Living with secondary breast cancer can change the way you plan a holiday. Alongside deciding where you would like to go, you may need to think about ongoing treatment, hospital appointments, medication, side effects and what would happen if you needed medical help while you were away.
But having secondary breast cancer does not mean that travel is out of reach.
You will be receiving treatment for life but want holidays to remain part of your plans. You might be thinking about time away with family, returning somewhere you love or simply looking forward to a change of scene away from appointments and treatment.
At Lighthouse Travel Insurance, we help people living with cancer explore travel insurance that takes their individual medical circumstances into account.
We understand that secondary breast cancer can bring some very specific questions. Can you get travel insurance while treatment is ongoing? Will your diagnosis make travel insurance too expensive? Can you travel between treatment appointments? What happens if your treatment changes after you have booked your holiday?
There is not one answer that applies to everybody.
Your treatment, current health and travel plans all matter. Our role is to make the insurance side clearer, so you can understand your options and plan your trip with greater confidence.
Can you get travel insurance with secondary breast cancer?
In many cases, yes, travel insurance will be available if you are living with secondary breast cancer.
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 that we can understand your individual circumstances and assess the cover available to you.
Two people living with secondary breast cancer can have very different medical circumstances.
One person may have been receiving the same treatment for some time and feel well, while another may have recently started a new treatment or be experiencing side effects that affect their day-to-day health.
Your destination, length of trip and any other medical conditions can also affect the cover available and the price you pay.
It is important to answer the medical screening questions accurately so your quote reflects your circumstances as they are today.
Understanding secondary breast cancer and your travel insurance
For most people living with secondary breast cancer, treatment will be ongoing. However, holidays can remain part of life while treatment and hospital care continue.
You may be receiving treatments such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted treatment, immunotherapy or another form of cancer treatment. You may also take medication to manage symptoms or treatment side effects.
For travel insurance, it is your individual circumstances that matter.
When you get a quote, we may ask about:
- Your breast cancer diagnosis and your secondary diagnosis
- The treatment you are currently receiving
- Treatment you have recently completed
- Medication you take
- Your current health
- Ongoing hospital appointments or care
- Other medical conditions you have
You do not need to work out which details are relevant before you start.
Our medical screening process will guide you through the questions we need to ask.
Find out more here, about how our medical screening works.
Travelling with secondary breast cancer
Living with secondary breast cancer does not mean you cannot travel.
Whether a particular trip is suitable for you will depend on your current health, treatment and the advice of your healthcare team.
The important thing is to plan around your circumstances rather than somebody else’s experience.
A short break close to home may be right for one person, while somebody else may feel comfortable planning a longer holiday abroad.
Before you travel
Speak to your healthcare team
Discuss your plans with your consultant, specialist nurse or another member of your healthcare team.
Tell them where you are thinking of travelling, how long you would like to be away and how you plan to get there. They can advise whether your current health and treatment make the trip appropriate.
Plan around your treatment
you will be having regular treatment, blood tests, scans or hospital appointments, look at how your proposed holiday fits around them.
Ask your healthcare team whether there are particular times during your treatment when side effects may be more noticeable or when they would prefer you to remain closer to your treating hospital.
Do not delay, change or miss treatment simply to accommodate a holiday unless this has been agreed with your healthcare team.
Think about how you are feeling now
Your energy levels and side effects can influence the kind of trip that feels manageable.
Think about the whole journey as well as the destination. Long airport walks, connecting flights, transfers and a busy itinerary may require more energy than expected.
A more direct journey, airport assistance or additional rest time may make travelling more comfortable.
Plan your medication
Take enough medication for your whole trip, with additional supplies where appropriate in case you are delayed.
Keep essential medication in your hand luggage and check how it needs to be stored.
You should also check the rules for taking your medication into the country you are visiting. Some medicines may require supporting documentation.
Ask about vaccinations and infection risk
Some cancer treatments can affect your immune system and which travel vaccinations are suitable for you.
Speak to your healthcare team or a travel health professional well before you arrange your travel, rather than assuming that a vaccination routinely recommended for your destination will be suitable for you.
Know where you could get medical help
Think about access to healthcare at your destination, particularly if you are travelling somewhere remote or planning to be away for a longer period.
Keep your travel insurer’s emergency assistance details somewhere easily accessible and make sure anyone travelling with you knows where to find them.
During your holiday
Once you are away, try to travel at a pace that reflects how you are feeling.
You may find it helpful to:
- Build rest into your itinerary
- Leave some flexibility in your plans
- Keep essential medication with you
- Store medication according to its instructions
- Keep well hydrated, particularly in warmer destinations
- Follow any precautions recommended by your healthcare team
- Know where you could obtain medical assistance locally
- Keep your insurer’s emergency assistance details with you
- Avoid feeling that you need to fit everything into every day
A holiday does not have to mean stepping away from the realities of treatment altogether.
But a little planning before you leave can help treatment take up less space once you are actually away.
Planning travel around ongoing breast cancer treatment
When treatment continues over a longer period, fitting travel around it can become part of everyday planning.
That does not mean choosing holiday dates simply because there is a gap between two hospital appointments.
How you feel can vary during treatment, and your healthcare team may need to consider your treatment schedule, side effects, medication, current health and access to medical care at your destination.
Before booking, it can be useful to ask:
- Whether your proposed travel dates work with your treatment schedule
- Whether you need any tests or appointments before you leave
- Whether side effects are likely to affect you at a particular point in treatment
- Whether you need to remain within easy reach of specialist medical care
- What you should do if you become unwell while you are away
- Whether any medication or equipment needs additional preparation
- Whether your destination creates any particular health considerations
This can help you choose a trip that works around your treatment rather than trying to make your treatment fit around the holiday.
Click here, to read more about Travelling During Active Cancer Treatment
Flying with secondary breast cancer
Having secondary breast cancer does not mean that you cannot fly.
However, whether flying is appropriate will depend on your individual health, treatment and any symptoms or side affects you are experiencing.
Speak to your healthcare team if you have any concerns about flying, particularly if you have recently started or changed treatment, have recently had surgery or have experienced a change in your general health.
Your healthcare team can advise whether you are medically fit to fly and whether there are any additional precautions you should consider.
Your airline may also have its own medical requirements and may request additional information in some circumstances.
If you experience fatigue or reduced mobility, airport assistance may make your journey easier. Airlines and airports can provide different types of assistance, so it is worth arranging this in advance.
Declaring secondary breast cancer on your travel insurance
Your travel insurance needs to reflect your health when you arrange your cover.
When completing medical screening, answer all questions accurately about your secondary breast cancer and your wider health.
This may include information about:
- Your diagnosis
- Treatment you are currently receiving
- Medication you take
- Recent treatment
- Hospital appointments or ongoing care
- Latest scan results
- Your current health
- Other medical conditions
Do not leave information out because your treatment has become routine, your cancer is stable or you have been receiving the same treatment for a long 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 you are unsure whether something needs to be declared, contact Lighthouse rather than leaving it out.
What happens if your treatment or health changes before your holiday?
Health and treatment can change between arranging travel insurance and the day you travel.
If your circumstances change after you buy your policy, contact Lighthouse before your trip.
This could include:
- Starting a new treatment
- A change to your existing treatment
- Being prescribed new medication
- A change in medication or dose
- New symptoms
- Further investigations or tests
- Another diagnosis
- A change in an existing medical condition
Do not assume that your existing policy will automatically cover the change.
Contacting us means we can review your circumstances and explain whether your policy or cover is affected.
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
