1Can You Insure the Whole Trip? The Short Version
An Antarctica expedition, a safari or a long honeymoon is paid for months ahead, and most of that money stops being refundable well before you leave. Trip cancellation insurance pays back the non-refundable part when you cancel for a reason the policy lists. On an ordinary holiday the amount is small enough that any plan can carry it. On a trip like these, three things decide whether the plan really protects you: the most it will insure, when you bought it, and what it does when a ship, a flight or a tour company lets you down.
We read the trip cancellation wordings of four insurers that publish them for Canadian residents. Here is what each says on those three points.
| Plan (version read) | Most it insures for trip cancellation | Buy-by rule in the wording | If the tour company or cruise line goes bankrupt |
|---|---|---|---|
| TuGo Traveller (October 2026) | No dollar ceiling printed. "Up to the sum insured as indicated on the Policy declaration" | None to be eligible. An illness within 72 hours of buying is excluded if you bought more than 72 hours after booking. Cancel for any reason: within 5 days of the first payment | Not a covered reason. A carrier's cancellation is covered "for any reason other than bankruptcy, insolvency or quarantine" |
| GMS TravelStar (July 21, 2026) | "up to $20,000 per person". A trip "valued at more than $20,000 per person" is not eligible | Before departure. Each amount you add later counts as a new purchase | Covered as "Default of Travel Supplier", with one shared limit of $200,000 for all GMS policyholders |
| Ontario Blue Cross (2026-07) | No dollar ceiling printed. "According to the amount indicated on the insurance certificate" | Cancel for any reason: within 5 days of the trip purchase. The Preferred Plan package must itself be bought within 5 days | Covered, "limited to $3,500 per insured person and $7,500 for all insured persons" |
| Allianz Global Assistance (certificates on its site, undated) | "Up to $10,000 Canadian". The cruise certificate: "Up to $20,000 Canadian" | Premium paid "within 5 days of booking your travel arrangements" | Excluded: "Financial collapse or default of any transport, tour or accommodation provider" |
Two notes on that table. The Allianz certificates carry no form date, so ask for the current one before you rely on its limits. And "no ceiling printed" is not a promise: TuGo and Ontario Blue Cross set the amount on your own policy, so confirm the figure you need when you get the quote. Manulife's trip cancellation wording could not be opened when we wrote this, and Secure Travel does not publish its wording online, so we say nothing about either here.
2The Trip-Value Cap: When the Trip Costs More Than the Plan Insures
The amount you insure is called the sum insured. You choose it, and it should equal what you would lose if you cancelled today. GMS defines trip value as "the total amount you paid per person for all pre-paid travel arrangement costs of your trip that would be lost if the trip were cancelled". Its list includes "common carrier (airfare, cruise, rail, etc.) fares", "tours and excursions booked prior to your departure date" and "pre-paid cruise gratuities, drink packages, wi-fi charges, etc."
Count per person, not per couple. A $36,000 expedition for two is $18,000 each, which fits under a $20,000-per-person limit. A $44,000 one does not.
- GMS: over the limit means not eligible. The wording lists who cannot buy the plan, and one line reads "your trip is valued at more than $20,000 per person". GMS's own question page repeats it: "Trips valued at more than $20,000 per person are not eligible for coverage."
- GMS: medical questions start at $12,000. A single-trip plan "for a trip valued at $12,000 or more per person" comes with a list of heart and other conditions that make a traveller ineligible.
- You cannot insure only the top slice at GMS. Asked whether its plan can top up a credit card's cover, GMS answers "No" and says you must insure the full amount you pre-paid for the trip per person.
- Ontario Blue Cross: insure part, get part. "If you have chosen to insure only a portion of your non-refundable travel expenses, the amount of your reimbursement will be reduced". The two main benefits become "proportional to the maximum coverage indicated on the “Trip Cancellation” line with respect to the sum of all non-refundable payments made for the trip".
- TuGo: one overall limit across its policies. When more than one TuGo policy applies to the same loss, "Expenses are paid to an overall maximum limit of $100,000 for any trip cancellation and/or trip Interruption claim."
Here is what the Blue Cross rule means in plain numbers. Say your non-refundable payments are $24,000 and you insured $12,000 to save on the premium. You insured half, so those two benefits pay half of the loss. Under-insuring does not just lower the ceiling; it shrinks every dollar of the claim.
Points and miles are a separate trap on a honeymoon paid partly with rewards. TuGo does "not reimburse the cash value of any travel costs that have been booked and paid for with points, air miles or any other type of travel reward program", though it pays the fee to put the points back. GMS leaves "points or miles" out of trip value.
