Posts Tagged ‘Travel Insurance’

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Holidays and Half Term

Thursday, February 24th, 2011
family travel insurance

How are you enjoying half term?

So you are halfway through the half term holidays –are you pulling your hair out, or have you enjoyed spending more time with the kids? It always makes me laugh how in the week before half term, the TV and social media are full of good free/cheap things to do with your kids. But it is understandable that some people would rather try and go on holiday abroad during half term.

So I thought that I would put this blog together for people to share their half term experiences.

Did you choose to go abroad this year? Was that a good idea? How was it sorting out your travel insurance?

Or did you choose to stay at home? Is that working out more expensive than going abroad, do you think? Or have you managed to find cheaper ways to keep the kids occupied.

Please do share your experiences, we would love to know what you think…

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Posted in Holiday Stress Buster | 1 Comment »

Rock Band guitarist reveals how a radioactive injection beat his prostate cancer

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

According to this article, Andy Scott, a guitarist from the rock band Sweet, first found he was suffering from prostate cancer after suffering from painful stomach cramps, but a radioactive injection helped him fight the cancer.

So what is his story? Well basically, following his stomach problems.  Andy had routine blood tests which showed he had raised prostate-­specific antigen (PSA) levels, a marker for prostate cancer — while normal readings are around four, Andy’s was 20. More tests showed he had an aggressive walnut-sized tumour that had broken through the ­covering of the prostate gland and was at risk of spreading.

Andy was told he needed surgery to remove the tumour and the prostate, followed by radiotherapy. There can be pretty severe side effects with this surgery, including urinary incontinence and impotence, due to the risk of nerve damage.

However, Andy’s surgeon told him about another option — instead of surgery he could have an intense form of radiotherapy, known as high dose rate brachytherapy.  This involves putting a tiny ­radioactive seed inside the prostate via a needle or catheter and then removing it 20 minutes later — because the radiation isn’t beamed through healthy tissue, it causes less damage. There is still a risk, although this is thought to be much less than with surgery and conventional ­radiotherapy.

First, Andy had to undergo standard hormone treatment to shrink the tumour. Then Andy had two brachytherapy treatments. He then had a lower dose of conventional radiotherapy for four-and-a-half weeks to make sure all the cancer had gone. Tests then confirmed there was no sign of the cancer, and he was soon back performing at gigs.

Around 36,000 men in Britain are diagnosed with the cancer each year and 10,000 die of the disease, but this new treatment provides some new hope for people suffering from prostrate cancer. March is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month so I wanted to share this blog post with you to let you know about the new treatment.

AllClear supports prostate cancer awareness month given that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and more needs to be known about the treatment and diagnosis options available. We also know that for people with cancer, a holiday may be really important for rest and recuperation, and that is why we offer travel insurance for prostate cancer.  You can find out more about travelling with cancer here.

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A Holiday Romance

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
holiday romance and travel insurance

Have you ever had a holiday romance?

Valentine’s Day is really not very far away now – have you got the card and chocolates already sorted out? Or do you prefer to be a bit more last minute – maybe grabbing some flowers on the way home from work?

But I am not writing this blog to get into the whole Valentines debate – is it something we should celebrate, or is it all a con propagated by the greeting card industries?  I am also not writing this blog to make you feel guilty or panicked about Valentine’s Day, and your possible lack of present inspiration. Instead, I am going to focus on holidays instead (which is what we do best!), but with a romantic twist.

A fifth of UK holidaymakers have found romance on holiday, according to this article. But these romances are still likely to be fleeting. In fact, more than two-thirds (68%) of those who did experience a holiday romance never met their partner again, even though some kept in touch for a time.

However, occasionally these relationships do seem to lead to something more long term. 18% of those surveyed went on to form a long-term relationship, while a surprisingly high number (7%) say they met their lifetime partner while on holiday.  

However, things don’t always turn out so well, 3% of people said it was the ‘worst thing that could have happened.

Some quite interesting stats here, I think. If you are looking for a relationship, seems like February could be the perfect time to book a holiday!

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Holidays and the Royal Wedding

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011
travel insurance and royal wedding

Will you be watching the Royal Wedding or jetting off for a holiday instead?

The Royal Wedding seems to be like marmite – you either love it or you hate it. Although, having said that, I am pretty ambivalent about it! But overall, I would say that the wedding causes a lot of strong emotions…

So the question that everyone is asking is, what are you going to be doing during our extended bank holiday weekend?

