Finding travel insurance can be tricky when you have a pre-existing medical condition. Our asthma holiday insurance has no upper age limit, with all medical conditions covered. And with over 100 different activities included, you can do more on holiday, knowing you’re fully protected.
Can you get travel insurance if you have asthma?
Yes, you can get travel insurance for asthma at InsureandGo. We think travel insurance should be available to as many people as possible. That includes the 7.2 million Brits living with asthma.
About 8 in every 100 people have asthma. Symptoms can range from mild to moderate and severe. In the UK, (80%) of people with asthma have mild symptoms.
Because it’s so common, many people assume travel insurance automatically covers asthma. But if you don’t declare your asthma, however mild, it could invalidate your policy.
Without travel insurance for asthma, you could face huge medical bills if you fall ill while abroad. Treatment for a lung infection in the US could cost more than £150,000 if you need to fly home.
Our asthma travel insurance covers medical emergencies related to your condition. It offers a 24/7 emergency helpline and will even cover repatriation back to the UK, if you need it.
Why get specialist asthma travel insurance?
Here’s why finding the best travel insurance for asthma is a must:
- Covers emergency medical expenses: Warm weather. Air pollution. Changes in your environment and activity levels. Travel can make asthma symptoms worse. Flying is a known asthma trigger, due to cabin altitude and air pressure. Respiratory emergencies on-board are a common cause of flight diversions. Our asthma travel insurance offers up to unlimited cover for medical expenses. That’s one less thing to worry about.
- Covers repatriation: A GHIC lets you access state-provided emergency healthcare in the EU. But it won’t cover any extra cost to return you to the UK. The cost of medical treatment and repatriation for one UK traveller in Spain was £124,000. Travel insurance with asthma included can ensure you’re not left paying the bill.
- Covers cancellation and curtailment: Asthma attacks can come on suddenly. If you have an attack before you travel, your doctor may recommend a Fit to Fly test. This simulates the oxygen concentrations found during flying to ensure you’re fit enough to travel. Asthma travel insurance with cancellation cover can cover you if an attack means you need to cancel or curtail your trip.
- Covers medication: Lost the bag that contains your asthma medication? It could leave you out of pocket. A single inhaler can cost over £500 in the USA. Travel insurance with asthma cover from InsureandGo means you’re not left counting the cost.
- Help when you need it: We know that travelling with a pre-existing condition can be challenging. That’s why we also offer a 24/7 emergency medical helpline.
Make sure the policy you’ve chosen covers you for all the activities you have planned. Our policy wording provides full terms and conditions of what is and isn’t included.
You’ll need to declare all your pre-existing medical conditions, as well as your asthma. We can’t cover any costs related to medical issues that aren’t declared. If your medical history isn’t accurate, you may have to pay for unexpected medical costs.
What types of asthma does InsureandGo’s travel insurance cover?
Asthma is a respiratory condition which narrows and inflames airways in the lungs. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Asthma can be mild or severe.
When you’re living with asthma, going on holiday can require some extra planning. The impact of asthma on your travels will vary, depending on the type of asthma you have:
- Allergic asthma is triggered by a reaction to allergens like dust, pollen, animal hair, or certain foods. If you have allergic asthma, your symptoms may worsen on holiday. That’s because you may be exposed to allergens you don’t encounter on a daily basis.
- Severe asthma is the most serious type of asthma. Symptoms are harder to control and usual treatments don’t work as well. According to the NHS, you should consult your doctor or asthma nurse before you travel.
- Exercise-induced asthma. Like to get active on holiday? Exercise-induced asthma happens when physical activity obstructs airflow. If you use a reliever inhaler, make sure you can find it quickly in an emergency.
- Eosinophilic asthma is a type of asthma caused by an excess of a type of white blood cell. It’s commonly treated with oral steroids. Taking oral steroids may mean that you need to get your travel vaccines further in advance before going away.
What does InsureandGo’s asthma travel insurance cover?
What’s covered?
Our travel insurance for asthma includes:
- Medical emergency expenses.
- Cover for the cancellation of your trip.
- Our 24-hour emergency assistance team, available to call, day or night, wherever you are
- Over 100 sports and activities covered (see your policy wording for a full list of activities)
- Personal belongings and baggage cover
- Personal money, passports and travel documents cover
- Accommodation cover
- Legal expenses cover
Find out about our optional add-ons for activities like extreme sports, cruises and golf.
We will consider all pre-existing medical conditions. Find out more about medical travel insurance. The excess and amount of cover available varies depending on the level of travel insurance you buy. Check the policy wording to see the full terms and conditions.
What’s not covered?
