Travel Insurance is insurance specifically for travel-related emergencies and expenses. No one wishes to risk Financial hardship due to a medical emergency while on vacation or simply travelling. Residents of Ontario are fortunate to participate in OHIP but those health benefits are not covered once we leave the province. International travelers will always want to have travel insurance because it covers emergency medical expenses, such as emergency room or urgent care visits or even facilitating getting you home if required. Even those travelling outside their home province may find it useful depending on their plans.

You purchase international travel insurance for trips, through an insurer in your province of residence, which means the country to which you’d want to be evacuated to or return to after a serious medical emergency and/or the country you’d need to travel to if a family member became very ill (these are assumed to be the same country).

If travelling within your country of residence, you can buy cheaper domestic travel insurance within that country, but you may decide that you do not need it at all if you are willing to risk losing costs associated with cancellations and so on.