Travel

Keepmewell1
Keepmewell1 Member Posts: 16
edited February 2020 in Stage IV/Metastatic Breast Cancer ONLY

Has anyone traveled out of the country? My doctor is not enthusiastic about it. I am hoping to go to Quebec with my family. I don’t want to wait until the last minute to make plans but I realize I may have to cancel. Has anyone had a good experience with travel insurance? I’m just not ready to close the door on traveling

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  • LoveFromPhilly
    LoveFromPhilly Member Posts: 1,308
    edited September 2019

    Hi there,

    Lots of posts on this topic - go to https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/8/topics/872643?page=1#top

    Good luck!


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  • LoveFromPhilly
    LoveFromPhilly Member Posts: 1,308
    edited September 2019

    meant to share this link, not the one above!

    https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/8/topics/869100?page=1

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  • pajim
    pajim Member Posts: 2,785
    edited September 2019

    Go go go. why is your onc not enthusiastic? I'm headed out to Spain in three weeks. It may be on crutches and with low neutrophils (sigh) but I'm going.

    It's not like you're going to a 3rd world country.

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  • Rosie24
    Rosie24 Member Posts: 1,046
    edited September 2019

    Keep me well, Could it be the type of treatment you’re on? I’m on Ibrance/Letrozole and my MO wholeheartedly said “Go!” when I asked about our planned October European river cruise. Maybe he/she doesn’t want to interrupt your treatment?

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  • Moomala
    Moomala Member Posts: 436
    edited September 2019

    Did someone say European River Cruise??? I'm super hoping to get to do one of these. Where are you going Rosie?

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  • Rosie24
    Rosie24 Member Posts: 1,046
    edited September 2019

    Yes, I did, Moomala! We’re going from Amsterdam to Budapest, on the Rhine and the Danube. Looking forward to it as our payment was due when I was first diagnosed in Jan. and we had assumed I’d be in treatment and wouldn’t be able to go. With the finding of liver mets it all changed, (no heavy chemoor surgery)and we’ve just continued making plans. I hope it works out for you one of these days.

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  • JFL
    JFL Member Posts: 1,947
    edited September 2019

    Yes, I have traveled internationally on all of my various chemos, hormone therapies and targeted therapies. Recently went to Italy, Dubai and a Caribbean cruise. I have various side effects that may need a bit of managing depending on the treatment but none has posed a major issue. I do get travel insurance for all my trips but have no yet had to use it. I do plan my trips around my treatments, although sometimes one doesn't know when a treatment change will be required. I will sometimes push up my chemo by a day or two or push it back to fit with my travel schedule. I have been known to get chemo shortly before getting on a plane, whatever is necessary.

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  • Bestbird
    Bestbird Member Posts: 2,818
    edited September 2019

    By all means travel if you feel up to it and it won't interrupt your treatment!

    I always purchase travel insurance, and if you buy it right after making your first travel booking and you check "pre-existing condition" coverage, you should be fine! I use Squaremouth to find the type of travel insurance I want, and compare policies and coverage. https://www.squaremouth.com/

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  • Nkb
    Nkb Member Posts: 1,436
    edited September 2019

    I've Traveled all over while on treatment. Quebec is a nice walking town (and eating town). My MO is always telling me to go. I am on my way to Iceland- I want to do it while I still can.


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  • Keepmewell1
    Keepmewell1 Member Posts: 16
    edited September 2019

    Thanks to all who responded. My onc is renowned and totally laser focused on my treatment. He is also into control which makes him great ( he calls me personally within hours of my scans to give me the results) but it also makes him reluctant to approve anything that doesn't conform to his schedule. I know that I can no longer handle some forms of travel ( last year, I booked what was supposed to be a relaxing river cruise and had a 23 hour travel day because of flight cancellations and I know I can't do that.) I was utterly exhausted for the entire vacation. But everyone who responded to this post made me realize that I'm not unreasonable to want to plan some trips. I'll get travel insurance ( thanks for the recommendation, Best Bird) and hopefully I'll be able to go. I need to look ahead.

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  • pajim
    pajim Member Posts: 2,785
    edited September 2019

    um Keepmewell, all this is supposed to be on your schedule, not his. I cannot count on all my fingers the number of times I've delayed treatment or changed the schedule because I was going someplace.

    I do try to schedule things around treatment but if that doesn't happen I go anyway. My MO and I have a deal. I make sure there's a cancellation policy (or travel insurance). If he feels it's medically dangerous, he won't let me go. Otherwise I go and have a good time. If a problem arises whilst on the road I stop the meds and then contact him. So far it's never been medically dangerous. Nor have I ever needed help.

    It is true that my husband gets antsy if I'm gone more than a few days and I don't have someone he knows/trusts with me, but usually if he's not with me I'm on a work trip and he trusts a lot of my colleagues.

    Please. Go on vacation. Enjoy yourself. If you get tired easily build in some down time.

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  • Mycellsmutated
    Mycellsmutated Member Posts: 17
    edited February 2020

    Cross-posted:

    Adding my input on travel insurance for Australians after spending a demoralising day yesterday trying to buy travel insurance as my annual multi-trip insurance is coming to an end (I've already been to Thailand and Bali since finishing chemo with no cancer-relaetd issues - just some Bali belly and a sprained ankle!).

    I have confirmed that in Australia if you have metastatic cancer you will not find any insurance that covers the cancer or any claims arising directly or indirectly from it. But I finally found, after scouring the NIB product disclosure statement and reading the wording on the page where it denied insurance for my cancer, their single trip policies will cover illnesses and injury unrelated to cancer, as well as all the other stuff like luggage, natural disaster etc - including to the US (which would bankrupt me if I went without insurance and got a broken leg or got shot).

    Other companies I tried gave the following results:

    1. Covermore: would not sell me any insurance policy (not even for luggage etc)
    2. 1Cover: would not sell me any insurance policy
    3. Insureandgo: would sell me a policy excluding cancer, but then the fine print says no medical claims (whatsoever) can be made where the person has had cancer treatment within the last five years and no cancellation cover (of any kind) if the person has been diagnosed with a terminal illness
    4. Allianz: fine print in PDS ambiguous and may be interpreted that having metastatic cancer would invalidate any health-related claims (or it could have just meant metastatic-related claims)
    5. AllClear (apparently the only specialist company that considers cancer): would only sell me a single trip policy to Thailand for $3600 (yes you read that right) with a $250 excess, but it would cover everything including cancer. They wouldn't let me just exclude cancer.
    6. I found some amazing US-based companies that seemed to offer cheap medical and other insurance to non-US citizens with cancer but when I went right to the end I couldn't buy it due to being located in Australia.

    TLDR: NIB is the only company I found that will cover medical expenses unrelated to cancer. MBC cannot be covered in Australia.

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