The Conversation We Need to Have About Travel Insurance

I've been a travel advisor for over ten years, and there's one moment that happens with almost every booking. We've picked the perfect resort, found great flights, everything's coming together beautifully. Then I bring up travel insurance.

The pause. I can hear it even over the phone.

"Do I really need that?"

I get it. You're already spending money on the trip. The insurance feels like one more expense piled onto an already growing total. But here's the thing—after booking hundreds of trips and watching what actually happens to travelers, I'm going to share why this conversation matters more than you think.

What Happened to the Masseys

Last February, I booked a family of four for their dream trip to Mexico. All-inclusive resort, direct flights from Toronto, spring break timing. They were so excited. Mrs. Massey asked about insurance, and I walked her through the Manulife coverage options. She said she'd think about it.

They didn't buy it.

Three days before departure, their teenage daughter broke her ankle at basketball practice. Season-ending injury. Surgery scheduled for the week they were supposed to be in Cancun.

The resort was non-refundable. The flights were non-refundable. They lost $8,400.

The insurance would have cost them $385.

I'm not sharing this to scare you. I'm sharing it because it's real. This actually happened to people I know, people I'd been working with for months to plan something special. And stories like this happen more often than you'd think.

Why We Don't Buy Insurance (And Why Those Reasons Don't Hold Up)

#1. "Nothing's going to happen."

You're probably right. Most trips go off without a hitch. But insurance isn't for the likely scenario—it's for the devastating one.

Last year, a client slipped getting out of the shower the morning of their flight to Italy. Concussion. Doctor said absolutely no flying for two weeks. That's not bad luck, that's just life happening at the worst possible time.

#2. "It's too expensive."

I hear this one a lot. And look, I understand watching your budget. But Manulife travel insurance typically runs between 4-7% of your total trip cost. On a $5,000 vacation, we're talking $250-$350.

Compare that to replacing a $5,000 trip out of pocket if something goes wrong. Or paying $2,000 for a medical emergency in the U.S. where your provincial health plan doesn't cover everything.

The real question isn't whether insurance is expensive. It's whether you can afford not having it if something happens.

#3. "My credit card covers me."

This is one that worries me, because it's partially true. Many credit cards do offer some travel coverage. The problem? Most people don't know exactly what their card covers or more importantly, what it doesn't.

Credit card insurance often has gaps. Lower coverage limits. Exclusions for pre-existing conditions. Requirements that you booked the entire trip on that specific card. And the claims process can be complicated.

I've had clients assume they were covered, only to find out too late that their card had a $50,000 medical limit... and their hospital bill in Florida was $73,000. Your provincial health coverage helps, but it doesn't cover everything at U.S. rates.

#4. "I'm covered through work."

Great! Some employers do offer travel insurance as part of their benefits package. But here's what I always ask: have you actually read what your workplace policy covers?

Most employer travel insurance is designed for business travel, not leisure trips. Even if it covers personal travel, there are usually restrictions. Coverage might be limited to a certain number of days. It might not cover your spouse or kids. The medical limits might be lower than you think. And trip cancellation? That's often not included at all in workplace plans.

I had a client who worked for a major bank—excellent benefits. She assumed her work coverage had her sorted for their family trip to Hawaii. Turned out her workplace policy covered her for emergency medical, but not her husband or two kids. And there was zero trip cancellation coverage. When her son broke his arm the week before departure, they lost $6,200 in non-refundable bookings.

If you have workplace coverage, I'm genuinely happy for you—that's a great benefit. Just bring me the policy details when we're booking, and we can review it together. We'll figure out exactly what gaps exist, if any, and whether supplemental coverage makes sense. Sometimes your work insurance is solid and you just need a small top-up. Sometimes the gaps are bigger than you'd expect.

What Manulife Actually Covers (And Why It Matters)

When we recommend Manulife travel insurance to our Canadian clients, it's because we've seen it work when people need it. Here's what you're actually getting:

Trip cancellation and interruption: If you need to cancel before you leave or cut your trip short, you're covered for reasons like illness, injury, death in the family, or even jury duty. One client had to cancel their cruise because their elderly father had a stroke the week before departure. Manulife reimbursed the full cruise fare.

