It’s a common complaint from patients being stabilized in U.S. hospitals until they can get home and join the wait list for hips, knees, heart bypasses, any number of chronic conditions.
They know they can be treated right where they are—in Arizona, Texas, Florida, California—but travel insurers  will not approve the procedures.

“It’s not fair,” they say. Why should they suffer pain and immobility for long weeks or months if it can be relieve right away.

The answer, of course, is all about money.

Travel insurance is designed for emergencies only and not priced for treatment of chronic conditions that can wait until the patient is returned to a hospital in Canada. It is not a substitute for provincial health insurance.  It is structured to treat an emergency, get the client stabilized and sent back to Canada for continuing care.  If it were designed and priced for treatment of all chronic conditions, many of you wouldn’t be able to afford-out-of country travel insurance, consequently a very large proportion of you would have to spend your winters in Canada.

From the government point of view, the wait lists are a necessity because provinces, and their federal cohorts, say there isn’t enough money to help doctors and hospitals eliminate the wait lists. In fact most provinces now accept that wait lists are a fact of life and even set limits as to what they consider “tolerable” wait times for certain chronic conditions.

Consequently, when a Canadian tourist suffers a fractured hip or serious heart attack, he or she assumes it might as well be fully treated while they are “down south.”  Sometimes, though not often, it is, if the condition is a true emergency and the patient can’t be returned home safely by commercial line or air ambulance.  But if the patient can be stabilized until they are fit to travel and can be returned home, they will be. That’s what travel insurance was designed for—not to bail out a health system that relies on wait lists to keep health spending under control.

By Milan Korcok, Editor, TravelinsuranceFile

No matter where you travel this spring and summer, carry physical proof of private travel insurance coverage with you. Europe will be a good deal because of the strong dollar, but hospitals are not cheap—anywhere. And without proof of coverage, you can be left on the hook.

More and more countries, in Europe especially, are now requiring visitors to have sufficient insurance to cover themselves for medical emergencies while they are guests. They’re doing this because they don’t want their hospitals, or their health systems, to drain away valuable resources to foreigners who don’t pay.  And if you think it’s only the United States that charges exorbitantly for health care services, think again.  Medical care of the quality you would demand is expensive, and your provincial health insurance will probably cover less than 10 percent. Consequently, many European countries require you have a minimum of 30,000 euros (about $40,000 CAD) of coverage. Your government health insurance won’t come close to that.

Though many European countries have some form of government-run or sponsored health insurance— that is for its own citizens, not for foreigners. And even if you have dual citizenship in the country you will be visiting, you will very likely not be covered for medical services—not unless you are a permanent resident. If you are a dual citizen and you assume you are covered, make sure you check with that country’s consulate before you leave.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT): “Your Canadian insurance is almost certainly not valid outside Canada. It is essential to obtain supplementary travel insurance ― health, life, disability, driving, vehicle, and trip cancellation ― before leaving Canada.”

In addition, make sure you have physical proof, such as a card with the name of your insurer, emergency assistance service and telephone contact number. Better yet, carry your policy with you so that hospital personnel can easily and immediately verify coverage and perhaps even arrange for your insurer to pay them directly.  You don’t want to get into a situation of having to pay up or guarantee $50,000 or $100,000 of your own money and then have to go back to your insurer for reimbursement.

All major Canadian travel insurers are structured to pay hospitals and doctors directly anywhere in the world. And they will cover eligible medical services up to least $1 million (some will go up to $5 million), air ambulance repatriation home, even fly a family member to your bedside, if medically necessary. An air ambulance repatriation from Europe can cost $75,000, so you want to make sure you have it as part of your coverage package.

All travel insurers advertising on this site meet TravelinsuranceFile’s acceptability criteria for out-of-country health benefits for Canadian residents. All offer the coverage limits that will exceed the entry requirements of foreign countries, and all will provide the proof of insurance required. You can complete your applications and buy online. 

TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Jan. 24, 2012) 

With March Break preparations in high gear, Canada’s Travel Health Insurance Association (THIA) urges parents to make sure that children travelling with families, and young students independently heading out for some fun in the sun, are adequately covered for unexpected out-of-country medical emergencies.

All it takes is a slip on a diving board, the sting of a jellyfish, overindulgence of unfamiliar food or a sudden fever, and the need for emergency medical treatment becomes an instant reality-tough enough to deal with at home, but much more complicated in a foreign country.

