Specific Travel Insurance Question

Yours seems to be a situation where contacting a broker who deals with travel insurance would be the best way to get useful answers to your questions/concerns.

As you state you have a very specific, and technical, issue that needs expert professional help.

This will likely be considered a “pre-existing condition” so you will want to be sure you comply with the requirements for coverage there. I agree with the above that it is best to consult an insurance provider with these questions. InsureMyTrip may be able to advise you if you call; I have read good reports of their customer service.

I agree with seeking expert help. But, having read many policies in details, I can tell you that as far as I know your wanting to hop a plane to come home due to your illness rather than seeking care where you are would likely be a non-starter for an insurance claim. If you sought care and the provider said you needed to be repatriated home, that is another story. Assuming you were to get a policy that covered pre existing conditions and you needed urgent care you’d likely need to seek it where you are. That is where the insurance coverage would begin.

Oh my word Kristen, what a time you had. I have no advice but just wanted to send you kind thoughts. I am glad your meds are better regulated now and that you are planning travel.

Well, I guess I have unsolicited advice! In your shoes, I might consider a short trial trip to somewhere close-ish (thinking Eastern US or Eastern Canada) to see how things play out and to help you get your confidence back.

Thanks for all the advice- sounds very reasonable.
Pam, thank you so much for your kind words. Actually, on the advice of my therapist, I ended up visiting London again at the end of the summer with my mom. The therapist felt like I needed to get right back on the horse, so to speak. She was right. By that time my medication had been adjusted and I had my mom for moral support and things went fine. Hopefully that will be the case from now on, but now I’m a bit timid and would feel better if there were some type of coverage just in case! 🙄

I have had travel insurance with both Travel Guard and Allianz. Both answered questions I had prior to purchasing. They also spell out what is and isn't covered.

If they cover mental health issues, it sounds like yours would be a "Pre-existing condition." They have strict rules about covering these regarding when you purchase the trip and the insurance. It's almost best to get the insurance first and then book your trip. But talk to them or look over their websites.

By not seeing a doctor in Europe, how would the insurance company know you really had a problem or just wanted to come home early. They don't "just take your word for it."

All of the advice above is pretty thoughtful, also, sadly the travel insurance model is also built on many claims being denied

As a backup, could you arrange with your doctor to have a long-distance telephone conversation in case your anxiety kicks up again during travel?

You probably need a "cancel for any reason" policy and those are rare and expensive. Even with a cancel for any reason requires carefully checking of fine print to make sure that a couple of reason are not excluded. This could be a hard nut to fill. The other thing is that you should consider booking refundable hotels and tickets. I know they are more expensive but look at it as buying insurance.

When you are considering policies, you need to READ the details of the coverage with a fine toothed comb to make sure you are covered specifically for your situation. Even if you use a broker, that is no guarantee. It is on you to see such verification in writing as the insurance companies will do all they can NOT to pay up.

Best of luck to you!

I don't think "cancel for any reason" will work once the trip has started, but youncan confirm that with the insurance broker,

If the broker cannot come up with a reasonably-priced policy, you might consider booking the trip in such a way as to reduce the financial impact of a mid-trip change of plans. You could book the flights as two one-way trips, using one of the carriers that offer one-way pricing at no extra cost. ( Condor, Norwegian, and Iceland Air all do this). Book the outbound as a regular ticket, and the return as a "fully flexible" ticket. It will cost extra, but not as much as canceling and re-booking a flight at the last minute.

Then book you lodging as far as possible with places that have a liberal cancellation policy.

Thanks to all for the advice, it is much appreciated!