In their determination to stay competitive, many travel insurers’ advertising and promotional materials proclaim that they “cover pre-existing conditions.” And they do, to an extent.  But don’t for a second believe that they cover them “unconditionally.” Try calling an insurer from a hospital bed after you have just had a heart attack and see what they say when you apply for coverage next week.

That may be an extreme example, but I use it illustrate that you should not take all promotional materials literally.

The issuance of travel insurance is based, primarily, on two things—age and health. The young and healthy will find more plan options and find them cheaper.  Those not in perfect health, or in their middle or advancing years, will have to search out their options more deliberately and do some reading of fine print. Fortunately, more insurers are starting to use plain language in explaining what their policies cover and what they exclude.  That’s a good thing—if you bother to read them.  Too many don’t, and wind up regretting their oversight.

Generally, travel insurance policies that say they “cover pre-existing conditions,” do so if they have been stable and controlled for a given period of time (e.g. 30 days, 60, 90, one year, five, pick a number). What that usually means, again only generally, is that they will cover you if you have not had symptoms, required treatment or investigation by a health care professional, referral to a specialist, or a change in dosage or type of medication within the specified time period. Those limitations will vary from insurer to insurer so you need to look at each policy on its own merits. You also need to see how the policy defines terms such as “treatment, investigation, or stable.” And though your doctor may give you a clean bill of health or feel that your condition is stable, it’s the definitions in the policy that rule.

When you assess a policy, read what these terms mean in the definitions section and apply them to your specific situation. Be honest. If you need help, ask your doctor, or talk it over with an agent who specializes in travel insurance. The game doesn’t end when you have a policy in your pocket. If you generate a claim, the insurer will examine your medical history going back perhaps years. And if they find your condition or symptoms were in fact unstable they may deny your claim, and you don’t want that.

You may think that’s unfair, but 20 years ago most policies simply wouldn’t cover any pre-existing conditions—stable or not.  How fair would that be for the millions of Canadians in perfect health

who now travel out of the country each year?

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Traveling to foreign countries with children can be a lot of fun for parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and other relatives. But be WARNED: get proper documentation and travel authorization from the lawful parents or guardians of these children or your vacation may be ruined.

And we’re not talking only about travel to distant or exotic locations. Border agents in virtually all countries, including North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa are firmly cracking down on unauthorized cross-border travel involving minors—even if those minors are part of your family and have your own name. It’s all part of a worldwide effort to curb child abductions, estranged-parent “kidnappings”, and other illegal forms of exploitation. The last time my wife and I travelled to a foreign country with our grandchildren, who have our last name, a border agent asked if we had authorization from the children’s parents for them to enter the country. We had. We sailed through. No problem. I hate to think what could have happened had we not been prepared and we would have needed to contact the parents for emergency, faxed documentation—at 10:30 at night, after a three and half hour flight, with a tired five-year old on our hands.

What do you need?

First of all, the basics. I assume you have a passport. Anyone who anticipates foreign travel (and a short hop to an adjacent country) and does not have a passport in this day and age needs to get real.  There is no excuse. That’s just sheer negligence.

Next, do the kids have passports? If not, why not? It’s their right, and it’s up to you and/or their parents to fulfill that responsibility. They’ll have to get them sooner or later.  It’s not as difficult as you may think. My grandkids have had passports since they were 4 and 2.

Then you need verifiable, notarized letters from their parents and/or their legal guardians that you have the authority to take them out of the country, where you are going, how long you will be staying and who will responsible for them.  If the parents are separated or divorced, have the authorization signed by the custodial parent and if possible get the signature of the non-custodial parent as well. This may be a little tricky if they’re not talking to each other, but make the point that it’s the kids’ welfare and convenience that you’re talking about, not theirs.

In case you are a non-custodial parent wanting to take your child out of the country, you will definitely need to have your ex—if he or she is the legal custodial parent– sign the authorization. This is critical. We have seen some very messy situations of parental “kidnapping” or abduction recently and border agents don’t want to get caught in the middle. If this is your situation, expect to be challenged if you don’t have the right paperwork.

Unfortunately, there are no standardized. international forms that I have been able to locate but I have put together a composite version from several sources that exceeds any requirements I have seen on government websites. Feel free to use it. The format and information contained in it should be applicable for travel to any country.  I must caution, however, that it  is not an official document and Travelinsurancefile will not be held responsible if you have a problem with its use.

