Recommended Travel Insurance

latchbrook asked me to repost this here as I initially posted on the CML forum.

After being hospitalised with CML last June I thought there would be no way I would be able to get affordable insurance for June this year. Thankfully while it still isn't cheap compared to pre-CML prices, if you go through the annoyance of plugging in your details to multiple sites you will find somewhat affordable plans (assuming you think £20 per day is affordable - which I know is by no means cheap).

I've spent all morning going through sites that were recommended from various sources and compiled the table below. Obviously this will depend on your age, other medical conditions (I have 2 more non life threatening annoyances), destination etc.

The questions they ask when declaring CML are pretty much all the same. They are:

• Has a bone marrow or stem cell transplant been performed that has resulted in a complete remission?
• Have you ever failed to respond to any of your daily medications?
• Have you experienced any fever, weight loss or loss of appetite within the last 12 months?
• How many unplanned hospital visits have you had for this condition in the last 12 months?

For info my responses were: no, no, yes, 1.

More info: I am male, 39 and going to Spain. This is a single policy. I assumed my partner would be able to get a cheaper policy elsewhere.

Both Avanti & Staysure sent an email a day or 2 later offering 20% off their quotes so it may pay to wait a few days if 20% off would make those the best prices for you. I think these guys are either the same company or the websites were built by the same people as they were laid out the same, both offered the 20% discount, and the prices were close.

Hopefully this will help or encourage some of you that it is indeed possible to go on holiday while still having the peace of mind that if something does happen, you are covered. Lets be honest.. we all need a holiday!

i had lobectomy last april due to lung cancer going to spain for a week got travel ins for 26 pound with holiday safe had to answer a few questions about treatment and investigations but did it online and was easy 100 pound excess.

That does appear to be very cheap. What's their reviews like?

Further to the above, remember Spain is supposed to be the dearest in Europe. Please check the small print to see in more detail particularly in relation to your EU Heath Insurance Card. Apparently most of Spain now is 'private' hence why it is more expensive.

After 2 days of internet searching and being turned down by most online insurers, we did a "Compare the Market" quote and have now got 15 day single trip insurance for my family for a trip to Turkey of £248.41 to include £5k cancellation with £75 excess.  This is with Travel Insurance 4 Medical.co.uk;  according to Compare the market they received a 5 star defaqto rating and 5 star on Trustpilot.  For info, I have squamous cell cancer of the anus which has spread to local lymph nodes.  I had treatment Sept/Oct last year and after my first scans in December was told that the primary is untraceable and the secondary has shrunk over 50%.  No ongoing treatment needed, just the normal 3 monthly scans and check ups.  The whole process really got to me, so if anyone else is looking can I suggest Compare the Market to save the whole rigmarole of putting your details in on various websites and just getting turned down.  Good luck all, Sarah 

With my extensive range of problems I found Free Spirit and Saga cheaper than the quote from 4 Medical.

I tried Saga, they refused to quote for an annual policy and wanted over £600 for this 15 night trip!  Didn't try Free Spirit but will do next time as I intend to go away again.  Just took a bit of a dent to my self-worth this weekend to be told multiple times I wasn't worth the bet with the insurers!

When I started with my cancer nearly four years ago, travel insurance was even more difficult and none of the comparison sites were interested, now they are with various options now available.

I didn't pick up you wanted an annual policy as we do single ones as suiting us better, even although we plan to be away four times this year, God willing. What I have found with Saga is if you leave taking out the insurance until just before the balance of the holiday is due, it is much cheaper.

Thanks Ekulrac, we had to pay the balance yesterday and as my existing annual policy expires before we go we had to sort something.  I had wanted annual insurance but as I only finished treatment last October I suppose it's all too recent really.  Having never had to declare a cancer diagnosis before it was something of a shock to be declined.  I suppose it's just a cost I now need to factor into our holiday plans.  Not looking forward to trying to sort out insurance for a cruise in the summer now but I am going!

I waited until my husband's chemo had started phoned Boots who were then happy to insure us for £198 which wasn't as bad as I feared. I was interested to see some people getting insurance through Saga. I have tried them in the past before the cancer diagnosis and they wouldn't insure us because of our other conditions - my husband's asthma and my arthritis and hypertension. I don't know which of these caused the problem.