When did you become fearful of health issues when traveling

[Red Badger]

Since I've lived in Asia and Europe, and traveled globally as a road warrior, I'm pretty much done. Took DW to Europe as a retirement "kickoff." But that's about it for us. Except maybe one more trip to Korea (DW's homeland).

She has assorted afflictions and runs out of gas fairly easy. I've had a heart attack. I also have been criminally charged in a foreign country and faced 2 years in the slammer. I was found innocent, but those were some pretty sober days.

I factor in both health and legal considerations into travel. Belt and suspenders, baby. YMMV!

 

[Gumby]

Never thought about it. Maybe I should.

 

[6miths]

Agree that pre-existing health, age and attitude all enter into it. But the other major factor in my mind is destination. I wouldn't give it a second thought when traveling to western Europe but definitely would when heading to Africa or the US.

 

[braumeister]

I normally don't think about it, except for always having evacuation insurance in case of emergency.

The only time a health issue ever came up was in Norway last year where I needed a minor emergency room visit. Just paid with a credit card at the end of the visit, and was charged the same as a Norwegian citizen: about US$48.

The older people we meet when traveling mostly seem to be pretty sturdy. Seems like if you had real issues you would opt to do your traveling closer to home.

 

[Moemg]

I have a progressive chronic condition that has gotten worse .Two years ago I would not have thought twice about travel but now I am extremely cautious . I am a few weeks away from 73 .

 

[Chuckanut]

I don't worry to much about it, but then I don't travel to areas where access to medical care will be a big problem. I also buy an emergency evacuation plan that will get me to a hospital near my home. My Medigap plan covers $20,000 of foreign costs (a lot in most other countries), and I add another 25k to 50K on top of that.

 

[MarieIG]

I would not use the word fearful, more "cognizant" of the possibility of the need for medical care when traveling.

This first occurred to me, perhaps 12 years ago, when a young lawyer I knew broke his leg skiing in the Alps. (Not a simple break; a horrible break.) He had to be airlifted off the mountain; and he was flown back to the US to begin his series of surgeries. (He could not sit and needed special travel arrangements and medical care during the flight. I don't recall the details now.)

And, in my line of business, I see all the ways my clients "mess up" before coming to me. Had they come to me first (or taken reasonable precautions) they would have been in a much better position - after the "occurrence." For example, signing very, very unfavorable contracts.

So, it occurred to me then, that we should have good medical insurance when traveling out of the country.

Think risk management/ an ounce of prevention . . .

 

[W2R]

Never. We never travel, for other reasons (basically because we are bored to death with traveling, been there done that, and don't want any more of it).

But hey, if we ever change our minds, then maybe it will occur to us to think more about health issues when traveling. To me, a normal part of international travel is getting sick, digestive issues, bad viruses, and so on. Again, been there done that, got the tshirt. My father (a surgeon who loved taking the family on nearly constant international travel and died in 1980) told us that getting sick as we usually did while traveling was actually good for us because it would raise our immunity. Yeah right, dad.

Right now there are health issues right here at home; apparently Louisiana is getting hit hard by the flu and we haven't had our flu shots (yet).

 

[Teacher Terry]

I never have given it any thought. We are 60 and 65. I do make sure I have extra medication in case we get stuck somewhere.

 

[ckelly78z]

I went to an all inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic, and drank many of the house drinks 1 month after getting a new pace maker....no problems, but I couldn't swim in the ocean, or swing a golf club...oh well, I still had fun.

 

[Bamaman]

My parents were world travelers up to about age 80. My mother had heart issues after that, and they later traveled the U.S.A. by car. It's a wonder they ever found where they were going.

Mom flew to Aspen to visit my sister, had a heart attack and stayed in the hospital a week. We had to fly her home in a friend's Citation Jet (he was already there.) High elevations are tough on heart patients--not enough oxygen.

I'm now a youthful 69 years old, and getting ready for another trip to Europe. Car rental firms in Europe often won't rent to drivers 70 and older. That alone could push us into escorted tours and repositioning cruises eventually.

Our friends are very close to us in age. And they're pretty young at heart and physically. This is the time in life where we need to really take care of ourselves mentally and physically. It's part of the Fountain of Youth.

 

[Nemo2]

I never have given it any thought.

No more did I...until.....

 

[HI Bill]

I wasn't *that* concerned at age 49 until a few weeks ago. I had even made a post on here lamenting our limited network ACA health insurance and the emergency only coverage available outside network.

Then I went to Disney in Florida and came down with the flu (after getting a flu shot several months ago) and then got yet another secondary infection that about felt like I was dying. Eventually I went to a urgent care center in Florida and paid $175 flat fee for what turned out to be an amazing amount of tests (blood, urine, xray, a shot of steroids) and a prescription for antibiotics to help wiith the secondary infection.

I am better now but it opened my eyes how helpless you feel when way outside your network and in a condition where you really don't feel like moving at all.

Now I either want to stay near home or move to a state with a big network (like Florida blue cross)

You may be able to get your insurance company to reimburse you for part/all of that $175.

 

[HI Bill]

Three times.

1. My dad and his then 78-year old friend had to cancel a trip the day before due to a health problem that ended her up in the hospital.
2. Pre-existing eye condition requiring shots every two months. This one is HUGE for me, as it means it's nearly impossible for me to take trips for longer than 2 months, without going to a first world country and paying $1600-$3000 for a shot out of pocket.
3. In September, my wife broke her big toe while on a dive trip. Because we didn't have insurance in that country, she stubbornly waited a couple of weeks to have it looked at. You never know when the unexpected will happen.