Will you be trying to get away from the wedding (although I think it will be a pretty global affair) and going on holiday instead? I must admit at least then you can take advantage of the fact that you hardly need to take any days off work. But the thing to look at is how much more expensive flights and accommodation will be, bearing in mind that bank holidays are more expensive in general anyway. It also depends how many people have had the same idea, as to how busy your journey will be. And don’t forget you will need travel insurance too, even if you are only going for a weekend.

Or will you be staying in the UK, enjoying the wedding and all the buzz and excitement that goes with it? I have to say, I think this is the option I will be choosing – it is making history and something interesting to be part of – and it doesn’t happen very often. However, I will not be making the trip to London, I would rather watch the wedding from my comfort of my own home.

But that is enough of my plans. What will you be doing for the Royal Wedding? Please do let us know…

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Stress, stress, stress!

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Just seeing the repeated 3 words of ‘stress’ there may make you feel a little stressed. Are you feeling stressed if you are sitting there reading this at work?

Interestingly though,  a recent article has found it is the pressure of running a household that makes  us feel stressed.

Scientists from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine recruited  113 men and women in full-time work.  Each one provided details on how many hours they worked, what level of  responsibility they took on for running the home and the chores they did.  They then underwent regular blood pressure checks at a local clinic over a  three-week period, before finally wearing a blood pressure monitor for a day to  track changes at work and home.  The results showed that regardless of the amount of housework actually done,  those who felt they were shouldering the responsibility were at the greatest  risk of high blood pressure.

The findings, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine,  suggest it’s not the workload itself but the stress about how to cope with it  that causes the damage.  The strongest link with high blood pressure came from domestic chores done,  such as cleaning, cooking and shopping.  Next came car maintenance and repair, paying the bills and keeping on top of  the household budget. 

Many parents may not agree, but looking after children had no adverse effects  on blood pressure.  Men tended to become stressed by the responsibility of looking after pets, but women were not affected. 

travel insuranceI must admit, when you see this research you can understand that running a home and family can be pretty stressful.  This got me thinking about holidays. I have often said on this blog that although going on holiday itself can be (and should be) lovely and relaxing, the preparation for it is not. Packing, organising who is looking after pets, securing your house and making sure your passport is in date can all raise the stress levels. And what about sorting out your travel insurance? This can be complicated and time consuming, particularly if you have medical conditions. On the plus side, you can now use our medical travel insurance comparison site, that will save you a lot of time entering your medical details again and again on a number of websites  -you just enter your details once and then get a range of quotes from specialist insurers, so you can choose what best suits you. Do give it a go and let us know what you think of it.

If you have got a holiday booked, but are feeling a bit stressed about getting ready for it, our stressbusters tips may help.

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A telegram from the Queen

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011
elderly or medical travel insurance comparison

More and more people could have longer to enjoy their retirement, according to official statistics

Do you know anyone who has received a telegram from the Queen because they reached 100? I do know one…

But according to the latest figures, you are likely to know a lot more because one in six will live to be 100. This means 10m people alive today will get a royal telegram, with many even surviving until 110.

Improved living conditions and medical technology are driving the dramatic changes. Modern treatments such as statins, which lower blood cholesterol, and blood pressure drugs are helping to prevent fatal conditions and increase lifespan. Better education and greater awareness of diet have helped many stay healthier. And the decline of jobs requiring heavy and risky manual work has also played a part.

The Department for Work and Pensions figures show that 17% of the population will see their 100th birthday, equal to about 10.6million people.Of these, around three million are currently under 16. Around 5.5million are between 16 and 50, and around 1.3million are between 51 and 65.  There are also about 875,000 who have already celebrated their 65th birthday and can expect to live for at least another 35 years. 

Last year there were just 11,600 people aged 100 or above, a figure which itself was more than four times that recorded 30 years before. Even over the past two years the ranks of centenarians have increased by nearly 25%. By 2066, there will be around 7,700 ‘super-centenarians’ – those who have reached at least 110.

Now this obviously raises a lot of issues in terms of supporting old people, and providing for such a long retirement….But I want to talk about another issue that this raises – that of travel insurance for the elderly, especially if they have medical conditions.

