Italy can offer almost any kind of holiday, from a few days exploring Rome or Florence to a slower break beside Lake Garda. But when you are living with or recovering from cancer, planning that trip can come with questions that were not part of travelling before.
Can you get travel insurance for Italy? What do you need to declare? What happens if you need medical help while you are away? And how do you plan a holiday around treatment, medication or lower energy levels?
Having cancer does not automatically mean that Italy is off the table.
At Lighthouse Travel Insurance, we help people living with and recovering from cancer explore cover that takes their individual medical circumstances into account. Whether you are currently receiving treatment, have recently finished treatment, are in remission, we want to make planning your next trip feel a little more straightforward.
Can you get travel insurance with cancer for Italy?
In many cases, travel insurance may be available if you have cancer and are planning a holiday to Italy.
When you get a quote with Lighthouse, you will complete a medical screening. We may ask about your cancer diagnosis, treatment, medication, ongoing care and current health. This allows us to understand your circumstances and assess the cover available to you.
Someone travelling to Italy between treatment appointments may have very different circumstances from somebody who finished treatment several years ago. That is why your quote is based on the information you provide about your health and individual circumstances, rather than simply the name of your diagnosis.
You do not need to work out which medical information is important before you start. Our medical screening process will guide you through the questions we need to ask.
Click here, to find out how travel insurance medical screening works
Planning a holiday to Italy during or after cancer
A little preparation can make your trip easier to enjoy once you arrive.
Before travelling, think about:
- Speaking to your healthcare team. If you are receiving treatment, have recently finished treatment or have concerns about your health, ask whether the trip you are planning is suitable for you.
- Planning around treatment and appointments. Check that your holiday does not clash with treatment, scans, blood tests or follow-up appointments your healthcare team considers important.
- Choosing a manageable itinerary. Italy can involve more walking than expected, particularly in historic cities. If fatigue or reduced mobility affects you, consider shorter sightseeing days, taxis, public transport or airport assistance.
- Taking enough medication. Bring enough for your whole trip, with additional supplies where appropriate in case you are delayed. Keep essential medication accessible and check any rules that apply to taking your medicines into Italy. For more information on taking cancer medication abroad, click here.
- Thinking about the weather. Italian summers can be very hot. If heat, fatigue or sensitivity to sunlight is a concern for you, consider how the season and pace of your holiday could affect how you feel.
Healthcare in Italy and your GHIC
If you are travelling from the UK, a valid GHIC or eligible EHIC can give you access to medically necessary state healthcare while you are visiting Italy.
However, a GHIC or EHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance. It does not cover everything, including medical repatriation to the UK, private healthcare and certain additional treatment costs. The FCDO recommends having appropriate travel insurance, particularly if you have an existing health condition.
Before travelling, it can also be useful to know where you could access suitable healthcare near your accommodation and to keep your insurer’s emergency assistance details somewhere easy to find.
Top destinations in Italy when travelling with cancer
There is no single destination that will be right for everybody living with or recovering from cancer. Your treatment, mobility, energy levels and the type of holiday you want all matter. But if you are looking for inspiration, these destinations can lend themselves to different styles of trip:
A good option if you want to take things at a slower pace. Lakeside towns, scenery and plenty of opportunities simply to sit and enjoy your surroundings can make it easier to build rest into your holiday. Italy’s official tourism site highlights Garda as a destination for relaxation as well as sightseeing.
Bologna can work well if you want the culture and food of an Italian city without trying to cover an enormous area every day. Its famous porticoes stretch for kilometres across the city, offering plenty of covered spaces that can provide welcome shade during warmer weather.
Florence puts an extraordinary amount of art, history and architecture within its historic centre. That can make it easier to concentrate on one part of the city at a time, although sightseeing still involves plenty of walking, so leaving time for breaks can be important if your energy levels fluctuate.
Rome is ideal if seeing Italy’s most famous sights is high on your list, but there is no need to try to see everything in one visit. Planning one main attraction a day, using public transport or taxis where helpful and choosing accommodation carefully can make a busy city break more manageable. Rome has an extensive public transport network, which can help reduce some of the walking involved.
Wherever you choose, the best destination is the one that works for how you feel now, rather than how you think a holiday in Italy ought to look.
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