“Whether accidents or medical emergencies happen in the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, or elsewhere, they can generate thousands of dollars in hospital or emergency room costs that are not covered by provincial health insurance,” says David Hartman, president of THIA.

Mr. Hartman notes that though more than 80 percent of Canadians aged 55 and over buy private insurance when travelling out of the country*, a survey done in 2011 by Ipsos-Reid for RBC, showed that almost half (44 percent) of 18 to 34-year olds said they “rarely” or “never” purchase travel insurance when travelling to the U.S., and more than 34 percent believe they don’t need it for the U.S. because their provincial health plan covers all their medical costs.

“That’s a big mistake,” says Mr. Hartman. “One day in a hospital can easily cost over $10,000, but most provinces will pay less than 10 percent of that, leaving young people, who tend to be more active and prone to accidents and unexpected medical emergencies when in unfamiliar surroundings, at extremely high risk.”

Consequently, THIA urges parents to make sure they cover not only children who are travelling with them on vacation, but ensure that their children who are students, travelling on their own, are also covered, even if they have to pay for it themselves. Insurance for a normally healthy teenager or college student is relatively inexpensive, and it can protect the student and the entire family from incurring potentially unmanageable medical, transportation or repatriation expenses.

The cost of an air ambulance to repatriate a patient from Florida or South Texas to a hospital at home can exceed $25,000–even more from Mexico or the Caribbean. Private travel insurance normally covers such repatriations when medically necessary: provincial health insurance does not. In addition, many policies will also cover the costs of flying a family member to the patient’s bedside if warranted, although most policies will have restrictions on high risk activities such as deep water scuba diving, bungee jumping or mountain climbing.

“Vacations should allow families to be relatively carefree, but that doesn’t mean they can overlook the possibility that without adequate protection, medical emergencies abroad can not only ruin their vacations, but threaten their life savings,” says Mr. Hartman.

*Footnote. Conference Board of Canada.

About THIA. THIA is the national organization representing travel insurers, brokers, underwriters, re-insurers, emergency assistance companies, air ambulance companies and allied services in the travel insurance field. Its website is http://www.thiaonline.com/.

The sinking of the cruise ship Costa Concordia off Tuscany clearly emphasizes the need for travel insurance, even for what appears to be a low risk adventure.  Who would have thought that a modern cruise vessel could actually capsize in calm seas, good weather, and within a stone’s throw of shore.

Yet, it happened, and people died, and over 4000 passengers were thrown into a dark sea to fend for themselves. What would you have done?

Buying travel insurance before your trip would not have averted the disaster.  But it would have given you access to immediate help and guidance at a time when most others were gripped by panic and were left without resources.

The most important component of any independent travel insurance policy is the emergency assistance service available to you 24/7, usually just by contacting the toll free number on your insurance card. Through that service you can get immediate advice and referral to emergency medical services if you need them, temporary accommodation, alternate travel arrangements, assistance getting home, coverage of unexpected out-of-pocket costs, in effect, a reliable backstop to help get you back on a solid footing so you can figure out your next step.

As we have seen with the Costa Concordia tragedy, many passengers who clambered ashore on the rough rocks, without shoes, baggage, money or passports were without such a backstop.

In the end, the cruise company will likely be held responsible for most of the costs involved in treating the injured, returning the remains to their families, and paying for the costs of disruption to the surviving passengers.  And travel insurance companies that will have paid out assistance services to their clients will claim reimbursement (subrogation) from the cruise line’s own insurers. It may take years.

But for the passenger, being just one phone call away from expert assistance, and having the knowledge they aren’t going to be stranded, is an immediate benefit.  It’s just too bad it takes a tragedy such as the capsizing of a fully loaded modern cruise vessel on a rocky shore to make that point.

All travel insurers advertising on this site offer coverage for cruise travel and all meet TravelinsuranceFile’s acceptability criteria for out-of-country health benefits for Canadian residents. You can compare products, apply and buy online. 

By Milan Korcok. Editor, Travelinsurancefile

Foreign hospital emergency rooms don’t offer children’s or students’ rates. The costs can be just as devastating as those for your heart attack, or kidney stone, or broken hip.  And when young people travel, with you or on their own, they run risks you wouldn’t even think about.

