Celebrating 45 Years

21st Century Travel Insurance was founded in 1979, somewhat by happenstance. One of the 3 original founding partners, all of whom were professional insurance brokers, purchased a trip to the United States and was sold a “Travel Insurance” policy by his travel agent – a policy which even he, a seasoned insurance agent & former underwriter, had difficulty understanding. With their combined insurance experience, the partners felt there had to be a more consumer-friendly approach and with that 21st Century Travel Insurance was born. They developed a comprehensive travel insurance program for the Canadian consumer and hit the road to promote it through Ontario’s travel agency network. One of the founding partners recalls they were completely “green in the travel agency industry” but their ingenuity and hard work soon began to gain traction. In 1984, a few short years later, the government of Canada would begin to require that individuals applying for specific entry visas would need to purchase “medical insurance” protection for their visit. Since these individuals were not eligible for Canada’s provincial health plans, our Visitor to Canada Insurance Plan was developed and launched - again through travel agencies since they were most often involved in the sale of the corresponding airline tickets.