As a Canadian who regularly spends time south of the border, you’ll likely agree that getting the right travel insurance can be a complicated necessity. The last thing you want is to have your winter escape plagued by worry: Is your travel insurance plan right for you, your travels, and your current health status? With so many factors to consider and a number of options to choose from, selecting the right plan can be an overwhelming task. Our comprehensive guide, written by our Senior Product Specialist and tailored just for snowbirds like you, is easy to download. And, best of all, it’s free!

1. A Snowbird’s Guide
to Travel Insurance
Tips, Tricks, and Lots of Information – just for Snowbirds

2. Table of Contents
What is Snowbird Insurance?
3
Types of Snowbird Insurance
4
Shopping for Snowbird Insurance
6
Snowbird Insurance for Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
8
Understanding Your Snowbird Insurance Policy
10
How to Save on Snowbird Insurance
11
Claims Tips
13

3. What is Snowbird Insurance?
Snowbird insurance is any type of travel insurance suitable for Canadian seniors who travel in the winter. Each
year, Canadians flock to warmer climates once the weather turns cold and the snow starts to fall. While Canadian
provincial Government Health Insurance Plans (GHIP) allow up to 7 months of travel outside the province before
lapsing, it is important to remember that GHIP covers only a fraction of any medical expenses incurred outside of
your home province. Snowbird medical insurance offers protection against potentially catastrophic expenses related
to unforeseen sickness and injury while away from home. Additionally, non-medical travel insurance helps snowbirds
protect against unexpected costs arising from a cancelled trip, lost or stolen baggage, or an early return home for
unexpected reasons.
Ingle International is part of a group of companies that has been protecting travellers since 1946. We developed the
first travel insurance plans specifically for snowbirds in the 1980s, and have continued to offer insurance products
and services that evolve with Canadian winter travellers ever since. Today, we operate as a Managing General Agent
(MGA), working with major travel insurers across Canada and around the world to offer a comprehensive selection of
insurance products for all types of traveller, including snowbirds like you. By comparing a variety of plans and providing
personalized guidance throughout the application process, we help find snowbirds the right coverage at the right price.
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4. Types of Snowbird Insurance
When most Canadians think travel insurance, they think of medical coverage for unforeseen sickness or injury while
travelling. But there’s a lot more to travel insurance than just medical coverage. If you’re heading south for the winter,
you may want to consider a combination of medical and non-medical coverage to suit all of your travel needs.
Non-medical insurance typically consists of insurance for anything that is not health related; the most common
types are trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance. Trip cancellation insurance can reimburse you for the
cost of your trip if it is cancelled unexpectedly due to an unforeseen emergency (e.g., a death in the family), while
trip interruption insurance provides reimbursement for the extra cost of an unexpected and early return home.
Baggage insurance can insure the cost of your valuables (up to a certain amount) if your bags are lost or stolen, and
Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance delivers a lump-sum cash payment to: (a) you, if you lose
a limb, or (b) a beneficiary, if you die unexpectedly during your travels. All of these types of plans can be grouped
together into non-medical inclusive or all-inclusive plans.
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5. Here’s a breakdown of the basic* types of plans (and benefits) that are available:
Type of Plan
Benefit
Travel Medical
Care for Emergency Sickness and Injury
P
Non-Medical
All-Inclusive
and Interruption
Package
Package
P
Return Home (medical)
Trip Cancellation
P
P
P
P
Protection of Trip Costs
P
P
P
Return Home (non-medical)
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
Baggage reimbursement
Accidental Death & Dismemberment
(AD&D) reimbursement
*Please note that benefits vary from plan to plan. This breakdown does not reflect the exact benefits of all of the plans we offer.
Once you’ve determined the medical and non-medical coverage you require, there are a few more questions you
should ask before deciding on the best plan for you:
Do I need coverage for more than one trip?