Each provider will have different things it can or cannot include in a policy. However, there are some situations travel insurance will not cover. For example:
- You cannot cover events or reasons to claim which took place before you booked the trip or purchased insurance. Insurance exists to cover unexpected events outside of the insured’s control
- Claims which are less than the excess for that section of cover. For example, you cannot claim a £40 lost item if your baggage excess is £60
- All of our travel insurance policies include cover for cancellation of your trip. But there may be some exclusions. For example, you won’t be covered to cancel if you simply decide not to go
Please note: Our winter sports add on cover is only available to those under 65.
The best travel insurance for your holiday
Flexible add-ons from InsureandGo let you tailor your asthma travel insurance cover to your plans. So what sort of trip will you be having?
- Dreaming of a cruise? Cruise insurance means you’re not out of pocket if you’re confined to your cabin or miss your departure.
- Fancy a European city break? Our European travel insurance will protect you from Paris to Prague.
- Hitting the greens? Our golf insurance covers you and your clubs. It can even take care of the bar bill if you hit a hole in one.
- Taking the kids? No one wants to think about cutting short the family holiday due to illness. With family travel insurance, you’ll be covered if your trip is interrupted.
- Going abroad more than once? Our survey found that 84% of our customers plan on travelling more than once a year. Annual multi-trip insurance lets you travel as often as you want.
Choose a cover level to suit your travel needs
| Black | Gold | Silver | |
| Medical expenses and repatriation | Unlimited | £15 million | £10 Million |
| Cancellation and curtailment | £10,000 | £7,500 | £5,000 |
| Travel delay | Up to £650 | Up to £540 | Up to £450 |
| Personal belongings | £5,000 | £2,500 | £2,000 |
| Legal Expenses | £60,000 | £50,000 | £15,000 |
| Standard Excess | Nil | £50 | £60 |
Asthma travel insurance with other pre-existing medical conditions
Having more than one medical condition (or co-morbidity) is extremely common with asthma. For example, adults with asthma are more at risk of developing COPD. I in 3 people with asthma also have bronchiectasis.
Our travel insurance for medical conditions provides specific cover for pre-existing health conditions, and your asthma. Good news for the 30% of people we surveyed with more than one pre-existing health condition.
InsureandGo specialise in helping people with pre-existing conditions get cover for their trips abroad. We’ve covered more than 27 million travellers, and over 60,000 Trustpilot reviews rate us as either ‘Excellent’ or ‘Great’.
Along with asthma travel insurance, we also have policies for:
You must declare all your pre-existing medical conditions when buying your asthma travel insurance. Otherwise, you won’t be covered if you have an emergency related to your conditions while away.
To learn more, please read our page about travel insurance for medical conditions. Or take a look at our policy wording documents.
How to book our asthma travel insurance
Getting asthma travel insurance is quick and easy with InsureandGo.
1. Tell us about your trip
We’ll ask where you’re going, who you want to cover and when you want the policy to start. Now’s the time to tell us about your asthma, and any other pre-existing medical conditions you may have.
You can do this online or by phone.
2. Get your quote
Once we have the details, we’ll send you a quote. You can buy your policy there and then. Or you can save the quote for later.
Letita Smith – Travel insurance expert
“When you’re travelling with asthma, travel insurance is a must. Asthma can be mild, but attacks can come on suddenly – and travelling is a known trigger. Many people aren’t aware that this common medical condition must be declared. If you don’t, you could be left out of pocket as failing to disclose your asthma might void your policy.”
Our reviews speak for themselves
Good Travel Insurance Policy
“I researched various travel insurance policies for the over 55s. I also have a pre-existing mild asthma condition. This policy covered exactly what we needed for our trip to Mauritius. I included gadget cover. I also covered my husband if he wanted to do a trial dive whilst out there. This policy was still very competitive.”
Sarah. InsureandGo customer.
Date of experience: 11 September 2022
There’s a reason 99% would recommend us to family and friends. Here’s what our customers have to say about us.
Frequently asked questions on asthma travel insurance
Will travel insurance cost me more if I have asthma?
Asthma will often be included at no extra cost if your condition is mild and well-managed. But you must declare your asthma to us, even when it doesn’t affect the cost of your insurance. Otherwise, you might not be covered for medical emergencies while you’re away.
Use our quick online or over-the-phone medical screening process. It will let you know if there will be any additional charges associated with your asthma.
Is asthma a respiratory condition for travel insurance?
Yes, asthma is considered a respiratory condition for travel insurance. Whether your asthma is mild or severe, stable or well-controlled, it’s still a respiratory medical condition. Like all other medical conditions, you must declare this when you get a quote with us. This will ensure you have suitable cover in place, should the unexpected happen while you are away.
