I was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in the last month. Initially I was given a surgery date of 9 May but subsequent investigations have caused it to be postponed whilst further biopsies have been taken. I get the results on 23 May. We travel on 24 May. All the insurance quotes I have looked at do not like the fact I am awaiting further results and either do not quote, or quote £200+. Is this a normal cost? I am only going on a holiday for a week! We had family travel insurance already booked, but I assume that will be cancelled when I update my health situation. Should I wait until I get my results on 23 May before trying to sort this out?
Thanks.
Hi HensDancing and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.
Unfortunately, as you've found, it can be more expensive to get travel insurance when you've had a cancer diagnosis. However, there are lots of people in this group who have successfully got reasonably priced insurance, myself included, so please don't give up hope.
Have you had chance to look through the 'recommended travel insurance' thread yet, as that's where the majority of recommendations are? If not, clicking on the link I've created will take you straight there. As there are lots of recommendations, it's probably best to make a list before starting to phone around.
Personally, I wouldn't be leaving it the day before I was due to go away to organise travel insurance and you will need to advise your present travel insurers, who may surprise you and continue cover albeit with probably an increased premium.
Do come back and let us know how you get on
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
It's difficult to say if that amount would be normal or not as insurers take a lot of things in to account when coming up with a premium including where you're going, what type of cancer you've had, how long ago you were diagnosed, whether you've finished your treatment, even if you've refused treatment.
Any pre-existing medical condition, whether that's cancer, a heart condition, diabetes, etc, will unfortunately increase the premium. All you can do is shop around for the best quote for you. I have used payingtoomuch.com and goodtogoinsurance.com in the past and felt their premiums were reasonable, taking into account the increased risk I am to them.
Personally I wouldn't travel without insurance as you never know what might happen. You could be taken ill and need repatriating which can run in to tens of thousands of pounds.
I agree that it does seem unfair that we have to pay more than our friends and relatives who don't have a pre-existing medical condition and I now never book a holiday until I've found out how much the insurance will be.
I hope you can get some reasonably priced travel insurance and you have a great holiday
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
I have been in this position for nearly 8 years now as I was diagnosed with melanoma nearly 8 years ago and then breast cancer 2 years ago.
You should find that as time goes by from the end of your treatment, so the quotes should begin to decrease.
Certain holidays, like trips to America or the Caribbean, are much more expensive than trips to Europe because of the costs of treatment there. Also travel insurance for cruises can be very expensive as there's always the possibility that the insurance company would have to pay for you to be airlifted off the ship if you became ill.
I suppose I've just got used to it and know that if I want to go somewhere abroad on holiday I'll be paying more in travel insurance than my friends.
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
I spoke to the insurance company this morning. Although sympathetic, they still were unable to quote me a policy at what I would consider a reasonable price.
However after returning to this forum after the conversation, I noticed the post recommending InsuranceWith - and what a difference using them has made! The screening questions are so sensible - especially for someone like me who has only just been diagnosed. I got a quote that was so good I thought I must have answered incorrectly! My husband has just double-checked it and confirmed that it was as good as I thought it was.
Without this forum I would never have found this company - so thank you to everyone who contributes and for the encouragement that goes alongside.
Great news that you've got insurance arranged and at a price you're happy with.
I hope you have a lovely holiday 
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
