Having radiotherapy can change the way you think about planning a holiday.
Alongside choosing where to go, you may now be thinking about treatment appointments, tiredness, skin reactions and whether you will feel well enough to travel. If you are heading somewhere warm, you might also be wondering how radiotherapy could affect your skin in the sun.
But having radiotherapy does not necessarily mean that travel has to be put on hold indefinitely.
You may be hoping to get away before treatment begins, planning something to look forward to once your course of radiotherapy finishes, or thinking about your first holiday as you recover.
At Lighthouse Travel Insurance, we help people living with and recovering from cancer find cover that takes their medical circumstances into account.
We know that travelling during or after radiotherapy can bring up questions you may never have needed to consider before. Can you go on holiday during radiotherapy? How soon after radiotherapy can you travel? Can you fly? Is it safe to go somewhere hot? Can you swim if the treated skin is still sensitive?
There is not one answer that applies to everyone. The type of radiotherapy you have, the area of your body being treated, your side effects and your current health all matter.
That is why we have brought together some of the practical considerations that may help you prepare for your trip with greater confidence.
Can you get travel insurance during radiotherapy?
In many cases, travel insurance may be available while you are having radiotherapy or after treatment has finished.
When you get a quote, you will go through a medical screening where we will ask questions about your cancer diagnosis, treatment, medication and current health. This helps us understand your individual circumstances and the cover available to you.
Someone part-way through a course of daily radiotherapy, for example, may have very different circumstances from somebody who finished treatment several months ago and has recovered well.
The area being treated and any side effects you are experiencing may also be relevant to your circumstances.
It is important to answer the medical screening questions accurately so you can be confident you have declared the information we need.
Understanding radiotherapy and your travel insurance
Radiotherapy uses high-energy radiation to destroy cancer cells.
It can be used to treat different types of cancer and may be given on its own or alongside other treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or hormone therapy.
There are different types of radiotherapy. External beam radiotherapy directs radiation at the cancer from a machine outside your body. Other forms of radiotherapy can involve radioactive material being placed inside the body or radioactive medicines.
How often you have treatment depends on the type of radiotherapy and why you are having it. Some people have a single treatment, while others have a course of treatment over a number of days or weeks.
The side effects can also depend on the part of your body being treated. Radiotherapy mainly affects the treatment area, although tiredness is a common general side effect.
For travel insurance, it is your individual circumstances that matter.
When you get a quote, we may ask about your cancer diagnosis, radiotherapy you are currently having or have completed, other cancer treatments, medication 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 decide for yourself which medical details are relevant before you start. Our medical screening process will guide you through the questions we need to ask.
Click here, to find out more about how our travel insurance medical screening works.
Travelling during radiotherapy
Whether you can travel during radiotherapy will depend on your treatment schedule, the area being treated, how treatment is affecting you and advice from your radiotherapy team.
For some people, the practical challenge is simply fitting a trip around treatment.
External radiotherapy can involve regular appointments over several weeks. Missing appointments could affect your treatment plan, so do not delay, interrupt or miss radiotherapy to accommodate a holiday unless this has been agreed with your healthcare team.
How you feel may also change as your course of treatment progresses.
Radiotherapy side effects can develop gradually rather than appearing immediately after the first session. Fatigue and skin reactions, for example, can become more noticeable as treatment continues.
If you are considering travelling during a course of radiotherapy, speak to your radiotherapy team before booking.
They can advise whether your treatment schedule and current health make your plans appropriate.
Travelling after radiotherapy
Finishing your final radiotherapy appointment can feel like an important milestone, and having a holiday to look forward to afterwards can mean a great deal.
But the final appointment is not necessarily the point when the effects of treatment immediately begin to disappear.
Some side effects can continue for a while after radiotherapy finishes. Fatigue may continue for weeks or sometimes longer, while skin reactions can take time to settle.
There is no single waiting period after radiotherapy that is right for everybody.
When you are ready to travel will depend on factors including the area treated, the type and length of treatment, any other cancer treatment you have received, your side effects and your general recovery.
Speak to your healthcare team before booking, particularly if treatment has only recently finished or you are still experiencing significant side effects.
For many people, that first holiday is something they have been thinking about throughout treatment. Choosing a trip that suits how you feel now can help you enjoy it without putting pressure on yourself to immediately travel exactly as you did before your diagnosis.
Planning your trip during or after radiotherapy
A little preparation can make travelling during treatment or recovery easier.
Before you travel
- Speak to your radiotherapy team: Tell them where you are planning to go, how long you will be away and how you intend to travel.
- Plan around treatment appointments: Make sure your holiday does not interfere with radiotherapy sessions or follow-up appointments your healthcare team considers important.
- Ask about your side effects: The effects of radiotherapy depend partly on the area being treated. Ask whether anything you are experiencing should influence your destination or activities.
- Think about fatigue: Radiotherapy can cause tiredness that may become more noticeable as treatment progresses and continue afterwards.
- Ask about your skin: If the treated area is sore or sensitive, find out how your radiotherapy team recommends caring for it while you are away.
- Plan for the sun: Treated skin can remain particularly sensitive to sunlight, so ask what protection your team recommends.
- Ask about swimming: If you are planning a pool or beach holiday, check whether swimming is appropriate based on the condition of the treated skin.
