It may or it may not. Before travelling, be sure to read your group plan benefits booklet/contract to learn about the existing travel coverage you may have through your employer's plan. If you're unable to find those documents, your human resources department should be able to assist you. If your plan does offer travel protection, be aware of possible coverage limitations (such as benefit limits, number of days away, age limits, coverage exclusions) and coverage that may not be included (such as trip cancellation, trip interruption, or lost baggage).

If you need additional coverage, they can offer you options to top up your group coverage by phone before you leave on your trip and may be able to offer you coverage that's not available through your group plan.

Some credit cards may include travel insurance, so it's very important that you carefully review what your credit card offers. If your credit card does offer travel insurance, be sure to read and understand the coverage as well as the limitations of the coverage before you travel. Some questions to ask yourself:

• Does my credit card coverage protect my entire family?
• Is the coverage only valid if part or all of the travel arrangements were paid for with the credit card that includes the travel insurance?
• Does the coverage provide both medical and non-medical benefits (such as trip cancellation, trip interruption or lost baggage)?
• Does an age limit apply?
• Does the coverage adequately cover all my potential needs?
• Does my credit card allow for top-ups should I wish to travel longer than the number of days offered?

If in doubt about any of the above, instead of taking chances – call 1-855-780-0458 to learn about the travel protection options they can provide to you and your family.

Contrary to popular belief, provincial health insurance plans do not cover all financial losses incurred due to a medical emergency outside your home province or territory – in fact, some costs are not covered at all (such as ambulance charges, emergency return to your home province or returning your vehicle if you are unable to drive it back following a medical emergency). Medical care in the U.S. and many places around the world can be very expensive. Without proper travel insurance coverage, not only would payment be the responsibility of the traveller but also the co-ordination of assistance required.

Even when travelling to another Canadian province, your provincial health insurance plan will only cover financial losses incurred due to a medical emergency up to the amount that would be reimbursed if the incident had occurred in your home province, as the cost of medical services varies by province and territory.