Stepping on a stingray, cutting a foot on a broken bottle buried in the sand, suffering food poisoning or just plain overindulgence masked as something life-threatening can ruin your holiday as well as your bank account.  Yet every year, the majority of young Canadians who travel abroad, with their families or on their own, don’t bother with travel insurance.

Astonishingly, according to a survey done last summer by Ipsos Reid for RBC, almost half (44 percent) of Canadians between the ages of 18 to 34 said they rarely or never purchase travel insurance when going to the United States; and more than one third of young Canadians said they don’t need travel insurance in the U.S. because they believe their provincial health plan will cover their medical costs.  Thank goodness more than 80 percent of outbound travellers over 55 know better.

For Canadians, whose government health insurance covers only a tiny share of foreign medical costs ($75 a day in B.C, up to $200 or $400 in Ontario and Quebec) out-of-country travel insurance should be a family affair.  And many insurers now offer special rates for family groups travelling together. You need to ask about them.  Certainly you should never consider covering only the adults and leaving the youngsters to go bare.  A half day in the emergency room or a two-day confinement for an unexpected appendicitis can cost thousands of dollars just as it would for an adult.

And with March break coming up, you should be seriously involved in the travel plans of your high school or college age children heading to “fun spots” such as the Florida panhandle or the South Texas coast or Cancun.  Something happens to even the best behaved students when they fall into the carefree environment of their vacationing peers. The results can be devastating, and they can affect not only your child, but your whole family as you’re the one who’s going to end up paying.

A day in a hospital anywhere in the sunbelt can easily run into thousands of dollars—even a half day in an emergency room can cost thousands.  Are you prepared, at a moment’s notice, to fly to South Texas or Florida or Cancun to be by your son’s bedside; or to pay for your daughter’s repatriation to Canada by air ambulance at a cost of $20,000 to $25,000?

If your son or daughter is planning on a March break trip—help them out. Make sure they know what to expect, but most important, insist that they have travel insurance and make sure you know what that insurance covers and what it does not cover. And if you have to pay for it yourself, do it.  It’s one of the best investments you can ever make.

All travel insurers advertising on this site meet TravelinsuranceFile’s acceptability criteria for out-of-country health benefits for Canadian residents. Most offer family plans and all are prepared to discuss your specific needs for March break coverage. You can also complete your applications andbuy online. 

By Milan Korcok, Editor, Travelinsurancefile.

There are a lot of dangerous places in the world. Before you travel internationally, do some research on the areas you’ll be visiting and through which you’ll be travelling. Conditions change rapidly. Don’t expect travel insurance to automatically cover you wherever you go, but without it, you are in the greatest peril of all.

There are now dozens of countries, and areas within countries, about which that the governments of Canada, Britain and the United States have issued travel warnings—usually in the form of “Avoid all non-essential travel”, or the highest level, “Avoid all travel.” There are more of these than you think, and many of them are in areas that would surprise you such as North and Central America, Europe, and some of the most developed countries of Asia.

Be aware that most travel insurance policies declare that if you travel to a country, or region, that your government has warned you to avoid prior to your trip or your purchase of insurance, some or all of your coverage benefits, e.g. medical emergencies, lost baggage, trip cancellations or interruptions,  may be severely limited or even nullified. Policies will differ in specifying what they will NOT pay for under such conditions, so if you plan on travelling to any country, or region, where such warnings might be issued, read the fine print of your policy well.  Discuss it with your agent if he or she specializes in travel insurance, if not, call the insurance company directly.

For example: Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) warns  Canadians to “Avoid all non-essential travel” to …Mexico’s northern border by land and … do so only if it is absolutely necessary, after making appropriate arrangements to ensure their personal safety. Shootouts, attacks, and illegal roadblocks may occur at any time. Criminals especially target SUVs and full-size pickup trucks for theft and carjacking along highways in the states of Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Sonora, and Sinaloa.

Travellers should also avoid travelling by land to or through these border states and should do so only if it is absolutely necessary, and after making appropriate arrangements to ensure their personal safety.

It’s significant that these are the very areas Canadian snowbirds in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California have often visited for site seeing and shopping.

DFAIT, and the U.S. State Department and U.K.’s Foreign and Colonial Office have also issued similar warnings for areas in Europe, Asia, Central and South America, and Africa.