In addition to their winter travels, many snowbirds enjoy taking additional trips throughout the year. If you’re a yearround traveller, you would likely benefit from a multi-trip annual plan. Multi-trip plans last a full year (beginning
from a date of your choosing) and cover an unlimited number of trips, up to a specific number of days per trip.
The number of days of coverage per trip is selected by you at the time of purchase, and can vary from as few as 4
days to as many as 182 days. There are many advantages of a multi-trip annual plan. In addition to the convenience
of only having to purchase once per year, multi-trip annual plans can also save you money since they are cheaper
than purchasing several single-trip plans throughout the year. If you are concerned that the number of days you’ve
selected will limit you from taking longer trips later in the year, you can top up on your existing plan by purchasing
extra coverage for the additional days you need.
Does my existing travel insurance provide enough coverage?
Many snowbirds have existing travel insurance through a group benefits or credit card plan. However, these plans
may not provide coverage for your entire trip or may not include all the benefits you need. Before travelling for the
winter, check what your existing plan does (and does not) cover. Make sure you are protected for the full duration of
your trip, since some plans may only cover you for a week or two per trip. Also, make sure that your existing travel
insurance provides adequate coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. If you aren’t sure what your existing plan
covers, we can help you review your policy documents to determine if it is sufficient for your needs. If you already
have sufficient travel medical coverage for your trip, you may want to consider purchasing non-medical coverage for
trip cancellation, trip interruption, and lost or stolen baggage.
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6. Shopping for Snowbird Insurance
Now that you know what type of coverage you need, it’s time to actually shop for your snowbird insurance! But don’t
just buy the first plan you come across. Travel insurance is not a trivial purchase, and there is much to be gained by
being a careful shopper. Below are four tips to help you choose the coverage that is right for you.
1. Compare plans.
There are dozens of travel insurance plans for Canadian snowbirds on the market, but they are not all created
equally. When evaluating plans, make sure you’re doing an apples-to-apples comparison. Just because one
plan is cheaper than another doesn’t mean it is right for you. Know what medical and non-medical coverage
you require and ensure the plan you choose includes the benefits you need. If you have any pre-existing
medical conditions, make sure they are properly covered. Purchasing Snowbird insurance with the help of Ingle
International will save you time, effort, and money. We’ll browse our large selection of products on your behalf
to make sure you get the correct coverage. And our travel insurance experts are happy to clarify any confusing
parts of your policy.
2. Don’t purchase based on price alone.
Snowbird insurance can be quite costly. Everyone wants to save money, but don’t cut corners when shopping
for your coverage. A bare-bones plan may save you a few bucks at the time of purchase, but if that plan doesn’t
provide you with adequate coverage, any savings could be offset by major expenses that aren’t covered. For
example, you may be able to save a couple of hundred dollars by purchasing a medical plan without coverage for
pre-existing medical conditions. However, if during your trip you are hospitalized due to an existing condition’s
flare-up, you could face bills in the tens of thousands of dollars. And this won’t be covered by your basic
insurance plan. There are many ways you can save on your travel insurance (which we’ll get to later in this guide),
but first and foremost, make sure that you’re getting the right coverage for your needs.
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Guide to Travel Insurance?
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Snowbird Insurance for Pre-Existing
Medical Conditions
99 Additional travel insurance shopping tips
If you are in perfect health and have no existing medical conditions, please share your healthy lifestyle tips
Understanding Your Snowbird InsuranceorPolicy medical conditions. Fortunately,
with us! Chances are, however, you may have one more pre-existing
Canadian travel insurers are in the know, and have made great strides in offering plans that include coverage
for expenses related to pre-existing medical conditions. Still, it is critical to remember that all plans are unique
and that many factors determine whether or not your medical conditions will be covered. Below are three
important points to keep in mind.