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3Buying in Time: The 72-Hour and 5-Day Rules
People often buy cancellation cover with the final payment, months after the deposit. The plan still starts, but several clauses count from the day you buy, and a late purchase quietly removes cover you thought you had.
| Insurer | What the clock counts | The words |
|---|---|---|
| TuGo | 72 hours after you book | Excludes "A disease, illness or death (other than death caused by an accident) occurring within 72 hours after the date and time this Insurance was purchased" when the policy "was purchased more than 72 hours after the travel costs are booked" |
| TuGo | Health in the 60 days before you buy | A pre-existing condition must be stable "On or within the 60 days before the date this Insurance is purchased" |
| GMS | Health in the 180 days before you buy, for each amount | "medical conditions must be stable 180 days prior to the purchase date of each dollar amount of coverage. Each increase in the dollar amount of coverage is a new purchase" |
| Ontario Blue Cross | Health in the 3 months before cover starts | Excludes, "During the 3 months preceding the effective date of the coverage", "Any medical condition that affects you and that is not stable, except for a minor ailment" |
| Allianz | 5 days after you book | To be eligible you must have "the entire required premium paid within 5 days of booking your travel arrangements" |
The stability rule is the one that hurts on an expensive trip. The look-back runs from the day you buy, not the day you booked. If you book in January, your blood pressure medication changes in March and you buy the plan in April, the change falls inside the look-back. Buy in January and the same change happens after the policy began.
- Known reasons are out everywhere. TuGo excludes a cancellation "caused by or related to a circumstance known to you" before you booked or bought, whichever is later. GMS excludes anything "which you knew might be cause for cancellation". Blue Cross excludes "Known, foreseeable or ignored circumstances".
- Events already under way are out at TuGo. Its wording excludes losses tied to hurricanes, floods, wildfires, volcanic ash, political unrest and epidemics that began before you bought or booked, "whether or not you were aware of these events".
- Later payments count too. At Ontario Blue Cross the reason for cancelling "Must be unknown on the effective date of the coverage and at the time of each subsequent non-refundable payment made for your trip".
- Raising the amount restarts the clock. At TuGo, "If you increase your Policy sum insured, all exclusions below will apply to the date you increased your sum insured, for the amount of the increase." GMS says the same about each added amount.
The practical rule: buy the cancellation plan the week you pay the deposit, for the full non-refundable cost of the trip, and tell the insurer when you add flights or excursions later.
4Cancel for Any Reason on an Expensive Trip
Ordinary trip cancellation pays only for the reasons on its list. Cancel for any reason is an add-on for everything else: cold feet, a work deadline, a destination that no longer feels right. Our trip cancellation guide explains how it works in general. On a high-value trip two details change the answer: the deadline to buy it and the cap on what it pays.
| Plan | Pays | Buy it by | Cancel by |
|---|---|---|---|
| TuGo Cancel for Any Reason Coverage | "up to 50%" of the non-refundable costs or of the sum insured, whichever is less | "In the 5 days from the date you make an initial payment", or "At any time before any cancellation penalties apply" | "more than 5 days before your departure date" |
| Ontario Blue Cross option (general policy) | 75% up to age 74, 50% from age 75 to 85, "up to a maximum payable amount of $4,500 per insured person" | "Within 5 days of your trip purchase, whether full or partial payment", or before the provider's cancellation fee applies | "at least 24 hours before the originally scheduled departure date" |
| Ontario Blue Cross Preferred Plan (included) | "up to 80 %" of the insured amount. "The maximum payable amount is $4,500 per insured person." | The plan itself: "no later than 5 days after the trip is purchased" | "at least 24 hours before the originally scheduled departure date" |
| GMS TravelStar | Not in the wording | — | — |
| Allianz certificates we read | Not in the wording | — | — |
Look at the cap before the percentage. On a $20,000 trip, 75% would be $15,000, but the Blue Cross option stops at $4,500 per person. TuGo's 50% has no separate dollar cap in the wording; it is limited by the sum insured you chose.
One limit matters for expedition trips. TuGo's cancel for any reason does not apply to "A trip if you are mountaineering over a 6,000-metre elevation or heliskiing (at any elevation) at any point during the trip."
5Antarctica Cruise Insurance: The Ship Will Not Wait
The Government of Canada's travel advice for Antarctica says to "Exercise a high degree of caution in Antarctica due to the adverse and unpredictable weather conditions, as well as the lack of infrastructure and emergency services." It also says:
- "There are no search and rescue or emergency evacuation facilities in Antarctica. In case of emergency, you will be responsible for the costs of your search, rescue and evacuation."
