The Canadian Traveler Abroad: Explore. Dream. Discover.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”-Mark Twain
In an earlier article entitled, “The Canadian Traveler and Trip Cancellation Insurance and Trip Interruption Insurance”, I reviewed in some detail the nuances of this type of insurance product generally available to the Canadian traveler, either as a standalone insurance product or one that is imbedded and forms part of a medical travel insurance policy or is a feature of the “use” of some credit cards in booking your holiday. My wife as an example is a retired teacher and we have had the luxury of travelling to the United States and other places around the world and being protected with medical travel insurance as part of her retirement package through Alberta Retired Teachers Association (ARTA). Embedded in this coverage is generous trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance.
For the Canadian traveler going abroad or anywhere for that matter, this type of insurance product is very important. But there are other things you should consider doing before starting your next adventure.
Medical travel insurance for anyone who travels either south for the winter or who takes an occasional extended holiday is, in my opinion, an absolute necessity but like any form of insurance contract, it must be reviewed carefully in order to appreciate the nature of the coverage being offered including the definitions, limitations and exclusions contained in the policy.
If you aren’t already aware, you should know that under the universal health care programs administered by each province under the federal Canada Health Act, although in some respects you may be covered while out-of-country and travelling abroad, the nature of the coverage is extremely limited and you may put yourself at a considerable financial risk, should you need medical assistance either in the U.S. or elsewhere. The consequences of relying solely on the Provincial Health Care Plan is outlined in my article, “Health Care and the Canadian Visitor to the United States of America” and applies not only to those on an extended vacation to the U.S. but just as much to the occasional or even weekend visitor. And certainly to those travelling abroad!
One of the most contentious and at times puzzling aspects of medical travel insurance is the existence of any “pre-existing condition” and the varying “stability” provisions/clauses and the impact that this may have on the ability to have effective and enforceable insurance coverage in the event of a medical emergency.( See my article: “Travel Insurance and the “Pre-existing” Condition Enigma and the Canadian Visitor to the United of America”)
But there are many other events short of a medical emergency, where assistance in one form of another may be required and the prudent Canadian traveler abroad may be well advised to take some precautionary action into order to be equipped to handle any contingency.
Living the Dream:
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream another dream”— CS Lewis
Taking an extended vacation abroad or to some exotic destination is what we often dreamed about as we sat behind our desk and contemplated retirement and now that we have reached that station in life, the last thing we want is to turn that dream into a nightmare. Planning for the “best’ but preparing for the “worst” is sometimes a prudent motto to follow as you plan any holiday.
Although it is customary for us to leave our itinerary with our friends and family members before we embark on an extended holiday outside of Canada together with our contact information such as cell phone numbers and email addresses, there are other steps that should be taken to prepare for a sudden and unexpected event or circumstance that might leave you stranded or in need of some form of specialized help or assistance.
Your medical travel insurer (or trip cancellation and trip insurance provider) will typically have a Plan Administrator or Benefits Coordinator who MUST be contacted immediately should there be a need for their assistance and a request to access any of the benefits of the policy.
Having this contact information stored and readily available in a secure place would be prudent. Having this info in more than one location other than your cell phone or iPad, which could get lost or stolen, seems to me to be a good idea. Our ARTA medical travel insurance coverage is underwritten by the Cumis Insurance Company and is administered by the Allianz Insurance. Allianz Global Assistance Canada is the plan administrator and primary contact in case of an emergency. They are one of the primary medical travel insurance administrators in Canada and contract this service to several different medical travel insurance providers. They have developed a FREE travel app called “Tripwise Mobile App” which offers many useful tools to help navigate through the maze should you encounter an unexpected emergency while traveling out of the Province of residence or outside of Canada.
But what else should we do?
You should seriously consider taking a photocopy or snapshot of your passport or nexus card and Provincial Health Care Card, and not only keep a copy with you but also provide the information to someone back home so that is readily accessible in case the originals are lost or stolen or you are unable to immediately access the stored information. You also may want to check with your local provincial health unit and make sure your vaccinations are up to date as we did recently and get a print out for future reference as this may come in handy in a foreign land.