Emergency medical coverage: This is the big one for Canadians traveling abroad. Your provincial health plan provides some coverage, but it's based on Ontario or BC rates—not what hospitals in Arizona or New York actually charge. Manulife covers up to $5 million in emergency medical expenses. That's real protection.

Lost or delayed baggage: When the airline loses your luggage, Manulife covers the cost of essential items you need to buy. Not glamorous, but essential when you land in Costa Rica and your bag is in Dallas.

Travel delays: Flight cancelled due to weather? Hotel costs and meals are covered while you wait for the next available flight.

The Pre-Existing Condition Question

This is where people get nervous. "I take blood pressure medication—does that count as pre-existing?"

Here's what's important: Manulife has a stability period requirement (typically 90 days before your trip), meaning your condition needs to be stable—no new medications, no dose changes, no new symptoms. If your condition has been stable and controlled, you're usually good to go.

The key is being honest on your application. I know it's tempting to skip mentioning something minor, but if you need to make a claim and they discover you didn't disclose a condition, you could have problems. We can review your specific situation together to make sure you're properly covered.

When Insurance Pays for Itself

A client couple I work with—the Patels—book a trip south every January. Without fail. They've been doing it for eight years. They always buy insurance.

"Has it paid off?" I asked them last year.

"Three times," Mr. Patel said. Once for a cancelled trip when his mother passed away unexpectedly. Once when his wife got food poisoning in Mexico and needed the hotel doctor. And once when their flight home was cancelled and they needed to stay an extra night.

"We've probably paid $2,000 in insurance premiums over the years," he told me. "But we've claimed back close to $4,500. Even if we'd never used it though, we'd still buy it. The peace of mind is worth it."

That stuck with me. Peace of mind. That's really what you're buying.

The Part Nobody Talks About

You know what I've never had to do? Call a client in the hospital abroad and tell them their treatment isn't covered.

You know what I have had to do? Help clients navigate claims when something went wrong, and watch Manulife come through with payment so they could focus on getting home or getting better instead of worrying about money.

Insurance isn't sexy. It doesn't make your Instagram posts better. But it's the difference between a manageable situation and a financial disaster.

How to Think About This Decision

I'm not going to tell you that you absolutely must buy insurance on every trip. That's not my style, and it wouldn't be honest.

Here's how I think about it: Can you afford to lose the entire cost of your trip? Not "would it be annoying"... can you actually afford it?

If the answer is no, or even if it's "technically yes, but it would hurt," then insurance makes sense.

Can you afford a $50,000 medical emergency in another country? Because that's not hypothetical—that's what a few days in a U.S. hospital can cost.

Are you traveling during flu season, or is someone in your travel party over 60, or does anyone have a health condition that's generally stable but could flare up? Insurance makes even more sense.

What I Actually Recommend

When we're booking your trip, I'll walk you through the Manulife options that make sense for your specific situation. We'll look at your trip cost, your destination, your age, and your health situation.

Sometimes the comprehensive plan makes the most sense. Sometimes the medical-only coverage is sufficient. It depends on your trip and your needs.

What I won't do is push you into coverage you don't need. What I will do is make sure you understand what you're risking if you skip it.

Because at the end of the day, my job isn't just to book great trips. It's to make sure you come home with great memories, not medical bills or lost deposits.

The Bottom Line

Insurance feels like spending money on something you'll never use. And you might be right. You might never need it. That's actually the best-case scenario.

But I've seen too many situations where people wish they'd spent the extra few hundred dollars. The Masseys and their $8,400 loss. The couple who spent $15,000 out of pocket for a hospital stay in Phoenix. The family whose cruise was interrupted when the grandfather had a heart attack.

These aren't scare tactics. These are real people I've worked with, real situations that happened despite the best planning.

So when I bring up travel insurance during our booking conversation, I'm not trying to upsell you. I'm trying to protect you. Because I've been doing this long enough to know that while most trips go perfectly, the ones that don't can be devastating without coverage.

And I want your vacation story to be about the amazing resort, the incredible sights, and the memories you made, not about the financial stress that came after.

Let's talk about your next trip. And let's talk about insurance. Not because I have to bring it up, but because I'd never forgive myself if I didn't.

Ready to start planning your next adventure? Contact us and let's make sure you're protected from departure to return.