- "Make sure you get travel insurance that includes coverage for medical evacuation and hospital stays."
- "All Canadian travellers require a permit to visit Antarctica. Expedition tour operators will usually make necessary arrangements to obtain it on your behalf."
So an Antarctica trip needs two kinds of cover. Medical and evacuation cover is the first; our guide to air ambulance costs covers that side. The second is the money you paid for the voyage, and the weak point is getting to the ship. If you reach the port through one or two connecting flights and one of them is late, the ship sails without you and the cabin is gone.
| Plan | If a late flight makes you miss the ship or tour | The condition |
|---|---|---|
| TuGo | A covered reason: the late arrival of your carrier "causing a missed connection". Covers one-way economy transport "to the next travel destination" and "Up to the limit of $350 per day to a maximum of $1,500" for hotel and meals while you catch up | Your booking "meets the minimum connection times approved by the applicable travel provider" |
| GMS | A covered reason when you miss a connection "due to weather conditions, a schedule change or a mechanical failure of the common carrier". After-departure benefits share an "Aggregate maximum of $10,000" | The carrier "was scheduled to arrive not less than 2 hours prior to the scheduled connection time" |
| Ontario Blue Cross | When "a flight schedule change causes you to miss your cruise", pays "An economy class ticket to join the cruise at the next port, as well as related subsistence allowance costs", or a ticket home plus the unused insured costs | You "planned to arrive at the cruise departure point at least 24 hours in advance" |
| Allianz cruise certificate | Missed cruise connection: one-way economy airfare "to your next destination or port of call", or expenses "up to $150 per day, to a maximum of $600" | The delay comes from mechanical failure, weather, a traffic accident or a police road closure |
An expedition ship in Antarctica has no "next port" a day later, so the catch-up benefit may be worth little and the claim becomes the unused voyage. That is why the sum insured has to match the full fare. Plan to reach the departure city at least a full day early; the Blue Cross wording makes that a condition.
What the airline owes you. The Canadian Transportation Agency's guide says that when a flight is cancelled for reasons outside the airline's control, the airline "does not have to compensate affected passengers" and "must also make alternate travel arrangements for passengers, or, in certain circumstances, provide a refund." Those duties are about the flight; the guide lists nothing for a missed voyage, though it notes that on an international trip a passenger may be able to claim some expenses under the Montreal or Warsaw Convention. See our page on flight delay and cancellation compensation for the amounts.
If the operator cancels the voyage. GMS covers a cruise "cancelled prior to the departure of the cruise ship due to the mechanical failure, grounding, quarantine of the cruise ship or the reposition of the cruise ship due to weather conditions, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions". The Allianz cruise certificate lists the same four reasons. TuGo covers "The unforeseeable cancellation" of a tour "for reasons beyond the tour operator's control and unrelated to bankruptcy or insolvency", and pays the prepaid tour plus up to $1,000 of separate transport. TuGo also says vehicles "used by a private resort or by a tour operator for the purpose of providing the tour experience" are not common carriers, so ask how it treats an expedition ship before you rely on its carrier clauses.
More on ships in our cruise travel insurance guide.
6Safari Travel Insurance: Advisories and Operators Abroad
A safari adds two risks to the cancellation side: a government travel advisory that changes after you book, and a local operator you paid directly.
On November 12, 2026 the Government of Canada rated Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa and Botswana "Exercise a high degree of caution". Tanzania and Kenya also had regional warnings to avoid some areas. The advice for all four says "Make sure you get travel insurance that includes coverage for medical evacuation and hospital stays." For Tanzania it adds: "All foreigners, except permanent residents, entering Tanzania or Zanzibar are required to purchase mandatory travel insurance directly from designated national insurers." That local policy does not replace your Canadian plan or your cancellation cover.
The government's travel insurance page warns: "Many travel insurance policies will not cover you if you travel to regions where the Government of Canada has issued a travel advisory to “avoid all non-essential travel” or “avoid all travel.”" For cancellation, timing decides it.
| Plan | When a new advisory lets you cancel | When it does not |
|---|---|---|
| TuGo | An "avoid all travel" or "avoid non-essential travel" advisory "issued after the date your trip is booked or after the date this Insurance is purchased, whichever occurs later" and "still in effect on your scheduled departure date or at any time within the 7 days before" | The advisory came before you bought the plan |
| GMS | An advisory "issued after the later of the booking date of your trip or the purchase date of your policy" | You are not eligible at all if an advisory was "in effect at the time you purchased this plan". Fear of an event with no official advisory is excluded |
| Ontario Blue Cross | An advisory to avoid travel that "is still in effect 7 days prior to your trip's scheduled departure date" | An advisory "in effect on or before the effective date of the coverage" |
| Allianz | "A travel advisory issued after your trip has been booked" | Excludes "Your travel to a country, region or city for which the Canadian government has issued a travel advisory in writing prior to your departure date" |
This is one more reason to buy early. An advisory issued the week after you booked is a covered reason only if the plan was already in place.
