A brain tumour diagnosis can change the way you think about travelling. Alongside deciding where to go and looking forward to your holiday, you may now find yourself thinking about treatment, medication, hospital appointments, seizures, flying after surgery and whether you can get travel insurance that takes your diagnosis into account.
But having a brain tumour does not necessarily mean putting your travel plans aside.
You may be planning a holiday while your condition is being monitored, travelling during treatment, looking forward to your first trip after treatment or surgery, or living with the effects of a brain tumour over the longer term.
Some people looking for brain tumour travel insurance will have a cancer diagnosis, while others may have a non-cancerous brain tumour. Either way, your individual health, treatment and current circumstances are what matter when planning a trip and arranging travel insurance.
At Lighthouse Travel Insurance, we help people find cover that takes their individual medical circumstances into account.
We know that travelling with or after a brain tumour can bring up questions you may never have needed to consider before. Can you fly with a brain tumour? How soon can you fly after brain surgery? What happens if you have seizures? Can you take your medication abroad? Do you still need to declare your diagnosis after treatment?
That is why we have brought together some of the practical things you may want to consider before you travel.
Can you get travel insurance with a brain tumour?
In many cases, travel insurance may be available if you have a brain tumour, are receiving treatment, have completed treatment, are in remission or are living with an ongoing diagnosis.
When you get a quote, you will complete a travel insurance medical screening. We will ask questions about your diagnosis, treatment, medication and current health so we can understand your individual circumstances and assess the cover available to you.
The questions you are asked will depend on the information you provide and your own medical circumstances.
Someone whose condition is being monitored may have very different circumstances from somebody who has recently had brain surgery, is receiving treatment or has ongoing symptoms that affect day-to-day life.
It is important to answer the medical screening questions accurately so you can be confident you have declared the medical information we need.
Understanding brain tumours and your travel insurance
Brain tumours can involve very different diagnoses, treatments and ongoing medical needs.
Your diagnosis may be described as a glioma, meningioma, secondary brain tumour or another type of brain tumour. You may be having regular monitoring, recovering from surgery, receiving radiotherapy or another treatment, or attending follow-up appointments after treatment has finished.
Some people may also be managing seizures or taking anti-seizure medication.
For travel insurance, it is your individual circumstances that matter.
When you get a quote, we may ask about your diagnosis, the treatment you have received or are currently having, medication you take and your ongoing care.
This helps us understand your health as it is today and assess the cover available to you. You do not need to work out what information is relevant before you start. Our medical screening process will guide you through the questions we need to ask.
Travelling with a brain tumour
Having a brain tumour does not necessarily mean that you cannot travel. Whether a particular trip is suitable will depend on your health, treatment, recovery and advice from your healthcare team.
The important thing is to plan around your own circumstances rather than somebody else’s experience.
Before you travel
Speak to your healthcare team: If you are receiving treatment, have recently had surgery or have concerns about travelling, discuss your plans with your consultant, specialist nurse or another member of your healthcare team before booking. Tell them where you are planning to go, how you intend to travel and how long you will be away.
Plan around treatment and appointments: Make sure your holiday does not clash with treatment, scans, hospital appointments or follow-up care that your healthcare team considers important. Do not change or delay treatment simply to fit around a holiday unless this has been agreed with your medical team.
Check whether you are fit to fly: This is particularly important if you have recently had brain surgery or your medical team has concerns about your current health. Your airline may also have its own medical clearance requirements.
Plan your medication: Take enough medication for your trip, with additional supplies where appropriate in case you are delayed. Keep essential medication in your hand luggage and check any rules for taking medicines into your destination. If you are travelling across time zones or your medication needs particular storage, speak to your healthcare team or pharmacist before you leave.
[Internal link: Read our Taking Cancer Medication Abroad guide]
Talk about seizures if they affect you: If you experience seizures or take anti-seizure medication, ask your healthcare team whether there is anything about your current circumstances that should affect the trip you are planning. Make sure your medication is included accurately when completing medical screening.
Think about the journey as well as the destination: Airports, transfers, queues and unfamiliar surroundings can make a journey more demanding. If your health affects your mobility, concentration or ability to manage a busy airport, consider whether airport or airline assistance could make travelling easier.
Take useful medical information: Depending on your circumstances, it may be helpful to carry details of your diagnosis, treatment and medication, together with any medical documentation your healthcare team has advised you to have.
Know where you could get medical help: Before you leave, think about how you would access appropriate medical care at your destination if you became unwell. Keep your insurer’s emergency assistance details somewhere easy to find.
During your holiday
Once you are away, try to travel in a way that works for how you are feeling.
You may find it helpful to:
- Build rest and flexibility into your plans if you experience fatigue.
- Keep essential medication with you when you are away from your accommodation.
- Store medication according to its instructions.
- Keep important medical information and emergency contact details somewhere easy to find.
- Write down important travel or medication information if memory or concentration changes affect you.
- Use airport, transport or mobility assistance where it would make your journey easier.
- Know where you could obtain medical assistance locally.
