Travelling with a Health Condition - Part 2 - Travel Insurance

Following on from my article on travel medication (which you can read here), the second installment of "Travelling with a health condition" is all about travel insurance. Travel insurance isn't an easy subject to cover; some people don't bother with it at all, while others see it as a necessity. If you have a serious health condition, in my opinion it is vital to get travel insurance, furthermore I believe you should obtain insurance that covers your actual medical condition, not just a generic insurance for a "healthy" person.

Pros and Cons

When travelling, I always take out insurance that covers my specific health condition, this has both positives and negatives, but I will not take the risk of being un-insured encase something does happen with my transplant. If I start to quibble about the extra cost, I then think of what a mess I would be in if I became seriously ill in a far off country with a poor medical service - It's simply not worth it!

• Pros
• Peace of mind
• Covered for medical emergencies relating to your illness

• Cons
• Extra hassle to book the insurance
• Extra cost

The pros and cons are about even, however what price can you put on your health, and surely the extra hassle is worth it to know you are properly covered?

Who do I use for Travel Insurance?

I always find a travel insurance quote through moneysupermarket.com - If you visit their site and click on "insurance" then "travel insurance" there should be a link on the right hand side for "compare quotes for pre-existing medical conditions". This will take you through the usual procedure of entering your personal and holiday details, then it will ask you about your pre-existing condition - be honest! There is no point getting special travel insurance if you are going to lie about your health.

When picking one of the quotes always read the terms & conditions to be 100% clear on what you are actually covered for. Sometimes you might not be covered for important things such as operations etc. Finally, check the value you are covered for - it's no good being insured for cover up to £10!!!!!

Don't put a price on your life!

I know this may seem an extreme statement but it's true! Get proper travel insurance to cover yourself if you have a serious illness. Even if you don't I would always advise having some form of cover - For the average healthy traveler, insurance really is peanuts. Be safe, be insured!