What is the Exact Cost of an Accident While Traveling?

As a young traveler, I’ve always considered myself quite healthy and, well, relatively unbreakable. A clumsy individual, I usually avoid extraneous activities that may end me up in the hospital. The thing to remember is - accidents can and do happen anywhere, at any time.

That’s why travel insurance is so important. I’ve been very afraid to look at my credit card bill, even knowing that I will likely receive money back from my slip and fall. The costs come on quick and strong when you've had an accident out of country (especially for a Canadian who is used to having excellent health coverage).

I realized how important it was to break down the costs of an accident so you can really see the dollar value of having insurance. So, like a good math problem I will lay it all out here (these are all approximations in CAD because most of the charges were in USD).

Total Trip Cost: $2039.10 Insurance: $84 (I got a net rate, typically around $142, but is specific based on your trip cost and your policy) **(I missed two nights and my flight home, so hopefully will get Trip Interruption for this)**

Cost of Ambulance: Unknown, but on average around $800-$1000 Cost of Medical Treatment in Mexico: $1270.33 Cost to See the Resort Doctor, Get Meds & Get Fit to Fly Letter: $300

Taxi to Airport: $80 New Flight on WestJet: $210 Baggage for WestJet: $30

Because I have insurance, I will (hopefully) receive the money back for these extra charges, totalling $1890.33 (I did not include the ambulance because they went directly to my insurance company for that). This could have been a lot more if the injuries were more severe or if I was further away (a one way flight from Cancun was inexpensive considering I bought it a few hours before). I cannot stress this enough – you should never leave home without travel insurance. Don’t buy it without understanding the policy, though. You should be covered for medical and emergency cases as well as any other things that you need the policy to cover (trip cancellation if a family member is ill, etc.). Don't be afraid to ask questions - and make sure to read through the policy carefully.

I wholeheartedly endorse and recommend Allianz Global Assist (TIC).

#Advice #TravelInsurance