With this long retirement (a third of our lives or more) you are likely to want to go on holidays, and you are more likely to want to have the time to go away. So difficulty in finding travel insurance shouldn’t be an obstacle to that. However, unfortunately, a lot of elderly people, or those with medical conditions, often find it difficult to get the comprehensive travel insurance that they need. If you are looking for travel insurance, make sure you use a specialist provider, so you can get the insurance you need and travel with complete peace of mind. And remember AllClear Options is the first comparison site for medical travel insurance, so you can get a range of quotes here, and make sure you get the travel insurance that suits you.

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Posted in Travelling with Medical Conditions | 2 Comments »

Snowboarding or Skiing – what would you choose?

Thursday, January 20th, 2011
 

Winter sports travel insurance

Winter sports holiday planned? Does snowboarding or skiing have the greatest risk of injury?

So who has got a winter sports holiday booked? Are you a skier or  a snowboarder, or do you like to try a bit of both? For either sport, you need to make sure that you have winter sports travel insurance to cover you for any mishap, but an interesting article in the Guardian has pointed out that your risk of accident varies depending on which winter sport you do.

The research, for the National Ski Areas Association in the US, concluded that while snowboarders were between 50% to 70% more likely to get injured, they are also around a third less likely to be killed on the slopes than skiers. Most of the skiing deaths were “due to collisions with fixed objects, where somebody is going at a relatively high speed.

The lower injury count in skiing may be due to advances in safety releasing equipment; in the 1970s broken legs were common because skis would often not come off at the right time. Today, the injury is almost non-existent.

Spencer Claridge, who organises British ski and snowboard championships, explains the difference in fatalities: “If you can walk you can ski, so it’s easy to get out of control and go careering into a tree at a rate of knots. Learning how to go fast on a snowboard takes longer.”

James Stentiford, a pro snowboarder, said the culture of snowboarding was different. “Skiing is all about racing, even if it’s just to see who’s the first back home. Snowboarders are more focused on manoeuvres: jumps and tricks, which are done at a slower pace. Though naturally, it’s easier to get hurt doing them.”

Overall, head injuries have declined by 50% since 1999 which is very good news, and is attributed to the increase in helmets being worn on the slopes.

2011 is likely to be popular for winter sports after the heavy snowfall since November prompted European and North American resorts to open early. So if you have a winter sports holiday booked, or are planning one, enjoy, but make sure you stay safe!!

Three tips for avoiding injury

Snowboarding

• “Impact shorts” look like padded underwear and help snowboarders absorb falls

• Wrist guards can spread impact shocks and help prevent broken bones.

• Modern helmets are light and provide great protection

Skiing

• Correctly setting the ski  release mechanism can prevent bone, ligament and tendon damage in the lower leg.

• Shorter skis can lower the leverage on legs and help prevent tibia and fibia breaks.

• A five-minute warm-up can relax tendons, ligaments and muscles.

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Dealing with the VAT increase

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011
VAT increase travel insurance

What does the VAT increase mean for Travel insurance?

Ok so we could be forgiven for thinking that we have settled in now to the New Year, it is mid-January after all. We are coping with the miserable weather, and the long dark days back at work. But there is one thing that we still all have to moan about, and that is VAT.

Since 4th Jan the increase has been in force, and unfortunately this applies to travel insurance too where the particular tax (insurance premium tax IPT) has increased to 20%.

But even though the price has increased, it is still as important as ever to make sure that you have adequate cover, particularly if you have pre-existing medical conditions. The tax may be high but remember if you don’t have comprehensive travel insurance, it could work out very expensive should you need medical treatment while abroad. So in fact, it can be a false economy, if you don’t buy travel insurance and then need medical treatment, or even lose your luggage, for example, while you are away. Having that comprehensive travel insurance allows you to travel with complete peace of mind.

 I don’t normally like writing  blog posts that are a bit gloomy, but unfortunately this one is a  bit! Still, the important thing is that if you have a holiday booked, at least you have that to look forward to!

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Tunisia Travel Advice

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

You can’t have failed to miss the news over the last week about the problems in Tunisia. We have just put this blog together to provide some travel advice for you about Tunisia, particularly if you are an AllClear customer. The situation is changing rapidly and is unpredictable but this is the current advice.