It’s self explanatory and quite simple. Just make sure you get the parental or guardians’ signatures notarized. Border agents the world over like to see documents stamped. Click here for a printable version.

This document has been designed for the private use of visitors to www.travelinsurancefile.com, which cannot be held responsible for decisions or actions of immigration or border agents of any country.

Daw wrote of Ontario resident Karen Payne who was getting discouraged by her failure to find an insurer to cover her for an anticipated trip to the sunny South.  Karen had received a kidney transplant last July and though she now felt perfectly healthy and ready to go, insurance agents she spoke with told her to forget it, that her kidney transplant disqualified her from coverage.  That’s until Daw hooked her up with a specialist in travel insurance who not only reassured her, but got her covered: not for anything related to her kidney transplant, but for all other, unrelated medical emergencies she might encounter. That was exactly what she had hoped for, more than she thought she could expect.

There’s a lesson here not only for transplant patients, but those who have a history of cancer, heart problems, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. As in Karen’s case, insurers may not cover you for a recurrence of your cancer or problems with your transplant or bypass graft, but they may cover the costs of most other medical emergencies and that’s a lot better than not covering you at all. Some policies may even cover you if you have had some forms of cancer that has been eliminated by surgery, radiation or chemotherapy and you are now cancer free. Not all cancers, but some.

Most policies will also cover you for other major conditions that have been stable for a certain period, perhaps a year. But stable means what your insurer says it means, not necessarily what you or your doctor thinks it should.  Usually it means you have not required a change of medication, or manifest new or recurrent symptoms, or needed medical intervention other than simple monitoring. In some cases this might include heart bypass graft, major surgery, perhaps even some cancers.

Coverage of chronic or pre-existing conditions will always require some form of medical underwriting, which means you will have to fill out a questionnaire accurately, completely.  I suggest that if you have any chronic condition that requires regular monitoring, medication and occasional intervention by your physicians, put yourself in the hands of an experienced travel health insurance specialist, and don’t hesitate consulting with your doctor. This is not the time to think about shaving a few dollars off your premium by “forgetting” about that lab test you underwent a few months ago—even if it showed nothing serious.  Just the fact you had it must be disclosed.

A lot of people today like to make their travel insurance arrangements online. This may not be the best option if you have a history of cancer or organ transplant or coronary artery bypass or some other major chronic conditions. Go for the personal approach with a specialist, take your time, don’t leave it to the last minute, and regardless what you are told, get your contract and read it from beginning to end. I know that’s a pain, but knowing what you are in for up-front can give you great piece of mind later.

Travel insurance is a competitive business.  New products are coming out all the time, just as thousands of newly minted boomers and zoomers are coming into the marketplace with the usual array of ailments these age groups are heir to. One way or another, they will be served.

If you’re planning a spring break this year, you probably have your tickets and vouchers in hand already.  But if you don’t also have your travel insurance in place, you’re not ready to go. This is true not only for you and your kids, but especially if young students in your family are taking trips of their own.

One doesn’t ordinarily think of young people as great health risks: but at this time of year and until the school break season is over in mid-April, hospital emergency room personnel throughout the U.S. sunbelt and vacation destinations such as Jamaica, the Bahamas, Cancun and Hawaii see unusually high rates of children’s and young persons’ admissions.

More than adults, kids on vacation are especially prone to accidents and mischance: stepping on bad things while walking barefoot on the beach; being bitten by hornets, spiders, scorpions, snakes or worse; eating strange food from questionable sources; falling off slides or water vehicles; and let’s not think about sharks or sting rays. Kids, unfortunately, do not get discounted rates when they get into a hospital emergency room.  And even half a day taken to patch up a broken collarbone or diagnose a mysterious gastric upset can run a hospital tab to several thousand dollars.  Whether the patient is a kid or a grandmother, the hospital will demand payment. The right kind of travel insurance can take care of that.

Now let’s talk about something you would rather not think about: students and spring break. Most parents never think their student offspring would behave inappropriately during that one week in “paradise.” But every year, we hear of tragedies occurring among students who suddenly find themselves in a strange environment, surrounded by hundreds of hormone-laden cohorts who do incredibly dangerous things.  These young people, thinking only of blowing off steam and having a good time, are especially vulnerable to sudden illness, accident or worse.

