Travel insurance after a stroke.

Be in safe hands with our travel insurance after a stroke

By covering your stroke, transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and any other medical conditions with medical travel insurance, you can sit back and relax on holiday knowing you’re protected.

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 you have questions about Covid-19 and how it affects your holiday plans, visit our Covid-19 help page.

Why having medical travel insurance makes all the difference

John¹ had never needed to claim on his travel insurance before. But when he needed urgent medical treatment while on holiday in the USA, he contacted our 24-hour medical emergency helpline straightaway.

We reassured him that we would handle the hospital fees direct. So, with no need to worry about paying the medical bills, John could focus on the most important thing — getting better.

Travelling with personalised insurance, like John, means you have peace of mind in case the unexpected strikes when you’re away.

Do I need to have had both my Covid jabs to be covered?

As long as you’ve had the vaccines you’ve been offered for Covid-19, you should be covered. If you haven’t been offered both doses yet or you’re medically exempt then you can also be covered.

If you’ve refused any doses of the vaccine or haven’t been able to have a dose you’ve been offered, you won’t be covered.

Do I need to tell you about my stroke or TIA when I’m buying travel insurance?

Telling us about any strokes or TIAs you’ve ever had is important, as it allows us to personalise your travel insurance.

We understand that strokes and TIAs affect everyone differently, which is why we’ll ask you about their severity and whether you’re waiting for further investigations.

If you forget to mention your stroke or TIA, and later needed to make a claim, your policy may be invalid and you wouldn’t receive the cover you need.

Can I get travel insurance if I’m waiting for surgery and investigations following my stroke?

Before you start looking at holidays, your doctor will need to give you the green light to travel. We can’t cover you if your doctor advises you’re not fit to travel.

While you’re waiting for surgery or investigations after your stroke, we may be able to offer you travel insurance, but this wouldn’t cover anything related to your stroke or any of your pre-existing health conditions.

I’m the only one in my family with a history of stroke. Should we all be on the same travel insurance policy?

There are many advantages to having all your family on one policy. It often works out cheaper and you’ll have the security of knowing that all of you are covered if you have to cancel due to a medical emergency.

By having a policy together, if one of you has to cancel the holiday because of a medical emergency, the whole family can claim back the cost of their holiday too (as long as it’s within your policy limits.)

What sort of questions will you ask me about my stroke and/or TIA?

We will take you through our medical screening questions, step by step, so we can build cover that’s just right for your needs. Don’t worry, we’ll work through the questions at a pace that suits you – we’ll never rush you.

Here are some of the questions we may ask:

• How many strokes/TIAs have you had?
• When was your last stroke or TIA?
• Are you waiting for surgery or scans?
• Do you currently use any mobility aids?
• Since your last stroke, have you had any TIAs (mini strokes)?
• How many strokes have you had in the last six months?
• Have you ever been a smoker?
• Do you suffer from an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation)?
• Are you on blood-thinning medication?
• Have you had a stroke or TIA which caused symptoms for more than 24 hours?
• How many TIAs have you had in the last six months?

Is my stroke/TIA covered by my Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC)?

If you’re planning a holiday to Europe, you’ll need to take a free GHIC (or an EHIC) as a condition of our travel insurance.

When the United Kingdom left the European Union, the GHIC replaced the EHIC as the means for accessing free or subsidised healthcare in selected European countries. Before you travel, make sure you check that your destination is covered by GHIC, just so you’re ready if you do need any emergency or necessary treatment for your stroke/TIA during your trip.

Remember, your GHIC is not the same as having good health conditions travel insurance. For example, it won’t cover you if you need to cancel your holiday.

Your GHIC helps reduce your medical costs where subsidised healthcare is available. If you can use your GHIC and have to pay a subsidised fee for your treatment, we’ll remove the excess fee on medical emergency claims for you.