What is the difference between all-inclusive plans and travel medical plans?
The difference between all-inclusive plans and travel medical plans is that an all-inclusive travel insurance plan is designed to offer the most robust trip protection available. Coverage is comprehensive, incorporating benefits such as trip cancellation and interruption, emergency medical, emergency evacuation and repatriation, baggage loss and delay, all under one policy. Add additional benefits and tailor a plan to your unique travel needs. All-inclusive plans vs. travel medical plans are typically more expensive due to their various coverage benefits.
A travel medical insurance plan, commonly called emergency medical insurance, is designed to cover unexpected medical emergencies while travelling outside your home country, province, or territory. Your Canadian Government Health Insurance Plan (GHIP) will likely not cover emergency and non-emergency medical expenses while you travel global and are outside Canada. However, it may provide limited coverage for medical expenses while in another province or territory. You will just be expected to pay for them upfront and out of pocket. As with any travel insurance plan, add additional coverage benefits that you need, such as the
pre-existing conditions benefit, which is valuable for seniors especially and typically not included in a travel medical insurance plan, or the emergency evacuation and repatriation benefit if the plan doesn’t already include it.
We cannot stress enough how important it is for Canadian travellers like you to have travel medical insurance for the duration of your domestic or international trip, either on its own or as part of an all-inclusive plan. Unexpected medical expenses can be costly while travelling, ranging from tens of thousands to millions of dollars, so why pay for those if they can be covered for the small amount you will pay for a travel medical or all-inclusive travel insurance plan?
Is a travel medical plan enough?
When you compare all-inclusive plans with travel medical plans, a travel medical plan may provide enough coverage if you are taking a road trip interprovincially or down to the States, even if just for the day, as flights and baggage issues probably will not be your concern. However, if the loss of your luggage is a concern, you can add baggage loss coverage to your travel medical plan if it’s not included. Closely read the details of a travel medical plan to find out what exactly it covers.
Should I upgrade to an all-inclusive plan?
Upgrading to an all-inclusive plan is up to you. You should select the best plan for your travel needs. For example, if you are driving down to the States for a short trip, even if it’s just for the day, you will probably only need a travel medical insurance plan. Since you are driving, you will not need coverage for travel disruptions such as flight delays, missed connections, or baggage delays. But if you are travelling abroad, it’s wise to opt for a package plan such as an all-inclusive plan because it will protect you from travel disruptions, medical emergencies, baggage loss and delay, as well as any other travel concerns you have that you choose to add coverage to your policy for. An all-inclusive travel insurance plan is worth considering for the medical coverage alone. Through us online, you can get a quote and, for a few extra dollars, buy an all-inclusive plan instead of a travel medical plan, which will cover all your bases and give you peace of mind should anything unexpected happen before or during your trip.
If you frequently travel, taking more than two trips per year, annual travel insurance, commonly called multi-trip travel insurance, might be a better option than all-inclusive travel insurance. Coverage benefits vary by plan but typically include emergency medical, emergency evacuation, travel delay, baggage loss and delay and sometimes trip cancellation, interruption and COVID-19. You can also add coverage benefits to tailor a plan to meet your travel needs, such as pre-existing conditions or cancel for any reason (CFAR).