As parents, you should insist they have appropriate medical insurance and you should also be familiar with the type of insurance they have and what it covers as well as what it excludes. Examine it yourself.  If necessary, buy it yourself. There are many spring break packages that include their own travel insurance options, but many are not designed specifically for Canadians and they don’t provide the kind of coverage you get when you buy your own out-of-country travel insurance.

And perhaps the most important point, another one you may not feel like talking about with your young students: travel insurance policies specifically exclude coverage for medical emergencies that are related to any alcohol or drug use, and that includes, “just one beer” or “a slight puff of a marijuana joint.” Every year we hear of the tragic death or hospitalization of spring breakers trying to dive into a pool from a hotel balcony, or swimming in the ocean after dark, or getting into a fight in a part of the town they shouldn’t be visiting. It happens too often to people who never in their wildest dreams thought it could happen to someone in their family. Travel insurance has its limits. Willful misbehavior or stupid negligence are not covered benefits.

In the dead of winter, a week in paradise has an uplifting ring to it.  But you need to be fully prepared for the potential downside too.

This year, while the DR hosts more than 4 million tourists from around the world, Haiti will continue the grim task of burying its dead, clearing the rubble, and trying to rebuild. It’s an astonishing paradox considering that in the 1950s and ‘60s, Haiti was considered a Caribbean “must see” by tourists looking for the exotic tropics, and its neighbour across the mountains was a relative tourism backwater. It was only in the 1970s that the DR government turned its focus to developing the tourism industry and the results since then have been the envy of tourism ministries throughout the Caribbean basin.

Now, Haiti is not even listed as a tourist destination by the Caribbean Tourism Organization, which tracks tourist arrivals throughout its vast region; although there do remain a few isolated spots on the northern shore of Haiti that are visited by cruise ships and a few hardy snowbirds from Quebec. The travel insurers we spoke to couldn’t hazard a guess as to how many snowbirds—or how few—that may be. Let’s hope they have travel insurance, because getting airlifted back home as quickly as possible would appear to be the only way to deal with a medical emergency at this critical time. Haiti has enough problems of its own.

Some of the world’s largest cruise ships, including the biggest of all—Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas—continue to drop anchor at the island of Labadee on the north shore—to let passengers enjoy the sun, sand, barbeque and trinket shopping that is an expected part of cruising through “paradise.” But many cruise passengers say they are having a hard time enjoying hamburgers and beer on Royal Caribbean’s private island, while just miles away Haitians struggle to stay alive.

Though the January earthquake devastated the western third of Hispaniola, it caused only a few tremors in the Dominican Republic, which subsequently became a massive emergency control centre for thousands of international relief workers trying to move supplies and their own services into Haiti. Reports tell us that the relief effort has put additional burden on DR’s hospitals, hotels, and civil services. But to date, the government and the tourist industry has seen no reason to curtail any tourist-related activity and, in fact, is encouraging visitors to go ahead with their plans.

The DR ministry of Tourism noted that: All of the DR’s eight international airports are open and receiving flights. All of the DR’s cruise terminals and seaports are open and receiving ships. All of the DR’s beaches, hotels, resorts and tourism businesses are conducting normal business operations. At this time, no flights or group tours to the DR have been cancelled.

We’ll have to wait and see how Haiti’s crisis ultimately impacts on its neighbour’s tourism, economy, infrastructure and generosity. It’s unlikely, however, that the DR will be seriously challenged as the Caribbean’s most popular tourism attraction. In 2008, according to CTO data, the DR hosted 3.98 million foreign visitors, compared to 2.3 million who traveled to Cuba and 2.2 million to Mexico’s Caribbean outlet of Cancun.

Now if only Haiti can be reconstructed to enjoy some of that prosperity and stability.

We all have credit cards.  Most used to offer some out- of- country emergency medical coverage. That’s the case no longer.  Unless you know specifically what travel medical benefits your credit card covers and you see it in writing, you must assume you are not covered.

Today, only such high-end cards like CIBC Visa Infinite, for which  you pay $120 a year, and for which you must have a relatively high income to qualify, cover the costs of doctors or hospitalizations while you travel out of the country. But even its health benefits are limited to the first 15 days of your trip, if you are 64 or younger. And, like most other travel insurance plans, it doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions or symptoms that  required treatment, or referrals to specialists, or tests, or changes in medication, within 90 days of departure.

