travel and travel insurance
travel and travel insurance dear all
i understand that travel insurance is quite expensive if you have BC - is this correct or have i been misinformed? can anyone advise on this?
I also wanted to know if anyone can throw some light on whether its possible to travel soon after treatment is finished. I am fiinishing my radio in sept and really really need a holiday and wasnt sure if i can travel (Europe perhaps) as dont want to do long haul flights. has anyone travelled soon after treatment finished or even when they were having treatment?
I know that i shouldnt sunmyself about 1year after radio - so does that totally rule out a holiday in a mild/hot country (even if i dont sun myself, protect my skin and wear lots of sunbloke)?
many thanks
jas
Hi Jas.
I was advised not to go abroad for at least 2 weeks after RT finished. I booked a week in Rhodes for 3 weeks after it finished. I was also advised to swim in the sea rather than the pool as chlorine might irritate the skin. The pool was too cold anyway in October! I did have a bad skin reaction to the RT and it was touch and go whether i would be able to swim as this would not have been allowed if the skin was broken. I just made it. Do book your holiday as it really helped having that to look forward to during treatment. Also, i went the whole week without wearing my wig - I wore buffs and scarves. This was quite liberating.
I used Freedom travel and although more expensive it, the insurance wasn’t too bad. If you are more than 3 months out of treatment you can use a company called Mars or Fortis. They have insured me for this summer holiday for no extra premium.
Best wishes
Kelley
Insurance Jas,
There have been a lot of names and addresses of firms which accept insurance from people who have had breast cancer on this site in the past, but it was on the old forum. Perhaps some of the others will remember.
I myself had no problem getting holiday insurance from Barclay bank, of the post office. The bank said that they had no problem, as it was 6 months after I had had breast cancer.
By the way, how do you wear lots of sunbloke? Or is it a typo?
hi my insurance is brilliant its the same one i always had norwich union direct they do not charge any more than before as long as you inform them. It just means if anything happens while your away to do with the cancer your not covered but everything else is covered so you can go aheAD AND BREAK A LEG YOUR COVERED.
i have flown about 6 times since being diagnosed with lung secs 1st time a few months after chemo finished. Ive done 2 long haul flights to las vegas and am planning another so get booked now and go its fantastic to get your batteries re-charged and see new places. Im going to see my daughter in spain in 2 weeks time there nothing stopping me now ive become a jet setter late in life so go for it and have a great time
Just as long as they don,t connect your broken leg to cancer ! Insurance companies don,t like to have to pay out money and if there is any way out of it they will find it So for peace of mind make sure you are happy with whatever arrangements you make before you go
I paid £116 for 12 days to Mexico for my husband and myself with a company called Citybond Suretravel and as i am currently recieving Herceptin was about to give up as some companies were asking for a lot more good luck
Ella
Travel & travel Insurance We booked to go to Italy two days after my radiotherapy finished - it was a bit of a risk as the hospital said I should leave at least a week in case the treatment got delayed because of machine breakdown etc. However, we had to go then or we would not have been able to go away for months because of other committments. I really needed something to look forward to and to have a break… In the event the treatment finished a day late so we went on holiday the very next day. I did have a skin reaction but the skin was not broken - I swam in the sea and the pool but was very careful to keep well covered up. It was a fabulous week and I came home feeling much stronger both physically and mentally.
I think you have to be guided by how you feel - I didn’t feel too bad during radiotherapy and so felt confident about going away for a week straight after.
Nothing to add thats informative but i have been thinking about all this and only talkin about it today so thanks for postings.
ruthx
Travel insurance I’ve just got an annual multi-trip travel insurance policy (worldwide including USA )with Bradford and Bingley that covers BC (and everything else!) for £77-- seems quite good to me - last years was £55 with another company and I was fit then!!!
I did it by telephone and after I’d told the girl that I’d had treatment for BC, she asked if I was on any Rx now and I said tamoxifen, she then asked if the BC had been completely removed by surgery and i could say that it had, and that there was no spread to other parts of body-- after this her computer came up with the quote, and that was that- other sites asked their questions in different ways, and when I had to say that I hadn’t finished Rads they came up with BIG money quotes, so if you’re profile anything like mine give B & B a try-- by the way I’m going to South Africa to stay with my best girlfriend for 2 weeks R & R 3 weeks after end of Rads - June 1st( June 21st-can’t wait!!)
Hope this is some help
Chris
holiday here i come dear all
many thanks for all the information you kindly provided. i will make sure i shop around before i get some insurance.
Now all i have to think about is where i want to go - possibly somewhere in europe to begin with and then further afield.
I really miss not having a holiday this year, especially when i had 3 holidays last year. I am sure i will make up for lost time.
chris - i hope you enjoy your south african adventure.
regards
jas
ps - i will make sure i use enough sunblock on holiday(and not ‘sunbloke’ - spelling mistake oops)
Wow Chris! That really is a good quote from B&B !
