You should be aware that travel Insurance is not private medical insurance, in that it only covers unavoidable, unexpected emergency treatment. You are not covered for private medical treatment if there are medically capable public facilities available.
If you become unwell, or sustain a minor injury whilst abroad, you must call our 24/7 assistance team so that they can help you find appropriate treatment locally.
However, you should call the local emergency services immediately, 112 in Europe, 911 in the USA and Canada or the local equivalent to 999, if you have any symptoms that might require emergency treatment including, but not limited to, difficulty breathing, chest pain, seizure (fit) activity, decreased level of consciousness, heavy bleeding, sudden swelling of the face and lips, signs of a stroke or any other life-threatening condition. You must, in all cases call our 24/7 assistance team to authorise cover. Failure to do so may invalidate your claim.
Total Travel Protection can cover medical conditions of all types, up to a very high level of severity.
To find out whether your conditions can be covered you will need to complete a medical screening as part or our quotation process. It is very easy and can be done online or by phone.
We can cover the vast majority of diagnosed medical conditions. However, we are unable to provide cover if you have undiagnosed medical conditions.
We consider a pre-existing medical condition to be anything that causes you to answer ‘yes’ to any of the following questions. As well as any medical condition which is ongoing or you have had in the past which still has an impact on your life now.
Have YOU or anyone in YOUR PARTY:
1. taken any prescribed medication, had any symptoms for any illness or received any medical treatment in the last two (2) years
2. attended a medical practitioner’s surgery, or hospital or clinic (outpatient or in-patient) in the last two (2) years
3. awaiting medical treatment or investigation
4. ever had any stress, anxiety, depression, or psychiatric condition such as eating disorders, drug or alcohol abuse or mental illness for which you have been treated or diagnosed
5. been diagnosed by a medical practitioner as suffering from a terminal illness.
Yes, it is important that you declare all pre-existing medical conditions when you buy travel insurance.
We need to get a full picture of your medical history to give you an accurate quotation and provide travel insurance cover for your holiday.
If you declare some medical conditions and not others, you could find you are not fully covered by your travel insurance if you need to make a claim for emergency medical expenses or cancellation. For instance, if your claim was related to a pre-existing medical condition which you had not declared on your policy, your claim could be declined or not paid in full.
We can cover people with or without medical conditions, so we will be able to cover you all on the same travel insurance policy.
If you have a non-travelling close relative with an existing medical condition who dies or falls seriously ill, and as a result you wish to cancel or curtail your trip, you will be covered only if the relative’s medical practitioner states that at the time insurance was taken out, or the trip was booked, whichever is the latter, he/she would not have foreseen such a serious deterioration in his or her patient’s condition.
No. We are not able to cover undiagnosed medical conditions.
Yes. We can provide cover for you to travel if you are on a waiting list for treatment or an operation so long as it is with regards to a diagnosed medical condition. We cannot cover undiagnosed conditions.
Please note. If you are awaiting treatment or investigation our policy will not provide cover for cancellation or curtailment under the following circ*mstances, unless you purchase our additional waiting list cover:
- You receive an appointment which conflicts with your planned trip.
- You become unable to travel as a result of the planned treatment or investigation.
Our travel insurance policies include cover for mobility aids up to £2,500 per person, if your mobility aid (wheelchair, motorised wheelchair, mobility scooter, walking frame, prosthetic limb, walking stick or crutches) is lost, stolen or damaged during your trip. Also includes the cost of temporary hire of a replacement during your trip.
Travelling When Pregnant
We provide cover under this policy if something unexpected happens. In particular, we provide cover under the Emergency Medical and Repatriation Expenses section for accidental bodily injury or illness. We don’t consider pregnancy or childbirth to be an illness or accidental bodily injury.
To be clear, we only provide cover for Cancellation, Curtailment and Emergency Medical and Repatriation Expenses for claims that come from Complications of Pregnancy and Childbirth.
Complications of pregnancy and childbirth only includes the following:
Toxaemia (toxins in the blood), Bicornuate uterus, Gestational diabetes (diabetes arising as a result of pregnancy), Gestational hypertension (high blood pressure arising as a result of pregnancy), Pre-eclampsia (where you develop high blood pressure, carry abnormal fluid and have protein in your urine during the second half of pregnancy), Ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy that develops outside of the uterus), Foetal Growth Retardation due to Placental Insufficiency, Molar pregnancy or hydatidiform mole (a pregnancy in which a tumour develops from the placental tissue), Post-partum haemorrhage (excessive bleeding following childbirth), Retained placenta membrane (part or all of the placenta is left behind in the uterus after delivery), Placental abruption (part or all of the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus), Hyperemesis gravidarum (excessive vomiting as a result of pregnancy), Obstetric cholestasis, Placenta praevia (when the placenta is in the lower part of the uterus and covers part or all of the cervix), Stillbirth, Miscarriage, Emergency Caesarean section, A termination needed for medical reasons, or Premature birth more than 8 weeks (or 16 weeks if you know you are having more than one baby) before the expected delivery date.
We will not cover denial of boarding by your carrier, so you should check that you will be able to travel with the carrier/airline in advance. If at the time of booking your trip you are aware that you are pregnant, you must ensure that you are able to have the recommended vaccinations and inoculations by the UK government for that trip; no cover will be provided for cancellation in the event that, after booking you discover travel is advised against, or you are unable to receive the appropriate and recommended vaccinations and inoculations for that country.
Please make sure your Medical Practitioner and Midwife are aware of your travel plans, and that there are no known complications, and you are fit to undertake the planned trip.