If the operator fails. The four wordings split on this. GMS and Ontario Blue Cross cover a supplier's default, each with a limit: GMS shares $200,000 among all its policyholders hit by the same failure, and the Blue Cross limit is $3,500 a person. TuGo and Allianz do not cover bankruptcy.
Ontario has a second safety net if you booked through an Ontario-registered travel agency or website. The Travel Industry Council of Ontario says its compensation fund covers travel services not provided "as a result of the failure of an Ontario registered travel agency, an Ontario registered travel wholesaler (tour operator) or an airline or cruise line", and that "Payments out of the Fund are limited to a maximum of $5,000 per person." It does not pay for the failure of an "out-of-province travel wholesaler (tour operator)", or of an end supplier such as a hotel. A safari camp you paid directly is outside it.
Trekking on the same trip? Our guide to Kilimanjaro and Everest Base Camp insurance covers the altitude clauses.
7Honeymoon Travel Insurance: What Counts as a Reason
A honeymoon is the easiest of the three to insure when the cost per person sits under the limits above. The questions are about the reasons.
- Illness or injury. Every wording covers a serious illness or injury of you or your travelling companion, subject to the stability rules above. Family is covered too, with conditions: GMS names a family member who is hospitalized, and Allianz one whose condition is "life threatening or requiring hospitalization as an inpatient".
- Pregnancy. TuGo covers a pregnancy "being diagnosed after the date the trip is booked" or the insurance is bought, and complications "occurring within the first 31 weeks of pregnancy". GMS has a similar benefit.
- The wedding itself. GMS covers "a cancellation of a concert, wedding, or other event" that "is beyond your or your travelling companion's control" when it was "scheduled before your booking date" and is "the sole purpose for your trip". A change of heart is not beyond your control. That is what cancel for any reason is for, and only if you added it in time.
- Who counts as a companion. TuGo defines a travelling companion as "A person who is travelling with you for the majority of your trip (at least 51% of the total duration)" and asks for proof of both bookings in a claim. Put both names on the policy.
- The resort or villa is damaged. Ontario Blue Cross covers a natural disaster that "renders the accommodation at your destination uninhabitable" where you booked at least 2 nights. TuGo and GMS name a natural disaster only when it hits your home or business.
For the Maldives the Government of Canada says "You will likely need medical evacuation in case of serious illness or injury." Check the medical side as well as the cancellation side; our page on credit card travel insurance explains why a card's built-in cover should be read before you count on it.
8If You Have to Cancel: The First 48 Hours
A valid claim can still be cut down or refused by a slow phone call. Cancellation penalties usually grow as departure gets closer, and insurers pay the penalty that applied on the day the reason arose, not the day you got around to calling.
| Insurer | Who to tell, and how fast | If you are late |
|---|---|---|
| TuGo | The travel agent or airline "on the day the reason for cancellation occurs or on the next business day", and TuGo "within the same period" | "Claim payment will be limited to the cancellation penalties specified in the trip contracts which are in effect at the time the cause of cancellation occurs." |
| GMS | The travel supplier "on the day you become aware of the cause to cancel or the next business day" | Payment "is limited to the amount that was non-refundable and non-transferable up to the sum insured" |
| Ontario Blue Cross | Blue Cross Travel Assistance "within 48 hours" | "No compensation will be provided if you fail to contact Blue Cross Travel Assistance within 48 hours" |
| Allianz | The travel supplier "within 24 hours of the cause of cancellation or interruption" | "If you do not do so, your claim will not be payable." |
- See a doctor before you cancel. TuGo: "the patient must consult a physician before you cancel your trip". Allianz wants an examination "within 72 hours of when the cancellation is made".
- Refunds and credits come first. TuGo does not pay for costs "when a refund, travel credit or any other financial benefit is available", "whether you choose to accept" it or not. Blue Cross treats a travel credit as a reimbursement. GMS does not pay for costs covered by a voucher you were offered.
- Keep the paper. Insurers ask for itemized invoices and receipts, the original itinerary, proof of cancellation from every supplier and each supplier's refund policy. TuGo adds that if an adventure package has no itemized invoice and you miss only the tour, "reimbursement will be limited to 70% of the total package costs for the unused tour portion".
