I just wanted to share a recent experience with you all and perhaps give you some kind of warning, following a recent event regarding my holiday to Florida in 6 weeks time. I booked this holiday last Sept with a local agent, who I best not name (a well known agent tho!). When booking, I made it clear to them about my medical history, the BC and the fact that I have had Rheumatoid Arthritis for 15 years and have had joint replacements. I always have a buggy booked to take me to the departure lounge, and am never questioned over this fact. I take with me a letter from my doctor to state my condition and the medication I am on, as requested. This year tho, I have requested to take my own wheelchair, to save cost of hiring one each day. On Thursday, I received a call from the Agents, saying that the airline are now requesting that I provide them with a Sickness to Fly Certificate! They, and my doctors, have never heard of this, so I rang the airlines Special Needs dept to ask why I suddenly need this. They said it had been brought to light that I had cancer, and if i dont provide them with proof that I can travel, from my doctor, they will not allow me to fly with them. They also advised that if I had turned up at the airport and my condition had been found out, I would have been turned away if I did not have this letter with me! I had the BC last year, and at no point was asked by the travel agents, for any proof that I can go away on holiday. I am angry that they have left it until 6 weeks before departure, and more angry that I am so far down the line from treatment, yet still having the BC used against me. I just thought that if any of you are arranging a holiday, you may want to look into this and not chance getting caught out at the last minute.
happy holidays!!!
Deb x
Hi Debs,
Thanks for letting us know of this but please do not feel any obligation to keep agents and airlines a secret. We are well within our consumer rights to speak of events as paying customers. As long as the facts are true and in your Case company policy. I had to cancel my holiday to Florida this year but am hoping to go next year. I will of course check with agents and Airlines about letters ect. Companies who have a blatant disregard to customers with medical conditions should be ousted!!! It’s the only way changes can be made. People power an all that!!!
Once again thanks
Fiona x
Dear Debs66,
I have been told by my Holiday Insurers that I must have a fit to fly note signed by my GP or Surgeon or Oncologist. My Travel Agent has for some time asked if I am fully insured for travel, even before the BC. I think that this ruling has been in place for some time now and has happened because; 1/. people have been taken ill on the journey and planes have had to divert and 2/. people have become ill in a foreign country, especially the USA and found not to be fully covered or fit to fly.
It is a nuisance and does make one feel like a leper but at least you have brought it to peoples attention so that they can be prepared.
E
Hi All
It passes! Try having a husband with a heart condition, CLL, temporal arteritis and COPD! Can be done! Have him insured now and if you ask nicely I will tell you who with. I have taken ordinary insurance on the grounds that I am not going to be felled by breast cancer in the three weeks we are away in Greece.
Hey ho!
Much love
Dilys
Dear DilysP,
I don’t want to put a spanner in the works but I do have a concern.
You have fully covered your husband with insurance and hopefully he will be fine and you have a wonderful holiday. But, if he is ill and is admitted to hospital, and has to stay longer than your planned stay, will you be covered to stay with him???
E
thanks for your replies. can i just point out, my insurance company did ask for a letter from my onc to say i was fit to travel, but it is not the insurance company who are causing the problems, its the travel company. also, the reason i am annoyed, is that they have known for a year, and yet leave it until 6 weeks before travel to ask for this document. If I had not requested to take a wheelchair with me, I could very well have been turned away at the airport and not had the holiday, as I would not have known to take this letter.
I am covered for the BC on my insurance and my insurers have no concerns over my health. I got a really good price and was actually insured whilst undergoing treatment.
Tis a lesson learnt!
deb x
Hi Debs
So pleased you managed to post this on the forum. Do hope
that you get it all sorted out in time to go away - after all this
you will certainly need the holiday!
Take care and battle on.
Rossco
Hi everyone. Just looked at this for 1st time,hadn’t really thought about airlines etc. I am starting rad next week following wle, ax node sampling for inv ductal ca. I am going to W africa December so need yellow fever jab as well. Anyone else done this? Will mention note for travel if I see my GP at some stage.Am I being naive in thinking I can do this with very few problems.The holiday involves some camping and I am madly doing the arm exercises to build up my shoulder movement so I can put up and take down my own tent .
Take care Rosie
Hi Rosie
good luck with the rads, thats a breeze compared to rest of treatment, but does make you tired. you will need the holiday after all this, and deserve it to. not done the jab, glad to say!! I dont think many of us realise just what is involved when booking a holiday, i have a stack of paperwork that is required!!! letters from doctors stating fit to travel, letter to say what medication i am on, letter stating my medical condition, insurance docs etc! make sure your airline tells you what is needed well in advance!!! I finally got the ok to travel a couple of weeks ago, and go away next week! still wont believe i am going, until i stop off that plane!
have a lovely time and good luck with the tent!
deb x
Wishing you a fabulous holiday Deb
Judy x
thanks Judy. hope you are ok?
xx
Hi Rosie,
I finished rads Nov 2008 after chemo WLE nodes then Mastectomy with Diep recon. We went to Kenya at Easter had Hepatitis jab and anti malarials and also I needed booster for Tentanus & Polio. Didnt need yellow fever there though but I was fine, went on Safari ect but no camping involved I am glad to say! Have a great time and good luck with the rads they are easy compared to everything else the worst bit was the travelling 35 miles there and back where I live.