If the word “research” frightens you, settle down.  It’s easy.  On the left hand side of our homepage we provide direct links to Canadian, U.S., and British government Travel Reports & Warnings sites that list the countries and the areas within countries that you should avoid. Click on the link, then click on the countries you are intending to visit (and don’t forget the countries through which you will be transiting) and get quick, accurate updates.

Then, talk directly to your travel insurance advisor and make sure you understand what your particular policy will, or WILL NOT cover in a specific country or region. In this respect, make sure you talk to someone who knows the details of the policy and can speak authoritatively. Do not accept a blanket statement such as “you’re covered for everything, don’t worry.” No travel insurance policy covers “everything.”

All travel insurers advertising on this site meet TravelinsuranceFile’s acceptability criteria for out-of-country health benefits for Canadian residents. All are prepared to explain the benefits and limitations of coverage to any country on any continent. You can complete your applications and buy online. 

By Milan Korcok, Editor, Travelinsurancefile

Canadians vacationing in Mexico this season need to be vigilant in the wake of news that a 67-year old snowbird from Salt Spring Island, B.C. was shot and killed during a home robbery in the Pacific coast town of Melaque, a destination area favoured by retired Canadian seniors.

According to international media reports, Robin Wood, a retired gas station owner and mechanic was shot January 3, when robbers invaded the home in which he was staying with a friend, Arvid Chalmers, a well-known realtor on Salt Spring Island.

According to the CBC, the local police director said that robberies and murders are quite common in the area, approximately halfway between Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco.

To date, more than 40,000 Mexicans and some foreigners—many of them innocent bystanders– have been killed by warring drug cartels and law enforcement officials since 2006 when the government purportedly launched its war on drug trafficking.

Mexican tourism officials have adamantly claimed that the drug wars have not affected tourists or tourism, although local and international media on site strongly dispute such claims and add that the death toll is far higher than the 36,000 claimed by government sources. Some non-government sources claim well over 50,000 citizens—among them tourists—have been killed by the drug gangs since 2006.

The tourist rich Pacific Coast area north of Acapulco has been hard hit by drug gang violence in recent years and it has not left North American expatriates and senior vacation communities unscathed.  In fact, on January 11, 2011—just one year ago, Canadian snowbird Mike DiLorenzo, 69, from Penticton, B.C., was caught in a hail of bullets from an AK47 assault rifle and seriously injured in Mazatlan while walking from a shopping plaza to his hotel on an otherwise peaceful Sunday afternoon.

Mr. DiLorenzo survived the attack which officials attributed to drug cartel conflicts in the area.

From all indications, tourism numbers to Mexico have not been seriously affected by the continuing violence but government travel advisories issued by Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. (which can be accessed from our homepage) have all issued warnings about travel to many parts of Mexico.  We strongly suggest that before making any plans to visit Mexico, for leisure or business, you consult these advisories and take them seriously.

Also, make sure you are well covered by travel insurance when venturing into any part of Mexico, from Cancun and the Mexican Riviera in the east, to the Pacific coast in the west, and especially in the northern areas bordering Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

(Late Update)

Second Canadian Found Murdered in Mexico.

The body of a PhD student from the University of British Columbia has been found partially buried in the sands of the Mexican beach town of Huatulco, a resort area southeast of Acapulco. On Thursday, January 5, police reported having found Ximena Osegueda Magana’s body after she went missing earlier in December. According to a CBC report, Ms. Magana was found stabbed and strangled with her hands tied behind her back on Punta Arena Beach along with her partner Alejandro Santamaria in a slaying local news media say may be linked to organized crime. Police report both bodies had been set afire, making their identification difficult.

All travel insurers advertising on this site meet TravelinsuranceFile’s acceptability criteria for out-of-country health benefits for Canadian residents. Most will cover pre-existing conditions that are stable and controlled. You can complete your medical applications and buy online. All insurers on this site offer snowbird plans.

By Milan Korcok, Editor, Travelinsurancefile

It may be the season to be jolly.  But if you overdo it and need to go to hospital to deal with the consequences, you may be in for more than a hangover. Travel insurance policies don’t cover alcohol or drug-related consequences. Be warned.