Other more modest credit cards don’t normally cover the costs of medical services any longer. They limit themselves to offering referral services or emergency assistance if you need medical care, but that simply means they will help you get it or direct you to it. They will not pay for it.  Or if they do, the benefits will be very limited.

With hospital costs running into the thousands of dollars per day, anywhere in the world– not just the United States, you need  a minimum of $1 million of coverage, air ambulance repatriation to a hospital in your home community if necessary, and direct payment to foreign hospitals and doctors.  Anything less is not acceptable.
Unless your credit card guarantees you that minimum coverage and you see all of the benefits and exclusions in writing, leave your credit card for  purchases or other benefits and buy stand-alone, single or multi trip insurance designed exclusively for out-of-country travel. That too will have limitations on pre-existing conditions, and it may require you to answer health questions or even complete questionnaires, but at least you will have a contract that clearly shows you what you are covered for before you start your travels.

That’s a lot better than finding out after the fact that because of your health, or your age, or the length of your trip, you don’t qualify for benefits and that hospital bill of $200,000 is yours to pay.

Leaving home without packing travel insurance is as irresponsible as it is unnecessary. Medical emergencies, natural disasters or civil upheaval, grounding for terrorist threat or health pandemic can cost you, big time. We have seen what one underwear bomber can do to the world’s airline schedules.

Against these disruptions, travel insurance can offer substantial protection. But it’s not perfect. There are exclusions. There are limitations. And it’s not as cheap as it used to be. Still, it’s a bargain compared to the other costs you are putting out for your vacation or business trip.

How then can you find the best deal, without risking inadequate coverage? Your age, your health, your duration of travel, even your destination, can all affect the price you pay and the adequacy of the plan you choose. This is not a product to pick off a shelf. And because the one you choose may be more expensive than the one your neighbor bought, doesn’t mean it’s better for you. Age, health status, duration or location of travel all affect the price you pay.

Here are some tips for saving money on your travel insurance.

Take a deductible. Offering to pay the first $100, $500, $1,000, or more of a medical claim can reduce your premiums substantially. Remember, you only have to pay this deductible if you have a medical emergency requiring treatment. But the savings on your premiums are real and they can accumulate over the years. You probably pay a deductible for your car or home insurance, so you know the value of the trade off.

Buy Early. Many travel plans base their premiums on your age at the time of application. If you have a birthday coming up that may bump you into a more senior age category, and you already know when you intend to travel, buy while you’re still in the younger age group.  Caution: if anything on your health status changes between the time you buy and the time you travel, (e.g., new symptoms, a change of medications, a hospitalization, referral to a specialist, etc) you must notify your insurer immediately. If you don’t, and you have claim, the insurer may invalidate your policy.

Early Bird Specials. Some insurers specializing in the snowbird market offer plans for future travel at current or last season’s rates, before new increased fall premiums set in. They do it to improve their cash flow during the slow months. This can be a good deal if you are sure of your travel plans.  But again, if anything changes between the time you buy and your scheduled departure, you must notify your insurer so they can adjust the terms of your contract. That’s your responsibility. It can be very costly if you neglect it.

Consider joining affinity groups or associations such as the Canadian Snowbird Association, or CARP, or your local motor league, or similar groups that negotiate preferred rates with travel insurers for their members. The costs of joining such groups are negligible and the savings on travel insurance can be quite considerable. But remember, even by being part of a group, you still need to read the fine print,  pick your plan carefully, and answer any health questions fully and accurately.  If you run into a claim problem, that’s between you and the insurer.

Compare Apples to Apples. When assessing plans, make sure you are making direct comparisons. Don’t compare the price of a plan with a $50 deductible to one with a $500 deductible, or one without trip cancellation benefits to one that has them.  Also make sure you are comparing like age groups, and similar coverage for pre-existing conditions or travel duration. The longer your trip, the more expensive it is per diem. Your neighbor may be paying $4.50 per day for a 90-day trip, but you can expect to pay more per day for a 180-day trip. It’s all a matter of risk.  The longer you are out of the country, the greater the chance you may encounter a medical problem while out of the country. And don’t be swayed too much by plans that promise $5 million in coverage compared to those that promise “only” $2 million. That is not a blank cheque for you to spend.  Your insurer will not leave you in a foreign hospital long enough to run up a $5 million bill—not with all of the air ambulance services available to bring you home safely.