DAN Annual Travel Insurance covers medical evacuation, medical expenses, dental expenses, trip cancellation, baggage, and assistance services. Price is dependent on your state of residence and age, but for me and my wife, the Voyager (best plan) is $1,040 per year. They also offer per-trip plans.

https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/...MI-qrkzfnO5gIVbxitBh1EZgzZEAAYASACEgJIa_D_BwE

 

[Sunset]

Didn't think about it until took some cruises, and have seen 5 or 6 cruises where someone has been airlifted or met by coast guard boat to be evacuated.

The insurance is cheap, $200 for a year coverage for both of us (secondary to health ins).
We do 3->4 trips per year, a total of about 3 months out of USA.

One evacuation is about $50K or more, so its basically like fire insurance.

 

[braumeister]

Didn't think about it until took some cruises, and have seen 5 or 6 cruises where someone has been airlifted or met by coast guard boat to be evacuated.

The insurance is cheap, $200 for a year coverage for both of us (secondary to health ins).
We do 3->4 trips per year, a total of about 3 months out of USA.

One evacuation is about $50K or more, so its basically like fire insurance.

Yes, now that I think about it I remember a fellow traveler needing to be evacuated by helicopter from the middle of Denali NP to a hospital in Anchorage. Fortunately, he had the right insurance, but I shudder to think what that would cost without it.

 

[HtownRose]

I'm pretty sure I've taken my 84 year old Mom on her last cruise. She is underweight due to a flare up of diverticulitis a few years ago & is starting to have more falls & near-misses such that it's just not worth the risk of a long-term negative impact on her health & mobility IMO.


We'll continue to travel the continental US as long as possible, & I am planning overseas trips with friends (Hawaii, Iceland, Aus/NZ). Air travel has been good to us so far - always get wheelchair assistance in the airport & she doesn't get airsick or have any in-flight problems. Need to find a new cruise buddy though, as I love them & get nicely discounted interline rates.

 

[Moemg]

I never have given it any thought. We are 60 and 65. I do make sure I have extra medication in case we get stuck somewhere.

In my 60's it never crossed my mind but crap happens that makes you rethink it.

 

[Lsbcal]

I had an issue this year while traveling in Europe. I now charge all my travel to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card as they have travel insurance and evacuation included. Jmho

I have the same card partly for that reason plus the benefits. I called them once and the guy confirmed that they would cover a spouse too if using the card for bookings. Since it is expensive we only want the one card in my name and get enough points to make it pay off.

 

[imoldernu]

I enjoy posting, but am beginning to think that in our 84th year, it's time to go to the old folks forums.
Though jeanie and I spent from age 53, (when we retired) to age 76, travelling, camping and moving all over the U.S. .... it basically stopped when we settled in to our CCRC, here in Illinois.

The travel years were great... no thought, no fear... just ready for new adventures, and though I had cancer, and she had a stroke in the interim... now, totally forgotten.

I have written this before, but worth repeating here... There is hope.... Aside from my AFIB, and jeanie's longer sleep times, we're pretty healthy. Both of us have perfect BP's and Blood Panels. (albeit w/ medication).

New adventures come via roaming the internet, and 10,000 available TV shows.

We never could have guessed that this contentment with life could have come without endless travel, and new personal adventures that were part of our daily regimen.

What makes it perfect, is that we wake up in the morning, without worries, about health, money, or what might be around the corner.

Today, a wonderful hightlight... A phone call from a 25 year ago camping couple and neighbors. A one hour conversation that found all four of us in good health and happiness.

Living during the most wonderful years of our country's history, make us forever thankful.

 

[HI Bill]

I enjoy posting, but am beginning to think that in our 84th year, it's time to go to the old folks forums.
Though jeanie and I spent from age 53, (when we retired) to age 76, travelling, camping and moving all over the U.S. .... it basically stopped when we settled in to our CCRC, here in Illinois.

Please don't leave us...we always enjoy your posts! I sure hope we're as fortunate as you, and can travel from 54 to 76!

Best wishes!

 

[aja8888]

I never have given it any thought. This last September, I drove solo from Texas to Connecticut and back to visit family and friends. I had just turned 76.

During my career, I travelled the globe constantly and never had any illness or injury while gone.

Lucky, I guess.

 

[brett]

We travel frequently, sometimes for two months at a time.

I think this comes down to two factors. The first being how healthy you are and how conscious you are of diet, weight, and exercise. Since retiring we find that we have to work at good health in order to enjoy our travel and make the long flights easier on our old bodies.

The second is accidents, which happen to everyone. My spouse cracked several vertebrae in a fall whilst in Kuala Lumpur. Hospital visit and five days of rest. We had to decide whether to go home or continue with our travel plans to Australia. We did the later. The accident did not in way discourage us from subsequent travel. It did open our eyes to the fact that although accidents can happen staying home is not the answer.

We are more aware of what can happen but we have not succumbed to the extent that we let into it interfere with our travel plans.

 

[mystang52]

Agree that pre-existing health, age and attitude all enter into it. But the other major factor in my mind is destination. I wouldn't give it a second thought when traveling to western Europe but definitely would when heading to Africa or the US.

I have a health issue that trip insurance (for cancellation if I get sick and medical coverage if it happens during a trip) is, frankly, a necessity. But we, too, will only travel to traditionally Western nations. I won't risk travel to exotic locales; right or wrong, I don't trust medical care in those countries.

 

[RobbieB]

Haven't got there yet.