Travel insurance typically refers to four types of coverage that you can buy individually or all together in what is often called comprehensive insurance.

• Emergency Medical: covers costs for emergency treatment, ambulance, medical evacuation, paramedic and hospital services, bringing someone to your bedside, etc.
• Trip Cancellation: covers costs incurred if you need to cancel your trip before you leave home
• Trip Interruption: covers costs incurred because of delays or interruptions once you have started on your journey (flight delays, weather delays, missed connections, etc.)
• Baggage and personal effects (if your checked baggage is delayed and you need necessities, or if your camera is stolen or damaged you’ll be covered)

Some insurance providers offer:

• Cancel For Any Reason Coverage: as the name implies, allows you to cancel for more reasons than traditional cancellation coverage (e.g. your dog is sick, you are called to work, you don’t feel comfortable traveling, or you change your mind). In most cases Cancel For Any Reason will cover up to 50% of trip costs.

Every plan has different requirements, but in order to maximize coverage and be eligible for cancellation insurance, you typically need to purchase insurance within 21 days after you pay for any portion of your trip.

Your cancellation coverage will start from the time you purchase your policy. The best rule of thumb is to buy insurance as soon as you have made a payment on your trip.

To join our trips we require a minimum of $200,000 USD medical coverage, including  evacuation and repatriation coverage, personal injury and all forms of medical expense.

For small ship expeditions the minimum is $500,000 USD.

This insurance must cover personal injury and emergency medical expenses, including, but not limited to, helicopter evacuation, air ambulance, and repatriation. Clients must provide proof of Insurance on their Travel Details Form during the trip preparation process, or they will be declined participation on their adventure.

While emergency medical and evacuation is our bare minimum requirement. We strongly recommended the coverage be extended to include cancellation, interruption, and baggage and personal effects coverage.

Because we are Wild, not reckless. Not having appropriate insurance will cost a lot more in the event you need it, and you will wish you had it! We don't want you to have any regrets! 

There are various reasons we (and all tour companies) have a minimum expectation of insurance. First and foremost, for your protection; we care about you, your enjoyment and your safety!  Insurance covers you for things unforeseen or unexpected, you are planning your dream trip, we would hate for that to be disrupted by an emergency!

This includes coverage for a medical emergency and evacuation, if you need to cancel before you leave (cancellation insurance) or come home early because of an emergency (interruption). Most providers offer a comprehensive package that may include baggage and personal effects as well. 

Insurance companies specializing in travel will often cover you upfront for any medical emergencies in destination, should anything happen while you’re on your adventure! 

For exact details on coverage reasons, please refer to the exact policy that you will be purchasing.

In a word, yes.

Outside of your province/state of residence, you need to ensure that you have proper coverage.  I.e., Traveling from Ontario to British Columbia, your OHIP (Ontario Health) coverage doesn’t cover everything it does in your home province. Which is where travel insurance comes in. The same thing goes for interstate travel, from New York to California, it is suggested you ensure you have proper coverage for departing your home state.

Cancellation and Interruption coverage for traveling in your home country is very important too. Like a good girl scout, always be prepared!

Trip cancellation coverage covers you for unforeseen and unexpected events that arise PRIOR to departure. From the time you purchase your insurance – to the moment you leave for the airport, you’re covered under Trip Cancellation. Every insurance policy is different, so it is crucial to read through the coverage that you’re purchasing. However, most Trip Cancellation packages will cover you for anything that comes up that IS NOT pre-existing. I.e., You fall and break your leg 2 weeks before departure, covered. You lose your job a month before departure, covered. Etc. (please contact your specific insurance company for specifics as every package is different).

Trip Cancellation packages often include Interruption Insurance as well. Interruptions can consist of delays en route to the airport, aircraft delays causing a missed connection due to weather and mechanical reasons, early return home due to a family emergency or your personal sickness.

Every insurance company is different in terms of requirements. If you are over 60 years old, you should expect to fill out a medical questionnaire prior to purchasing a policy.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you must disclose this to the insurance company before purchasing. Without disclosing this information, your insurance could be void, and any claims denied. If you do have a medical condition, disclosing this can help the insurance company give you a top-up on coverage to ensure this is properly protected (this can cost more, but will properly insure your coverage).

If there is a government advisory against travel at the time you are purchasing your insurance – you will not be covered for cancellation or interruption for anything to do with that advisory.

