UKC

In another thread I explained about a family predicament where my Sister in Law might have cancer. We are awaiting the result of a scan and obviously hope for the best.

Before this situation arose I had been hoping to do the High Atlas this year but I'm wondering what the insurance situation might be if the worst case scenario occurs before or whilst I am away and have to cancel or curtail my trip. I'm wondering if the insurance people might argue that I knew about her illness before I booked and should not have gone ahead with it.

Comments appreciated.

I should mention that, stricly speaking, she is not really my SiL in that her sister and I are not married although we all regard each other as "family"

Bump

In reply to mypyrex:

Do you already have insurance? If so, check the policy wording.

Most good travel insurance policies will cover cancellation and curtailment due to family bereavement, but not in the case of pre-existing conditions. Also, I’m not sure that sister-in-law is close enough family to be covered. Given that you’re not married, it’s probably even more unlikely that you’d be covered.

In reply to mypyrex:

Fingers crossed for you.

If you have already booked the holiday and bought the insurance before you knew of her illness, then it won't matter but if you did, you won't be covered. (Do you know of ANY reason why your trip might be cancelled or curtailed...it's in the declaration when you buy)

Additionally, many insurance companies won't consider it a good enough reason to cancel the trip. Check with them direct. This only applies if you already have a policy.

In reply to All: Thanks, Obviously we are waiting for the diagnosis but your comments confirm that in the eyes bureaucracy she is not close enough. If I do go and anything happens I'll have to be prepared to stump up the extra air fare to get back.

In reply to mypyrex: Have you talked to insurance company? We usually pay an extra bit of premium which covers getting back due to relatives declared medical conditions.

In reply to anaesthetic:

Ah, thanks for that. I usually insure through BMC

In reply to mypyrex: Bit of a side issue but BMC insurance costs went daft a couple of years ago so I started looking around to find that the free Travel Insurance which you got with Nationwide account (and I think other banks do similar) was almost as good as BMC and better than the basic BMC one. For £20 it is extended to Worldwide and covers trekking up to 5450m (you need another extension for mountaineering, climbing or above 5450m).

It will not cover existing or known conditions, I declared a family member and they then specifically excluded anything resulting from that specific condition of that person.

I always used to use BMC and still do for Expeditions, but not for general travel cover now.

In reply to mypyrex:

In reply to mypyrex:

I swear by The BMC insurance cover. They have helped me and friends out of many tricky situations. If in doubt why don't you call up The BMC and speak to Ray who is the insurance guru.

The High Atlas should not require the expedition cover and Morocco used to come in under the European premium , so this will hopefully make it cheaper.

Good luck

Dave Lucas