Business travel health risks should not be underestimated

Being prepared and aware of the stress can help mitigate potential health problems 

With almost a quarter of all travel being for business, Allianz Global Assistance Canada, a leading provider of travel insurance and assistance services, says it’s important to be aware of and prepared for some of the increased risks when travelling for work. 

“Certainly on a business trip you are not as likely to experience, say, a broken arm from a parasailing accident, but there are other inherent factors that can impact your health while travelling for work, not the least of which would be stress,” says Dan Keon, Vice President, Market Management, Allianz Global Assistance Canada. “Fast business trips involving jetlag, disruption of normal eating habits, changing climates and having to be productive as soon as you step off the plane all can contribute to stress, which is well known for potentially exacerbating other health issues.” 

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) indicates that 23 per cent of all trips globally are for business. The GBTA predicts annual spending on business travel to reach USD $1.6 trillion globally by 2020. 

“Because business travellers are more likely to be alone, having access to medical and travel assistance is even more important,” says Keon. “When you’re away for work, it’s also important that family and colleagues at both ends of the trip have all your travel details. Business travellers shouldn’t assume that because they are just going on a short work trip that emergencies can’t happen.” 

The federal government recommends that all Canadians obtain travel medical insurance when out of the country as no provincial healthcare plan covers the full cost of out-of-country medical expenses, which can easily mount to thousands of dollars, even for treatment of a broken bone. Serious medical conditions like a heart attack could be over $100-thousand. 

“Some business travellers may have medical travel insurance coverage through their employee benefits program. However, others may not, such as individuals who are small business owners or who work for smaller companies or start-ups,” says Keon. “For those business travellers that 2 do not have coverage through their work benefits, an annual multi-trip travel insurance plan is worth considering, as these plans provide coverage for unlimited trips within a one year period. These plans allow the frequent business traveller to ‘set it and forget’, without having to repurchase or activate coverage separately for each trip within one year.” 

Being sick or injured while travelling alone can be stressful, even more so in an unfamiliar place or where there is regional political instability. 

“When travelling alone, you can give yourself some added peace of mind by downloading the Allianz TripWise app, which features a GPS locator to help you find the closest Allianz-reviewed local healthcare provider with the phone number, address and website,” says Keon. “The database includes 2,000 hospitals in 129 countries. It also allows users to find international names for common prescription medications and store a photo of their prescription label for easy reference while travelling, as well as providing updates on the status of flights.”  

Allianz Global Assistance (Canada)

Depuis 30 ans, Allianz Global Assistance offre son soutien aux voyageurs canadiens lorsqu’ils en ont le plus besoin en leur offrant des services d’assistance et une assurance voyage à valeur ajoutée. Plus de 800 employés appuient des partenariats durables avec certaines des marques les plus connues des marchés des services financiers et du voyage. L’entreprise gère également les appels entrants et les demandes d’indemnisation de grands assureurs de soins médicaux, d’assureurs de dommages et d’entreprises de cartes de crédit. Allianz Global Assistance est une marque spécialisée d’Allianz Partners en ce qui concerne l’assurance voyage et les services d’assistance et est une dénomination commerciale enregistrée d’AZGA Service Canada Inc. Visitez le site Web d'Allianz Global Assistance Canada pour obtenir plus de renseignements.

Allianz Partners

Soucieux d’offrir des soins et des protections dans le monde entier, Allianz Partners est le leader mondial B2B2C dans les domaines de l’assistance, l’assurance voyage, la santé à l’international, l’assurance automobile. Ces solutions, combinaisons uniques d’assurance, de services et de technologie, sont conçues pour s’intégrer à la stratégie de ses partenaires ou sont proposées en vente directe via des canaux digitaux. Le groupe commercialise ses services sous différentes marques : Allianz Assistance, Allianz Care et Allianz Automotive. 

Allianz Partners compte plus de 19 000 salariés dans 78 pays parlant 70 langues et traitant 54 millions de dossiers chaque année, protégeant clients et salariés dans le monde entier. Visitez le site Web d'Allianz Partners pour obtenir plus de renseignements.

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Communications@allianz-assistance.ca