Compare travel insurance deals
Check Which? insurance ratings and compare deals using the service provided by Confused.com
Get a quoteBy clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. This enables W? to receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.
'Why won't my travel insurer cover my wellness break?'
Every week we help you with your money problems
Bill deals with a range of areas, from staying safe from scams to insurance, benefits, care and equity release. He is passionate about improving people's financial wellbeing.
I’ve just found out my travel insurance is void because I regularly go abroad for a ‘wellness break’, which includes heart monitoring and blood tests.
Are there specialist travel insurance companies that will accommodate such trips?
Peter from Worcestershire
'You say wellness; insurers hear illness'
Bill Wilkinson-Hoy, Which? money expert, says…
It might sound counterintuitive, but your efforts to stay healthy are what’s making insurers concerned about your health.
Most standard travel insurance policies strictly exclude pre-planned medical treatment, check-ups or consultations while abroad.
Regular ‘wellness breaks’ that involve active medical procedures (heart monitoring, blood tests) are considered medical tourism or elective, planned treatment, rather than an unexpected, acute emergency.
And it’s not just the procedures themselves that are excluded from cover. Even if the trip is intended to be relaxing, because the primary purpose includes receiving medical monitoring/testing, it falls outside the coverage of a standard holiday policy.
Because the primary purpose includes receiving medical monitoring/testing, it falls outside the coverage of a standard holiday policy
From the point of view of insurers, regular monitoring may indicate an ongoing, pre-existing medical condition.
Not declaring any such condition gives insurers further cause for concern, even though they could simply decline any claims that are made for undeclared pre-existing conditions.
You’ve told your insurer, but other readers travelling for treatment or monitoring who haven’t told their insurer should be aware that it can decline claims.
Given your case is about medical procedures rather than a condition, we recommend going to a broker. You can find one through the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (Biba) on 0370 950 1790 or on Biba's website.
Other readers who have pre-existing medical conditions, but are travelling for leisure rather than treatment, should check specialist medical insurers.
- Find out more: Best travel insurance if you have a medical condition 2026
Which? Money 1-to-1 guidance
Our team of money experts can answer your questions big and small, on topics from pensions to tax and savings to scams.
They're impartial so they don’t give regulated financial advice or recommend particular products or providers – they’re here to support you and to help you make more confident financial decisions in these areas and more:
Which? Money members and their immediate family get unlimited access to 1-to-1 guidance sessions.
If you're a Which? Money member, you can book an appointment online. If you're not, you can find out more about membership.
