Are you covered?

It feels like just yesterday our biggest worry when it came to kids and sports was the online registration process and whether we would remember to set the alarm and wake up in time to secure that coveted spot. Weekend tournaments, hotel stays or travel insurance was not on our radar. Who thought about competitive sports? Fast forward a few years and my worries about community sports programs feels like nothing when compared to the prospect of crossing the border, with an entire team of kids sitting in my minivan, for a weekend in a gym or an arena.

I am going to let you know right out of the blocks that we had no idea what was involved when planning for team sports excursions. Sure, we knew we had to book hotel rooms, remember to pack all the gear (and back up gear for the just in-case moments) and bring the passports. But insurance? We just figured it was covered by our credit cards.

Luckily, along the way, we learned about RBC Insurance and were taught a few fundamentals that every sports parent, whether it is hockey (like Josie contends with) or gymnastics (where my Ella competes), needs to know. The first thing they told us – do your research. Be sure you know what is and is not covered. Josie and I laughed at first. What did they mean research? Insurance is insurance. Right?

Wrong.

Coverage is not coverage. We learned that there may be financial limitations. Restrictions on activities. Or constraints on length of travel. Knowing what is covered, or more importantly what is NOT covered is key to a successful out-of-town tournament.

Another piece of information offered by RBC was the option for group travel insurance. They told us that by booking as a group (10 plus people), each one of us would receive a discount on our travel insurance and we could tailor it to meet our individual needs.

This tidbit of info got my spidey senses working overtime. I had to ask RBC if this also applies to cross-border group shopping trips. You know what I am referring to – the GG Sisters shopping excursions to Target. Guess what RBC told us… you bet it does!

But while we love our shopping excursions, our primary focus right now is our upcoming fall and winter; jam packed with tournaments and out-of-town competitions. Josie is already in full planning mode for an upcoming hockey game in the US. Dreading the insurance call and how long it would take to get everything in place, I watched as she picked up the phone and braced herself for a long conversation. Much to our delighted surprise, an RBC agent was available and quickly prepared a quote for us. Going above and beyond, the agent on the other end gave us a few additional pointers. She reminded us to let family members know where we are going and for how long. She told us to always have a “just in case number” with us at all times. And she made sure we had adequate insurance to cover any medical expenses that may come up; stressing we should never put ourselves or family at financial risk.

Please don’t misunderstand us. We are so excited by our kids and their love of sports. We love to travel and attend tournaments. But now we can do it with a greater peace of mind.

This post is sponsored by RBC. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words.