- Take any medication you need: Make sure you have enough prescribed medication for your trip and understand how it should be carried and stored.
- Consider airport assistance: If fatigue or reduced mobility could make the journey difficult, check what assistance your airport or airline can provide.
- Research healthcare: Know where you could obtain appropriate medical help if you became unwell while away.
During your holiday
You may find it helpful to:
- Build rest into your itinerary
- Avoid planning too much for the first few days
- Protect treated skin carefully from the sun
- Follow the skin-care advice given by your radiotherapy team
- Keep well hydrated, particularly somewhere warm
- Take prescribed medication as directed
- Avoid activities that irritate sore or healing skin
- Know where you could obtain medical help
- Keep your insurer’s emergency assistance details somewhere accessible
- Leave some flexibility in your plans if fatigue or other side effects affect how much you feel able to do
Your holiday does not have to be busy to be worthwhile. Sometimes having fewer plans can give you more freedom to enjoy the days when you are feeling well.
Radiotherapy, fatigue and travelling
Fatigue is one of the most common general side effects of radiotherapy.
It may become more noticeable as treatment progresses, and travelling regularly to hospital for radiotherapy appointments can add to that tiredness. Fatigue can also continue after treatment has finished.
This can make both the journey and the holiday itself more demanding.
You may find it useful to:
- Choose a direct journey where possible
- Allow more time for connections
- Arrange airport or airline assistance
- Avoid planning a busy first day
- Build regular opportunities to rest into your holiday
- Choose accommodation that makes getting around easier
- Leave some days without fixed plans
Try to plan around your current energy levels rather than what you would normally expect yourself to manage.
If your fatigue is severe, worsening or worrying you, speak to your healthcare team.
Side effects can depend on where you have radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is a local treatment, which means many of its side effects are related to the area of the body being treated.
This is important when planning a holiday because two people having radiotherapy can have very different experiences.
For example, depending on the area treated, radiotherapy can sometimes affect:
- Eating or swallowing
- Your mouth or throat
- Your bowel
- Your bladder
- Your breathing
- Your skin
- Mobility or comfort
- Lymphoedema risk
Radiotherapy to the brain, chest, abdomen or pelvis can therefore create different practical considerations when travelling.
You do not need to prepare for every possible radiotherapy side effect.
Instead, ask your healthcare team which effects are relevant to your treatment and whether they should influence where you go, how you travel or what you plan to do while you are away.
If you are experiencing ongoing side effects, it can also be useful to think about access to toilets, food you can comfortably eat, walking distances and access to appropriate healthcare when choosing your destination and accommodation.
Flying during or after radiotherapy
Having radiotherapy does not automatically mean that you cannot fly.
Whether flying is appropriate will depend on your cancer, the area treated, other treatment you have received, your side effects and current health.
Radiotherapy can sometimes affect blood cells, particularly when larger areas containing bone marrow are treated, although this does not happen to everybody.
Other factors associated with your cancer or treatment may also need to be considered when deciding whether you are fit to fly.
Speak to your healthcare team if you are planning to fly during treatment or soon afterwards. They can advise you based on your individual circumstances.
Your airline may also have its own requirements regarding fitness to fly or medical clearance.
Click here, to read our blog ‘Flying with Cancer: What You Need to Know Before You Go’.
Other ways to travel after radiotherapy
You do not have to fly to travel abroad. Depending on your destination and circumstances, you may choose to travel by car, Eurotunnel, ferry or cruise.
The same things you might consider when flying can apply to other types of travel. Think about how you are feeling, any side effects from radiotherapy, how long the journey will take and whether you will need to rest or move around during the journey.
If you need extra assistance because of reduced mobility or other needs, contact the transport or cruise company before you travel. They may be able to arrange support to help make your journey easier.
If you are unsure whether you are well enough to travel, speak to your healthcare team before you go.
Taking medication abroad during or after radiotherapy
You may have medication to manage the effects of radiotherapy or other aspects of your cancer treatment.
If you need prescribed medication while travelling, make sure you have enough for the whole trip, plus additional supplies where appropriate in case you are delayed.
Check how it should be stored and whether there are restrictions on taking your medicines into your destination or any countries you will travel through.
Depending on what you take, you may also need supporting documentation such as a prescription or letter from your healthcare team.
Continue taking your medication as prescribed unless your healthcare team advises otherwise.
Click here, to read our blog on ‘Travelling abroad with Prescribed Medication: What You Need to Know’
The importance of declaring your medical conditions and radiotherapy
Having travel insurance that reflects your individual health is an important part of travelling with confidence.
When arranging your travel insurance, it is important to tell us about:
- Your cancer diagnosis
- Radiotherapy you are currently receiving
- Radiotherapy you have recently completed
- Other cancer treatment you are receiving or have received
- Any medication you are taking
- Any ongoing hospital appointments, scans or follow-up care
- Any medical conditions or complications that have developed as a result of your cancer or treatment
- Any other medical conditions you have
Providing accurate information allows us to assess your circumstances and explain the cover available to you.
If medical conditions or treatments are not declared when required, it could affect your cover and may mean claims relating to those conditions cannot be paid.
At Lighthouse, we aim to make medical screening straightforward, helping you understand what information we need so you can travel with greater peace of mind.
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
