5 Surprising Ways Travel Insurance Will Protect You Abroad

Imagine that your mother or aunt, who lives in another part of the country, falls ill all of a sudden. So ill, in fact, that you have to fly down as soon as possible, so you can say goodbye while it's not too late.

We hope that never happens, for obvious reasons, but it can - and it does, for a lot of families. Those last-minute flights are expensive, sometimes double or even triple what you'd pay in advance.

Travel insurance on flights, car rentals and hotel stays can prevent all that. But that's just if something bad happens before you go.

If you have travel insurance, you can cancel that planned vacation and use the funds for this emergency. Or just put off your vacation until things are more settled at home.

Your safety is much more important to your vacation. If there's some sort of national security crisis at your destination, travel insurance can help you out. They can either refund you/cover cancellation costs or help you make new reservations that skip the dangerous country.

Probably the most common reason people can't go on vacation or on trips is inclement weather. With global warming increasing the intensity and frequency of storms, it's happening more every year.

You can't control the weather, and neither can the airlines. Most airlines won't cover cancellations or give you vouchers because of weather - though they may still help you get different flights.

Travel insurance can cover you completely and or get you a refund. You can use that money to find a different way to get there or rebook when it's safe to do so.

As long as you didn't miss your flight because you spent too long in line for an airport pretzel or you didn't set your alarm, you can get help rescheduling a missed flight.

Most of the time, missing flights happen because of an issue on the airline's side, like a mechanical delay that leads to later takeoff, that leads to you missing your connection.

Missed flights/missed connection coverage can save you hundreds of dollars and your sanity. While you can often get rescheduled for free by the airline, they may not get you there till the next day.

That means you could be stuck in the airport overnight, or miss your event that you're flying out for. The airlines can only help you out by getting you a flight on their airline.

If there's another airline that can get you there faster, you have to book that for a fee - unless you have travel insurance.

If there are no other options, your travel insurance may reimburse you for a hotel, if you have to stay overnight.

When you're leaving the country for a non-first world country, you need to get vaccines. Those vaccines are supposed to keep you healthy and protected from the worst of the illnesses.

But that doesn't mean your immune system is suddenly invincible. You can still get run of the mill illnesses or even the diseases you got vaccinated against, in some cases.

And going to the doctor in another country is all sorts of expensive. You don't have global medical insurance coverage (more than likely) so your Canadian health insurance plan is of no use. Without travel insurance, you'll have to pay completely out of pocket for the doctor's fees and any medication.

But that's the best case scenario. What if something extreme happens, and you need emergency hospitalization or surgery? Now those costs go up, almost exponentially.

Especially if you're in a non-socialized country like the United States. Did you know that the average ambulance ride alone there costs about $3,500 CAD?

That's just the ride to the hospital. It doesn't include any sort of treatment or medication while you're there.

Medical Availability

In some cases, your travel will take you places where the kind of emergency medical care you need isn't available. Now you'll have to be emergency flown to the nearest place it is, or even put on a plane back home.

In that case, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars, all coming out of your pocketbook.

It's a rare situation, yes, but it's worth getting that travel insurance medical coverage (or add on). We promise you won't regret having more protection than you need - even though we hope you never have to use it.

Let's say you're planning a week-long trip to Disney World in sunny Orlando, FL, USA. You're on your trip when a hurricane that was supposed to only hit Mexico turns suddenly.

It's now supposed to hit land (which grounds planes and causes damage) on the fourth day of your trip. You don't want to die in a flood or be stuck in the Florida heat, with no power/AC, and nowhere to go for the next three days.

A good travel insurance policy can help you book flights home, while Mickey Mouse secures the hatches at Disney World, without your help.

It's a scary world out there. Canadians have it pretty good, compared to the mass shootings we see almost weekly in the US and in other countries. France has a no weapons policy, but their strong stance on Muslim expression makes them a target for terrorist activity.

If one of these events were to happen while you were visiting, you'd want to get out of there, quickly. Sticking around isn't safe for your family, and it won't be fun either.

Many national monuments close or change their hours in response to attacks or political unrest, so you may not even have anything to do (even if you're not directly in the danger).

Obviously, this event is out of your control, so your travel insurance company can help you get home, and get home safely.

Most airlines have lost luggage return policies, or vouchers they'll give you if something is truly lost - but what about luggage that's lost on planes? Or even stolen while you're abroad?

That's one reason you need to invest in wearable passport holders, to keep what's really important close to your chest.

If your luggage is truly lost or stolen (and not returned) you can hit up your travel insurance to tide you over for what you need in the meantime.

It's not always preventable, but there are some things you can do to make petty theft, like pickpocketing, less likely.