From cross-border shopping to the annual road trip to Florida, we travel to the United States often. We think nothing of our frequent visits across the border; they’re as casual for us as visiting friends across town (with the addition of passports).
I think it’s this casual mindset with our southern travel that has lulled us into not thinking much about travel insurance. That is until a recent family trip to Florida.
My son had an accident, nothing life threatening but enough of an incident that required a visit to the emergency room. It was in this moment of panic that it occurred to us that we were in a foreign country. No matter how much the United States feels like Canada, it is still another country, where our provincial medical coverage can be limited. Now medical treatments, even things as simple as stitches or a cast that are itemized right down to the cotton ball and bandage used, aren’t covered to the same degree as if we were staying in Canada. It was a harsh reality.
After that incident, medical coverage when traveling was more top of mind, including on our recent trip to the United States over the Easter weekend. American Express is a trusted source for me when it comes to travel. We’ve used the Gold Rewards Card for earning points toward travel benefits, and in the past I’ve used Traveler’s Cheques when visiting overseas, so American Express is a natural choice for Travel Insurance.
While my Gold Rewards Card covers myself and my family on short trips (up to 15 days), I make sure to top up my coverage when planning longer vacations. When I first looked in to supplementary travel insurance for these occasions, I dreaded what the cost would be to cover the five of us. But American Express offers a handy online quoting tool that let me check out the various options on my own time, without any pressure to purchase right there and then – and it was surprisingly affordable.
And for bigger trips that involve prepaying flights and vacation packages (like our future trip to Disneyworld this summer), I can add cancellation insurance to our travel insurance should something happen. That’s really a small price to pay for peace of mind when traveling with my family.
Luckily we had no need to use our insurance on this trip, but after experiencing family travel without coverage, the peace of mind it carries with it far outweighs the minimal cost of travel insurance.
For more information on American Express Canada’s Travel Insurance options or to get a quote for your next family trip, visit their site.
This post has been sponsored by American Express Canada to promote their travel insurance.
great article