Do I need Insurance when I travel in Canada?

We all understand that if we travel outside of our borders it makes good sense to obtain travel insurance that includes health insurance beyond just luggage and flight cancellations.

I have always assumed that our provincial coverage such as OHIP, will cover me outside of the province. That is a wrong assumption.

One of the biggest costs that could be incurred is ambulance services. Ground ambulance can be a few hundred dollars whereas air ambulances can be thousands of dollars.

So consider the fact that if you get injured while skiing in BC and need to be airlifted to Toronto, OHIP will not cover those costs.

You are having a pastry in Calgary, and crack your tooth on a hidden walnut shell, the emergency dental care is not covered.

An easy way of getting this coverage is using a premium travel card that includes this insurance in your purchases. The other standard alternative is through the various travel insurance offerings by the banks and different insurance companies.

Sometimes, it is cheaper to do it direct with the carrier than just clicking on the box while buying an airline ticket or travel package.