Do I need to declare my high cholesterol?
Making sure you've got everything in order before you set off on holiday can feel a bit overwhelming — and it really shouldn't be.
If you're living with high cholesterol, or even if you're all clear but have previosuly suffered from it, all insurance providers class it as a pre-existing medical condition. It is crucial that you declare when booking your holiday cover so you know that whatever happens, your health is completely taken care of with a trustworthy insurance policy.
Before you buy one of our policies you will go through a straightforward process where you are asked a number of routine questions regarding your medical history. Our screening process considers the sensitivity of your condition and is administered under complete discretion. It is a very straightforward process and we ask you a number of questions to fully determine the best type of cover for you. Below is just a sample of what you can expect:
Holiday Extras' Travel Insurance policies
Before you head off into the sun (or snow!) you might start wondering about worse-case scenarios: will you be covered "if this happens...", or "what about that..." We think that whatever the health concern is, it should never dominate or overrule your holiday. All you need to do is that extra bit of planning to ensure everything runs smoothly!
Emergency medical and repatriation expenses | |||
Cancellation | |||
Curtailment and loss of holiday | |||
Personal possessions | |||
Passport and other documents | |||
Personal money | |||
Baggage Delay (outward journey) | |||
Missed departure | |||
Missed connection | |||
Personal liability | |||
Legal costs and expenses | |||
Scheduled airline failure | |||
End supplier failure | |||
Pet Care |
*Or as specified on your schedule
How to book online
How will having high cholesterol affect my insurance policy?
Your insurance policy we will base upon a few straightforward and simple questions to evaluate your condition. Giving us the most information about your condition is imperative in order for us to provide you with the best, individually tailored policy for you. Broadly speaking, the more manageable and stable your condition is, the less it will affect the cost of your insurance policy. We would like to state that this will naturally vary from person to person.
To give you an accurate and fair price for your policy, our team of insurance experts take into account a number of factors before giving you a quote:
If you have a pre-existing medical condition we always recommend that you speak to your GP for any medical advice around travelling with high cholesterol, or how much medication to bring with you. In addition to this, it might be useful to browse the NHS website for more information on travelling with a heart condition.
Advice for travelling with high cholesterol:
If you do have any questions about travelling, here are a few things we'd suggest you consider:
- Keeping active!
- Stretch your legs and take a short walk if you can. If you're on a plane, maybe book an aisle seat — that you have the freedom to have a walk up and down the plane.
- Near the beach or a pool? Have a quick swim every day to get your blood pumping!
- Diet
- Soya products, nuts, oats and barley, fruit and vegetables
- Foods with added sterols and stanols (i.e. Benecol drinks)
- Smoking
- Medication:
- Keep any medication you need in your hand luggage, in it's original packaging and in a clear see-through bag to be extra safe when going through security.
- If you have needles or syringes as part of your medication we would advise you ask your doctor for a note explaining that they are necessary for your condition, since airport security is rather vigilant.
- You might need to alter your medication routine slightly if you're travelling across different time zones.
The best thing for reducing your cholesterol is exercise, so whenever you get the chance:
What you eat and drink plays a huge part in your cholesterol levels, so try ensuring you have the healthiest intake. Trying to incorporate low-cholesterol foods into your diet is an amazing way to keep on top of things. Below are a list of "super-foods" that are great at lowering your cholesterol:
Try to pick something from these groups when ordering in restaurants, or cooking for yourself to incorportate these super foods!
Giving up smoking is another fantastic way to reduce your cholesterol and prevent heart disease. According to the website of Heart UK, cutting down and eventually quitting smoking will demonstrate a notable difference: "Within days your health will begin to improve and within a year your risk of heart disease will be halved".
The British Heart Foundation has a very thorough and helpful guide to travelling abroad with high cholesterol and keeping it in check. They suggest to:
For more information regarding high cholesterol or for support, please take a look at the websites of the British Heart Foundation, the NHS and Heart UK, all of which offer incredible insight and suggestions to managing your life around high cholesterol.
Holiday Extras Travel Insurance is sold and administered by Holiday Extras Cover Limited who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under registration number 828848.
Holiday Extras™ is a Trading Name of Holiday Extras Cover Limited
Holiday Extras Travel Insurance is provided by Taurus Insurance Services, an insurance intermediary licenced and authorised in Gibraltar by the Financial Services Commission under Permission Number 5566 and authorised to passport general insurance intermediary services into the UK and registered with the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK under registration number 444830.
The insurance is underwritten by Great Lakes Insurance SE. Great Lakes Insurance SE is a German insurance company with its headquarters at Königinstrasse 107, 80802 Munich. UK Branch office: 10 Fenchurch Avenue, London, EC3M 5BN, company number SE000083. Great Lakes Insurance SE, UK Branch, is authorised and regulated by Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht. Deemed authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Firm Reference Number: 769884. Subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Details of the Temporary Permissions Regime, which allows EEA-based firms to operate in the UK for a limited period while seeking full authorisation, are available on the Financial Conduct Authority’s website.