At Free Spirit, we’re proud of the fact that our specialist travel insurance has no age limit. We look to ensure those aged 70, 80, 90 or older, so you might sooner associate the benefits of our cover with older holidaymakers. But our no age travel insurance applies to younger travellers too, in fact, we cover many children who are travelling with their parents or in groups.
Travelling with children who have existing medical conditions or disabilities can be challenging, but there’s no reason why they can’t enjoy a holiday. However, the last thing parents, carers and guardians need is a complicated route to taking out travel cover.
Our medical travel insurance for children works in exactly the same way as it does for adults – we aim to offer a specialist travel policy for children with virtually any pre-existing health condition or disability and the same key features and protections. All we require is that there is an adult on the same policy and that the child’s doctor is happy for them to travel.
Why does my child need specialist travel insurance?
Covering your family for any overseas trip is always necessary; you never know when your holiday might take an unexpected turn. Accidents, injuries and even lost luggage can all disrupt a family trip away and run up huge expenses. If your child has a medical condition, disability or requires palliative care the need for suitable travel insurance is even greater.
Naturally, if your child does need emergency medical assistance while you’re away (if they have an unknown heart condition for instance), your first priority will be getting the care they require. Not only can a specialist travel insurance policy ensure you can access this help quickly, but it also means you won’t be responsible for paying the medical bill. Overseas medical care can be incredibly expensive, but travel insurance is there to meet the costs*.
Finding this cover from a standard travel insurance provider can be difficult though; many will decline to offer cover to those with health conditions or disabilities or will provide cover excluding the health conditions. That’s where a provider who specialises in tailored medical travel cover, like Free Spirit, can make all the difference – we can cover your child and their specific health needs, subject to a medical screening.
What constitutes a child when it comes to travel insurance?
In terms of our travel cover, a child is anyone under 18 years of age. For children to travel under a Free Spirit specialist policy, we simply require that an accompanying adult is named on the policy with them, if you’re holidaying abroad, in the UK or are away for a respite break.
In the case of most family holidays, this will usually be a parent or guardian, but could also be a teacher, family friend or carer if your child will be travelling without the rest of the family. School and college trips, excursions with friends’ families and tours with clubs or teams are all wonderful opportunities for older children to explore the world. Our specialist travel insurance allows them the freedom to do so, while also giving you the peace of mind that their medical condition or disability is covered.
Can I cover my child and the whole family on the same policy?
Yes, you can. We want to make it as straightforward as possible for you to secure travel insurance, which is why we can cover the entire travelling party, such as your family or the named adult(s) travelling alongside your child, on the same policy, even if they don’t have existing medical conditions or disabilities.
With travel insurance in place, you will not lose the money already spent on flights and/or accommodation should the trip have to be cancelled because your child has become too unwell to travel. Separate policies don’t normally offer this protection, plus, having a single travel policy for everyone means that you will all benefit from the same key features of Free Spirit cover*.
What’s included with medical travel insurance for children?
Our travel insurance for children with medical conditions or disabilities includes all of the same benefits as our policies for adults; there’s no difference in the levels of cover available (except for personal accident cover). You can still choose between our Super cover or Super Duper cover options, and you can select either single trip or annual multi-trip travel insurance, which enables your child to travel as many times as they like over the course of a year (as long as these trips are made with an insured adult).
By purchasing a medical travel insurance policy through Free Spirit, you can rest assured your child’s health condition or disability will be fully covered (subject to medical screening).
All of our customers have access to our dedicated 24-hour emergency medical assistance helpline, meaning help is just a phone call away.
There’s more to our specialist travel insurance than just medical cover though. Both our levels of cover offer essential benefits such as:
- repatriation to your home country
- aftercare following time in hospital
- loss or damage to personal possessions including travel documents
- loss or damage to medication and medical aids
- cancellation cover
View the full list of our travel insurance features, or take a look at the full policy terms and conditions.
How do I apply for cover?
Applying for medical travel insurance for children with us is simple. You can apply online or call and speak to one of our friendly expert team on 02392 419 080.
Tips for travelling with children with medical conditions
- As we’ve already mentioned, the most important thing to establish before planning a trip is that your child’s doctor is happy for them to go. Speaking to your child’s GP will also enable them to make you aware of any additional medication or steps you might need to take ahead of the holiday, such as vaccinations. Or, depending on your child’s medication, you might need a doctor’s letter to allow you to take the medication onboard a flight with you, or into another country.
- Make sure you know where the nearest hospital is to where you will be staying, and check ahead to see if you will be able to buy any non-prescription medications over the counter in your destination. If not, stock up before you go and split it across your luggage so that you’ll always have a supply with you, even if anything goes astray.
- Be aware of the climate of the country your child will be visiting. If it’s very warm or cold, read up on how it could affect your child’s condition and take any recommended precautions. In hot weather, drinking plenty of water and applying plenty of high-factor sun cream is good advice for anyone, but it’s even more important for children with medical conditions or disabilities.
*Subject to terms, conditions & exclusions of the policy.