  • The most important information can be found at the FCO website. They continue to advise against all but essential travel to Tunisia.
  • If you are already in Tunisia: Register with the FCO to tell them when and where you are travelling or where you live so the consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you. You can register on the FCO website at: https://www.locate.fco.gov.uk/locateportal/ or by calling: (00 216) 71 108 713. The FCO advise you to leave Tunisia by commercial means if you do not have a pressing need to be in the country. If you are using a tour operator, talk to them about your travel arrangements home. British nationals who have a confirmed flight and have not heard from their airline should check with them to confirm whether flights will leave.Whilst in Tunisia, stay away from demonstrations and large gatherings of people, public buildings (such as Government offices, the Presidential Palace).  Remain indoors if possible. 

AllClear Customers: If you are unable to return to the UK on your scheduled return date you will have the travel insurance protection afforded under the policy extended free of charge until you are able to return to the UK.

  • If your trip/flight has been cancelled: You should be entitled to a refund. Contact your tour operator/airline in the first instance. Holiday companies only have to give refunds and change trips for current bookings which are affected by the FCO advice.
  • If you want to cancel your future trip to Tunisia: Those with bookings beyond the next few days have to wait until nearer the date of their trip to find out if the FCO advice has changed. If you still want to cancel your holiday now you may be charged a fee, sometimes as high as 70% of the price of your holiday. But what about your insurance?

AllClear Customers: You will be given the opportunity to move your policy travel dates to a future trip providing it is of the same duration and similar destination – otherwise a premium “top up” may be required.

If you have any other questions about your travel to Tunisia please do ask, and we will do our very best to help you.

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Planning a Valentines Day Surprise

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011
travel for Valentines day

Planning a romantic weekend in Paris?

 

Whisking your partner away on a surprise Valentines break may seem like an extremely romantic idea for but it does not always work out that way. In reality, a two week holiday, or even a weekend break, can often be filled with problems or things that you haven’t thought about, that can spoil the trip.

Here are some tips that may be useful if you are planning a Valentine’s Day surprise. Thanks to Bukisa for some of the advice here.

  • Travel Insurance: A surprise is great but don’t forget to take out travel insurance, even for the shortest break away. Lost luggage or an accident could completely ruin the trip, but even more so if you don’t have travel insurance to cover you for the mishap.  Furthermore if the one you are surprising has a medical condition it is especially important that these are declared to your insurance provider to ensure you don’t come unstuck in the event of a claim!
  • Work Annual Leave: Obviously if you are going to be away over the weekend this is not so much of a problem ( and quite feasible seeing as Valentine’s Day is on a Monday this year). But otherwise you will need to make sure annual leave is sorted out for your partner. Depending on their relationship with  their boss, you may want to contact them directly and book the leave – making sure the holiday is a complete surprise. Alternatively (especially if they are the kind of person who don’t like surprises quite that big!) just tell them the time to book off work, but don’t give any further details. The anticipation will be almost as good as a complete surprise!
  • Babysitters: Babysitters are going to be  in demand over the Valentine weekend so make sure you book yours early. Even if  you are planning on asking the grandparents or another family member, make sure you give them lots of warning, as otherwise they may have their own plans (or be looking after your brother/sister’s kids already!). A gift from the place you have visited when you come back is always a nice way to say thank you.
  • Travel dates: Think about whether or not you want to actually be traveling on Valentine’s Day. You might want to plan on either leaving after Valentine’s Day or before Valentine’s Day so you can spend the holiday relaxing together instead of traveling. Travel can be very stressful and tiring so if you want to avoid problems which may result from this, it is a good idea to plan your trip so you will not be traveling on Valentine’s Day. Plus the travel networks are likely to be decidedly busy at that time of the year – you know what it is like when you go to a restaurant on Valentine’s evening and are rushed in and out because it is just too busy – now imagine this on a train or coach!
  • Location, Location, Location: Make sure you select a location which both you and your partner will really appreciate. There may be a number of activities you enjoy as well as a number of activities your partner enjoys but these activities will not necessarily overlap. However, there are likely to be some activities which you have in common – maybe you both enjoy exploring a romantic city for example. In fact, we ran a poll near Valentines day last year and found that a city break was the most popular Valentine’s holiday, with over 50% of the vote.

Overall though, if you are planning a surprise on Valentine’s day, chances are your partner will be really pleased, even if everything does not go completely smoothly. So make sure that you have fun and enjoy!

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