- Follow any advice your healthcare team has given you about what to do if your symptoms change.
- Keep your insurer’s emergency assistance details accessible.
- Leave room in your itinerary for plans to change if you do not feel up to what you had originally arranged.
A holiday does not need to be packed from morning until night to matter. Planning around how you feel now can make it easier to concentrate on enjoying your time away.
Flying with a brain tumour or after brain surgery
Whether you can fly with a brain tumour will depend on your individual health and medical circumstances.
If you have recently had brain surgery, it is particularly important to speak to your surgical or specialist team before booking a flight.
There is no single waiting period after brain surgery that applies to everybody.
Following some operations, air can remain trapped inside the body. Changes in aircraft cabin pressure can cause trapped air to expand, which is one reason flying too soon after some brain operations can be unsafe.
Your surgical team can advise when flying is appropriate based on the procedure you have had, your recovery and whether there have been any complications.
You should also check your airline’s requirements. Depending on your circumstances, it may ask for medical information, a fit-to-fly letter or another form of medical clearance before you travel.
If you experience seizures or have other symptoms that you are concerned may affect flying, discuss them specifically with your healthcare team.
Read our Flying During and After Cancer Treatment guide
Travelling during or after brain tumour treatment
Some people may be able to travel during treatment for a brain tumour, while others may need or prefer to wait.
Whether a trip is appropriate will depend on the treatment you are receiving, how it is affecting you, your current health and the advice of your healthcare team.
If you are considering travelling during treatment, ask your medical team whether:
- Your treatment schedule affects the dates you are considering.
- You need to remain close to your treating hospital at particular times.
- Any current side effects could make the journey or destination unsuitable.
- There are appointments or investigations that should not be delayed.
- You need additional medical information or medication while you are away.
- Flying creates any particular concerns for you.
Do not change, delay or miss treatment simply to make a holiday possible unless this has been agreed with your healthcare team.
Read our Travel Insurance During Active Cancer Treatment guide
Finishing treatment does not necessarily mean that you need to wait a set amount of time before travelling either. Recovery is different for everybody, particularly after surgery or other treatment.
If treatment has recently finished, speak to your healthcare team about when you are medically ready to travel and whether your recovery creates any particular considerations for the trip you are planning.
Brain tumours, seizures and travelling
Seizures are one of the subjects some people living with or after a brain tumour may need to think about when travelling.
If you experience seizures, there is not one travel rule that will apply to everybody.
Speak to your healthcare team about your own circumstances before travelling, particularly if you have recently experienced a change in your seizures, started or changed medication, or have concerns about flying.
If you take anti-seizure medication, keep taking it as prescribed and plan your supply before you leave. Take enough for your trip, with additional medication where appropriate in case you are delayed.
If you are crossing time zones and are unsure when to take your medication, ask your healthcare team or pharmacist for advice before travelling rather than changing the timing yourself.
You should also check any destination rules relating to the medication you take and carry any supporting documentation that is required.
Read our Taking Cancer Medication Abroad guide
When arranging travel insurance, make sure you answer the medical screening questions accurately based on your diagnosis, medication and current circumstances.
The Importance of Declaring Your Medical Conditions
Your travel insurance needs to reflect your health when you arrange your cover.
When completing your medical screening, you may need to provide information about:
- Your brain tumour diagnosis.
- Treatment you are receiving or have recently completed.
- Surgery you have had.
- Medication you take.
- Ongoing hospital appointments, scans or follow-up care.
- Current symptoms or other medical conditions connected to your diagnosis or treatment.
- Any other medical conditions you have.
Do not decide for yourself that a medical condition is no longer relevant because treatment has finished, your condition is stable or you are feeling well.
Answer the medical screening questions accurately based on your circumstances at the time.
Providing accurate information allows us to assess your circumstances and explain the cover available to you. If relevant medical information is not declared when required, it could affect your cover and may mean that a related claim cannot be paid.
If your health changes after you buy your policy, contact Lighthouse before you travel.
This could include a new diagnosis, new investigations, a change in treatment, new medication or a change in an existing medical condition.
Do not assume that your existing policy will automatically cover a change in your health. Contacting us means we can explain whether your policy needs to be reviewed.
Why Choose Lighthouse Travel Insurance?
Our policies can offer:
- Up to £10 million emergency medical expenses.
- Up to £10,000 cancellation cover, based on the trip cost per person declared.
- Up to £5,000 cover for your personal belongings, depending on the policy selected.
- 24/7 access to an Emergency Medical Assistance team.
- Cover for UK, European and Worldwide trips, provided you are not travelling against the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) travel advice.
- Access to Air Doctor Connect is available on numerous policies, allowing you to connect with over 20,000 doctors in 78 countries. Where non-urgent outpatient treatment is provided through Air Doctor Connect, your policy excess is waived, and you may claim back the cost of prescribed medication when you return home.
Please Note: Any amounts listed above are per insured person on the policy. Cover limits, benefits and exclusions vary between policies. Full details can be found in your policy wording, available in your Customer Area
