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Arthritis travel insurance
Arthritis travel insurance covers you if you have any of the various types of arthritis and wish to travel with peace of mind. This type of insurance covers you for medical emergencies, even those related to COVID-19, which is vital to prevent unexpected medical bills and give you the support you need if you have any medical problems while on holiday.
Of the 10 million people in the UK with arthritis, 700,000 live with rheumatoid arthritis. Every year we help people get rheumatoid arthritis travel insurance, as well as osteoarthritis travel insurance and psoriatic arthritis travel insurance. The issues caused by travel with arthritis can include swollen joints, aching muscles and cartilage breakdown. So it’s important to make sure that you can travel to your favourite places knowing you are fully covered.
We recognise that arthritis has many forms and varies in its symptoms and severity. We tailor your policy based on the type of arthritis you have and its severity to ensure your policy meets your needs at a fair premium.
Why AllClear
We’ve been helping people with arthritis to find travel insurance since 2000. This experience means we can offer a specialist, expert service. Our friendly contact centre staff can provide any help you need.
We welcome all ages! Our AllClear branded travel insurance policies have no upper age limits.
Save time by comparing quotes all in one place.
- Cancellation and Curtailment covered up to £25,000, including for Covid-19
- Up to £15 million emergency medical expenses cover, including for Covid-19
- Up to 30 days FREE extended cover (if due to unexpected circumstances beyond your control)
- Up to £2,000, if medically necessary, for a friend or relative to travel from your home area to stay with you if you fall ill with Covid-19 (costs for room and to accompany you home)
- Repatriation costs, when medically necessary, to bring you back to the UK where it is deemed to be in your best interests
- Following recovery from Coronavirus, costs for a continued recuperation stay, when medically necessary and under doctors advice
- Costs for your return flight following your enforced stay due to Coronavirus
- Personal Belongings covered up to £3,000
- All conditions. All ages.
Will you be covered for travel during the Coronavirus pandemic?
To make sure you're covered there are three things to check:
- You must be fit to travel
- The FCO must NOT have advised against travel to your destination
- You must follow the local government advice for your destination, checking and following their guidelines and entry requirements
You can then be covered for emergency medical expenses or cancellation relating to COVID-19, when you have travel insurance with enhanced Coronavirus cover. If you’re an existing policyholder, you can read our Frequently Asked Questions if your trip is affected by Covid-19.
Get quotes in just 3 easy steps
1. Call us or click a quote button on our site
Once you are ready to start the quote process, the first step is to provide your personal details and information about your holiday plans.2. Complete our simple medical screening process
You then declare the medical conditions for you (and any other travellers) and answer the specifically designed medical questions.3. Get your quotes
You will then get your quotes and can either proceed to buy, or save your quote, at this stage.FAQs on arthritis travel insurance
Does rheumatoid arthritis affect travel insurance?
A number of factors are used to calculate the premiums we offer. These include destination, trip duration, and age, as well as pre-existing medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Do you need to declare that you have arthritis?
Yes, it’s important to get comprehensive travel insurance for arthritis that will cover you if you get ill and need treatment while you’re abroad. It’s also important if you need to cancel your trip as a result of your arthritis.
Which types of arthritis do you cover?
There are over 100 different types of arthritis. However, whether you need travel insurance for psoriatic arthritis, travel insurance for rheumatoid arthritis, or travel insurance for osteoarthritis, we can provide you with a quote. In fact, we can provide a quote for any type of arthritis you may have.
The type of arthritis you have is not coming up as an option
During the quote process when you are asked to declare your medical conditions, you’ll need to select ‘add condition’. Then type ‘arthritis’ into the search bar and select ‘search’. You will then see ‘arthritis’, ‘septic arthritis’, ‘rheumatoid arthritis’, ‘juvenile arthritis’, ‘osteoarthritis’, and ‘psoriatic arthritis’ as options for you to select. Once you select one of these there will be some specific follow up questions.
If none of these match your type of arthritis we may still be able to offer you cover. Please contact our Customer Care Team via Live Chat and we can help you.
What happens if your medical situation changes after you get your travel insurance?
You must tell us at the earliest opportunity and, if possible before you book your holiday. To change your original medical declaration please call our Customer Care Team on 01708 339029; they will be happy to make the adjustments. In some instances, an additional premium may be required to maintain your cover.
You can find out more in our help article, change in your state of health.
How is your premium determined?
Your destination, trip duration, age and any pre-existing medical conditions you may have, are the main factors. These are used to calculate the cost of your arthritis travel insurance premium. For our AllClear policies, we continually review and analyse all of our claims data. This is to ensure that the premiums we offer are fair and accurate.
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Arthritis travel tips
Planning your trip
- Plan your trip with your arthritis in mind. In particular think about the length of your journey and how active your holiday is likely to be. If you’re concerned about aching joints impacting on how much you enjoy your holiday it could be an idea to opt for a closer destination, and a less active holiday. This could mean ensuring you don’t have a long walk to the beach.
- You may also want to discuss your travels and your holiday destination with your doctor before you go. Your doctor can prescribe you extra medication for the duration of your trip.
- If you’re travelling with rheumatoid arthritis, your doctor can also suggest ways of keeping comfortable throughout the journey and when you get to your destination.
Tips for air travel
- When you are booking flights, consider priority seating. You will get to board first, and not have to struggle with a crowd of people.
- Choose lightweight luggage and try not to pack a lot of things. Also, look for luggage that has easy to roll wheels, so it can be easier to move about.
- If you feel you’ll struggle at the airport, call the airline and ask for mobility assistance. You may be given priority access to the gate, though this will depend on your airline.
- Managing arthritis on a flight can be easier if you’re able to select an aisle seat so you can stretch as needed. Provide support to your joints whilst travelling. For example, use a back roll, or even a couple of pillows to provide support to your lower back.
Travel insurance for arthritis
- Book your arthritis travel insurance cover well in advance. You’ll need specialist travel insurance to cover your medical condition for your holiday. It’s important you declare all your medical conditions to ensure you’re properly covered and can travel with peace of mind and without worry.
Holiday activities
- Swimming is a good exercise if you have arthritis because it’s low impact and doesn’t put too much pressure on the joints. Find out as much as you can about your travel destination and plan as many activities from home to ensure you’re fully aware of what to expect.
Diet can help your arthritis
- Drinking too much alcohol and not enough water can trigger gout, a form of inflammatory arthritis. So, make sure you get in your two litres of water a day! If you’re heading over to the Mediterranean make the most of authentic cuisine as research shows a diet rich in fish, pulses nuts and olive oil is good for your joints.
Travelling with medication
- Take additional supplies of any arthritis medication in case it’s lost or damaged. You may need a doctor’s note for the airline so ensure you’re fully prepared. Keep your medication in your hand luggage with you if possible. This is in case there are any issues with lost luggage. Discussing travel plans with your doctor well in advance will ensure that you can arrange everything beforehand with less worry. Certain destinations may require vaccinations which could interact with your medication, so your doctor can advise on the best course of action to take.
Article References:
NHS: Osteoarthritis
Arthritis Foundation: 8 Tips for Pain-free Travel
Osteoarthritis Foundation International: Osteoarthritis Foundation International
