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Carry on abroad!
Holidays and Travel Insurance
Jetting around the world for a holiday was normal
for me, Canary Isles, Ibiza, Portugal, Spain then America onto Thailand, the Philippines & Hong-Kong.
Despite my disability I got around over the years while the going was good.
When I came to using my powerchair I realised that
flying was not an option anymore. I know airlines can and will accommodate wheelchair users but the planning that needs to
go with that scenario, such as carers and transport needed at the destination who are capable of taking a heavy powerchair - just makes the whole process more trouble than it’s worth and
my wife is not over keen on flying and this type of additional stress is not a good idea.
My sister went on a cruise and really enjoyed the experience. It struck me that a cruise would suit
my family and me down to the ground.
Through an
agent we booked a tour onboard the Independence of the Seas the largest cruise ship in the world at the time, fabulous ship and massive to boot.
We had an outside cabin so we could look through the porthole at the world going by.
The cabin was compact and very nice but it was a little tricky getting through the cabin door with
my wheelchair. I was able to negotiate the cabin but a problem arose with the bathroom or shower room. The step up into the
room was a problem for me I and don’t think the booking agent realised the extent of what a normal cabin means to somebody
in a wheelchair.
The trip was enjoyable despite
the bathroom problem and while getting on and off the ship at ports using a very steep ramp could be a little hairy the crew
where great with their help at all times.
We decided
a cruise would be booked again. We decided Italy would be the destination for our next cruise. When our 2009 holiday in Devon
was in full swing, and because I was determined to have a suitable cabin on the next cruise, booking had to be done almost
a year in advance. I made sure a disabled cabin was booked for the 2010 summer and relaxed in that knowledge.
During that Devon holiday I went off my food to some extent and when I got home
the problem seemed to get worse, eventually I was being sick constantly until in the end my wife phoned the doctor out and
he then phoned for an ambulance and off to hospital I went.
Over the coming months I went into hospital 6 times had tests galore and lost 5 stone in weight. Nothing was helping
and I couldn’t eat. Medicine wasn’t helping and eventually it became clear that the cruise was going to have to
be cancelled.
I hung on until the last minute before
cancelling, the agents where very good about it but inevitably I was not going to get all my money back.
Thank goodness for travel insurance; I took out insurance early on when I booked the cruise even though it was nearly a year hence. Although the paper work was
a challenge to complete my claim was paid and it saved the day and my bank balance.
Recently my sister and her husband traveled to California to visit family and while at an event my
brother-in law John collapsed with a heart attack and was rushed to hospital. After an operation he was allowed out but not
allowed to fly.
Because of the time difference
from U.S.A and UK my sister had a difficult time trying to get things sorted out. Travel insurance again was a life saver.
Phone calls and faxes flew across the pond and the insurance company where up to the job.
A second heart attack resulted in yet another operation immediately. This led to more time in hospital
and the holiday was impossible. My sister was at her wit’s end however, the insurance covered the hospital bills and
even the accommodation for my sister in a motel.
Eventually
the insurance company booked a flight home with an escort for my sister and brother –in law and they arrived home safe
and sound.
My Illness has not gone away but I can
cope with it now so my cancelled cruise to Italy has been re-booked for summer 2012, the second thing I did was buy my travel insurance!
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