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Best travel insurance for Canadian snowbirds

Written by Patrick Uzo

Snowbird is a term that usually refers to Canadians who cannot bear the winter in Canada and decide to take a little holiday to different areas with a more favorable climatic condition. Winter can be very harsh, and many find it challenging to manage, so they opt for warmer regions like the United States, Mexico, Australia, France, China, etc. Many will find this article intriguing as it helps to discover the best travel insurance for Canadian snowbirds.

As you already know, insurance is one big way to prepare for a lot of unexpected expenses that might arise to knock us off. Even snowbirds who travel out of the country need insurance as you can never be too sure of what might happen. Your regular insurance policies might be reduced, or even void in other locations as most coverage is within the country or state.

We already know how costly healthcare can be in the United States, imagine having to unexpectedly pay for up to 80% of these expensive bills. One can never cover all when traveling for such a short vacation, and unplanned casualties can alter the original plans.
Snowbird insurance doesn’t only pay for your medical insurance but also handles some unfortunate travel situations like missing baggage, flight accident expenses, canceled flights, etc.

Robin was finally a graduate from the University of Toronto. It was time to begin a new chapter of her life. She was hoping that her bucket list will reduce as her projected dream was still in line. She knew that she had to be exceptional to make a mark in the office. Luckily, it wasn’t a hard task for her as she wasn’t given tasks she couldn’t handle. In less than five years, she was already one of the most promising employees.

Things started to change around the office, and they needed to expand. The company felt our favorite girl was fit for the new branch, and she was sent to represent the company with some other colleagues to the unveiling of the new office. Everyone was getting ready to send her off with tears as she beat everyone’s expectation with her progress, and now, she was leaving for the States for a new job experience. She took her time to ensure everything was ready for the trip. Robin wasn’t going to lose this opportunity on the last day.

She met with her colleagues on the travel day, waiting for the flight. Unfortunately, there was a technical fault with the proposed aircraft. The group couldn’t risk rescheduling because the next free trip won’t give them enough time to prepare for the event. They paid some people off to get on the next flight to Florida, already spending part of the allowances for the trip. They finally got to Florida later than planned and ordered two uber rides to take them to their reserved hotel rooms in the dark of the night.

As if they have not had enough for the day, they got into an auto crash. It was a brutal accident as there were injuries but with different degrees. Our dear Robin ended up with bruises, some severe lacerations, internal bleeding, and a broken arm. The medics rushed her to the Intensive Care Unit to help stabilize her after the ambulance arrived at the crash scene. She was being treated until she got better, minor surgeries were performed to get rid of some objects from her skin. After three weeks, she was free but with different stitches on different parts of her body.

She found her way to the branch office in Florida and met some colleagues that were replacing them. News got to her hearing that out of six of them sent out; two had died. She was feeling better now alongside two others; the last one was still in a coma.

Robin got an excellent apartment and someone that would nurse her for the time being. She still had to visit the hospital for checkups and medications. After the first month in Florida, her first salary came in. She was shocked, they slashed almost half of her salary. She complained and was told the cost of her hospital visits was shared between her and the company. Robin talked to the firm about her cover; she had insurance that will cover the bills. She also called her insurers, and they took over.

Her life was getting better once more as her insurers were covering her medicals bills. The salary was more than enough to cater to her needs and pay her nurse. One can actually confirm that she came to Florida prepared. She might have been living on debts or managing her resources to cope, but one wise decision did the trick. She got one of the best travel insurance for Canadian snowbirds.

What is the stability period

It is a period where snowbirds with pre-existing medical conditions reported by the policyholder must not change. The most common stability period ranges from months to a year. You will also have to be managing your condition for that time before your insurance payout can be available.

How to choose the best snowbird policy for yourself

There are different steps to take to ensure that you get excellent snowbird insurance, if not the best.

  • It is essential to compare the pricing, policy coverage, and policy riders to know the best plan for yourself.
  • Read the policy terms carefully and ensure you understand everything in the policy to avoid mistakes
  • Check if you have any limiting on the plan, things that you can exclude and include to provide the full policy coverage.
  • Ensure you complete the steps for getting your insurance before leaving.

Note

You need to check with your insurers that other insurance packages are in place until you are back. Your snowbird insurance shouldn’t make you lose other insurance packages you have.

I wish you luck in finding the best travel insurance for Canadian snowbirds as you check policy plans, policy riders and extra coverage among these recommended insurers.

  • Snowbird insurance
  • Kanetix
  • CAA Travel Insurance
  • Blue Cross
  • Manulife CoverMe
  • World Nomads

About the author

Patrick Uzo

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