Travelling with Lung Cancer

We all look forward to going on holiday. But when you have lung cancer, travelling, especially abroad, can be difficult.

We aim to make it as easy as possible to help you get some much needed time away – from helping you pick the best holiday for you to finding appropriate travel insurance.

In this section, we’ll cover:

Choosing a suitable destination
Travelling when on active treatment
Finding appropriate travel insurance
Travelling abroad for treatment
Travel checklist.

We want you to be able to enjoy the benefits of time away, while still making sure you consider your health, care and treatment.

Travelling with lung cancer booklet

Download a copy of our free guide about going on holiday with lung cancer. Alternatively, click here to order a copy and we’ll pop one in the post.

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Choosing a suitable destination

There are several things you may want to consider before booking a holiday, including where you go, when you go and how you get there.

You may decide to go back to somewhere you have been before and know is right for you.

If you are going somewhere new, it’s worth considering what you want to get from your holiday and doing some research.

For example, if you like to sightsee, some towns and cities are very flat, making it easier for people to walk about sightseeing whereas other places may be very hilly.

Temperature and weather can also make a place more or less suitable. Some cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy and radiotherapy, can make skin more sensitive to damage from the sun. This might determine where you go and when in order to avoid very high temperatures.

If you are going somewhere sunny, ask your doctor or lung cancer nurse specialist about how to protect your skin. This may mean using a sun block with a high sun protection factor (SPF), perhaps at least SPF 30, and wearing loose, cotton clothing.

It is also worth considering how you would like to travel.

Help with holidays

We are proud to partner with personalised travel consultants, Globalocity, run by patient ambassador, Nick Whitehead and his wife, Paula.

Nick and Paula will handle all your holiday needs – from finding your dream location, booking flights, arranging excursions, organising car hire, sorting travel insurance, and dealing with any issues that may arise.

get some holiday inspo

Flying with lung cancer

If you are travelling by plane, there are a few extra things to think about before you travel.

The pressure in the cabins is lower than at ground level. This causes oxygen levels in people’s blood to drop. If you don’t get enough oxygen into your blood, you may feel unwell. It is important to speak to your GP or lung cancer consultant well in advance of your trip to find out if you will need extra oxygen on the plane.

The British Thoracic Society advises the need for a pre-flight assessment for people for active lung cancer. Each airline has its own policy on providing people with additional oxygen facilities so check with them before you fly. There may be an additional charge for this service, if the airline provides it.

Some people with lung cancer also have a higher risk of blood clots or deep vein thrombosis (DVT), so consider the length of your flight. See your doctor before you travel and find out if you may be at risk and what you can do about it.

If you have had surgery, speak to your surgeon and find out know how much time you will need to recover before flying.

Travelling by bus, coach or train

Travelling by bus, coach or train may not suit everyone, but there are some advantages.

One of the best things about travelling by bus or coach is that it stops during longer journeys for a short rest, allowing you to stretch your legs, get some fresh air, use an actual bathroom and get some food and drink. Travelling by train allows you to get up and move around during the journey.

Another advantage is that bus and train stations, unlike airports, tend to be located in a very central place within a city, and are often a main hub for the local public transportation system. After arriving by coach, local bus services can take you directly to your point of interest and stop more closely to where you want to go than trains.

Travelling by boat, ferry or going on a cruise

Many ferries are adapted to suit the needs of passengers with reduced mobility, and some may have adapted cabins where you would be able to sleep. If you do need extra help, tell the cruise line, ferry service, travel agent or tour operator when you book your ticket.

If you are thinking about going on a cruise, you may want to consider how many days you are at sea as well as the support available in each of the destinations.

Travelling when on active treatment

If you take regular medication, take enough with you to last the whole trip, plus extra in case you are delayed. This may mean you have to ask your doctor for a prescription to cover it, so speak to them about two months before you go.

If you are thinking about going on an extended trip, there may be a limit to how far ahead your doctor can cover with a prescription.

