Can I ask about experiences with travel insurance please? We are going to fly to France for 4 nights after Easter to stay with some friends in their cottage. My cancer is stable and I am not currently being treated. I believe the EHIC card would cover me for anything related to accidents, such as falling down stairs or being run over by a car. Before cancer, we would have simply got some travel insurance to cover us for loss of possessions, delays etc. An online quote was £1600, which seems over the top for 4 nights away from the NHS.
Anyone got any recommendations for the best places to try, or should I not bother with insurance for such a short time?
Eurotunnel will insure you without medical questions so long as your doctor says you are OK to travel. The EHIC card covers everything, including complications of cancer. £1,600 sounds way over the top. Best wishes, Vx
Clare. Travel Insurance is an item that comes up quite often and I suppose I should really worry about it. But firstly, we are all sensible women and normally we would not book a short trip / holiday, etc, if we were unwell. The usual reason we take out travel insurance is to cover lost luggage, delayed flights, and/or accidents when away. But if you are 'healthy' when planning & leaving - why would you pay £1600 (about €2000) - hell, that is another holiday.
The EHIC card will cover you for illness & hopefully it won't be needed. France is only a short distance from UK, but they have a wonderful health care system. But if you are worried - your oncologist will give you a letter saying your are stable and that usually will appease the Insurance Company
So off to France you go, you lucky think, and Bon Voyage
Dear Clare, I go on short trips to Europe on a regular basis. I'm not insured by my bank's travel insurance as I have stage 3 ovarian cancer. I take the view if I'm generally feeling well and have no reason to expect problems I just go with my existing travel insurance which excludes ovarian cancer. I just take the additional precaution of checking how I'd get home quickly should there be any problems.
I did the same - when I was stable I had a few weeks' holiday in France and Italy. I took out normal travel insurance (covered luggage, theft and unrelated illness/accident) with an exemption for anything related to my cancer, so I didn't pay over the odds - I talked it over with my insurance provider. I reasoned that should I have problems, I was away for a short spell so would fly home to see my own gp/oncologist as appropriate in the same time frame as I would were I at home. I felt this was a small risk given how I felt at the time, I don't think I could travel mid chemo! Hope this helps. My trip was wonderful, we saw loads and I tired myself silly (to the point of tears and a much needed Aperol Spritz or two) walking around Venice and overdosing on museums, but in hindsight, it was worth it. Have a lovely time.
Hi Clare, I asked my onc and she advised me not to pay the ludicrous amount of travel insurance I was quoted as I was in between treatments and I felt well ( I am stage 4). I took out normal travel insurance which covered me for loss of luggage etc. If I ended up not being too well it worked out cheaper to just book another flight home ( I was in Tenerife). I also had my E111 card just in case. Andrea x
We went to Israel for 6 days in October and my bank insurance would not cover ovarian cancer but happy to cover everything else as normal I felt well and was not on any treatment so did not ask any other companies. enjoy your break.
Previous to that we had a week cruise on the Med and did take insurance for that with Insurepink. They covered the cancer and charged £263. We did that as we had to book well in advance and it covered cancellation if I was unwell in the meantime. Your quote of £1600 sounds like robbery!!
Hi I usually rely on the ehic when travelling in EU countries and also I know I can get home easily but I did Gerry some short term cover when we went on Caribbean cruise in November and I got it from Mia insurance got 140 pounds for 2 Weeks as long add I had a doctors letter saying I was fit enough and I am stage 3 with active cancer. Enjoy your trip
Hi Claire. We go abroad often for a week or two. I am insured by my bank. They cover my high bp and thyroiditis. As I am stable and have no problems or treatment. But they do not cover my cancer. They know all about it but do not cover it. As it would take at least a few days to rear its ugly head I don't worry as I know I can get home.
Oh and I don't book too early so I know I am well before I go.
One of my friends in in Australia for ten weeks and took her Clemo with her . She has bowell cancer amazing but true , she takes a supply of steriods , I myself went to Ibiza for ten days took my card and basic insurance , I would be frightened to go to outside Europe . A med cruise which I love I'm sure u can't usè the card while sailing so I'd just book a couple of days before . Ud think about the steriods xx
Ladies, thank you all so much for your replies to Claire. I didn't feel on top form last week and decided to check out travel insurance to cover my ov cancer. I was quoted from £995 to £1395 for 5 days in Spain. I too think this is extortionate. Thankfully, I turned the corner on Sunday both physically and mentally and feel so much better. The severe joint pain I had been having has eased and the anxiety I had been feeling, most likely because i was due to have a scan, also went. I have decided to just get a travel insurance policy to cover loss of belongings and use the EHIC if anything goes wrong, which I hope it won't of course! Ann xo
Thanks to everyone who has replied. It was really helpful and I will just get insurance to cover loss of baggage etc and have the EHIC card. It will be cheaper for my husband to hire a car and drive me back to my GP and oncologist than pay over the odds, and just as easy to phone helplines from Europe as home! I went for 3 nights in the Lake District after all without any problems.
Ann. Sorry read that you were unwell with joint pains over the past week. I can sympathise with you, as I thought I was going 'mad' for a number of weeks. Finally, saw a pain management consultant and had a nerve block epidural done and I feel like a new 'younger' woman.
Why, oh why, so we under report our pains when a simple procedure can change things.
I just wonder how come you can have a reasonable week and then one day (usually Saturday) you can feel so unbelievably bad full of lower abdominal and lower back pain. Going to bed with hot water bottle. Hoping for better day tomorrow.
Hi Ann .. a normal policy, as annual cover, will cover you for non cancer things. (Like sprains, breaks etc. though my fingers are crossed!) You just need to get them to do some exclusions and get a cover number.
In Spain, the call out for a doctor is £80 to £100. We had to call one out and he was brilliant.
My oncologist says that Ovarian doesn't recur suddenly so going to Europe is an ok bet so long as I check with the CNS first.
There were lots of older people at our hotel on Saga holidays. I have to say that they were well cared for with their own social area and dedicated rep who was like a mother hen. They do their own insurance but I'm not sure if cancer is included. There were people there with heart conditions etc. and they just filled out the booking form.
There was a virus outbreak which the local Public Health was having trouble shifting whilst I was there and the people from Saga were sent to a private hospital and returned recovered a few days later. My doctor, however, told me the public hospital in Malaga would be short staffed since it was a Sunday and rather than go, he felt I should ride it out in my room. If I got worse, he told me to get a taxi immediately to hospital.
If I go away again, I'm going to do the same though because I did have the option to go to the hospital and I did feel reassured. X
Thanks for this. Its so unfair, we have to deal with the knowledge we have cancer that will or is back and as if that isn't bad enough, they hit us with extortionate charges for insurance! I'm going to stick to the EHIC and a normal travel insurance in case noif nloss of belongings etc. Ann xo
I went to Holland last year and was covered for my cancer, diabetes and high bp quite reasonably. They wouldn't cover me for a cruise last month though, said they would only cover me on mainland Europe, so we went with another firm, more expensive but still less than you were quoted.
Hi Clare, I am actually currently undergoing treatment, My second lot of chemo finishes on the 31st but following Easter I shall have my final CAT scan and resume from my oncologist. I play in many folk bands and we have a festival, we call Brandivy, in Brittany between Bretons who host us, and Cornish. I spoke to my bank (Barclays). I am opening an account where I can tap into their insurance provider, it will cost me £18.50 for any specific month I need, I shall also be going to Brittany for another Folk Playing trip in September and I shall do the same. Where there's ways there's means!! Best of luck! Gio
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