"Don't even think of going to Florida without health insurance," said my daughter, the lawyer. "And tell them all about your floppy mitral valve and the blood clot in your lung - and get everything in writing."
When I was young, healthy and foolish, I travelled with minimal insurance or even none...and I wasn't the only person stupid enough to do this. Research by NOP for American Express suggests that 7m British holiday makers will travel abroad without insurance this year, and some of them will be ruined financially after a medical emergency needing hospitalisation.
A broken leg in Spain can cost you £4,000, a broken neck in Bangkok £50,000 and any major illness in the United States £150,000-plus, as well as the cost of repatriation to the UK. Thousands of skiers and snowboarders will be enjoying the Alpine slopes over the next three or four months and they can face hefty bills should a tree or hidden rock block their way.
If you take out travel insurance without informing the vendor of any pre-existing medical conditions, any claim you make that is related to that condition will probably be void.
Honesty and frankness are more than a virtue when seeking insurance, they're a legal necessity. When you make a claim the insurers will contact your GP for your medical history so being economical with the truth can be disastrous.
Holidaymaker Maureen Harvey, who needed two emergency operations on a brain tumour in New York, faced hospital bills totalling £315,000 after her insurer said undisclosed medical treatment in the summer invalidated her claim.
That medical treatment was for a heart complaint and so was unrelated.
But that didn't matter. The £5m of cover she was given by Lloyds TSB for switching her current account was declared void.
This week Lloyds TSB agreed to reconsider her case after it was highlighted in The Sun newspaper. However, the 55-year-old mum's five-day transatlantic shopping trip could yet prove an expensive nightmare.
Anyone who fails to tell their insurer about any sort of physical disability could also see their policy invalidated, even if the claimant is otherwise in perfect health.
Insurers cannot charge more for a policy to a disabled person unless they can show the disability constitutes a health risk, but can void a claim for an apparently unrelated health problem because they weren't told about a missing limb, deafness, paralysis or other permanent disability.
Like many would-be travellers, my primary source of travel information was a directory of major insurance companies on the Net (www.cheapest-travel.co.uk) starting with Norwich Union. The call advisor there asked if I had any pre-existing illnesses and when I said 'yes' declined to offer a quote.
Later, a spokesperson for NU said that the cheap standard travel policies are unsuitable for those with health problems or disabilities. Online advisors don't have the training or knowledge to work out the complex variables necessary to provide a quote. She suggested that potential customers look for a specialist broker or agency.
The advisor for my usual insurer, Lloyds (0807 166 0046) asked a series of questions about my health and said they would provide cover at the same rate as my last trip, but that the policy would not be for any heart related illnesses as I had been hospitalised in June. She also advised me to seek specialist advice and suggested a few names.
The first, Free Spirit (01483-255888) declined to offer a quote when I told them I had stopped taking warfarin (a blood-thinning drug) only a week ago and it had been less than six months since I left hospital.
Saga (www.saga.co.uk/finance; 0800 056 5464) gave me a ball-park quote of £121.93 but the advisor wasn't certain that I could get cover as my illness had been so recent. They also exclude those with terminal illnesses, those travelling against medical advice, or anyone receiving or waiting for hospital inpatient treatment.
I struck gold when I called Chapman-Hurst (08707-506 711), a general insurance broker with specialist expertise in this area.
Mrs Hurst, one of the directors, answered my call by chance and proved to be extremely knowledgeable about my condition. She was able to offer me a quote of £109.00 for five weeks, and some very useful advice.
"Wait until we send you the quote and read the terms and conditions carefully before you sign. Notify the airline you're travelling with that you have a heart condition and have your doctor's permission to travel.
"If possible, get a note from your GP to that effect and take it with you ... or make sure that the conversation is noted in your doctor's records." She also told me that finding the cheapest policy should be far less important than finding the one most suitable to your situation. For example, a family policy can cost more than a set of 'singles'. But if the trip is cancelled due to illness by one family member, individual polices may not refund the costs of other family members.
Many insurers don't specifically ask, but you also need to tell them if someone in your family has a serious illness, even if they're not travelling. This will cover you if you must cancel or shorten your trip due to the illness of a child, partner or relative.
The cost of this kind of travel insurance can vary widely taking into account where you're going, how long you plan to stay, the severity of your medical condition, how recently you have been in hospital, what medications you take and what the prognosis is.
Costs quoted to me for a five-week stay in the US ranged from £109 to more than £800.
Choosing a cheaper policy that doesn't cover your illness may be pound-foolishness of the worst sort. Michael Ramsay, of Medicover, (www.medicover.co.uk) - which offers the only comprehensive online specialist medical insurance service in the UK - told me about a client who asked for a quote, then went for a cheaper one from another company that wouldn't cover his existing condition.
He became ill and died while on holiday, leaving his family with an £18,000 bill.
Travellers to Europe can obtain an E111 form from their local Post Office which entitles you to state emergency cover but not cancellation or repatriation costs.
Since you can't specify what sort of hospital you're taken to, and may find yourself in a private facility, travelling with just an E111 is extremely risky.
I must go and read the small print in my own policy ... or ask my daughter to do it for me.