A couple of years ago, a Canadian woman complained to a newspaper that her travel insurance company denied an emergency medical claim for her son who, while on spring break, tried to leap from one hotel balcony to another and fell, breaking his leg.  The fact her son was drunk at the time didn’t seem relevant to her.  She paid her son’s insurance premium and she demanded coverage.

Well she didn’t get it and so she should not have.  Travel insurance is designed, and priced, to cover accidents or unavoidable, unexpected, medical emergencies, not acts of self destruction, negligence, carelessness, or plain stupidity. If it did, the price of everyone’s insurance, including yours or your parents’ or your childrens’, would be far higher than it has to be, and that’s not fair.

I couldn’t care less if my fellow traveller downs a six pack before breakfast, so long as he doesn’t get behind the wheel of his car or boat or dives into a swimming pool where others are enjoying themselves.   But don’t ask me or anyone else to pay for the consequences.

Alcohol-related accidents or illness are extremely common in hospital emergency rooms during holiday periods, and in areas where vacationers go to let off steam and relax from day-to-day concerns.  But alcohol-related illnesses can also take the form of chronic pre-existing conditions that can suddenly flare up with the intake of too much booze, and if that happens, the insurer has a legitimate right to look into the patient’s medical record and determine if the claim is payable or not.

Every travel insurance policy I have ever seen clearly states that it’s designed for unexpected emergencies, and will not cover any condition or circumstance caused by, or related to, the use or abuse of alcohol or other drugs.  I detest the more fashionable word “substance” because it’s a useless euphemism designed for political correctness.  Wood is a substance, but you can’t get drunk on it even if you could eat it.

Alcohol is fine, in its place. But if you’re counting on travel insurance to pay for its misuse, it could cost you.

All travel insurers advertising on this site meet TravelinsuranceFile’s acceptability criteria for out-of-country health benefits for Canadian residents. All are prepared to discuss your specific needs with you and explain coverage benefits and limitations so you understand them. You can also complete your applications and buy online. All insurers on this site offer snowbird plans

By Milan Korcok, Editor, Travelinsurancefile.

Travel insurance claim denials are rare: but if the claim is yours, that’s no consolation.  What should you do in case of a denial? Your first reaction may be to call in your lawyer. But don’t rush: there’s plenty of time for that. No need to spend that money just yet.

First, demand a letter from your insurer clearly describing the reasons for the denial, referencing the clauses in the policy that you allegedly contravened. For example, if they are denying you for an unstable pre-existing condition, ask them to point out that part of your medical record that substantiates the condition was actually pre-existing, and make sure you also read how the insurer describes the term “pre-existing.” Demand the same evidence of non-disclosure, or any other reason for the denial.

Then sit down and carefully draw up a letter appealing the denial by refuting the evidence, if it is refutable. Do this in writing.  Don’t rely on telephone calls. But base your appeal on facts.  Use simple. straightforward language.  Don’t try to play lawyer, just be clear and honest. Don’t get emotional. Don’t resort to anger or threats.  If necessary, get a copy of the your medical record and ask your doctor’s opinion about the denial. If warranted, ask your doctor to write a letter clarifying the record and interceding on your behalf.

If your appeal is denied, ask to take your case to the company ombudsman.  This is someone designated by the insurer to objectively review the denial. State your case clearly to the ombudsman—again dealing only with facts—not emotions or appeals for compassion.  This is a free service so take advantage of it.

If the company appointed ombudsman upholds the denial and you are still convinced you have not been fairly dealt with, take your case to the Ombudsman for Life and Health Insurance (www.OLHI.CA).  This is a national service, set up by the financial services industry to deal with individual grievances just like yours. This too is free, so take advantage of it.

If you have taken all these steps you should have a much clearer picture of the validity of your claim and  you can make a better judgement about whether you want to hire a lawyer.  None of the above steps will preclude your right to hire a lawyer, and up to this point, you will not have spent any money in advancing your case.

Remember that facts and policy wording determine whether a denial is justified. Travel insurance has limitations and exclusions.  It is not a substitute for your provincial health insurance. You need to know your own responsibilities when applying for coverage and the best way to avoid having a claim denied is to have an experienced travel insurance advisor help you with your purchase and answer any questions you may have.

All travel insurers advertising on this site meet TravelinsuranceFile’s acceptability criteria for out-of-country health benefits for Canadian residents. Most will cover pre-existing conditions that are stable and controlled. You can complete your medical applications and buy online. All insurers on this site offer snowbird plans.