Keeping a detailed list of your medication and doses is important and you should keep this with you all the time. List the proper names for your medication as well as the brand names. You can usually ask your GP or pharmacist to print an up-to-date list.

Remember to carry your medication with you in your hand luggage when you are travelling and keep it in its original packaging as this helps to identify it easily.

If you are going by plane, you will need a doctor’s letter to take any liquid medicines of more than 100ml on board.

Some countries may require a doctor’s letter confirming you are prescribed the medications you are carrying. Keep these and any other covering letters and licences for controlled drugs in your hand luggage too as customs officers will usually need to see them.

Finding appropriate travel insurance

We have found that one of the biggest hurdles for people with lung cancer going on holiday is the cost of travel insurance.

We recommend speaking to specialist insurers who understand pre-existing medical conditions, like cancer, better. They can tailor the insurance they provide to cover your condition and situation.

Some travel insurance companies use screening systems that focus on the stability of a condition, not its severity, so they can give fairer premiums.

It is very important you are honest when applying for travel insurance. If you don’t disclose something about your medical condition and become ill while away, the insurance policy may not cover your care and treatment.

Here is some information the insurance company may want to know:

When was your lung cancer diagnosed?
If you have had chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy, do you know what drug combination you received?
If you had surgery, was it a lobectomy, pneumonectomy or wedge resection?
What follow-up care are you getting?
How is your lung cancer now?

You may also need to get a letter from your cancer doctor or GP confirming that you are fit to travel.

Insurancewith

We are proud to partner with travel insurance provider, Insurancewith.

Insurancewith was founded in 2007 by insurance professional, Fiona Macrae, who was unable to find affordable travel insurance after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Fiona wanted to create an insurance company that looked beyond the black and white of a cancer diagnosis, a policy provider who takes into account a thorough understanding of your medical situation.

By doing this, Insurancewith consider travel insurance for everyone, including people living with all stages of lung cancer. They are able to accurately assess your personal circumstances, provide you with a fair premium, and offer you better support in an emergency situation abroad.

“This insurer is a genuine insurer for people with medical issues. My wife has lung cancer and I would say all the others only looked at her diagnosis instead of her condition. The other insurers wanted £1100 but Insurancewith was so much lower because they asked so many questions to understand her condition and gave us a reasonable quote which we gladly accepted.”

Alan, via TrustPilot

They ask questions which are relevant to you and your condition. This allows them to consider travel insurance cover at an appropriate price for cancer patients, even those with advanced lung cancer and those who may have struggled to find a policy elsewhere.

What’s more, if you take out a policy via our partnership page, Insurancewith will make a donation to us – at no extra cost to you.

GET A QUOTE

Travelling with cancer webinar

Fiona kindly hosted a webinar about travelling with cancer, answering questions from people who were struggling to find appropriate insurance.

Travelling abroad for treatment

If you are thinking about going abroad for medical treatment, it is important to understand how it works and the risks involved. If you don’t follow the correct procedures, you could end up being responsible for the full cost of the treatment. You should discuss your plans with your doctor before you make any travel or medical arrangements.

There are two ways to access NHS-funded healthcare in EEA countries:

The S2 (formerly E112) Form entitles you to pre-planned and endorsed treatment in the state-funded sector in another EEA country and Switzerland.

Treatment will be provided under the same conditions of care and payment as residents of that country and you may have to pay a percentage of the costs up front. This funding must be approved by your local health commissioner before treatment.

The EU Directive on cross-border healthcare (or Article 56) gives you the right to access healthcare services in another EEA country as long as the treatment is medically necessary and is also available under the NHS.

It covers treatment provided in both state-run hospitals and by independent healthcare providers. You can claim reimbursement when you return, up to the amount the treatment would have cost under the NHS.

In some cases, you may need authorisation before you go ahead. This will let you know whether you are entitled to the treatment and the level of reimbursement you can expect.

For more information about travelling abroad for treatment, search for “treatment abroad” on these websites: