Tommy has over 15 years experience within the insurance industry, and his primary focus is helping travellers find the right cover for their medical conditions.
COVID-19 Cover Update
We’ll only show you quotes from providers who are able to cover emergency medical expenses if you catch the virus abroad, and some of our providers are able to offer additional cover. Please see the below frequently asked questions, or read our full guide for more information.
Why do you need travel insurance for epilepsy?
You may think that because you have epilepsy, you’ll find it difficult to get travel insurance, but don’t worry because we’re here to help. When you’re looking for travel insurance for an upcoming trip, it’s likely that you’ll need to tell your travel insurance provider about your epilepsy alongside any other medical conditions.
A travel insurance policy that provides specific cover for epilepsy takes away any worry, leaving you confident in the knowledge you’ll be protected should anything happen. What’s more, we’re here to help you find the right cover for you and as simply as possible, comparing prices from over 30 leading travel insurance providers in one place.
Get a quoteWhat does epilepsy travel insurance typically cover?
Cover varies across the different specialist epilepsy travel insurance providers - but in the main, most policies will include cover for the following:
- Emergency medical expenses and repatriation - if you’re hospitalised, or even need to be brought back to the UK for treatment as a result of your epilepsy.
- Lost, stolen or damaged personal belongings - this could include any medication that you’re taking with you to treat your epilepsy.
- Cancellation and curtailment - if you suddenly decide to cancel your trip, or end up cutting it short.
- Travel delay - if your flight is delayed, you may be covered for your additional expenses.
- Personal liability - if you cause accidental damage to another person, or someone else’s property - cover is provided.
How to get travel insurance for epilepsy
If you’ve seen a medical professional (such as a GP, or even a hospital trip) or have taken any medication for your condition (including repeat prescriptions) within the last 2 years, then you will need to declare your epilepsy.
To get a better understanding of your condition and make sure we help you find the right travel insurance, we’ll ask you a number of simple questions about your epilepsy. This will help us determine the cover you’ll need - and create a list of quotes from only the most relevant specialist epilepsy travel insurance providers.
For example, some of the questions you may be asked are:
- If awake, do you normally lose consciousness during a seizure?
- How many seizures causing loss of consciousness have you had in the last 6 months?
- How many unplanned hospital admissions have you had for epilepsy/seizures in the last 12 months?
- How many different medicines do you take for your epilepsy/seizures?
The process is really simple, and you’ll complete it in no time.
Top tips for travelling if you have epilepsy
Sarah is the Clinical Director of the Patient Platform, an active medical writer, broadcaster, and is the resident doctor for BBC Radio 2.
With a few simple precautions and a little advance planning you can keep the risk of seizures to a minimum and maximise the chance of coming back with nothing but happy memories.
- Many epilepsy medications are controlled drugs, which means there may be special regulations covering when or whether you can take them with you. Taking some controlled drugs into certain countries is illegal, regardless of the reason. Before you book, you'll need to check the list on the website of the relevant foreign embassy in the UK to make sure you can travel with your medication. Our article on carrying medication abroad has all the details of what you need to do.
- Make sure you have the necessary paperwork. Even if you don't use controlled drugs, you will probably need a letter and/or a copy of your repeat prescription. Keep your medication in its original packaging with your name on the label.
- Remember that drugs may have different names in different countries. If you take branded medication (eg Epilim) ask your pharmacist for the details of the generic drug name too (in this case, Sodium valproate). This will help just in case you do need to access medical help or medication abroad.
- Think about time zones. Missing or delaying your regular medication could increase the risk of a seizure. If you're travelling across time zones, work out how you need to adjust your medication timing gradually: your pharmacist can help if you're in doubt.
- Check out travel times. Lack of sleep can increase your risk of having a seizure. This could be an issue if your travel involves early starts or late arrivals, or if you're travelling across time zones and could suffer jet lag.
Find out more by reading my full guide here.
Compare quotes from specialist epilepsy travel insurance providers
Our online quote comparison tool enables you to compare cover across a range of epilepsy travel insurance providers in minutes.
Once you’ve told us where you’re going and for how long - you can let us know about your pre-existing health conditions and declare your epilepsy. When you’ve answered the questions in relation to your medical history, we’ll show you with a list of quotes to compare from.
We work with over 30 specialist medical travel insurance providers - so you certainly won’t be short of choice.
Get a quoteFrequently Asked Questions
We’ll only show you quotes from providers who are able to cover emergency medical expenses (including repatriation to the UK) if you catch the virus whilst travelling abroad.
Some of our providers are able to offer additional cover, such as cancellation cover should you catch COVID-19 or have to self-isolate because of suspected symptoms before departure. We’ll make it clear who these providers are when you’re comparing quotes so you can choose the policy that is right for you.
This doesn’t apply to all insurance providers, so unless otherwise stated, for all other sections of cover, you wouldn’t be covered if making a claim as a result of COVID-19.
For more information, we recommend reading our full guide here.
If the FCDO are advising against all, or all but essential travel to your destination at the time of your trip, there will be no, or extremely limited cover provided by your policy.
You can still choose to take out a policy now for a future holiday, but it is very important to note that if the FCDO are still advising against all but essential travel to your destination at the time of your trip, your cover will not be valid.
For more information, we recommend reading our full guide here.
* Price is based on 1 traveller aged 61, who has epilepsy and is travelling to Spain for 7 nights. Price is correct as of December 2019. Prices may vary according to your individual requirements.
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If we're unable to help you find cover for a pre-existing medical condition, the Money and Pensions Service (MaPs) have launched a new directory listing companies that may be able to assist you. You can find out more information here.
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