Travel Insurance

travel insuranceThat trip you’ve had your eye on to cycle the canals of Amsterdam, chill on the beach in the Balearics, or hit the shops of New York City, doesn’t have to be put off because you’re living with cancer. But one thing to bear in mind is that your trip might get more expensive once you start looking for travel insurance.

Whether you’re a cancer patient or not, taking out travel insurance before a trip abroad is important. While we have state-funded medical care in the UK, many countries don’t – and even if they do, you are unlikely to be entitled to use them if you aren’t a resident or citizen. Needing medical care in a foreign country can cost you an awful lot of money.

It’s important to understand that if you exclude cover for your cancer, it is not just cancer that you are excluding; it’s anything that could be attributed to the cancer or the treatment of it. To give you an idea of what you could be excluding, have a look at the side effects of any medication that you take for your cancer – by excluding cancer from your coverage, you are also excluding all of these conditions too. If, for example, a side effect of your medication is diarrhoea, and you are taken ill with a bad stomach while on holiday, then any treatment for it wouldn’t be covered.

Always look into insurance before you book your trip as it could be a deciding factor in where you choose to go. Which? surveyed over 10,000 members about buying travel insurance and found that 64% had declared a pre-existing medical condition when doing so. A quarter of these said they’ve faced inflated premiums, and a fifth could only find policies that excluded all claims related to their condition. If you find travel insurance expensive or frustrating, you are not alone!

Having said that, things are improving. A number of insurers now use medical screening programmes which more accurately assess the risk of insuring a cancer patient, meaning that premiums are lower. It can be worth shopping around for the best price. 

Cover and prices will vary depending on your destination and activities, your cancer grade, treatment, prognosis and any follow-up care. It’s not an easy process, but it should all be worth it when you’re topping up your self-care cup in sunnier climes.

  • Watch our videos below – which includes tips on booking travel during the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • Download our Real Life Guide to Travel Insurance which features the top questions from our community and expert answers.
  • Listen to our podcast with Fiona Macrae, Shine member and founder of InsuranceWith and a case study on travelling after cancer treatment.
  • Why not take a look at our Events page, for local events, our Great Escapes, Shine Camp, workshops and more. It’s a great way to meet people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, with similar experiences, and have fun!
travel insurance after cancer

guide to travel insurance

We sourced ideas and information from travel insurance experts and the Shine community to bring you our Real Life Guide to Travel Insurance. We know travel insurance is one of the most talked-about topics in our online forums so we hope this helps you find out what you need to.

Any questions? Get in touch or join us in our Shine Facebook group.

Podcasts on travel and travel insurance

Videos on travel insurance

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