Terminal illness doesn't have to mean an end to travel
Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson’s film, ‘The Bucket List’, saw two men with terminal cancer planning the trip of a lifetime, based on a list of things to do before they ‘kick the bucket’.
As Freeman and Nicholson’s inspiring characters showed, a terminal diagnosis doesn’t have to mean putting your life on hold. But some people with a terminal diagnosis may think they can’t take their own trip of a lifetime because they won’t be able to get travel insurance cover.
Specialist insurance provider, goodtogoinsurance.com, which provides travel insurance for people with a range of pre-existing medical conditions, aims to make travel cover as accessible as possible for people with a terminal prognosis. It is therefore offering tips on what should be considered before booking a special trip.
“Anyone facing a terminal prognosis may assume that they can’t get travel insurance to cover their condition, ruling out that last trip to fulfil a dream or to spend quality time with family or friends. But that doesn’t have to be the case” said Iain Sykes, Managing Director, goodtogoinsurance.com. “We can medically screen anyone with a pre-existing condition and in many cases they can be covered as long as they have a prognosis of six months or more from the last day of their holiday. So whether it’s a gondola ride in Venice, a trip to see the Mona Lisa or a wine tasting extravaganza, our screening process allows more people to enjoy foreign travel, safe in the knowledge that they have access to appropriate medical support should they require it.
“However, because of the high charges for medical care in some parts of the world, people with a terminal prognosis should carefully consider their destination. Where they go could have a big impact on the cost of their travel cover. For example, medical care is notoriously expensive in the USA so cover could be impossible to obtain or otherwise extremely expensive. However, cover for most destinations throughout Europe is more reasonable.
“We strongly advise anyone planning a trip on their ‘bucket list’ to check out travel insurance cover before they make their booking.
“Many people wanting to travel the world still don’t realise that travel cover is available for a huge range of pre-existing conditions, including cases where a terminal prognosis has been given. And goodtogoinsurance.com offers fair, risk-based prices on insurance for travellers of all ages with or without a medical condition, helping people enjoy that trip of a lifetime safe in the knowledge that they are covered should something go wrong.”
What would be on your ‘bucket list’?
• A week at the Louvre
• Hop on a scooter around Rome
• Dinner at La Chèvre d’Or on the Côte D’ Azur
• Be serenaded in a Venetian gondola
• Take a hot air balloon ride over the Loire Valley
• Waltz in Vienna
• See the Northern Lights in Norway
• Play roulette in Monte Carlo
• Sample real Belgian chocolate in Bruges
• Scuba dive off southern Italy