Travelling after cancer treatment

Travelling again is, for a lot of people, the first real sign that ordinary life has resumed — and it is usually entirely possible. What changes is that a little planning now prevents an expensive or frightening problem later: the insurance that pays, the letter that gets you through security, the timing that keeps you away from a scan you were meant to have.

Ask your team rather than a general rule, particularly in the first months. Things they will consider include:

• Recent surgery — especially chest, abdominal, brain or eye surgery. Airlines commonly ask for a period to have passed.
• Blood counts. Significant anaemia matters at altitude; ask whether yours is high enough.
• Breathlessness or lung problems — you may need an assessment for in-flight oxygen.
• Risk of clots. Cancer and some treatments increase it, and long flights add to it; ask whether you need compression stockings or any medication.
• A stoma, drains, or a recently inserted line or port.
• Where you are going: medical facilities, altitude, extreme heat, and how far you would be from care.

1. Use insurers or brokers who specialise in medical conditions. Standard policies frequently exclude anything related to a pre-existing condition.
2. Declare everything, accurately: diagnosis, treatment, dates, ongoing medication and any planned procedures. Non-disclosure invalidates claims.
3. Check that cancellation is covered as well as treatment abroad — the more likely claim is that you cannot go.
4. Check the cover limit for repatriation, which is the expensive part.
5. Get the final policy wording in writing and read the exclusions.
6. Buy the policy when you book, not before you travel, so cancellation cover starts immediately.

Reciprocal health arrangements between countries, where they exist, are not insurance — they typically cover state treatment only and never repatriation. Several countries also now limit how long a past cancer diagnosis can affect insurance pricing; it is worth asking whether such a rule applies where you live. See money after cancer.

• Move regularly on long journeys, keep hydrated, and use compression stockings if advised — clot risk is higher after cancer.
• Protect your skin. Radiotherapy-treated skin and several drugs increase sun sensitivity, sometimes for a long time; after melanoma, shade and clothing are the whole strategy.
• If you have or are at risk of lymphoedema, wear your compression garment as advised and take extra care with bites and cuts.
• Be careful with food and water where advised, particularly if your immunity is still recovering.
• Pace the trip. Fatigue does not take a holiday, and a rest day between excursions is not a wasted day.
• Know where the nearest hospital is. It costs five minutes and removes a background worry.

Several travel vaccines are live, and live vaccines must be avoided while you are significantly immunosuppressed. Some destinations require yellow fever vaccination for entry, which may mean either an exemption certificate or a change of plan.

Start this six to eight weeks before travel, with a travel clinic that knows your history. See vaccinations and infection risk.