Ive just been refused cover for the Dominican Republic for BC by Fortis ( via Marrs - but they will cover me for Europe), but just got annual, world wide cover from All Clear (0870 777 9339) for £105 , so Im pleased with that.
Isnt it amazing how it varies from company to company?
i can go on holiday soon! dear all
just to let you know, i can go on holiday soon. i rang guys hospital for some guidance and advise on when i can go on holiday after radio.
i am due to have radio in sept time and would like to book asap and esp as i am planning a girly holiday with my mum and sister and want to work around their work diaries.
was informed i can have a beach holiday and can go a few wks after i finish, can swim in the sea and swimming pool. obviously i have to be sensitible and not sunbath and keep the area covered and wear lots of sunblock.
i also asked if i could request specific times for treatment, so that i can continue to work without much disruption to my work schedule (yes, i know i am a workaholic - even working through my chemo). my employers have been great to me and this i thought it would be practical in many ways. apparently i can request specific times and if available they can accomodate me.
was ever so pleased. now i just need to start searching for a break. I am so so excited and am doing a dance in my head as i type this (too exhausted to actually physically get up and do a big of a jig) ;O)
jas
x
Travel insurance I was surprised to hear that Marrs insurance had not been able to come up with a sensible quote.
I have just taken out worldwide multi trip annual insurance with them at a cost of £102 for my husband (no pre-existing medical condition) and myself (breast cancer diagnosis in 2002 resulting in a mastectomy followed by six sessions of chemotherapy). For the last 2 years, I have had to pay in the region of £260 for the same level of cover.
It certainly pays to shop around.
Another thread I started a thread a while ago on this and people have included their own experiences and other options. I’ve just brought it back up in the ‘After treatment has finished forum’ which may be helpful.
Good luck everybody and happy travels.
Roberta
xx
took out holiday insurance only yesterday… i’d booked my holiday to cyprus - 2 weeks in july - so that would make it almost 12 months since my first operation and I finished chemo and rads end of march.
i decided to give the post office travel insurance a try - it worked out at £22.80 extra to cover me for my breast cancer on top of the normal premium of £25.00 so at least I’m covered should anything occur with my breast cancer rearing its ugly head.
Louise
We had just renewed our annual holiday insurance a few weeks before I discovered my ‘lump’ Fortunately my ILC was completely removed too and I am on preventative Tamoxifen only.
I don’t feel ready to embark on a holiday yet but I suppose I had better advise them sometime soon of the condition. I expect they will exclude anything relating to the BC but hope everything else will be covered. If they try to hike the cost by an additional premium I think we will cancel the policy.
Travel Insurance Here is a tip for all - try www.confused.com - search engine which will check out all the insurance companies for you and come up with the best quotes - My wife and I have just bought annual insurance for £68 - thats £32 each - cant get cheaper than that.
For single trips upto 17 days - these were as low as £7 per person.
All include a cancer waifer - (they will cover you for everything EXCEPT an cancer related illness) as long as you are not terminal.
I went on holiday the same week as my treatment finished - no problems.
Happy Holidays to all
David W
Travel insurance Hi David, I was interested in your post as I couldn’t get covered for travel to the USA in Jan 2006 for breast cancer unless I wanted to pay more than the air fare - some £600. I eventually went with the Post office for £116 for 2 weeks in Florida but this excluded bc.
Did your annual quote from confused.com include the USA/Worldwide and bc? I go to visit friends in Florida and Omaha twice a year so am interested in an annual policy.
Regards, Liz.
marrs travel going to florida in oct…i am 2 years on from diagnosis/surgery etc…done alot of phoning around…free spirit travel quoted £1371…freedom quoted just over £200 and Marrs are covering me for breast cancer etc for £43…so for £86 got both me and hubby covered…they were so friendly and helpful
Travel Insurance OK probably not the best day to buy Travel Insurance, but I did.! Before I needed it, I had read this thread and having BC it had not crossed my mind that it would be a problem. I’m going to the US for 5 days, 2 years after being diagnosed having no treatment, except the 6 monthly check, so wondered why it should cost me more. Reading all the other illnesses that you could take cover out forif you had been diagnosed with them, (heart problems, diabetes, epilepsy etc) I thought they were more likely to be affected on a trip like mine than the BC I had had. So I phoned up, told the women I had BC and the lady just said, did I want to take out cover for said BC, I said no as for 5 days it wasn’t likely to be affecting me. She said OK and directed me back to the website so I could claim my 5% discount on line, saying I would not be covered for any BC treatment if it should be needed and I got the TI for £43. Is this a normal encounter when you’ve told the insurer that you have had BC treatment, or do some companies penalise you just for having been diagnosed at some point?