An excerpt from The Expert Guide to Travel Insurance:

Her experience:

Based on a true travel insurance experience from Tracey M:

“Here are my thoughts on travel insurance and my very recent (2009) trip to Cancun.

I have always purchased travel insurance before leaving the country but had never really given it much thought. I always thought the insurance was purchased in case there was a major accident while out of the country. On my recent trip to Cancun for my son’s wedding I learned a lot about why travel insurance is important and not just for major accidents.

In Mexico most of the floors are ceramic or marble and when water is on the floors it is very slippery. On the second day of our vacation I slipped on water that was on our balcony and injured my knee. I was not in major pain unless I tried to walk and put pressure on my leg. I did not want to see a doctor in Mexico and feared calling my travel insurance company because this was not a major injury BUT to me this was a major problem because my son was getting married, and it was the only the second day of our vacation. I put ice on my knee and stayed off it for the rest of that night.

When I woke up the next morning my knee was worse than the night before, and I knew I had no choice but to call the travel insurance company, because I was going to need to see a doctor. I don’t know why, but I pictured waiting on hold for a long time, tons of paperwork, and even them saying they wouldn’t cover this sort of thing.

Before I called them I took out my travel insurance card and my Ontario Health Card. I dialed the number that was on the back of the card for people calling from Mexico and waited one minute before a person (not a machine) came on the line. I explained my situation and that I felt I needed to see the doctor who had an office at our resort. The representative gave me a claim number, asked me to keep the original bills, and asked me to call back with an update after the appointment. The phone call was approximately ten minutes long.

I called the insurance company back and provided my claim number to the person who answered the phone. I told her the doctor at the resort had wanted me to go to the hospital for an x-ray and tests but that I was not sure I wanted to go there.

The representative said it was up to me and if I decided to go to please call back before leaving for the hospital. When I asked why, she told me they would call the Mexican hospital and provide them with the billing information for the insurance company and that way I would not have to pay the amount personally. The representative said that if the hospital didn’t have the insurance information, I would not be able to leave the hospital until I paid the bill that would most likely be around $1,000. Wow! I was so thankful to have this information before making a decision.

My experience with a claim through travel insurance could not have been better. Now I know that travel insurance is not just for major accidents and that you can never anticipate what can happen while on vacation. It is peace of mind knowing that when you call the 1-800 number, the person on the other end is there to help you and guide you through the process of health care in a foreign country.”

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