Anything Can Happen, So Buy Travel Insurance

Every year, millions of people travel to exotic destinations across the globe to escape their busy lives for a little while. They pack themselves tightly into cars, planes, trains, ships and buses to reach their destination. Other people travel frequently because their job demands it. Many of these people travel without any travel insurance coverage at all. According to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), the number of uninsured travelers is on the rise. Nearly one in four travelers go abroad without insurance (abta.com), and in doing so they risk steep medical bills and a whole host of complications that could arise while they are away. In Canada, it’s even worse. Global News reports that only half of Canadians purchase travel insurance before heading off on their next adventure (globalnews.com).

The reason that many people opt out of buying travel insurance is that they don’t believe anything could happen to them. To them, it doesn’t seem logical to add an optional fee to their trip. The truth is that anything can happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter if you are traveling to a safe area or if you are young and in peak health. In case you still aren’t convinced, think about a few real-life situations where travel insurance would have made a huge difference.

One small purchase

Consider the benefit of purchasing travel insurance in a case that might hit a little closer to home for all us Canadians who travel down south every winter. Tony Smith, a 76 year-old resident of Kitchener, Ontario, was in Florida when he suffered a heart attack. He needed extensive medical care in a Florida hospital before he was cleared to return home to Canada, and the bills racked up to a whopping $98,400. However, Smith’s costs were all covered by his $71 travel insurance policy! (thestar.com) You can be sure that he was glad he bought travel insurance!

When coverage comes in handy

In a completely different situation, someone traveled to Switzerland and had a sudden brain aneurysm during the trip. This individual was young and had never imagined that they would end up in hospital with a life-threatening condition. Urgent medical care was absolutely necessary. After specialized care, surgery and weeks of recovery, the patient was finally able to fly home. And what was the cost of this debacle? Over $70,000!. Thankfully for the individual, in this case, they had been prudent enough to purchase travel insurance before leaving for Switzerland. The $70,000 was taken care of, and the tourist returned to his home country in good health (worldnomads.com).

Travel Insurance from Cooke

Here at Cooke Insurance, we have a variety of affordable travel insurance products to give you coverage during your next trip. There’s no reason for you to be stuck with a hefty medical bill while you’re away, so talk to us and we’ll lay out your options. Our policies have no age restrictions, and we even offer family and group rates. Contact your local Cooke Insurance office today to learn more!

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