A liver cancer diagnosis can change the way you think about travelling. A holiday you might once have booked without much thought can suddenly involve questions about treatment, medication, appointments, flying and whether you can get travel insurance that takes your diagnosis into account.
But having liver cancer does not necessarily mean putting your travel plans aside.
You may be hoping to get away during treatment, planning something to look forward to once treatment has finished, or thinking about travelling as part of getting back to the things you enjoy.
At Lighthouse Travel Insurance, we help people living with and recovering from cancer explore cover that takes their individual medical circumstances into account.
We know that travelling after a cancer diagnosis can bring up questions you may never have needed to consider before. Can you travel during treatment? When can you fly after treatment or surgery? What medication can you take abroad? Do you still need to declare liver cancer after treatment has finished?
There is not one answer that applies to everybody. Your diagnosis, treatment, current health and advice from your healthcare team all matter.
That is why we have brought together some of the practical things to consider when planning your trip.
Can you get travel insurance with liver cancer?
Travel insurance may be available if you are living with liver cancer, receiving treatment, have completed treatment or are in remission.
When you get a quote, you will complete a travel insurance medical screening. We may ask questions about your diagnosis, treatment, medication and current health. This helps us understand your individual circumstances and assess the cover available to you.
Two people with the same cancer diagnosis can have very different medical circumstances, which is why your application needs to be considered individually.
You do not need to decide which parts of your medical history are relevant before you begin. Our medical screening process will guide you through the questions we need to ask.
It is important to answer those questions accurately so you can be confident you have declared the medical information we need.
Understanding liver cancer and your travel insurance
Your experience of liver cancer, its treatment and recovery will be individual to you.
You may be receiving cancer treatment, recovering after treatment or surgery, taking medication, attending regular hospital appointments or having ongoing follow-up care.
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.
If you are currently receiving treatment, our guide to travelling during active cancer treatment looks in more detail at some of the things you may want to consider.
If treatment has finished, you can also find more information about arranging cover and planning your first trips afterwards. Visit our travel insurance after cancer treatment page.
Travelling with liver cancer
Having liver cancer does not automatically mean that you cannot travel. Whether a trip is suitable will depend on your health, treatment and the advice of your healthcare team.
Before you travel
- Speak to your healthcare team: Check whether your current health, treatment or recovery could affect your plans.
- Plan around treatment and appointments: Make sure your trip does not clash with treatment, scans or follow-up care your healthcare team considers important.
- Check whether you are fit to fly: If you have recently had treatment or surgery, ask your healthcare team whether flying is appropriate for you. Your airline may also have its own requirements.
- Take enough medication: Bring enough for your whole trip, with additional supplies where appropriate, and check the rules for taking medicines into your destination.
- Check vaccinations early: Some cancer treatments can affect which travel vaccinations are suitable, so ask your healthcare team or a travel health professional for advice.
- Think about the journey: Fatigue or reduced mobility can make airports, transfers and busy itineraries more tiring. Consider airport assistance if this would help.
- Know where to get medical help: Keep your insurer’s emergency assistance details accessible and check the healthcare available at your destination.
During your holiday
You may find it helpful to:
- Build rest into your plans if you experience fatigue
- Keep essential medication with you
- Store medication according to its instructions
- Follow any advice your healthcare team has given you
- Know where you could obtain medical assistance locally
- Keep your insurer’s emergency assistance details easily accessible
- Leave some flexibility in your itinerary if your energy levels or symptoms change
Planning around how you feel can make it easier to focus on enjoying your time away.
Flying during or after liver cancer treatment
Whether you can fly during or after cancer treatment will depend on your individual circumstances.
Some people may be able to fly while receiving treatment. Others may need to wait because of their treatment, recent surgery, side effects or general health.
There is no universal number of days or weeks that everybody should wait.
Before booking a flight, speak to your healthcare team, particularly if you:
- Are currently receiving treatment
- Have recently completed treatment
- Have recently had surgery
- Are experiencing significant side effects
- Have concerns about your general health
- Have been advised that you have an increased risk of blood clots
Your healthcare team can advise whether you are medically fit to fly and whether there are any precautions relevant to you. Your airline may also have its own medical requirements.
Rather than relying on general waiting periods, read our dedicated guide for more information about flying during and after cancer treatment.
The Importance of Declaring Your Liver Cancer on your Travel Insurance
Your travel insurance needs to reflect your health when you arrange your cover.
When completing your medical screening, be prepared to provide accurate information when asked about:
- Your liver cancer diagnosis
- Treatment you are receiving or have recently completed
- Medication you take
- Surgery you have had
- Ongoing hospital appointments or follow-up care
- Medical conditions connected to your cancer or treatment
- Any other medical conditions you have
Do not assume that your cancer no longer needs to be mentioned because treatment has finished, you are feeling well or you have been told you are in remission.
Answer the medical screening questions accurately based on your medical history and current circumstances.
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, starting a different treatment, new medication or a change in an existing medical condition.
Travelling after liver cancer treatment
Finishing treatment can be an important milestone, and for some people a holiday is one of the things they have been looking forward to.
It might mean spending time with family, returning somewhere you love or simply having something in the diary that is not another hospital appointment.
But finishing treatment does not necessarily mean that you will immediately feel exactly as you did beforehand.
There is no single waiting period after cancer treatment that will be right for everybody. Your healthcare team can advise when you are medically ready to travel based on the treatment you have received, your recovery and your current health.
You may also still need to declare your liver cancer when arranging travel insurance after treatment has finished. Read our guide on travel insurance after cancer treatment.
If your cancer is in remission, you can find more information about medical screening, follow-up care and planning holidays in our dedicated remission page.
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
