Welcome to the January 2020 travel insurance update.
You may hope to escape the chilly weather by travelling somewhere sunny and bright. Or perhaps you enjoy the beautiful scenery of the winter months and would prefer to visit a snowy landscape?
Next month, February, can be a good time to find cheaper flights and accommodation. There are often less hectic crowds in popular tourist spots. You may wish to get away during the school half-term holidays or enjoy a romantic break for Valentine’s Day.
If you hope to travel this February, the discussions on the travel insurance group may give you some valuable recommendations.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the group in January. Several of you found reasonable travel insurance after a cancer diagnosis and shared practical tips or words of encouragement.
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Success stories
Here are some of your success stories over the past month:
Arctic Explorer shopped around to find affordable cover for a trip to Canada:
‘I have advanced prostate cancer but following palliative treatment (6 cycles of chemotherapy followed by 3 monthly hormone injections), my quality of life is currently good. I have no symptoms at present.
I booked a 3-week trip to Canada, which includes a 1-week ‘learning vacation’ in the Arctic.
I was declined by one travel insurance company, but another quoted me £329 for single-trip cover or £489 for annual worldwide multi-trip cover (including the USA, Canada and Mexico). So, I have accepted the latter. It did involve a fairly detailed declaration of my cancer.’
Remoh followed a recommendation on this forum when searching for an annual policy:
‘Wow! Thank you for posting that link. I have had a quote for my wife and myself for an annual policy that is a third of the one quote I got from other companies. I have terminal cancer and my wife has a list of illnesses, including diabetes, and the quote is less than £200 for both of us.
We were just thinking that any more foreign travel may be off the cards.'
Useful tips
Here are some helpful tips that you shared with each other over the past month:
katfish has found it straightforward to add winter sports cover to travel insurance:
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‘I have been skiing a few times since I was diagnosed with advanced cancer (still visible on scan). I found that once you got to the point that an insurance company would offer you travel insurance, it was fairly easy to add the winter sports cover on top. It is an addition, but it should only be about £20 to add it on to the travel insurance.’
Travel and cancer information
If you are thinking of going on holiday, Macmillan’s information on travel and holidays can help you get the most out of your trip. Our information includes:
- how cancer treatment may affect your travels
- information about vaccinations, immunisations and going abroad for treatment
- taking care of yourself while you are away
- things to consider when buying travel insurance
- some of the words and terms you might hear when planning a holiday or getting travel insurance.
Visit the travel insurance group
Please keep sharing your experiences (good and bad) with us. You can visit the travel insurance group to start a new discussion.
Many thanks to Arctic Explorer, Remoh and katfish for contributing to this blog.
Safe travels!
