What is travel insurance and why is it so important? CAA travel expert explains

With thousands of travellers left stranded over the holidays or their vacations completely cancelled due to disruptions, travel insurance is so important now more than ever.

Terry Kaszas, CAA Saskatchewan's General Manager of Travel Services says travel insurance is 100 per cent important to make sure your investment is covered.  

“It’s a smart decision on your part to ensure that you’re covered,” says Kaszas. 

Kaszas adds that travel insurance could cover your trip in a variety of different ways. 

“Trip interruptions, cancellations, medical, and baggage. We basically cover it all.” 

The current travel insurance plans CAA offers are a Deluxe Holiday, Top-Up and Extension plans, Trip Cancellation and Interruption, and plans for those visiting Canada.  

In terms of medical coverage, CAA has two plans that they offer, the Multi-Trip and Single Trip plans.  

The Multi-Trip plan covers you for an unlimited number of trips per year, out-of-province emergency coverage up to $5 million, hospital accommodation, dental, reimbursements, and much more.  

Their Single-Trip plan provides coverage for a single vacation or business trip, medical coverage up to $5 million, hospital accommodations, dental expenses, a medical follow-up in Canada, and much more.  

Medical coverage is important because coverage outside of Canada may be limited and much more expensive than in Saskatchewan.  

CAA Saskatchewan even has a policy that allows you to have no reason when cancelling your trip.  

“If a few days before your trip, you say I can’t go now. You can cancel because you don’t want to travel.”  

The importance of travel insurance comes after vacations were impacted during the Christmas holidays leaving some stranded in their tropical destination and others waiting in airports for days with no answers.  

Last week, Sunwing announced they would be cancelling most seasonal flights from Regina and Saskatoon, due to unprecedented circumstances.  

This has left thousands either rebooking their vacation through a different Canadian city or starting from scratch and re-planning their holiday getaway.  

Visit your local CAA office for a travel insurance quote or more information on what each package entails. Also, more details can be found on their website.