If you don’t declare anything you knew about before taking out your cover, it could invalidate your policy. It means if you need to make a claim that’s related to your asthma, you’ll need to cover the cost of any required treatment yourself.
Do I need to declare asthma on travel insurance?
Yes. You’ll need to declare asthma when you take out travel insurance with us. That way we can tailor your quote to you.
Less serious conditions, such as mild asthma, will most likely have no extra cost. But they must still be declared during the medical screening process.
If you do not declare your asthma, you won’t be able to make any claims relating to your condition. Things like hospital treatment, medication, such as inhalers, or emergency travel home.
Healthcare costs can quickly mount up in whichever country you’re visiting. But they can be particularly high somewhere like the USA, where a single inhaler can cost over £500.
Our online screening process makes declaring your conditions quick and easy. So get a quote online, or contact us.
Is asthma covered by standard travel insurance?
No, standard travel insurance does not usually cover asthma. Asthma is considered a pre-existing medical condition. Standard policies typically don’t cover respiratory conditions.
But at InsureandGo, we can usually cover asthma. That’s providing you declare it as a pre-existing condition. If you have more than one health condition, such as asthma and COPD, you must declare them both.
We define pre-existing medical conditions as any disease, illness or injury for which you have, in the last 2 years:
- Taken any prescribed medication or required medical treatment
- Consulted a medical practitioner and/or been registered as an inpatient or outpatient
Want to know more? Talk to us, or read our policy wording.
Is asthma covered by standard travel insurance?
No, standard travel insurance does not usually cover asthma. Asthma is considered a pre-existing medical condition. Standard policies typically don’t cover respiratory conditions.
But at InsureandGo, we can usually cover asthma. That’s providing you declare it as a pre-existing condition. If you have more than one health condition, such as asthma and COPD, you must declare them both.
We define pre-existing medical conditions as any disease, illness or injury for which you have, in the last 2 years:
- Taken any prescribed medication or required medical treatment
- Consulted a medical practitioner and/or been registered as an inpatient or outpatient
Want to know more? Talk to us, or read our policy wording.
Will a GHIC cover asthma-related treatment?
Yes. A GHIC will cover emergency asthma-related treatment in countries where it’s recognised. It’s valid in countries in the European Union, and other countries, such as Australia. You can use your card to get state healthcare that cannot reasonably wait until you come back to the UK.
But the GHIC isn’t the same as having proper travel insurance for asthma. It can provide basic cover in emergencies. But it won’t cover the costs if you need to be flown back to the UK, or need treatment in a private clinic.
The best travel insurance for asthma does more than a GHIC, because it also covers:
- lost or stolen property, such as passports, baggage or precious items
- losses from trip cancellation, curtailment and interruption
- extra travel and accommodation costs due to illness
- any medical treatment needed outside of the EU
How much is asthma travel insurance?
The cost of travel insurance for asthma depends on several different factors:
- The severity of your asthma: We understand that asthma can vary in severity. It’s why our medical screening questions allow you to detail how mild or severe your asthma is. Mild asthma will most likely not impact the cost of your policy.
- Other pre-existing medical conditions: If you’ve got any other health conditions, as well as your asthma, this can impact your premium.
- Your age: Travel insurance is generally more expensive as you get older.
- Trip duration: The longer you’re away, the greater the odds of a claim.
- Chosen destination: Some places have a higher risk than others. Others, like the USA, have more expensive healthcare.
- Additional cover: You may want to include extra cover for valuables, or for activities, such as a cruise or golfing holiday.
How much is asthma travel insurance?
The cost of travel insurance for asthma depends on several different factors:
- The severity of your asthma: We understand that asthma can vary in severity. It’s why our medical screening questions allow you to detail how mild or severe your asthma is. Mild asthma will most likely not impact the cost of your policy.
- Other pre-existing medical conditions: If you’ve got any other health conditions, as well as your asthma, this can impact your premium.
- Your age: Travel insurance is generally more expensive as you get older.
- Trip duration: The longer you’re away, the greater the odds of a claim.
- Chosen destination: Some places have a higher risk than others. Others, like the USA, have more expensive healthcare.
- Additional cover: You may want to include extra cover for valuables, or for activities, such as a cruise or golfing holiday.
Who can buy an InsureandGo asthma travel insurance policy?
All our asthma travel insurance policies are available to UK residents. This means:
- Someone who has been living in the UK or the Channel Islands for at least six of the last 12 months
- They must be in the UK at the time of purchase
- All trips must start and end in the UK
Get a quote online or browse our policy documents for more information.
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