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CSA TRAVEL INFORMATION GUIDE
Carry details of your insurance with you while travelling and leave a copy with a friend or relative at
home.
Your provincial or territorial health insurance plan will become invalid if you live elsewhere beyond a
certain length of time. Personal medical insurance is available for individuals and their dependants
living outside Canada for extended periods. Check with your insurer before you leave Canada.
All private supplemental travel health insurance plans include a clause limiting and/or excluding
health conditions that are not stable during some specified time-frame prior to the date coverage
starts. For this reason it is very important to notify your insurance company if your health, medica-
tion, or dosage changes - you MUST notify your insurance company prior to travelling to ensure your
coverage is still valid. If you have had a change in health or medication, some carriers may allow you
to purchase additional coverage or a special endorsement for the condition that would otherwise be
excluded.
Notify your travel insurance provider of your travel dates when your plans are finalized, and ensure
your policy is paid in full before you leave.
Insurance premiums, in general, increase as you get older, travel health insurance premiums are no
exception. The following are some tips that could help you save:
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Departing prior to your birthday can result in savings - you may be placed in a lower price
category, because travel insurance rates are based on your age at departure.
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Purchasing your insurance from insurance companies that have early bird offers - usually
during the months of July and early August - can result in substantial savings.
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Purchasing your insurance from insurance companies that have loyalty and or claims free
discount programs can help offset the rising cost of insurance as you age.
Lastly, out-of-country medical expenses can be very high, even for a relatively minor health issues,
it is important that you read and understand your insurance plan before you leave for your trip
and, preferably, before you finalize your insurance purchase. Above all, if you do not understand
something, ask before you leave for your trip!
Vehicle Transport Services
If you decide that you cannot, or simply prefer not to drive your Canadian automobile to your winter
destination in the fall, and return with it in the spring, there are several options open to you.
Besides asking a friend or family member to drive your vehicle, while you fly by a common carrier,
you can also contract the job to an “automobile and truck drive-away service”.
Using a family member or friend
If you decide to ask a family member or close friend to drive your vehicle for you, instead of hiring a
commercial service, there are a few details you will need to arrange.
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Supply the driver with a letter of authorization to transport your vehicle southbound and, in
the spring, a new letter (with current date) to transport your vehicle back northbound.
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Supply the driver with a photocopy of your passport (assuming you are the registered owner
of the vehicle) together with any additional pages in your passport that contain entry visas for
the United States (if applicable).