9Before You Pay the Deposit: Eight Checks
- Add up the trip per person. Cruise or tour fare, flights, hotels, prepaid excursions, gratuities and packages. Leave out anything paid with points.
- Ask what happens to each payment. Get the operator's cancellation schedule in writing: what is lost at the deposit, at 120 days, at 90 days.
- Check the plan's maximum against that number. If the trip is over the insurer's limit, ask for another plan before you buy part of one.
- Buy within days of the deposit. That keeps the 72-hour and 5-day clauses on your side and starts the health look-back early.
- Decide on cancel for any reason now. It cannot be added later. Look at its dollar cap, not only the percentage.
- Tell the insurer when the cost goes up. Final payment, added flights, a pre-cruise hotel. Each added amount is a new purchase.
- Arrive a day early. Reach the port or the safari start at least 24 hours ahead, and keep the connection times the airline approves.
- Book in a way that keeps your protections. In Ontario a registered travel agent must "advise the customer about the availability of" trip cancellation insurance before taking payment, and only bookings through a registered agency or website fall under the compensation fund.
An advisor at EGE Insurance can go through these with you and tell you plainly when a trip is too large for one plan.
10Where These Numbers Come From
Every quote and figure on this page was read at the source on November 12, 2026. Wordings, limits and travel advice change, so check the current version before you buy.
- TuGo: Traveller policy wording (edition 2026-10), Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption Insurance and Cancel for Any Reason Coverage.
- GMS: TravelStar policy wording (July 21, 2026) and frequently asked questions.
- Ontario Blue Cross: Travel Insurance Policy (2026-07), the Preferred Plan wording (2025-06) and the trip cancellation and interruption page.
- Allianz Global Assistance: Trip Cancellation Coverage certificate and Cruise Cancellation Coverage certificate, as published on its site; neither prints a form date.
- Government of Canada: Travel insurance; travel advice for Antarctica, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Botswana and Maldives.
- Canadian Transportation Agency: Flight Delays and Cancellations: A Guide.
- Travel Industry Council of Ontario: compensation fund standard claim; Ontario Regulation 26/05 under the Travel Industry Act, 2002, section 36.
11Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need travel insurance for Antarctica?
The Government of Canada says to get travel insurance that covers medical evacuation and hospital stays, and that you are responsible for the costs of your own search, rescue and evacuation there. Expedition operators set their own insurance conditions, so ask yours what proof it wants.
What is the most trip cancellation insurance I can buy in Canada?
It depends on the insurer. GMS insures up to $20,000 per person and does not accept a trip valued above that. The Allianz certificates we read pay up to $10,000, or $20,000 on the cruise plan. TuGo and Ontario Blue Cross print no dollar ceiling; the amount is set on your policy.
When should I buy trip cancellation insurance for an expensive trip?
Within a few days of your first payment. TuGo excludes an illness in the first 72 hours when the plan was bought more than 72 hours after booking, and cancel for any reason must be added within 5 days of the first payment at TuGo and Ontario Blue Cross.
Does travel insurance cover a missed cruise departure?
Often, with conditions. Ontario Blue Cross requires that you planned to arrive at least 24 hours before sailing. GMS requires that your carrier was due at least 2 hours before the connection. TuGo requires that your booking met the approved minimum connection times.
Does trip cancellation insurance cover a tour operator going bankrupt?
Not always. GMS and Ontario Blue Cross cover a travel supplier's default with limits. TuGo and the Allianz certificates we read do not cover bankruptcy. In Ontario, the travel compensation fund pays up to $5,000 per person when you booked through a registered agency or website.
Can I insure only part of my trip to save money?
It can cost you more than it saves. Ontario Blue Cross reduces the main benefits in proportion to the share you insured, and GMS says you must insure the full amount you pre-paid per person.
Does cancel for any reason pay back the whole trip?
No. TuGo pays up to 50%. Ontario Blue Cross reimburses 75% up to age 74 or 50% from age 75 to 85, and never more than $4,500 per person.
Is a honeymoon covered if the wedding is cancelled?
Only in narrow cases. GMS covers the cancellation of a wedding that is beyond your control when it was the sole purpose of the trip. A decision not to marry is not a listed reason; that needs cancel for any reason, added within 5 days of the first payment.
Check the Limit Before You Pay the Deposit
Compare travel plans for your dates, or book a time and a licensed EGE Insurance advisor will check which plans can insure the full cost of your trip. Call (416) 477-1516 or email cs@egeinsure.ca. Advisors available in 8 languages.