Now that there's a chill in the air, many Canadians are setting their sights on how best to avoid winter. For snowbirds, there's more to it than just booking a flight and hotel and packing a bag with the bare essentials for the beach. If only it were that easy!
This year, the COVID-19 pandemic complicates travel plans as the land border between the U.S. and Canada remains closed until at least October 21. U.S. air travel restrictions begin in early November, requiring all foreign nationals to be fully vaccinated to enter the country. Snowbirds should adhere to all government travel advisories and research entry requirements of destination countries before departing from or returning to Canada.
Apart from the current restrictions, when you are away from the comforts of home for an extended stay, there's a lot to consider. That’s why we've rounded up a few tips and tricks to help ensure you're ready.
When you plan to be out of the country for months at a time, some important items can't be taken for granted. Take your provincial health care coverage, for example. You can only be outside of your home province for so long before you lose it. Play it safe. Find out how long you can be away because if you exceed what's allowed, you may have to go on a waiting period to re-establish your health care eligibility after returning home.
You'll also want to ensure you have emergency health care coverage for your travels beyond the border because your provincial coverage doesn't cut it. It's estimated that your government health insurance may cover, at best, up to 10% of your total out-of-country emergency health care costs. Some provinces cover less or nothing at all. It's essential then that you protect your trip, your health, and your finances and secure snowbird travel insurance before you take flight.
The following are additional pre-travel housekeeping items to sort out as well:
It's essential to ensure your home is protected, and your first step in doing this is to call your home insurance provider. Ask them what you need to do to ensure your home insurance coverage stays in effect while you're on holiday. For example, often, they'll require that you have someone check in on the house (inside and out) regularly if you are away for more than a few weeks.
Over and above your home insurance provider’s requirements, you'll also want to:
If driving to your destination, let your auto insurance provider know about your plans to make sure you're fully covered wherever your travels take you. For example, did you know your auto insurance isn't valid in Mexico?
It's also a good idea to:
As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and with these tips and ideas, you can help ensure your plan to follow the sun's warmth this winter will go off without a hitch.