![\"Travel](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1_travel-insurance.jpg\")
When buying travel insurance, people who take prescription medicines have been issued a warning (Image: Getty )<\/p>\nExperts have told holidaymakers who take medication prescribed by a doctor to be aware when getting travel insuranceWhen buying travel insurance, people who take prescription medicines have been issued a warning (Image: Getty )<\/p>\n
The summer holidays <\/a>are upon us and it’s now or never for those heading abroad who haven’t yet purchased their travel insurance. While it can seem like a task that can be put off, it’s a crucial part of your trip to protect you and your family in the event of illness or an accident.<\/p>\n But travel insurance <\/a>experts have warned that common mistakes while buying a policy could easily end up costing you thousands of pounds. And they have highlighted one which is commonly made by travellers which leaves them unprotected while away.<\/p>\n Grant Winter, compliance officer at specialist travel insurance provider, Good To Go<\/a>, said the biggest mistake people make on their policies is failing to declare pre-existing medical conditions to the insurance provider – especially those they might have had for years.<\/p>\n He said that people who have diagnosed conditions which they may take prescribed medication for, often don’t realise that they still need to be declared.<\/p>\n Grant said: \u201cFailing to declare pre existing medical conditions when taking out travel insurance can result in your policy being invalidated should you need to claim on your insurance, meaning your claim may not be paid in full, or declined completely.<\/p>\n \u201cIn many cases, people simply forget about a longstanding medical condition, or don\u2019t think it\u2019s necessary to declare. These conditions often include medical conditions where the person has been taking medication<\/a> for years, like high cholesterol or high blood pressure.”<\/p>\n He said that there is an easy guideline everyone should follow to ensure they are not caught out while thousands of miles from home. He said: “A simple rule of thumb is that if you\u2019re taking prescription medication for something, you will need to declare it.\u201d<\/p>\n Grant also detailed other travel insurance mistakes that are made when taking out these important policies. Here’s his guide to getting the cover you need.<\/p>\n Check your travel dates<\/p>\n Grant said: \u201cEntering incorrect travel dates can result in you being uninsured for part of your holiday, and therefore unable to claim should you need medical treatment on these dates.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is also important if you\u2019re doing a multi centre holiday, and visiting multiple countries, where you will need to confirm when you will leave and return to the UK, and the countries you will be visiting.<\/p>\n If you have an annual policy, whilst you don\u2019t need to tell your insurer when or where you will be travelling, you will need to book your trip in advance, and it must start and end in the UK for the policy to be valid.\u201d<\/p>\n Never make intentional omissions<\/p>\n Grant explained: \u201cPeople will sometimes omit medical conditions, or information about the nature of their holiday, as a way of saving money on their premiums, but this is a false economy, which can result in medical bills of hundreds, or even thousands of pounds, should you need to claim.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never a good idea to intentionally omit information, so always remember to disclose medical conditions, or activities which may be excluded, such as skiing. Failure to declare any of this important information could result in your policy being voided.\u201d<\/p>\n Getting private medical treatment<\/p>\n Grant shared: \u201cUnless specifically stated, your travel insurance is unlikely to cover you for private medical treatment whilst on holiday.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course in an emergency, if there are no public hospitals within a safe distance of your location, then private healthcare will also be covered. To avoid risking a declined claim, if you have the choice and the situation isn\u2019t an emergency, you should call your insurer\u2019s emergency helpline for advice on where to get treated.”<\/p>\n Grant said: “<\/strong>Changes to your health or personal circumstances between the time you took out your policy and the time you travel, need to be shared with your insurer before your date of travel. Otherwise they will not be covered by your policy.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is especially true in the case of annual insurance policies, where there is more likelihood of your circumstances changing in the duration of the policy.<\/p>\n![\"Back](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_hospital-bed.jpg\")
You risk ending up with a medical bill that won’t be covered if you are not careful and honest when buying travel insurance(Image: Getty)Always update changes to your circumstances<\/p>\n