1. Some extremely serious conditions can make you ineligible for insurance.
While travel insurers strive to accommodate a variety of pre-existing medical conditions, certain conditions
99 Information for travellers with pre-existing conditions
are serious enough to make applicants completely ineligible for some plans. Not only will serious conditions
not be covered, but people living with such conditions will not be able to purchase some plans. Examples*
of such medical conditions include:
• A terminal illness
Once you’ve purchased the right Snowbird insurance for your travels, it’s important to read your policy documents
• Metastatic cancer
carefully, including the policy wording, to make sure you understand your coverage. Make sure all of your personal
• Dialysis for a kidney and accurate on your policy documents. If
information and your answers to the medical questionnaire are completecondition
there is anything you don’t understand, or if you notice an oxygen for a lung condition
• Home error in your information, speak with your insurance agent
before you Insurance
How to Save on Snowbird leave for your trip. Find some key sections typically found in travel insurance policies below:
• AIDS or HIV
99 How to save money (without skimping on your coverage)
1. Eligibility
• Conditions for which a physician has advised you not to travel
This section includes the criteria that must be met for you to be eligible for your policy. If you don’t meet
these criteria, this plan is not for you.
2. Benefits
*Keep in mind that all plans have unique eligibility criteria. The examples listed above will not
lead to ineligibility for all plans.
A list of the expenses covered by your policy is included in this section. While your policy has an overall
maximum dollar limit, individual benefits may also have separate dollar limits. For example, your policy could
have an overall maximum limit of $5,000,000, but a separate limit of $5,000 for repatriation. Furthermore,
some policy documents list all medical and non-medical benefits offered under a variety of different plans.
99 Step-by-step tips for making claims
Don’t assume that all of these benefits are included with your plan. Your policy document may list medical and
non-medical benefits, but you may have purchased a plan with only medical coverage. When you make your
purchase, you will receive a confirmation document that lists which plan you have and the benefits included.
Check the confirmation document so that you know which benefits are applicable to your coverage.
3. Exclusions
A list of expenses not covered by your policy is included in this section. This list may include expenses related to
Claims Tips
99 Guide to understanding your policy
unstable medical conditions, high-risk activities and destinations, or unlawful actions.
4. Definitions
This section includes a glossary of terms found within your policy and their exact meaning. Definitions vary from
plan to plan, so make sure you understand key terms as defined in your policy.
There are several factors that determine the cost of a travel insurance policy, including age, health, trip length,
destination, and (for plans that include trip cancellation coverage) the cost of your travel arrangements. Fortunately,
there are several ways for snowbirds to save on travel insurance. Take a look at the different ways to save below!
1. Annual plans
If you’re one of the many snowbirds who take more than one trip per year, a multi-trip annual plan will likely be
cheaper than purchasing separate single-trip plans throughout the year.
2. Companion discounts
Some plans offer discounted rates when purchased for two people travelling together. Your travelling companion
does not have to be a relative—as long as you are travelling together for the same dates.
3. All-inclusive plans
If you’re planning to purchase a combination of medical and non-medical coverage, shop for an all-inclusive plan,
which will bundle the benefits you need and will likely be cheaper than separate plans.
You’ve purchased the Snowbird travel insurance you need, you’ve read your policy, and you understand your
coverage. So all that’s left for you to do is enjoy your winter in the sun while your friends shovel snow back home. But
what if the unexpected occurs and you need to use your insurance?
Whenever possible, travel medical insurance plans will coordinate payment directly with a medical facility. If you
require medical attention, it is important that you contact your insurer as soon as possible so that they can direct you
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to the nearest facility and the appropriate care. There are some facilities, like walk-in clinics, that may require up-front
payment. In this case, you will have to file a claim with your insurer before being reimbursed. Non-medical travel
insurance plans may also require that you file a claim to be reimbursed for unforeseen travel expenses. Below are
some tips for filing a claim and getting your money back faster.
1. Keep copies of all your receipts.
Ask for a receipt every time you pay for a medical service and make a copy for your own records. You will need
to include the originals with your claim form.
2. Get an official claim form.
Your insurer can provide you with a claim form for your policy. Call the Claims Inquiries phone
number on your policy booklet.