Travel insurance for people with kidney disease

Kidney disease is arguably one of the most life-changing conditions you can have. With the need for such regular treatment as dialysis, it is understandable that many people end up feeling like it is impossible to get away and enjoy a holiday.

Having a long-term medical condition such as kidney disease can mean you are ineligible for many standard travel insurance policies, including the non-specialist policies on price comparison websites. That’s why at Free Spirit we specialise in providing medical travel insurance for people with pre-existing medical conditions, including kidney disease.

What does specialist holiday insurance for kidney disease cover?

While regular treatment can manage the symptoms of kidney disease – when you’re a kidney patient – it’s an unpredictable illness. By having Free Spirit travel insurance in place means that you will be covered while you are away. For example, if you were to contract an infection while on holiday and need to receive medical attention, or even to stay in the hospital, your specialist travel insurance from Free Spirit would cover the cost*.

Alternatively, if you book your holiday a few months in advance of travel but then find that you are too ill to go – having specialist travel insurance in place from the time you make your holiday booking will mean that you are able to recoup some of the costs you have already paid out*. We’ll also cover anyone that you are travelling with, so long as they are also listed on your insurance, even if they don’t have a medical condition themselves.

Click here to see our summary of cover

* Cover is subject to the policy terms & conditions

How do I get cover?

Having a kidney condition such as Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) will inevitably mean that you are no stranger to hospital appointments and medical examinations. But the good news is that to get specialist travel insurance with Free Spirit we don’t need to speak to your doctors. In some cases, we will ask for a medical questionnaire to be completed by your treating GP.

To get a quote and cover, all you need to do is call our insurance experts and we’ll ask you a short series of questions in order to understand more about your condition and make sure that we provide the right holiday insurance for what you need.  Alternatively, you can do the whole process online by going to get a quote online section. Please note, in some cases, you will be asked to call us to provide us with more information about your medical condition.

Typically medical screening questions a person with kidney disease will be asked:

• Are you on dialysis?
• How many unplanned hospital admissions for this problem have you had in the last year?
• Are you currently awaiting a kidney transplant?

Travelling when you have kidney disease

As with all long-term medical conditions, it’s vital that you have any medication you need with you at all times and that you have discussed your travel plans with your doctor.

Be sure to plan your trip carefully. If you are on dialysis for your kidney disease, it will mean you will need to be organised well in advance to ensure that you can get booked into an alternative hospital for holiday dialysis sessions. Your GP should be able to advise you on how you can get this booked.

One thing to consider if you are taking a UK holiday is that The National Kidney Federation sponsor a Dialysis Swap Scheme which is a great way of enjoying some time away while getting the treatment you need.  They also provide help and useful information about kidney disease.

To ensure a safe and pleasant journey, think about organising assistance from the staff at the airports you will be using if you are flying, and be sure to have transport pre-arranged on the other side to take you to where you are staying.

Finally, be extra vigilant of your fluid intake. If you are heading to a hot country, be aware of how a change in temperature can alter how much fluid you need to drink.

Knowing that you have travel insurance in place will be one of the best things you can do to ensure that you have a restful time away. So get in touch with us today and start your holiday planning!