By Milan Korcok, Editor, Travelinsurancefile

Recently I posted an advisory warning Canadians to be careful about taking common foodstuffs across the border into the U.S.  The reaction, particularly from some RVers and mobile home travellers was animated—some stating that they had been transporting fridges and pantries full of “good Canadian food” to their winter homes in the south for many years and never had a problem.

That’s great.  And in most cases you probably won’t have a problem because the border agent will make a quick decision and consider you no great risk and let you go. Border agents have a lot of discretion.

Others chastised me for not having done my research with the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) rules about foods that can be taken and others that are prohibited.

It’s precisely that I have done my homework that I raised the warning, as I do again, that taking foods into the U.S.

can be problematic if you don’t know what you’re doing.  And if you assume that just because the food was in your fridge at home or you bought it in a Canadian supermarket it’s OK to carry with you, think again.

The list of foods that are approved and/or prohibited from entry to the U.S. changes frequently and does not always follow generalized guidelines such as “meat is OK, veggies are not.” The listing can be very lengthy and somewhat confusing.  For example: The U.S. CBP advisory issued July 6, 2011 says the following: “We regret that it is necessary to take agricultural items from your baggage. They cannot be brought into the United States because they may carry animal and plant pests and diseases.  Restricted items include meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, soil, and products made from animal and plant products.”  Now that advisory doesn’t say ALL meats or All fruits or vegetables, but it does warn that some will not be admitted.  Thus, you are required to declare any foodstuff you are transporting, and if you don’t, you can be fined.  The CBP states: “The civil penalty for failing to declare agricultural items at U.S. ports of entry will cost first time offenders $300.  The penalty for the second violation goes up to $500.”

In its section on importation of agricultural products from Canada the CBP notes the following: “Fruits and vegetables grown in Canada are generally admissible, if they have labels identifying them as products of Canada.  Fruits and vegetables merely purchased in Canada are not necessarily admissible.” It notes, for example, that “Potatoes from western regions of Canada are currently restricted because of a disease outbreak. While commercial imports are permitted under stringent guidelines, travelers from Canada should avoid bringing raw potatoes with them into the U.S.

“Food products from Canada, including pet food and fresh (frozen or chilled), cooked, canned or otherwise processed products containing beef, veal, bison, and cervid (e.g., deer, elk, moose, caribou etc) are now permitted from Canada in passenger baggage.  Products containing sheep, lamb, or goat will not be allowed entry.”

Consider cheese: “Solid cheese (hard or semi-soft, that does not contain meat), butter, butter oil, and cultured milk products such as yogurt and sour cream are not restricted. Feta cheese, Brie, Camembert, cheese in brine, Mozzarella and Buffalo Mozzarella are permissable (USDA Animal Product Manual, Tabel 3-14-6). Cheese in liquid (such as cottage cheese or ricotta cheese) and cheese that pours like heavy cream are not admissible from countries affected by foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Cheese containing meat is not admissible depending on the country of origin.”

Now, do you really know where your potatoes, apples, meat products, cheese, etc. came from?  Are they all labelled? Are you prepared to undergo a customs “inspection” to prove the lunch you’re carrying meets government guidelines?

If that’s important to you, then by all means check the CBP website, or for even more detail the www.aphis.usda.gov/favir/ site, to check out if the foods you are carrying are on the approved list. And if you choose to carry foods with you, that’s fine too: but what is not negotiable is that you must declare the foods you are carrying to the border agents, and you should not “forget” about some foods sitting in your picnic hamper in the trunk.

My initial post on this subject was meant as an admonition that carrying food into the U.S. is subject to restriction and just because you bought it in a Canadian supermarket or had it sitting in your fridge does not mean it’s admissible. If you get that one border agent who’s a stickler for detail, or who argued with his wife before leaving for work that day, you may regret taking that mango with you.

My point was that for many of us, certainly me, it’s a lot easier to be able to honestly tell the border agent that you are carrying no food with you and be done with it.

All travel insurers advertising on this site meet TravelinsuranceFile’s acceptability criteria for out-of-country health benefits for Canadian residents. All provide proof-of-coverage cards and documents acceptable to foreign border officials. You can complete your applications and buy online.