I was diagnosed with CLL in August 2018 and so far have remained on watch and wait.
In September 2019, I had successful surgery for colon cancer, had a stoma for 6 months and then a reversal and have been "all clear" since then. Also, as a bonus, the chemo I had for the colon cancer, reduced my lympocytes considerably, every cloud has a silver lining!!
My husband and I, prior to my health issues and Covid, travelled all over the world but for the last 3 plus years we have remained in the UK and just had UK driving holidays. We now feel we would like to start travelling a bit further afield again and I'm struggling to find out about travel insurance for me.
Has anyone got any tips or suggestions for me?
I look forward to any information, good or bad, you may be willing to pass on.
Many thanks and a happy new year to you all,
Tina
Written by
donevning2213
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Insurance is never really tested until you have a claim. Be careful about general travel policies that have language that exclude preexisting conditions. You can pay for those policies and think you are covered and then find out later that you are not.
I'd also look at single-trip insurance vs. general travel insurance cover. The latter will sometimes offer pre-existing condition coverage but can be prohibitively expensive if it does.
I recently shopped for similar coverage and ended up purchasing stand-alone trip insurance (in the US, for overseas trip) from Allianz. They specifically cover COVID-related cancellations and pre-existing medical conditions as long as you insure the full trip cost through them. It covers trip cancellation, trip delay, lost luggage, medical assistance in country, and medical evacuation if needed.
WorldNomads and TravelGuard are often cited as having good coverage but I can't speak to their terms or quality.
You probably know this already as a world traveler, but insurance for driving outside your home country is a whole different deal, and may have local legal restrictions (Mexico and Costa Rica being two examples). I purchased standalone driving cover my last trips from Expedia (fronting for Generali) and WorldwideInsure (UK-based). Didn't need a claim so can't speak to quality.
I have used World First and Avanti but my CLL has been indolent for the past 14 years. I did have to postpone a trip because of going into retention from an enlarged prostate and needing surgery and the premium was increased because of that David
We have an annual European policy with All Clear, they were more concerned about my husband's blood pressure than they did about my CLL. I was diagnosed in 2018 and I am being treated with Acalabrutinib.
Worldwide cover would have been another £800, cruise cover would also be extra. We haven't yet resumed cruising due to fear of infection so we are happy to stay in Europe.
Looks like you are ready for travel. You must enjoy your life and not let the thought of the cancer consume you. If the Dr. has cleared you, move forward. Just look at the medical in the place you are traveling to make sure you can get care of needed. The advice on travel insurance is really good just in case you can’t make trip because of health complications.
I have had chemo therapy 5 different rounds and today remain on oral chemo after 24 years of CLL. I have traveled through it all.
YOU HAVE SHOWN YOUR STRENGTH. ENJOY LIFE YOU CAN DO THIS.
I too have used AllClear (UK) and found them to be reasonably priced. As kitchengardener2 says they were more concerned with my husband's previous heart attack and not my CLL. Back in 2018 we also had our bank travel insurance as part of a package so that when we made a claim that year both the bank and AllClear were involved and the claim was handled quickly and efficiently. They only hold their quote for a short time (?24 hours) as each day can be different, so they say.
I liked the 'Insurance With' site because they seemed to ask more detailed questions about my CLL , while the others asked pretty well the same ones. Because I was 'watch and wait', I therefore got a lower quote. But as others have noted, you really only know how good a company is when you have to claim. insurancewith.com/
I once used Seven Corners. I didn’t need it so I don’t really know how well they do when coverage is needed. But their plans seem comprehensive and the prices is right. I’ve been in the same health predicament as you. I’d use them again when I start traveling again.
I took out an annual worldwide policy in June with Allclear (UK) after booking a second holiday (one in Europe and one in USA).
At the time is 13 years since last treatment and on watch and wait and the cost was around £200.
Following scans for back pain in August I was put on Acalabrutinib as enlarged lymph nodes were found.
I contacted Allclear to advise them and they wanted an additional £820 to continue cover for the remaining 9 months. Ouch!
I’ve since added cruise cover for a mini cruise as part of the USA trip, which cost another £70.
I did compare with Avanti and could have set up a new 12 month policy for less than the additional premiums but the cover was better with Allclear so I stayed with them.
It looks like the insurance companies don’t differentiate between types of medication when a CLL patient is ‘on treatment’.
I’ll be reconsidering the number of holidays and the locations from now on.
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