your travel insurance provider may not cover you if you do and get sick or injured there.
5. Not Getting Vaccinated Before Traveling
If one of the entry requirements for the country that you are visiting is for travelers to get vaccinated before coming and you do not get it beforehand, you will not be able to depend on trip cancellation. Trip cancellation reimburses you for canceling the trip. If the country rejects your entry because you did not get vaccination beforehand, your travel insurance will get void.
6. Partaking in Criminal Activity
If you engage in any kind of criminal activity while on your trip, such as buying drugs, underage drinking, or anything deemed illegal under your travel insurance coverage, your travel insurance will get canceled.
7. Getting into a Fight
The only way your travel insurance provider will pay for your medical expenses in the event you got into a fight on your vacation is if it was in self-defense. You will have to prove self-defense to get your insurance provider to pay for the medical expenses. If you started the fight, your insurance provider will void your travel insurance.
8. Concealing Pre-existing Medical Conditions
If you hid your pre-existing medical conditions from your travel insurance provider, you cannot make a claim about it to your travel insurance provider because they will not cover it. For this reason, you should always state every pre-existing medical condition that you have.
9. Hiding Your Complete Travel Plan from Your Travel Insurance Provider
You may plan to visit more than country while on vacation. You need to disclose your travel plan with your travel insurance provider. If you do not and something happens, your travel insurance company may reject your claim on this basis.
10. High-risk Pregnancy
If you have a high-risk pregnancy, your travel insurance provider will deny your travel insurance coverage. If you are pregnant, ask your insurance provider what the terms and conditions are and how long they will continue to provide you with coverage during your pregnancy.
For instance, after a certain month, they might stop providing you with travel insurance coverage. Let your insurance provider know that you are pregnant, so they can provide you with proper coverage before you travel.
11. Traveling Against the Advice of Your Doctors
If your doctor has asked you not to travel due to your current health condition, listen to your doctor and put off your plans to travel until your condition is stable. If you travel against your doctor’s advice, it may void your travel insurance. Travel insurance providers do not tend to cover people who get into accidents, which could have been avoided if they had not traveled.
12. Partaking in a Protest
You should not partake in a protest in another country without consulting with your travel insurance provider. Protests can get out of hand and you can get injured. If you get injured, your travel insurance provider may refuse to cover it. If you plan to go to another country to partake in a protest specifically, inform your travel insurance provider of your plan.
Whether you are traveling to another country or within your country, you need to get travel insurance and keep the following things in mind, so you do not lose your coverage while you are on vacation.
Why Do You Need Travel Insurance to Travel within Canada?
You will need to obtain travel insurance if you intend to visit another province in Canada because your current insurance will not carry over. Here are a few reasons why it is pertinent for both Canadians and foreigners visiting on Super Visa insurance to get travel insurance:
1. Several Outdoor Activities
Canada is home to the mountains. It is the land of the outdoors. If you love the outdoors, you will love traveling to other provinces in Canada for mountain biking, hiking, snowboarding, skiing, kayaking or canoeing.
You may sustain an injury, but if you have travel insurance covering those, you will not have to pay the medical expenses. Again, if you are planning to partake in any extreme sports, discuss with your insurance provider beforehand because the risk of sustaining an injury from it is higher. Extreme sports may include:
- Axe-throwing
- Mountain climbing
- Heli-skiing
- Swimming with beluga and humpback whales
- Whitewater rafting
- Ice climbing
- Ice canoeing
2. Encountering Wildlife
You may encounter wildlife in Canada while camping, hiking, and biking. You may come face to face with polar bears, brown bears, or grizzly bears. It is also possible to encounter mountain lions, cougars, deer, moose, and elk.
3. Traffic Accidents
Even though driving in Canada is safe, there is still a chance you may come across an overly distracted and aggressive driver. Do not take a risk, but get travel insurance in case you get into a minor or major car accident.
4. Winter Accidents
Canada witnesses a raging winter with icy roads that can lead to an accident. Your car can slide, or you can slip on it. If you are going ice climbing or ice canoeing, the risk of injury increases. Let your travel insurance company know beforehand if you plan to do any extreme winter sports.
5. Theft
Even though Canada is a safe country for travelers, the risk of getting robbed is always there. If you do get robbed, travel insurance will reimburse you for your stolen items. You also take certain measures to protect your property when traveling.
Do not leave your personal belongings lying around at the place you are staying. Instead, lock them up in a safe. Keep other items such as your phone and wallet close to you and stay alert of your surroundings while walking. If you do have travel insurance, it does not mean that you be carefree and venture into areas of a country where the chances of theft are high.
6. Skin Diseases
You can get a skin infection, depending on where you travel in Canada. Horsefly and black fly bites can cause rashes and itchy skin in the summer. If you travel to a wooded area, you can get poison ivy and tick bites, which can lead to Lyme disease.
When you have travel insurance, you can travel without worry. Just remember what can get your travel insurance void and avoid doing that.
Emily Scott writes about creativity, business, technology, health, fashion, education, literature and everything that needs to be pondered on. She has been passionate about writing from a young age. She has been in the writing business for a long time and has published several articles, research papers and ebooks in her career.