Getting into a country typically but not always requires a valid passport. For example, in a recent day trip to Algodones, Mexico, I was surprised that in crossing the border on foot from the U.S. into Mexico, that there was no one on the Mexican side to greet us and examine our passport. We simply walked into the country. When we returned at the end of the day as one might expect, our passport was carefully examined at the U.S. port of entry by the U.S Customs and Border Patrol agent. If your passport is lost or stolen, at least having access to a copy of your passport will help with your identification and allow the Canadian government to verify your authenticity as a Canadian citizen should circumstances dictate or require it and help in dealing with the immediate aftermath of the loss and help in getting a replacement as soon as possible and hopefully get you safely back into the country.
Many of us store sensitive and important emails and data on our home computer. On recent trip to Turkey, we were detained by Customs and Border Control and the Turkish authorities, as it turns out that the entry visa we had obtained online appeared to be fraudulent. It was somewhat of a harrowing experience which I chronicled in another article entitled, “A Turkish Delight”. The only thing that saved us was the fact that my wife was able to access our home computer from Istanbul, Turkey and obtain a copy of the email we received from the Turkish government agency that we used on-line to obtain the visa. For a few unsettling hours however, we had visions of a scene from the movie, “The Orient Express”!
Having the ability to access your home computer, where a lot of useful and valuable information is stored may be a useful resource. Ask your “geek” son or son-in-law how to be able to do this, if you don’t’ already know how to do it yourself.
“Puedo tener dos cervezas por favor”:
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”- Ludwig Wittgenstein
While on the topic of mobile apps, do you speak a foreign language or are you travelling to a destination where the language barrier may create some difficulty? You may want to investigate a real time translation app. There are several on the market which can easily be downloaded and which can provide simultaneous translations in a variety of different languages. ITranslate Voice promotes itself as having the ability through an iPhone or iPad or similar mobile device to translate over 40 different languages and “guarantees a flawless voice translation experience”. Although may require Wi-Fi connectivity and some are touted as being free, most require a paid subscription, but my research suggests that you could get a one or two month subscription covering your travel period with an introductory one week learning period for a reasonable price. For those who might be adventuresome, this might provide an interesting twist to a foreign vacation. Who knows, this app might be invaluable tool not only from a social engagement or information perspective, but it could come in handy in a “pinch”. We certainly could have used it in Istanbul!
Government of Canada: Travel Assistance:
“Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.”- Winston Churchill
The Government of Canada recommends all travelers government check in before they leave Canada. This seems like a reasonable and prudent step and one which is recommended for any Canadian planning on travelling outside of the country.
Registration of Canadians Abroad is a free service that allows the Government of Canada to notify you in case of an emergency abroad or a personal emergency at home. The service also enables you to receive important information before or during a natural disaster or civil unrest. News reports about recent civil unrest and political protests in Haiti and Venezuela, the tsunami in the Philippines or gang violence shootings in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico are vivid reminders that these kinds of events can happen, and that you could sometimes find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Be prepared and plan ahead!
But there are other less serious circumstances that could require government assistance, including the following:
If you, your friends or family members are traveling outside Canada and lose your passport, need urgent medical care, have been arrested or detained or face an emergency of any kind, Canadian consular officials may be able to help you. This help provided to Canadians abroad is called “consular services.”
You can email sos@international.gc.ca or call directly at 1-613-996-8885.
Global Affairs Canada should also be contacted immediately at 1-613-944-4000.
You can reach consular officials 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in 150 countries and through the Emergency Watch and Response Centre.
You should also be in immediate contact with the local Canadian embassy or consulate. A full list of where they are and how to contact them is in that link.
Travel Warnings: Advice and Advisories for Canadians:
“Remember that life’s big changes rarely give you an advance warning”- H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Travel Advice and Advisories provide Canadians with official information and advice from the Government of Canada on situations that may affect their safety and well-being abroad. They may include an advisory for a country or region where security conditions put Canadians at heightened risk. Travel Advice and Advisories help Canadians make their own informed decisions in order to minimize risk while travelling abroad.
