Planning for your trip checklist

It is helpful to take information about your health with you when you are travelling. You can show this to healthcare providers if you become ill while you are away. You may find it helpful to take photocopies of any important documents or scan them onto your phone or laptop. You can use this form to store key details which may help healthcare staff understand your situation.

You can ask your GP or cancer doctor for a letter that explains your diagnosis and treatment. Or if you get copies of your hospital letters, you could take those. They often contain a summary of your diagnosis and treatment.

You should also ask your GP or cancer doctor if you need any of the following:

• a doctor’s letter confirming you are fit to travel for travel insurance
• a fit-to-fly certificate
• a doctor’s letter explaining if you need to take certain types of medicines abroad.

Your GP may charge a fee for some types of letters and certificates. They should tell you what the fee is before they do the work.

If you are travelling abroad, you can look up translations of key phrases about your health and treatment. For example, you may want to know the name of the cancer or a type of treatment.

It is not always easy to be certain that the translation of medical terms is correct. You can try using a foreign language dictionary, a translation app or the free online translation service at translate.google.com

• Have you spoken to your cancer team, GP, practice nurse or a travel health professional about whether you are fit to travel?
• Do you need a companion or helper to travel with you?
• Have you told your travel company and accommodation about your needs? This may include your travel agent, airlines, ferry company or tour operator.
• Is there extra support you can arrange during travel, such as at the airport or train station?
• Do you have a Global or European Health Insurance Card (GHIC or EHIC) to take with you?
• Have you found suitable travel insurance and packed your travel insurance policy?
• Do you need to take a doctor’s letter, travel certificate or proof of vaccination?
• If you are going abroad, have you checked the latest travel advice on gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice?
• Have you packed suncream with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30, a wide-brimmed hat, and suitable clothes and glasses to cover up in the sun

It is helpful to tell travel companies in advance about any needs you have that could affect your travel. This includes travel agents, airlines, ferry companies and tour operators.

You could tell them about:

• any problems you have moving around
• whether you need a wheelchair
• equipment or medications you need to take with you
• whether you are likely to need oxygen during the trip due to breathing difficulties
• help or support you may need at different times during your trip
• whether you are travelling with a companion
• whether it would be helpful to sit in an aisle seat – for example, if you have bowel or bladder problems
• your dietary needs.

Try to tell them as much as possible about how cancer affects you personally. This will help them understand what support you may need at different times during your trip.

You might find these tools helpful:

• The Association of British Travel Agents checklist for travellers who are disabled or less mobile.
• The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) factsheet about travelling with additional needs or a disability.

Most travel companies have a medical officer who can help you decide whether it is safe and practical for you to travel. You can contact them before you go on holiday and ask for help to plan your journey. They can usually also be contacted during your trip.

In some cases, companies may ask questions about your condition to check if you are fit to travel. You may be asked to complete a medical information form (MEDIF) or get a letter from your doctor.

The sunflower lanyard scheme aims to help people with non-visible disabilities get support in public places. People with a hidden, or not so obvious, medical condition or disability may choose to wear a green lanyard, wristband or badge with a sunflower design. This shows they have a hidden condition and may need extra support.

Sunflower lanyards are not recognised everywhere. But many UK organisations, shops and travel companies now understand what the lanyard means. You may find it helpful if you need extra support while you are travelling in the UK.

Some organisations provide sunflower lanyards for free. Or you can buy them from hiddendisabilitiesstore.com

We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.

We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:

• use plain English
• explain medical words
• use short sentences
• use illustrations to explain text
• structure the information clearly
• make sure important points are clear.

We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.

You can read more about how we produce our information here.