Overcoming travel disruptions with insurance

Travel is mostly fun and rewarding. However, without precautions such as travel insurance, costly disruptions can derail your trip plans. Common mishaps include flight cancellations and delays, medical emergencies, and mishandled baggage.

For Canadian travellers, the frequency of many of these disruptions is increasing. In 2024, Canada, the U.S. and China led the world in number of departing flight cancellations, according to data analyzed by Travel Perk. Globally, roughly 34 percent of flights experienced a travel delay, Travel Perk wrote.

Purchasing travel insurance may help you avoid major financial losses due to these disruptions, which range from inconveniences to major emergencies.

Common travel disruptions

Flight cancellations and delays

More than 75 percent of flight delays are due to weather but factors such as staffing shortages and technical problems are also contributing factors. Flight cancellations and delays significantly impact travel plans and schedules due to missed connections and cancelled reservations.

Lost or delayed luggage

Your luggage is more likely to be mishandled if you are taking more than one connecting flight or traveling internationally, writes AFAR. Additionally, many Canadian airline passengers with disabilities report that their wheelchairs and mobility devices have been damaged while flying.

The consequences for travellers caused by mishandled luggage range from the inconvenience of unexpectedly purchasing clothes and essentials, to incurring major expenses due to broken mobility devices.

Medical emergencies abroad

Travel may expose you to health risks including tropical diseases, foodborne illness and accidents during outdoor recreation. Accessing affordable health care in foreign countries may also be challenging. You should know that your provincial or territorial health insurance plan may not provide full coverage if you experience a medical emergency outside of your home province.

How travel insurance may help

Coverage for flight disruptions

Let's say you are flying to a port city to catch a cruise to Bermuda to escape the Canadian winter. A major storm grounds your flight and you can't make it to the port in time to catch your cruise. Your reservations may be non-refundable.

An Allianz Travel Insurance plan with trip cancellation benefits reimburses certain non-refundable expenses, including re-booking costs, up to the total cost of your trip, if you experience a covered cancellation or delay.

Travel insurance may make the difference between losing a significant amount of money or simply postponing your trip for a better day. Our 24/7 help desk may also help you find alternate travel arrangements.

Protection against baggage issues

An Allianz Travel insurance plan with coverage for lost, stolen or delayed baggage reimburses certain non-refundable expenses if your baggage is lost, damaged, stolen or delayed. If your baggage is lost, stolen or damaged we reimburse up to $1,000. (See your policy for full details.) If your baggage is delayed by 12 hours or more, we reimburse up to $400 in purchases of essentials.

Medical coverage abroad

We provide emergency medical coverage that reimburses up to $10,000,000 in certain costs for medical treatment, transportation and after care should you experience a medical emergency during your trip.

See your policy for full details on exclusions such as those for injuries that occur during extreme sports. Our coverage also includes emergency medical evacuation from remote areas, which can cost thousands. If you need to consult with a care provider, but don't require a visit to an urgent care facility, we also offer telehealth services.

Safety net for unforeseen events

If you travel to a destination against the orders or advisories of any government or public authority, then we will not provide coverage if you experience an emergency due to a natural disaster or political unrest during your travels.

However, if the natural disaster or political disturbance is reasonably unforeseeable, we cover certain expenses related to evacuation and repatriation. You should also know that as with most insurers, our trip cancellation benefit will not apply if you experience a delay or cancellation due to a severe weather event forecasted before you purchased your travel insurance policy.

Choosing the right travel insurance

It is important to assess your needs to choose travel insurance that is best for you. If you are planning to do a lot of outdoor recreation, or your trip was expensive to book, a travel insurance policy with trip cancellation and interruption, and emergency medical benefits, may be ideal.

If you are travelling with expensive equipment or luxury items, a comprehensive policy that includes baggage protection may also be a wise way to protect your valuables. Additionally, key clauses to pay attention to in your travel insurance policy are coverage exclusions, policies on preexisting conditions, and monetary coverage limits. Travel insurance is a valuable tool for managing travel disruptions.

Invest in reliable coverage from an Allianz Travel Insurance plan for your peace of mind.