Mental health travel insurance

What is travel insurance for mental health conditions?

Travel insurance should work for your health, including your mental health. That’s why Avanti travel insurance offers specialist cover for many mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, OCD and PTSD.

Our policies include up to unlimited medical expenses, cancellation cover if your condition affects your trip, access to a 24/7 emergency helpline, and help getting you home if your health changes while you’re away. They’re available at any age, and if your medication goes missing, we can help you arrange a local replacement. That’s Travel Reassurance!
Get a quote

What mental health conditions can Avanti cover?

We’re able to offer travel insurance for a wide range of pre-existing medical conditions (subject to screening), including:

• anxiety
• bipolar disorder
• body dysmorphia
• borderline personality disorder
• depression
• eating disorders
• mania and hypomania
• obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• panic attacks
• personality disorders
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• psychosis
• schizophrenia
• stress

Why telling us about your health condition is important

While on holiday in the USA, John1 needed urgent hospital treatment. As soon as he told the hospital that he had travel insurance, he was seen to immediately.

He called our free, 24-hour medical emergency helpline and was reassured that there was no need to worry. We’d settle the bills directly with the hospital so John could concentrate on the most important thing – getting better.

If your medical emergency bill is more than £350, we’ll pay it directly to the hospital whenever possible. That way, like John, all you’ll have to worry about is getting back on your feet.

How to buy mental health travel insurance

Sorting travel insurance might feel like a hassle – but with us, it doesn’t have to be.

1. Get in touch

Tell us about your trip so we can get things moving.

We’ll ask:

• where are you going? 
• when are you travelling? 
• do you need cover for a single trip or multiple trips? 

2. Simple medical screening

This part’s important. We’ll guide you through a short medical screening to understand your health needs. You’ll need to tell us about:

• any conditions you’ve had symptoms, treatment or tests for in the last 2 years 
• any heart or circulatory conditions, past or present 

You can do this online, or over the phone if you’d rather speak to someone.

3. Get your quote

Once we know a bit more about you and your trip, we’ll walk you through your quote.

Choose from our three levels of cover and add any extras like cruise and winter sports cover if they suit your plans.

If we can cover your medical conditions, they’ll be included in your quote, so you’ll know exactly where you stand before you go.
Get a quote

Do I need to tell you about my mental health condition(s)?

Yes. If you have a mental health condition, it’s important to let us know when you take out your travel insurance. This helps us make sure we’re ready to support you if your health affects your trip. If a condition isn’t declared, we may not be able to help with costs if you need to make a claim related to it.

What will you ask about my mental health condition(s)?

The first thing we’ll do is ask which mental health condition or conditions you have. We know it isn’t always easy to share personal health details, so we’ll guide you through the medical screening questions step by step and we won’t rush you.

Depending on your condition, we may ask:

• Have you ever had a compulsory admission to hospital for this condition?
• How many hospital admissions have you had for this condition in the last two years?
• Have you currently been advised to take any medication for this condition?
• Has this condition ever caused you to cancel or cut short a planned trip?

Flexibility to change details online

When you buy a policy from us, you can manage it yourself by logging in to your  My Avanti account. Here you can:

• access policy documents
• update traveller details
• change your single trip dates (limits apply)
• renew an annual policy if you have no changes to make
• and more.

If I need treatment when I’m abroad, what do I do?

Having a medical emergency, at home or away, is not something we really want to think about. Which is why it’s reassuring to know we’re here 24/7.

As soon as possible, call our free 24-hour medical emergency helpline. We’ll hold your hand every step of the way, explaining everything you need to do – even translate if language becomes a barrier.

If your medical emergency bill is more than £350, we will settle it directly with the hospital whenever possible. We’ll also help with rearranging your return flight home when it’s safe for you to travel again. If doctors decide you’d receive better medical treatment at home, we can arrange emergency transport for you to get back quickly and safely.

Knowing we’re here to take care of you, means you can focus on feeling better.

Is my mental health condition covered by my Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC)?

If you need emergency or necessary treatment for your mental health while you’re away, your GHIC may help. Care is provided on the same basis as a local resident, which means treatment may be free or you may be asked to pay a reduced charge, such as for a doctor’s appointment or prescribed medication.

A GHIC isn’t a replacement for travel insurance. It won’t cover cancelling your trip, cutting it short, or getting you home early if your mental health affects your travel plans. That support comes from your Avanti policy.

If you do have to pay a reduced charge after using your GHIC, we’ll remove the excess on medical emergency claims where applicable.

I’ve bought travel insurance for my mental health condition already. Should I tell you if my condition changes?

Yes, please keep us up-to-date on any changes in your health. If you have a new diagnosis be sure to let us know as soon as you can, so we can add them in your cover. If you fail to let us know of any changes to your health, this may affect your policy and your claim being accepted if you needed us.