Travel Insurance for Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke

What are heat exhaustion and heatstroke?

Heat exhaustion is what happens when your body starts to struggle with heat. You might feel dizzy, sick, very thirsty and sweaty, with a headache or cramps. If you cool down within about 30 minutes, it usually passes without lasting harm. Heatstroke is more serious. The body can no longer cool itself, and it needs emergency treatment. It appears with our other medical conditions.

Most people who have had heat exhaustion recover fully. Heatstroke can occasionally lead to complications that need follow-up care. The NHS heat exhaustion and heatstroke page explains the warning signs and what to do.

Why do I need to declare heat exhaustion or heatstroke for travel insurance?

If you’ve had a recent episode, especially heatstroke, it may count as a pre-existing medical condition. That matters because someone who has recently been through it can be more vulnerable to heat again, and serious cases sometimes leave kidney or heart problems that need follow-up. A trip somewhere hot could raise the chance of needing care abroad. If an episode that should have been declared is left off, a claim linked to it could be refused or reduced.

You won’t need to declare every medical condition you’ve ever had or been diagnosed with, only those that fall into the initial set of medical questions.

Can I get travel insurance after heat exhaustion or heatstroke?

For most people, yes. These are short-term illnesses rather than ongoing conditions. A mild bout of heat exhaustion some time ago, with a full recovery, may not even come up during the declaration. Cover is more of a question if it was recent, you needed hospital treatment, you’re still being followed up, or it left lasting complications such as kidney problems. It’s also worth knowing that getting heat exhaustion for the first time on holiday is normally treated as a new illness, not a pre-existing one.

What we’ll ask

The medical screening is online and simple to complete. For your heat exhaustion or heatstroke, you may be asked a few questions. When you’ve finished with this condition, carry on declaring any other relevant pre-existing medical conditions.

With the medical declaration complete, you’ll go through to the quote page. A list of quotes is shown if your heat exhaustion or heatstroke and any other conditions are coverable, and the premium quoted includes the cost of covering your medical. If we can’t offer cover, you’ll find that out before going any further.

If your health changes before travelling

Recovery after heat illness isn’t always straightforward. If you’re prescribed new medication, you have a hospital stay, you’re referred for tests, or you receive another diagnosis before you travel, you must let us know. Your cover might need another look, your medical situation may have to go to the underwriters, and in some cases we may not be able to continue with cover. A future claim can be affected or denied if a change in your medical isn’t reported.

What can heat exhaustion and heatstroke travel insurance cover?

A standard policy can cover emergency medical treatment if you become seriously ill from the heat while you’re away. If you collapse on a hot afternoon in Dubai and are taken to hospital, treatment can be covered, and so can bringing you home with medical support if doctors advise it. Where a previous episode has been declared and accepted, problems linked to it can be included too. All subject to the policy terms, exclusions, limits and excess.

If you’re still recovering close to departure and a doctor says you shouldn’t travel, cancellation cover may help with non-refundable costs.

Undeclared conditions aren’t covered, and nor is planned treatment abroad. Some policies also exclude claims linked to excess alcohol, which is relevant because drinking in the heat makes dehydration much worse.

Will heat exhaustion or heatstroke affect the cost of travel insurance?

If an episode needs declaring, it may change what you pay. Our online medical screening works out how much, and it may ask how you were treated at the time and whether things are now under control. Your age, the destination and the number of days away also count, and the price is shown before you buy.

Single trip or annual cover

For a single summer holiday, single trip insurance does the job. If you’re away several times a year, annual travel insurance is worth comparing, subject to the screening result where a declaration is needed.

Staying safe in the heat: practical tips

These are general tips, separate from your insurance cover.

Give your body a few days to adjust. Heat illness is most common in the first days of a holiday, when people go straight from a British spring to midday sun at full pace. Keep the first couple of days gentle.

Drink before you feel thirsty, and more than usual if you’re active. Water is best. Alcohol and lots of caffeine dry you out, so alternate them with water. Rehydration sachets from a pharmacy are cheap and light to pack.

Plan around the hottest part of the day, roughly late morning to mid afternoon. That’s the time for a siesta, a shaded lunch or somewhere with air conditioning. Wear loose, light-coloured clothing and a hat.

Some people are more at risk, including babies, older people and anyone with heart, lung or kidney conditions. Certain medicines can also affect how you handle heat, such as some water tablets and blood pressure tablets. A pharmacist can tell you whether yours do.

Know the signs in others too. If someone becomes confused, stops sweating or collapses, call the local emergency number. In much of Europe that’s 112.

How to get a quote

Start with your destination and dates. If the screening asks about a past heat illness, answer it, then pick the cover that suits you and check the price.

Get a Quote

Other Useful Other Medical Pages

• Allergies Travel Insurance
• Anaphylaxis Travel Insurance
• Angioedema Travel Insurance
• Chronic Pain Syndrome Travel Insurance
• Disability Travel Insurance
• Endometriosis Travel Insurance
• Fibroids Travel Insurance
• Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke Travel Insurance
• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Travel Insurance
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Travel Insurance
• Post-Viral Fatigue Travel Insurance

Don't worry if your condition is not listed above - we cover plenty more medical conditions.
* Please note that cover will vary depending on individual medical screenings.