There’s never a good time to get diagnosed with a medical condition. But with hundreds and thousands of us getting ready for a well-earned break over the coming weeks, the peak summer holiday season is certainly far from the ideal time to get bad news from your doctor. Among all the other things that will go through your head, you’re bound to think – will I still be able to go away? Am I well enough to fly? Will the stresses of travelling make me seriously ill? And then once you go down that line of questioning, you inevitably wonder things like – what happens if I do have to cancel? Will I get my money back?

The first thing to emphasise is that everyone’s situation will be different. Whether you can go on your holiday will very much depend on your current state of health, why it was you went to your doctors and what the actual diagnosis is. Nothing is worth risking your health over, even a holiday. If you are in bad shape, you are better off staying at home and concentrating on recuperating. But having said that, diagnosis of a medical condition is not in itself any reason to cancel a holiday. Having a medical condition and being too ill to travel are two different things. Millions of people travel abroad with a medical condition every year. 

If you have just received a diagnosis ahead of your holiday, here’s what to do and what you need to know.

Talk to your doctor:

The first thing to do is speak to your doctor and ask their opinion. You will no doubt have lots of questions to ask, but you should certainly mention your holiday plans. They are best placed to advise you whether they think you are well enough to travel or not. If not, you should definitely take their advice. Even if your doctor thinks you will be ok to go on holiday, they may advise you to do certain things to look after yourself while you are away, such as staying out of the sun as much as possible, avoiding any strenuous activities (including long walks in the heat) and being careful what you eat and drink.

Make sure you have the right medication to take with you:

Another thing to discuss with your doctor is medication. If you’ve gone to your doctor showing symptoms of one find or another, the likelihood is that they will prescribe you something to bring those symptoms under control. You’ll need to take this medication with you.

Get a prescription to cover the length of your trip and get it dispensed at the pharmacist before you go. It’s worth knowing that some airlines are asking passengers to carry letters from their doctors to explain what any medication they are carrying is for. Depending on where you are going, this is also useful to have for getting through border control at your destination country. Some countries have strict rules on bringing in medications and will demand documentation. Finally, ask your doctor for a spare prescription to take with you, in case you lose your medication and need to get hold of more while you are away. This is especially important at the moment with all the issues with lost luggage at airports.

Tell your travel insurance provider:

If you have just received a diagnosis for a medical condition, it is absolutely imperative that you tell your travel insurance provider – whether you’ve already bought a policy or it’s on your to-do list before you go. Standard travel insurance policies will not cover you for many common medical conditions. And the conditions that are excluded from policies are different from insurer to insurer (some providers, for example, do not cover asthma in standard policies full stop, while other insurers will if it is mild and under control). Moreover, insurers reserve the right to declare a policy void if they are not told about a listed medical condition. 

So all in all, if you want the protection travel insurance offers (including for treatment costs if you fall ill while abroad), you need to have a conversation with your provider. If you’ve already bought insurance and your new diagnosis is for a condition excluded from their standard cover, they will suggest moving you on to a specialised policy that provides cover for specific conditions. Don’t feel you have to stick with the same provider. Many insurance companies charge a small fortune for covering medical conditions.

If you don’t like the sound of the new quote, shop around and look for a provider that specialises in medical travel insurance. These firms will most likely be able to offer you a better deal and give you a more robust level of cover tailored to your needs. It’s also worth being aware of the fact that, aside from not being a great idea from a health perspective, if you ignore your doctor’s advice not to travel, your travel insurance will be void. If you end up needing medical attention while you are away, you will be charged and your insurance company will not pay out, because they will check in with your doctor about your medical history.