I am currently coming towards the end of my chemotherapy treatment to be followed by radiotherapy. I will have to continue with 3 weekly Herceptin for 1 year and 6 monthly Zolendronate for 3 years. I am hoping to start travelling abroad again after my radiotherapy treatment ends. Is there any reason why I can’t start booking things now then add insurance as soon as radiotherapy is completed or could that be an issue if I do have to cancel for whatever reason as at the time of booking a holiday I will have been undergoing active treatment?
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You need to have insurance WHEN you book, otherwise you aren’t covered . Martin Lewis talks about this a lot .
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Depends, if you need to cancel the holiday you wont be covered, but if you are confident that won’t be the case, and its more for belongings and health cover while over there, could be no harm. One of the questions insurance will likely ask you, is if you’ve finished all your treatment , so I can understand why you’d want to wait as it could affect the pimrice you pay.
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They will always ask you about your history and if you are on active treatment . I’m not sure how long you want to wait before travel - some people have been absolutely fine but I had fatigue and just wasn’t up to travelling for a few months afterwards.
I always go through a broker for my travel insurance - they are very thorough. You could always trying ringing a broker and ask them your question and see what they say. Xx
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Hi @karenmmm
I booked after I sorted holiday plans , reason being if you book without insurance your not covered , also you never know how your going to feel or if anything crops up .
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I thought that was only in case you need to cancel before you travel, so for example lots of people who cruise only purchase insurance when they pay balance. I will book refundable flights/hotels so if I had to cancel before the holiday it wouldn’t matter, I just need insurance for when I’m actually away.
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We have an annual policy with bank account , had to pay £30 top up .
When I was diagnosed , we were going to Italy 2 months later but had booked cancellable hotels ( lessons learned from covid ).
Ryanair would only give a voucher , travel insurance said they wouldn’t refund because of this .
On recent trips , we’ve booked package holidays , just in case .
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I would book refundable flights and hotels to be on the safe side xx
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Hello
Which broker do you use?
Xx
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Hello
I’ve been trying to find out whether still being on phesgo means I’m still considered to be having “active treatment”. The insurance websites I’ve been on don’t list it as a part of active treatment but as it’s got targeted chemotherapy drugs in it I am presuming it is “active” and that I should answer yes to the question asking if I’m still on active treatment. It’s very confusing!
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I used JM Glendinning and they usually go over it with me on the phone which is good because I have a few different health conditions 
. Interestingly I was once asked if I had ever refused any treatment for my cancer - I explained about having stopped the hormone therapy and that my surgeon thought that would be reasonable . Last time they just asked if I had ever refused chemo radiation or surgery . I think Phesgo would be considered active treatment. Xx
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I have always had a year round travel insurance policy. After my mastectomy in June 2023, my surgeon said it would be ok for me to fly in September to my brothers apartment in Majorca before starting radiotherapy later in September. I contacted my insurer to advise of my situation and they would not even cover me for any other pre existing medical conditions (I had several) let alone cancer, until I had completed radiotherapy. I would be covered only for lost luggage, anything like breaking a leg etc but nothing pre existing medical. I travelled anyway as had no accommodation costs and had a GHIC card should I need to see a doctor in the Spanish Health system. When I finished radiotherapy and could say I was only on medication for the cancer, Anastrozole and Abemaciclib, and six monthly Zoledronic acid infusions, they re-instated all my medical cover. My advice to you would be to wait until you finish radiotherapy, then book your trip and insurance on the same day .
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Thank you, I think that’s what I’ll do.
We have annual travel insurance with All Clear because of my husband’s cancer history. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer we called them to add my medical information. The premium would have gone up by an extra £1,000. We were advised by the insurance company to wait until my treatment finished then add the medical information and that it was still ok to go ahead and book holidays for later in the year (which we did). I added my medical info last week after my last radiotherapy session and it cost me only £20 and we are now fully covered for everything we have already paid.
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That sounds perfect, I’ll give them a ring this week, thank you
I agree, I will be on Herceptin for a year which is part of Phesgo so I’m really hoping that isn’t classed as active treatment