Happy Hols Trudy
Hello and thank you for this interesting thread.
I am planning a big trip to Australia after I have finished chemo and radiation. Had not heard about the ‘fit to Fly’ letter. Is that a standard form or just a letter from one’s doc giving their opinion?
I had to fly to Barcelona recently, whilst having chemo. The day before I travelled I realised that my annual travel insurance policy had run out. Rang several companies who were all unhelpful. Amazingly, BUPA travel insurance were the most unhelpful. Said they will not give me cover for anything b.c. related for the rest of my life! American Express will provide travel cover after 2 years. I ended up travelling semi-insured, i.e. covered for flight cancellation, loss of baggage, broken arm etc but not covered for anything that could be related to the b.c. Also forgot to get the European Health Card but have remedied that now.
So, for the future, I would really appreciate any recommendations of how to get travel insurance.
BTW I travelled on BA. They could not have been more helpful. Provided wheelchair assistance at all stages of the journey, didn’t ask me for any proof of illness or fitness and were really considerate, bringing me pillows and blankets in-flight without my even having to ask.
Hi Canalily,
You could give It’s So Easy a try for your trip.
I used them for my big post treatment trip to Mexico/USA. The US part of the trip took up more of the cost than Mexico; I’m guessing that Australia might be a bit easier?
There are quite a few threads on this subject, so have a good search in the archives. I did get a letter from my oncologist, but I didn’t need it in the end.
With big long haul trips you really need some cancellation cover (for anyone travelling with you as well) if anything crops up due to pre-existing condition before you go.
One more thing, depending on what type of surgery you’ve had you might want to get yourself a lymphoedema sleeve “just in case”. Again, there are threads on this subject too. I chose to give myself a good few months rest after finishing treatment before flying long haul.
Unsuprisingly, the further away you are from the end of your treatment (for primaries), the more choice you will have. I still can’t get an annual policy (finished treatment mid Dec. 2008) so I’m just buying one off policies for anything outside Europe for now.
Good luck, it’s nice to have something to plan & look forward to at the end of it all!
Lxxx
Hi ladies
the ‘sickness to fly’ certificate is generally a letter from your doctor/oncologist to say that you are fit to travel. Florida will be my third holiday since finishing treatment, and on the last two, I was not questioned about my health. Thomas Cook explained that they were not aware that I had had cancer on these two previous trips, and that without the certificate I would not be allowed to travel!
We had been given the option to fly with BA, due to booking problems, but decided to stick with TC as a package deal, oh how we regret that one!
Insurance, I have mine with AXA, and believe it or not, got the insurance during rads, a years cover, including worldwide, and am covered for anything cancer related! This was the only company who would do this, and believe me, I rang many!
Happy holidays
xxx
Due to fly to Malaysia and China end of October. Having rads first. Axa wouldnt insure me and on moneysavingexpert website they said to avoid Axa. Got insurance with pulse travel insurance eventually.
Didnt know about getting letter re fit to travel. Will have to ask my gp. I guess they charge for the letter.
Also how do you get the sleeves?
surprised about axa, as i have found them really good. I asked my gp about the certificate and the receptionist didnt know what they were! phoned my onc and he did it, free of charge! doctor will charge you!
was going to ask about the sleeve to?
happy travels
xx
Hi all i have posted previosly re travel insurance I got mine with Getmy.com no problem just after finishing radiotherapy. Now comes the rant. Insure Pink the company whose logo is the breast cancer pink ribbon would not insure me!!! take care kittyx
Just to add to this - although I don’t have travel insurance, my private health care policy covers all my cancer treatment including hospital stays although I am not using it and going with the NHS for everything at present. I have also discovered, which I didn’t realise for ages that the policy includes for overseas emergency inpatient care and repatriation and will cover my breast cancer. This is for worldwide travel. This means that I don’t need a travel insurance policy which covers medical care. This is a corporate policy which came with my partner’s job for which I pay extra and covered all previously-existing conditions. It almost seems to good to be true. The policy is with AXA and so far has been excellent.
If you have private health care or can afford to buy it then check to see if it covers you in a similar way - you might be surprised if you read the whole policy and check with the insurers.
hi leucite
thats interesting! my travel insurance is with axa, and I have private health with them to! Had BC treatment on NHS tho. They did not mention to me about the overseas care, but have given me the travel insurance and insured my OH at a cheaper rate. Perhaps that is why I got the insurance and others are having problems!