Away to Cartagena!

[Lorraine_NRAS]

Dear All

What an exciting few weeks I have ahead of me as next week I am heading off to Cartagena in Colombia for the wedding of my son and his lovely Colombian girlfriend Ivonne! (the photo was taken at the civil wedding here in May) I do not think I have ever shopped, organised travel and spent money to such an extent ever in my life and think I will need a holiday after the wedding to get over it all. Certainly the logistics involved in getting married abroad are quite complex and I really shall not be happy until I get there and know that all is in place and that everyone has arrived safely. Events like this really are a real mixture of anxiety and great joy!

Planning a trip like this has taken me many hours to sort and one of the biggest pains has been finding a reasonably priced travel insurance policy. I know from talking to callers on the helpline the difficulty that some of you have experienced too and just wanted to offer some suggestions if you are travelling soon.

I do not have RA but have several pre-existing conditions which need to be notified to the insurance companies. In trying to complete the online application I thought they must know something I didn’t and that I must be on the way out as all I got back was a very large red cross indicating I was uninsurable!! Eventually however, after talking to someone on the phone I was able to get cover but couldn’t believe how much it was going to cost for a two week break.

I felt that I had to pursue this further and that there must be some more reasonable quotes out there and it occurred to me to ask about the travel insurance provided by my bank. I am happy to say that having been able to talk things through, with a sensible person rather than a machine, my anxiety about my imminent demise disappeared and I was able to get the cover I needed. I know that this may not be an option for everyone but it is certainly worth investigating if this is a service your bank provides.

If you are travelling soon and are looking for cover then why not give the helpline a call to get a copy of our list of insurance companies compiled from the recommendations of our members. Comments about these companies included the fact that they had a good understanding of RA and were reasonably priced. If you would like a copy of this then either call or email the helpline and we will get a copy out to you – 0800 298 3969 or [e-mail]

Well, I’m off on Tuesday and really looking forward to what I am sure will be a wonderful 2 weeks,

Hasta la vista!

Lorraine

Helpline Manager

[Hidden]

As I was reading this I thought about my bank as they offer travel insurance with the account I hold, I am going on a cruise in October. Both my husband and I have medical problems and we rang the bank in the first instance to see if they would cover us, they did and we only had to pay a nominal fee, (which lasts a whole year!), rather than a huge amount or be refused.

I hope you enjoy both wedding and trip to Columbia.

[linnieh]

Have a wonderful time. They are a lovely looking couple.....so happy. It's worth knowing about the bank ...thanks. stay well...bon voyage x