Consider Annual Multi-trip  Plans. If you know you’re going to travel more than once a year, consider annual or multi-trip plans. These can be a lot cheaper than buying two or three separate single-trip plans each year. The multi-trip plan allows you to take an unlimited number of trips up to a maximum duration (e.g. 15, 30, 60, 90 days or more) over the course of a year. The policy is priced on the specified trip duration. The shorter the duration, the less the price. And it doesn’t matter how many times you travel so long as you don’t exceed the specified duration of any one segment and you don’t combine segments: you must return to your home province for at least one day before starting your next segment. Best of all, you don’t have to tell your insurer when you are using your segments. No need for additional paperwork each time you travel. Caution: If during one of your segments you claim for a medical emergency, you must notify your insurer as that condition will likely be considered pre-existing for any subsequent segments you make.  And that will change the terms of your contract.

Look at plans from multiple insurers. Though most insurers offer similar benefit packages, their prices as well as exclusions and limitations on coverage may differ, so shop different products.  You wouldn’t buy a flat screen TV after looking at only one product would you? Ask questions. And because travel insurance companies offer different products through brokers, associations, motor leagues, and banks, they may go under different brand names but still be essentially the same product.  Manulife Financial offers dozens of plans under different names and at varying prices through brokers, association, banks, affinity groups, motor leagues etc.  So do RBC, ETFS, Travel Insurance Co-ordinators, Travel Underwriters, Travel Guard, and a handful of other firms. To get the best overview of what different plans and prices are available, investigate the offerings of different insurance companies. The best way to do that is to deal with a broker who knows travel insurance and deals with at least several of these companies.

The bottom line is that the best way to get value, or to save money, is to make sure you get the right travel insurance for your specific need. “Cheap” insurance can be awfully expensive if it’s the wrong kind for you.

We have re-designed our site to make it more reactive to your needs, but what we have not changed is our commitment to help you stay safe while traveling: no sales pitches, no product promotions, only the straight dope about what travel insurance covers, and what it leaves out. But we want your feedback. Had a bad experience, or a particularly good one? Have a question about what kind of insurance might be best for you? Had a claim denied unfairly and you want to fight it? Enter your comments below and let us know. We’ll get back to you.

Recent airport delays caused by bomb threats and bad weather have disrupted hundreds of thousands of travel plans around the world. Missed or delayed connections, cancelled flights, hours spent in security lineups cost you money and can shatter plans you have been putting together for months.

Travel insurance trip interruption and cancellation benefits can’t make up for the loss of well-earned holiday time, but they can minimize your disruption, pay for unscheduled hotel bills and meals, cover alternate travel arrangements, help you catch up on what is left of your vacation. But travel insurance doesn’t cover everything—no matter what some travel agent may tell you.

It has exclusions and limitations. It’s not going to reimburse a plane ticket or cruise tariff if the carrier promises only a credit for a later voyage: technically, that’s not a loss, and insurers only cover losses. It’s not going to put you up in the fanciest hotel in town if your flight is cancelled and you’re forced to sleep over (and then only if your airline doesn’t pay the cost). It’s not going to pay for five days in London if you could have gotten home in two. It’s not going to pay for a missed airline connection if you didn’t leave enough time for the connection to be made in the first place (i.e. two hours at a minimum). The bottom line is that trip delay and interruption insurance is an absolute necessity in these uncertain times, but before you buy (and you should only buy from a professional who specializes in or knows travel insurance) know what the exclusions are. Ask. And then read them for yourself.

Travel insurers will also only pay for that portion of prepaid fees you can’t get back from your destination hotel, or airline, or cruise ship, or tour package. Again, it will only pay for actual losses that are beyond your control. That’s all it’s designed to do. For example, if you decide to head into a hurricane zone in August after an official hurricane warning has been posted, don’t expect a refund if you’re blown away. The same thing goes for a trip you decide to make to a part of the world that your government has officially warned against travelling to.

All travel insurers now offer trip delay or interruption insurance. Check it out. It’s a good deal if you know what to expect of it.