Are You Travelling Soon? Over 50? Here is Our Senior Travel Insurance Guide

There are three age bands when it comes to travel insurance for adults: 18-54, 55-64 and 65-74. Once you reach 75, prices either go up annually, or every five years, depending on the provider. But while travel insurance for pensioners - or travel insurance for seniors as it is sometimes known - can be more expensive, it can often provide higher cover in key areas, such as additional medical and emergency cover.

Crucially, you cannot afford to go on holiday without cover: traveling uninsured could mean financial disaster if anything goes wrong. The cost of medical treatment abroad can be extortionate, and particularly if you have to be repatriated; going abroad without cover is false economy.

What’s considered a pre-existing medical condition can differ for each provider, but generally speaking it refers to any serious medical issue that you have had recently, or currently have at the time of buying your travel insurance.

As a pensioner, you are also more likely to suffer from pre-existing medical conditions, and that can make finding travel insurance cover more difficult and costly in some cases.

Common pre-existing conditions can include any heart conditions, respiratory problems, and circulatory conditions - such as hypertension and stroke - or any type of cancer which you have received treatment for. Equally, you should report any hospital consultation or inpatient treatment that you have needed during the last 12 months as this could also be classed as a pre-existing medical condition by your insurer.