Likewise, if there is an advisory for a specific region and you decide to travel there with that knowledge, you will not be covered in that region.

However, if there is no travel advisory at time of booking and insurance purchase, and then the level of advisory is added (or increased) to “Avoid Non-Essential Travel” or “Avoid All Travel”, that is a covered reason for cancellation. Depending on the policy you purchase. This is another reason why it is best to purchase your cancellation insurance early, so anything that arises is covered. 

This is a personal decision, however we will always suggest purchasing the most comprehensive coverage. An All-Inclusive Insurance package will cover you for Medical, Cancellation, Interruption, Trip Accident, Baggage and Personal belongings.  

Our partners at Now Boarding Travel can advise and help find the right policy for you. Please email wildwomen@nowboarding.travel

In a word, yes. If you need to cancel your trip due to an insurable reason, you can file a claim for a full refund. First you need to go to the airline and Tour Company (that’s us!) to see what, if any, of your payment is refundable. That will depend on how close to departure you need to cancel (our payment policies can be found here: [CLICK ME!]). Then the non-refundable portion can be claimed through insurance. And the same goes for your airline ticket, part of it may be refundable and the rest you can file a claim for.

As long as you are changing your plans prior to your original departure and have not made any claims, then yes.

Short answer - yes! However, you will need to disclose your pre-existing condition to the insurance company. They will likely ask for a medical questionnaire to be completed and offer a Medically Underwritten Plan to ensure that you are covered for anything pre-existing. Be sure to read your policy carefully.

It is best to contact your insurance company as soon as possible if anything unexpected comes up. They will open a claim, give you a claim number and give you information on next steps. 

The insurance provider will give you a phone number and a number to call collect from international destinations. 

We will ask for your insurance contact information in your Travel Details Form, in case we need to contact the insurance company on your behalf. 

Some insurance providers offer a plan called “Cancel for Any Reason”. With most cancellation policies you can only make a claim if you are canceling due to an insurable reason (ie. medical, fire, accident etc). With “Cancel For Any Reason”, you don't need to have a reason. Just because you changed your mind, is reason enough! 

Just be aware most “Cancel For Any Reason” policies will cover you for 50-75% of your non-refundable portion, and will still need to be made 14 days prior to departure. 

Talk to your insurance provider for more details.

With most insurance providers you can purchase travel insurance up to 18 months before departure.

While many things can affect the cost, the general rule of thumb is that an all-inclusive package will cost approximately 5%-10% of the cost of your trip. (Age above 60, pre-existing conditions etc., can increase this cost.)

Nothing, you will be booked as normal! It is suggested you do not purchase additional items (flights etc.) until insurance is available to be booked; we also suggest you add on your insurance the moment it is available to book!

Likely only that you will have to fill out a medical questionnaire, depending on the outcome, the price could be higher than persons booking under 60.  

Travel Insurance through credit cards can vary a lot. Sometimes they cover cancellation, sometimes they cover medical but with a maximum trip duration. So please do your due diligence and read your policy and/or talk to your credit card provider. 

What we will need to see is the minimum coverage of $200,000 USD for medical and evacuation coverage. ($500,000 for a small ship trip)

For Wild Women in Canada

We work closely with Manulife. Manulife offers several options and we strongly recommend that you protect your entire investment. Selecting Manulife's All-Inclusive Insurance will cover you for all of your trip needs: Medical, Cancellation, Interruption, Baggage, Travel and Flight Accident - you name it!

You can see all their plans by clicking [HERE]

If talking to Manulife please quote our agency code: WWEXPED

For Wild Women in the USA

We have partnered with RedPoint Travel Insurance as they offer the most extensive coverage for USA travelers. Learn more by clicking [HERE]

If you have any questions regarding the coverage, please contact Redpoint's Travel Services Team at 415-481-0610 or email travelservices@redpointtravelprotection.com

A team member will collect the information below (and once approved), provide you with a quote via email and will assist you with purchasing the plan.

You will need the following info:

• Resident country/state
• Destination
• Trip dates
• Date of initial deposit
• Date of birth
• Trip cost

You do not have to have the trip booked to request a quote, but the company will need to know the information above.

If you’d like more assistance in selecting and purchasing a policy please contact our friends at Now Boarding Travel, they can help with flights and insurance. To get a quote or ask questions please email them at wildwomen@nowboarding.travel