Planning your spring or summer vacation this year closer to home? After all, visiting a Canadian destination instead of one abroad has its unique rewards, as long as you remember to protect yourself. As one traveller’s personal experience shows, you need travel insurance, even as a Canadian travelling within Canada.
Graduate student suffers spinal fracture while travelling within Canada
During a break at university, 25-year-old Alex* flew from Toronto to the small town of Unity in western Saskatchewan. He had decided to spend his semester off visiting his family and helping out on their farm. A week after he arrived, Alex was painting the weatherboards of a shed when he slipped from a ladder rung and fell.
Alex hit the ground hard at an awkward angle, fracturing both his heel and a vertebra in his back. Alex was rushed to the hospital and was admitted to the ER.
How travel insurance helped pay for Alex’s out-of-province medical bills
After a thorough examination, doctors determined that while Alex didn’t need surgery, he would require an extended amount of time to heal. He was kept in the hospital for 4 days under observation and then discharged—with the recommendation to seek out physiotherapy, and to get a back brace along with some prescription medication for the pain.
Many Canadians who travel outside their home province aren’t aware that their provincial healthcare plan won’t cover all their expenses in an accident or medical emergency. A ground ambulance alone can cost Canadians thousands in fees. Thankfully, Alex knew better; because he had planned for his trip to Unity well in advance, he knew about the right time to buy Emergency Medical Insurance, which ended up saving him from being out-of-pocket over $2,500.
Want to read more real-life traveller stories? Read about Colin’s experience with COVID-19 in the US or Dennis’ similar experience.
Travelling within Canada with TuGo’s travel insurance coverage
Before you set off on your out-of-province Canadian vacation, you should familiarize yourself with what is or isn’t considered a medical emergency and how emergency medical travel insurance should cover you.
Find out why an annual travel insurance plan is the way to go, whether you’re keeping all your travels for the year within Canada or you’re travelling abroad.
By the way, if you do experience a medical emergency while on vacation, and find yourself needing to file a claim, we recommend reading up on how to make your travel insurance claim process go more smoothly. The last thing you’d want is to feel overwhelmed with paperwork and procedures after already experiencing a medical emergency; following these necessary steps will ensure a less stressful time on your end.
Safe travels,
Justin
*Based on actual claim with specific traveller details changed to protect privacy.
