How much does travel insurance cost for a 3-month trip?

Three months abroad — a long winter escape, a sabbatical, or extended travel — needs coverage for the entire stay, and trip length weighs heavily on the premium. The cost is higher than a short trip, but choosing the right structure keeps it efficient. Here is how it works.

Why coverage matters for three months abroad

OHIP covers little or nothing outside Canada — most out-of-country coverage ended in 2020 — and it never pays a foreign hospital up front. Across 90 days, you are exposed to the possibility of a medical event for far longer than on a short trip. A hospital stay or evacuation abroad can cost tens of thousands of dollars, billed directly to you. For a long trip, emergency medical insurance is essential, not optional.

How trip length affects the price

A policy covers only the days you are away, and trip length is one of the largest cost factors. Ninety days is a long window of risk, so the premium is meaningfully higher than for a week or a month. The increase is not strictly proportional, but length does real work here, combining with your age to set the figure.

What else drives your price

• Age. Generally the biggest driver, especially past 60, where a medical questionnaire sets the premium.
• Destination. The United States is the most expensive region to insure for; most other regions cost less.
• Coverage amount. A higher emergency medical limit costs more but protects against a worst-case bill.
• Health. Disclosed conditions can affect the premium, though stable conditions are often covered.

Structuring a long trip for value

For a three-month trip, how you buy can matter as much as what you buy:

• Single-trip plan. Priced for the full 90 days, this is simplest if the trip is your only travel of the year.
• Annual plan plus a top-up. If you also take other trips, a multi-trip annual plan — which caps each trip at a set number of days — combined with a top-up to extend one trip past the cap can be more economical overall.

Counting your realistic trips for the year is the first step in deciding which is cheaper.

Practical ways to keep the cost efficient

• Match the dates exactly. Insure the real 90 days, with no padding.
• Buy for the right region. Pay for where you are actually going.
• Choose a sensible coverage amount. High enough for a serious event or evacuation, not inflated.
• Keep chronic conditions stable before you travel.

Don’t forget what else a long trip needs

A 90-day trip usually carries more prepaid, non-refundable cost than a short holiday — long-stay accommodation, internal flights, tours. That makes trip cancellation and interruption coverage worth considering alongside emergency medical, so a covered disruption partway through does not cost you both the remainder of the trip and the money already spent. If you are travelling with family, remember each person is priced individually, with children generally the least expensive to add. And if your three months brushes against Ontario’s minimum residency rules for keeping provincial health coverage, check those before you commit, since they are separate from your travel policy but matter for a long absence.

See your real price

Because the premium reflects your age, destination, length and coverage, an advertised average is only a rough guide for a long trip. The accurate figure comes from running a quote for your exact 90-day dates — and comparing the single-trip and annual-plus-top-up routes. Doing that before you travel confirms both your price and that your conditions are covered.