A typical travel insurance policy usually provides cover for the
loss of baggage, tickets and - up to a certain limit - cash or cheques,
as well as cancellation or curtailment of your journey. Most of them
exclude so-called dangerous sports unless an extra premium is paid: in
Canada this can mean white-water rafting and mountain climbing, though
probably not kayaking. Read the small print and benefits tables of
prospective policies carefully; coverage can vary wildly for roughly
similar premiums. Many policies can be chopped and changed to exclude
coverage you don't need - for example, sickness and accident benefits
can often be excluded or included at will. If you do take medical
coverage, ascertain whether benefits will be paid as treatment proceeds
or only after return home, and whether there is a 24-hour medical
emergency number. When securing baggage cover, make sure that the per-article
limit - typically under £500 equivalent - will cover your most valuable
possession. If you need to make a claim, you should keep receipts for
medicines and medical treatment, and in the event you have anything
stolen, you must obtain an official statement from the police. Bank and
credit cards often have certain levels of medical or other insurance
included and you may automatically get travel insurance if you use a
major credit card to pay for your trip.
Travel agents and tour operators are likely to require some sort of
insurance when you book a package holiday, though according to UK law
they can't make you buy their own (other than a £1 premium for "schedule
airline failure"). If you have a good all-risks home insurance policy it
may cover your possessions against loss or theft even when overseas.
Many private medical schemes such as BUPA or PPP also offer coverage
plans for abroad, including baggage loss, cancellation or curtailment
and cash replacement as well as sickness or accident.
Americans and Canadians should also check that they're not already
covered. Holders of official student/teacher/youth cards are entitled to
meagre accident coverage and hospital inpatient benefits. Students will
often find that their student health coverage extends during the
vacations and for one term beyond the date of last enrollment.
Homeowners' or renters' insurance often covers theft or loss of
documents, money and valuables while overseas, though conditions and
maximum amounts vary from company to company
There's little reason why you should ever come into contact with the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), who patrol Canada in the form of
provincial and metropolitan forces. In contrast to the US, there's very
little street crime and even in Toronto, Vancouver and Montréal you
shouldn't have any problems in terms of personal safety if you stick to
the main parts of town, though it's obviously advisable to be cautious
late at night. However, if you're drinking in one of the country's many
rough-and-ready bars, don't be too surprised if there's a fight, though
the males (very rarely females) involved will almost always be too busy
thumping people they know to bother with a stranger - and hitting a
woman (in this context) is almost unheard of. Theft is also uncommon,
though it's obviously a good idea to be on your guard against petty
thieves: always keep an eye on your luggage at bus and train stations,
secure your things in a locker when staying in hostel accommodation, and
avoid leaving valuables on a beach or in a tent or car.
Canadian officials are notorious for coming down hard if you're found
with drugs - especially on non-Canadians. Stiff penalties are imposed,
even when only traces of any drug are found, so don't even think about
it.
If you are unlucky enough to be attacked or have something stolen, phone
the police on tel 911 . If you're going to make an insurance claim or
travellers' cheque refund application , ensure the crime is recorded by
the police and make a note of their crime report number.
Should you lose your passport , contact the nearest consulate and get
them to issue a temporary passport , which is basically a sheet of paper
saying you've reported the loss. This will get you home, but if you were
planning to travel on from Canada, you'll need a new passport - a
time-consuming and expensive process.
Another possible problem is lost airline tickets . On scheduled and most
charter flights, the airline company will honour their commitment on the
lost ticket (especially if they can contact the issuing agent), but you
may have to pay for a new ticket and wait a period (often as long as six
months) for reimbursement once the airline is satisfied the ticket has
not been used. Whatever happens, it's bound to involve hassle at the
airport and afterwards. With some bargain-basement tickets, airlines
will also make you pay again unless you can produce the lost ticket's
number. Similarly, if you lose your travel insurance policy document,
you won't be able to make a claim unless you quote its number. To avert
both calamities, keep a copy of the numbers or documents at home. For
lost travellers' cheques , if you've followed the issuer's suggestion
and kept a record of the cheque numbers separate from the actual
cheques, all you have to do is ring the issuing company on their given
toll-free number to report the loss. They'll ask you for the cheque
numbers, the place you bought them, when and how you lost them and
whether it's been reported to the police. All being well, the missing
cheques should be reissued within a couple of days - and you may get an
emergency advance to tide you over.
Consulates And Embassies
UK
Dartmouth , 1 Canal St (tel 902/461-1381).
Montréal , Suite 4200, 1000 de la Gauchetière St W (tel 514/866-5863).
Ottawa , 80 Elgin St (tel 613/237-1530).
Québec City , Le Complexe St-Amable, 700-1150 Claire-Fontaine (tel
418/521-3000).
St John's , PO Box 452, Station C (tel 709/579-2002).
Toronto , Suite 2800, 777 Bay St (tel 416/593-1290).
Vancouver , Suite 800, 1111 Melville St (tel 604/683-4421).
Winnipeg , 229 Athlone Drive (tel 204/896-1380).
US
Calgary , 615 MacLeod Trail SE (tel 403/266-8962).
Halifax , Suite 910, Cogswell Tower, 2000 Barrington St (tel
902/429-2485).
Montréal , 1155 St Alexander St (tel 514/398-9695).
Ottawa , 490 Sussex Drive (tel 613/238-5335).
Québec City , 2 Place Terrasse Dufferin, CP 939 (tel 418/692-2095).
Toronto , 360 University Ave (tel 416/595-1700).
Vancouver , 1095 W Pender St (tel 604/685-4311).
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