Travel Insurance Expert and Head of Communications
Last updatedNovember 27 2025
12 min read
Travelling with diabetes? Whether you’re flying long-haul or staying close to home, our diabetic travel insurance will protect your trip. We cover all destinations and over 100 different activities. You can take us with you, whatever you’ve got planned.
Can you get travel insurance if you have diabetes?
The right travel insurance lets you enjoy your trip, knowing you’re protected if something goes wrong. It is important that your diabetes is covered on your policy if you’re one of the estimated five million people in the UK living with diabetes.
Diabetes won’t get in the way of a great holiday with InsureandGo. We’ll cover all types of diabetes, including prediabetes, type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. Our travel insurance for people with diabetes will cover you for all medical emergencies. It also covers repatriation to the UK, if needed.
Here’s why finding the best travel insurance for diabetics is a must:
Covers emergency medical expenses: Travel can make diabetes harder to manage. Eating different foods, becoming more or less active, and a change of climate can all affect blood sugar levels. Research shows that two-thirds of diabetics lack good diabetic control while travelling. Our diabetes travel insurance means you’re covered for emergency medical treatment related to your condition.
Covers repatriation: If you need to be flown home due to a medical emergency, repatriation costs can be high, even in Europe. The cost for one UK traveller in Spain was £124,000. Our diabetic travel insurance covers the costs associated with medical repatriation.
Covers cancellation: According to the latest Diabetes UK survey, 47% of people with diabetes had difficulties managing their condition the previous year. If your travel plans change due to health reasons, diabetes travel insurance will cover any unexpected costs.
Protects your belongings: A lost or stolen bag can put a dampener on any holiday. But what if the bag contains your medication? The cost of a single vial of insulin is around $100 (£80) in the US. Diabetes travel insurance makes sure you’re not left counting the cost.
Help when you need it: Travelling with diabetes can mean some extra planning and possible risks. We also offer a 24/7 emergency medical helpline if you need it.
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 also need to tell us all your pre-existing medical conditions. If your medical history isn’t accurate, you may have to pay for unexpected medical costs.
What types of diabetes does InsureandGo’s travel insurance cover?
Each type of diabetes can affect your travel plans in different ways. Our travel insurance for people with diabetes covers all forms of the condition:
Type 2 diabetes:Around 90% of diabetics have type 2, where you don’t make enough insulin, or you’re resistant to it. Some people can manage their type 2 diabetes through healthy eating and being more active. But with holidays comes a change in routine, which can affect your diabetes control, so it is important to make sure you have cover for these eventualities.
Gestational diabetes: Gestational diabetes affects 1 in 20 pregnancies. It happens when pregnancy hormones make it hard for your body to use insulin. If you’re travelling with gestational diabetes, hot weather can affect blood glucose levels. You’re also at increased risk of heat exhaustion.
Prediabetes:Around one in nine adults is thought to be living with prediabetes. In prediabetes, your blood sugar levels are higher than normal. If you have prediabetes, you’ll be advised to keep active, which may not be possible while travelling. Travel insurance for diabetes will cover your trip if it’s disrupted due to a prediabetic episode.
What does InsureandGo’s diabetes travel insurance cover?
Plus our annual European holiday insurance even includes some countries outside of Europe! You’ll be covered for countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, Madeira, the Azores and more. See below for the full list
What’s not covered?
We strive to provide as much cover as possible. However, there are some situations that no travel insurance will cover. For example:
You cannot cover events or reasons to claim that 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
We will consider all pre-existing medical conditions, find out more about medical travel insurance. The excess and the amount of cover available will vary depending on the level of travel insurance you buy. To check the policy exclusions and what is and isn’t included, take a look at our policy wording.ry depending on the level of travel insurance you buy. Check the policy wording to see the full terms and conditions.
The best travel insurance for your holiday
Flexible add-ons from InsureandGo let you tailor your diabetes travel insurance policy to your plans. So what sort of holiday will you be having?
Sailing the world? Cruise insurance can protect you against cruise-specific mishaps. It covers missed departures, cabin confinement and more.
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.
Teeing off in the sun? We’ll cover you and your clubs with our golf insurance.
Enjoying a hobby? Bring your surfboard, camera or bike. Adding gadgets cover will protect your belongings, up to £1,000 per single item.
