Tag: Insurance Posts

Many people don’t realize that if they are in another country that they will often have to pay for all their medical expenses out of their own pocket. A simple visit to a doctor’s office probably won’t set you back too far in most countries, but being hospitalized can potentially bankrupt a person in certain parts of the world, such as the United States. I had a friend who got into a scooter accident in Thailand years ago, and only avoided hefty medical bills thanks to the travel health insurance he purchased before leaving Canada. So without a doubt one of the first items that should be on everyone’s to-do list for an upcoming trip is to either insure that you have adequate travel health insurance for your trip, or purchase travel insurance before leaving. Check For Pre-existing Coverage If you have a higher end credit card, often one that […]

Not long ago I posted a few of my thoughts with regards to obtaining good travel health insurance for a year long trip. I wanted to clarify a few issues with regards to Canadian travel health insurance. British Columbia’s MSP actually is only valid if a person is in the province for more than six months in any given calendar year. If a person is planning on being gone longer, then insurance should be reapplied for upon coming back. Outside of that, a person can make use of a two year exception to the rule once every five years, which is the route I took. But you can only go that route once in a period of ten years, so it’s not very helpful. If you’re going to get travel insurance in Canada at a local insurance broker, chances are it will only be supplemental insurance, which means you have […]

I’ve been a ‘world traveler’ for almost two and a half years now. Back then I hadn’t really been away from Canada for very long before, and the thought of spending multiple weeks, let alone multiple months, in a foreign country was a pretty strange idea. Now the idea of loading a backpack up and heading to a new country feels about as foreign to me as doing a load of laundry. If I saw a plane ticket somewhere for a good price, I could probably be at the airport in three hours, ready to go on a new adventure. One of the pains of being away for an extended period of time though is figuring out how to accomplish many of the things you normally do at home (such as paying bills) while away. It’s not as easy as it sounds, and there are lots of different tricks I […]

I’m one of those people that always purchases travel health insurance whenever I go out of country. Normally you just go down to the insurance broker, fill out a bit of paperwork, and leave with an insurance policy that will cover you in the event of any emergency. I figured (incorrectly) that it would be just as easy to obtain insurance for my upcoming trip, which is why I left it until the last minute. I’ve slowly been chipping away at the problem for the last month or so, and finally managed to acquire some insurance. British Columbia’s MSP Most of the problem with extended travel insurance is due to British Columbia’s medical services plan (MSP). Most BC residents pay into this system, either personally or through their employers. The MSP plan covers basic medical in the province, and allows everyone to obtain surgery (at no additional cost) or visit […]