Jacqueline is a 77-year-old who loves her holidays. Over the years, Lanzarote has become a special destination for her and her husband. They have been visiting the island twice a year for many years now, typically travelling for three weeks in both February and November.
For Jacqueline, these trips are not just about escaping to the sunshine; they are a vital part of her life, providing something to look forward to, especially considering her husband’s ongoing health problems.
As she says, “We’ve been going for so long, and it’s really lovely because we’ve always stayed for three weeks, which gives us the perfect break” The trips provide the couple with a sense of happiness, particularly as Jacqueline’s husband has faced ongoing health challenges over the years. “It’s always been our thing to look forward to, particularly with his health not being the best. It’s something that kept us going,” Jacqueline explains.
A crucial part of their holiday preparations has always been Travel Insurance, especially given the health concerns of her husband. “I’ve always made sure to take out AllClear insurance because I wanted that reassurance. My husband’s health is delicate, and I’ve always declared everything when we’ve renewed our policy,” Jacqueline says. “I would always feel that little niggle in the back of my mind, wondering if I’d missed something when filling out the forms. I’d often ask, ‘What if something goes wrong? Will we be covered?’ and AllClear always reassured me that everything would be fine.”
For many years, they had the peace of mind that came with comprehensive Travel Insurance but never had to make a claim. That all changed during their November trip to Lanzarote last year, when things took a serious turn for the worse.
On the Tuesday of their stay, Jacqueline’s husband began to feel unwell. “He started coughing and wasn’t getting any better, so after a couple of days, I decided it was time to take him to the local hospital,” Jacqueline recalls. “We thought it would be something simple like needing antibiotics, but it turned out to be much more serious. The doctors examined him and said he needed an X-ray, which led to the diagnosis of pneumonia.”
The situation quickly escalated. “They told us we had two options: either we could travel over an hour away to a public hospital, or we could see a private doctor right in the town. I called AllClear to double-check that the private doctor would be covered, and they confirmed it would be,” Jacqueline explains.
They opted for the private doctor, who confirmed that her husband had pneumonia and outlined the necessary treatment. “The doctor said the treatment would cost €2,350, and I was a bit shocked. They wanted the money upfront, so I paid it there and then, thinking, ‘This is a lot of money, but it’s for his health.” The treatment involved nebuliser therapy and injections twice a day for three days, which, despite being stressful, seemed to be getting results. However, on the final day of treatment, the doctor told Jacqueline that her husband had developed diabetes, a condition he had never had before. This unexpected diagnosis only added to her concerns.
“At that point, I was starting to get very stressed. The doctor wasn’t clear in his explanations, and I was beginning to feel unsure about the whole situation,” Jacqueline admits. “Then, to make matters worse, I started feeling unwell and developed chest pains. I ended up in the hospital myself and was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a heart condition. It was all happening so fast, and we were both really unwell.”
As if this wasn’t enough, her husband, who was still struggling with pneumonia, took himself to the hospital the next day. Jacqueline had no idea where he was for three days as he had no mobile phone. “It was awful, not knowing where he was or what was happening with him,” Jacqueline says. “I eventually managed to find out he had been admitted to the same hospital I was in, but we were separated for three days, which was incredibly distressing for both of us.”
“We had used our passports and GHIC cards in Arrecife hospital at that time, but my husband became even more ill when we went back to the hotel. That is where AllClear really stepped in to help. He was sent into the Private hospital in Porto de Carman by the doctor sent out by AllClear to escort us home. He was admitted and put into Intensive Care.
People think that because they have GHIC and passports, they don’t need Travel Insurance, which is OK for minor things, but when it comes to more serious illness, you definitely need Travel Insurance.
Throughout this ordeal, Jacqueline stayed in constant communication with AllClear, and their support was invaluable. “I can’t stress enough how helpful and reassuring they were,” Jacqueline explains. “They were in touch with me every single day, even calling me at 7 am with updates on what was going on. They always answered my questions and made sure I knew exactly what I needed to do next.”
By this stage, Jacqueline’s husband was still too ill to fly back to the UK. “They arranged for a private ambulance to take us both to the airport. They made sure we were both looked after. My husband had oxygen throughout the flight, and I had a nurse with me to monitor me. The doctor went with him, and I couldn’t have felt more reassured.” Jacqueline couldn’t praise the service enough: “They treated us like family. The doctor and nurse ensured we were both safe during the flight, and when we arrived back in Bristol, an ambulance was waiting for my husband to take him straight into hospital here.”
Despite the very stressful situation, Jacqueline felt very supported by AllClear, “They kept telling me to call them whenever I needed help or reassurance. They said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got this,’ and they were absolutely right,” Jacqueline says. “They even organised for a doctor and nurse to come out to the hotel to assess us both. At one point, they sent a doctor from Madrid who spoke English, which was such a relief because we were struggling with the language barrier.”
The relief of being back in the UK was overwhelming, but Jacqueline had to process everything that had happened. “Looking back, I can’t believe how much we went through, and I’m so grateful for AllClear. They were there for us in a way that went beyond insurance. It wasn’t just about the medical care; it was the human contact that made the difference. The empathy, the kindness—they were absolutely fantastic.”
Jacqueline acknowledges that, at the time, the insurance policy had felt like a significant expense, especially when neither of them was ill. “You think to yourself, ‘Do I really need this? It’s a lot of money,’” she says. “But when you go through an experience like this, you realise just how important it is to have comprehensive cover. It’s not something you think about until you need it, and then you’re so thankful you’ve made the investment.”
Her message to other travellers, particularly those with pre-existing conditions, is clear: “Never, ever travel without proper insurance, especially when you have medical conditions. AllClear took care of everything for us, and I will never travel without them again.”