The Global Affairs Canada Travel Information Program team collects continuous reports on safety and security abroad from a variety of sources and monitors world events. The team also analyses trends and incidents affecting international travelers. Travel Advice and Advisories are updated promptly to inform Canadians of situations that may affect their safety and security abroad.
The government keeps an updated list on its website.
Be mindful that the decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the individual Traveler. Travel Advice and Advisories however, provide recommendations about safety and security conditions abroad to enable Canadians to make their own informed decisions regarding travel destinations. You are strongly advised to follow the Government of Canada’s official travel advice to ensure your personal safety and security. But it is up to the individual to decide what constitutes “non-essential travel,” based on family or business requirements, knowledge of a country or region, and other factors.
However, you should be aware that if you travel to any area which is deemed to be unsafe and not recommended for travel by the Canadian government your Trip interruption insurance may not cover you.
Check your policy or your insurance agent or broker to determine whether one of the exclusions of coverage is a “non-essential travel” warning issued by the Government of Canada.
Travel Risk Assessment:
“Adventure and risk often travel in tandem”-William J Anhorn
There are many events that can necessitate an official Travel Advisory, including the threat of terrorism, civil unrest, war, rebellion, a natural disaster, political instability, and health emergencies. There are four levels of risk assessment that guide travelers issued by the Canadian government. These risk categories or levels are explained on this link. Risk levels and Travel Advisories.
The risk level is based on an overall assessment of the current security situation in a country or region and is updated on a regular basis. The Government of Canada closely monitors safety and security conditions abroad, particularly in countries for which Travel Advisories have been issued. As new information becomes available, the level of risk is reassessed, and a Travel Advisory may be issued, upgraded or downgraded.
Before cancelling a trip on the basis of a travel advisory, it would be prudent to check tour trip cancellation coverage or contact your travel agent, travel insurer or airline/tour operator first to determine whether or not the travel advisory falls within the prescribed “reasons for cancellation” or the refund policy.
The Government of Canada has a number of useful smart travel tools that help you stay connected while travelling abroad including the ability to subscribe to daily travel updates and emails that keep you informed about any changes to the travel advisories that might impact your travel plans. (Go to: smart travel tools and Travel Updates to receive emails that summarize changes made to the Canadian Travel Advice and Advisories)
The Prudent Canadian Traveler Abroad:
“Plan purposefully. Prepare prayerfully. Proceed positively. Pursue persistently.” – William A. Ward
Much of the fun about planning an extended vacation abroad is researching and developing an itinerary for the various stops along the way and experiencing the sights and sounds of the countryside and the many beautiful cities in the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond. One of the best ways to experience and get the most of the opportunities is to engage the services of a tour guide. We have taken several cruises and are planning a “Baltic” cruise in the spring with some notable ports of call including Stockholm, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Gdansk. As is typical of any cruise, the time spent in the various ports of call are limited and we have found that the best way to take advantage of the visit is to hire a local guide who can plan a useful and custom made itinerary for you. Although the cruise lines offer their own excursions, we have found that engaging the services of our own tour guide and planning our own tour is a much more rewarding experience and to date we have not been disappointed. I would recommend toursbylocals.com which by the way is a Canadian company with its head office in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Final Thoughts: Explore.Dream.Discover
“If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.”
― Yogi Berra
But just as detailed planning of your itinerary is an exciting and rewarding exercise, planning for any unexpected or unforeseen events is just as important. By taking some simple precautions, considering some important safeguards and making some advanced preparations, you can have some “peace of mind”, relax and enjoy your trip.
And take comfort in knowing that if a sudden, unexpected or unforeseen event should occur, you will be fully prepared to meet the challenge of whatever the event or circumstance may throw your way.
Bon voyage!
William J. Anhorn Q.C., ICD.D