Travel Insurance for Low Blood Sugar

What is low blood sugar?

Low blood sugar, or hypoglycaemia, is when the level of glucose in your blood falls too low for your body to work properly. People often call it a hypo. It appears in our diabetes and hormonal conditions category because it is most common in people with diabetes, especially those on insulin or certain tablets.

A hypo can start with sweating, shaking, hunger, a fast heartbeat or feeling irritable, and if it isn’t treated it can lead to confusion, drowsiness or passing out. It can also happen without diabetes, for example after some types of stomach surgery or, rarely, because of a hormone problem. The NHS hypoglycaemia page sets out the symptoms and causes.

Why do I need to declare low blood sugar for travel insurance?

Recurrent low blood sugar is treated as a pre-existing medical condition, along with whatever is causing it. We need to know because a bad hypo can lead to a fall, an injury or a collapse that needs emergency care, and travel often brings missed meals, heat and long days that make hypos more likely. An episode just before you go could also stop you travelling. If it hasn’t been declared, a claim linked to a hypo might 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 with low blood sugar?

Usually, yes. Many people who get hypos can find a policy that includes them. How often they happen and how severe they are tends to matter most. Needing help from someone else to treat a hypo, an ambulance call-out or a hospital stay in the last year, or having lost your awareness of the warning signs, can all influence whether cover is offered.

What we’ll ask about your low blood sugar

The medical screening is online and simple to complete. For your low blood sugar, it asks about what causes your hypos and how often you have them. 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 low blood sugar 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

Blood sugar can be hard to predict. If you have a severe hypo, your insulin changes, you’re admitted to hospital, or you’re referred for investigations before you travel, you must let us know. Your cover may need reviewing, we may need to refer your medical situation to the underwriters, and in some cases we may not be able to proceed with cover. If you don’t let us know of any changes in your medical, a future claim can be affected or denied.

What can low blood sugar travel insurance cover?

Once accepted, emergency treatment abroad for a hypo can be covered. Imagine you misjudge a long day walking in the Algarve, have a severe hypo and are taken to hospital by ambulance. The emergency care could be claimed, and repatriation could be covered if you needed medical help to get home. This is subject to the policy terms, exclusions, limits and excess.

If you’re unwell before the trip and can’t travel, cancellation cover may help with costs you can’t get back.

The policy won’t pay for planned care abroad or anything connected to a condition that wasn’t declared. Claims where alcohol played a large part may also be limited, so check the wording.

Will low blood sugar affect the cost of travel insurance?

There may be some effect on the cost. That comes down to the result of our online medical screening, which can ask how your low blood sugar is treated and how well it is kept under control. Your age, how far you’re going and the number of days away also count towards the figure. You can check the quote first and only buy if it suits you.

Single trip or annual cover with low blood sugar

If you’re away once, single trip insurance is the straightforward choice. For more frequent travel, annual insurance may be possible, subject to your screening result.

Travelling with low blood sugar: practical tips

These are general tips for the journey and your time away. They aren’t part of what the policy covers.

Always carry fast-acting sugar, such as glucose tablets or a sugary drink, along with a longer-lasting snack. Keep some in your pocket on flights, beach days and excursions, not just in the hotel room. Delayed meals and long transfers catch a lot of people out.

Holidays change the usual pattern. You may walk or swim far more than at home, eat at different times and drink more alcohol, all of which can bring on a hypo, sometimes hours later or overnight. Check your levels more often and have a snack before bed if you’ve been active or drinking.

Heat speeds up insulin absorption, and the shakiness of a hypo can be mistaken for heat or tiredness. Make sure whoever you’re travelling with knows the signs and what to do, and if you have a glucagon kit, show them how to use it.

If you plan to drive abroad, check the local rules and follow the same safety routine as you would at home, testing before you drive and on long journeys. A medical ID bracelet can also help if you’re ever found unwell and on your own.

How to get a quote

Put in your travel plans, answer the screening questions about your low blood sugar and any other conditions, and pick your cover. You’ll see the cost before paying.

Get a Quote

Other Useful Diabetes & Hormonal Pages

• Addison's Disease Travel Insurance
• Cushing's Syndrome Travel Insurance
• Diabetes Travel Insurance
• Hyperparathyroidism Travel Insurance
• Hypoparathyroidism Travel Insurance
• Low Blood Sugar Travel Insurance
• Menopause & HRT Travel Insurance
• Overactive Thyroid Travel Insurance
• Thyroiditis Travel Insurance
• Underactive Thyroid 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.