Diabetes travel insurance with other pre-existing medical conditions
If you’re living with diabetes, you’re not alone in managing more than one health condition. In fact, 30% of people we surveyed told us they have multiple pre-existing medical conditions.
That’s why we offer travel insurance that covers diabetes and other health conditions, all in one policy. Just let us know about all your conditions during your quote, and we’ll tailor cover that suits your needs.
To make sure you’re properly protected, we’ll ask a few simple questions during your medical screening. These may include:
When were you first diagnosed?
Are you currently taking medication for your condition?
Have you been admitted to hospital for this condition?
Examples of the types of health conditions we can cover include:
You must declare all your pre-existing medical conditions when buying your diabetes 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 diabetes travel insurance
Ensuring you have enough insulin. Packing plenty of snacks. Travelling with diabetes can involve a lot of planning! At least getting a travel insurance policy is easy.
1. Let us know about your trip
Tell us where you’re going, who you want to cover and when you want the policy to start. We’ll ask you about your diabetes and any other pre-existing medical conditions.
It’s quick and easy to give us this information, online or by phone.
Once we have all the details we need, we will send you your quote. At this stage, you can either buy your policy now or save the quote for later.
Our experts say…
“Morocco is a popular tourist destination for us Brits. More than half a million of us are travelling there each year. But the heat and unfamiliar environments can be a source of trouble. It’s important to make sure that you’re covered for any issues with blood sugar levels with a suitable travel insurance for diabetics. “
Do you have to declare diabetes or prediabetes on travel insurance?
Yes, you do. Both diabetes and prediabetes are considered pre-existing conditions for travel insurance, even if you don’t take medication for them. You need to declare them even if they are well-controlled and your blood sugar levels are normal.
If you don’t declare your diabetes, you risk invalidating any claim you make. You’ll still need to get your prediabetes covered, as it could lead to you needing medical attention abroad.
When you get a quote with us, we’ll ask which type of diabetes you have and if you have any other conditions. We may also ask whether you take insulin, have high blood pressure or cholesterol, or are taking any other medications.
Does type 2 diabetes increase the cost of travel insurance?
The cost of travel insurance is based on a wide range of factors. Your medical condition and the questions you answer in the medical screening is one factor.
Your age
The destination you’re travelling to
How long you’ll be going for
Any policy add-ons you require
When getting your quote, you will complete a brief medical screening. If your diabetes needs medication adjustments, frequent monitoring, or carries a higher risk of complications, this will impact the cost.
How much is travel insurance for diabetes?
The cost of travel insurance for diabetes in the UK depends on several different factors:
The type and severity of your diabetes: Whether you take medication for your diabetes, for example.
Other pre-existing medical conditions: If you’ve got any other health conditions, this will 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.
Does the GHIC cover diabetes?
Travelling to Europe? You should take your Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) with you. You can use your card to get state healthcare that cannot reasonably wait until you come back to the UK. It’s valid in countries in the European Union and other countries, such as Australia.
But the GHIC isn’t the same as having proper travel insurance for diabetes. While it can provide basic cover in emergencies, it won’t cover the costs if you need to be flown back to the UK in a medical emergency or for private healthcare.
The best travel insurance for diabetes 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
Do I need to see a doctor before I travel with diabetes?
It’s a good idea to book an appointment with a GP to let them know your travel plans. They can advise you about altering the timing of your medication if you cross time zones on your trip. They can also provide you with a letter that includes details of any medication you take in your hand luggage.
Request any extra medication or glucose monitoring supplies well in advance. It’s a good idea to take two to three times the amount you need, in case there are delays or anything gets lost or damaged.
Who can buy an InsureandGo diabetic travel insurance policy?
All our diabetes 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
Unfortunately, we can’t provide cover to anyone who doesn’t fit this description.
If you’ve got more questions about how our travel insurance for people with diabetes works, or more general travel insurance queries, have a read through our FAQs.
Travel advice
Our travel advice section offers handy tips and guides to specific countries, from what documents you need to what you might visit while you’re there.
Travel insurance reviews
If you want to know what our customers think of us, and why they rate us so highly, have a read through some of the reviews they’ve left us.
InsureandGo’s Gold achieved a Which? Best Buy. InsureandGo’s Gold and Black policies have been 5-star rated by Defaqto.
Based on 1,692 responses, correct as of 24/07/2025.
