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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

travel insurance

andywild

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
CF april 18.. CP sep 18.. CF april 2020
hi, does anyone have any insurance related tips for walking the frances? im taking my time and having various stop offs so will probably err on the safe side and get 2 months' worth... are their specialist hiking insurers or do i just go to a comparisson site?
thank you in advance
andy
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Since you are from the UK; make sure you get your European health Insurance Card:
https://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx
It covers you for equivalent state health care in any EU country. It is free.

We never bothered looking at specialist hiking insurance, we just got Annual Multi-trip insurance. This comparison site seems like a good place to start:
https://boughtbymany.com/news/article/top-10-travel-insurance/

What you will bring with you is important, because many policies have single item limits, so if you bring an expensive laptop or camera the full cost mightn't be covered. But many people on the Camino don't bring much in the way of high value items anyway.
 
The entire worth of my valuables will be about £8 lol... Perhaps I should have specified I was more worried about health. I'll check that site out though. Thanks for the reply
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
I've used Holidayrisk for multi trip insurance, even with multiple health issues they seem reasonable. Some have limited time for one trip so watch for that.
 
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
I'm from the US and have purchased CSA insurance for my Caminos thrice and just purchased Allianz for my upcoming journey as many forum members seem to like it. Never had to make a claim yet, but they both "sound" really good, including many of the reviews. ;)
 
Before you go to the added expense of specialist cover check to see if you have health insurance with your bank/building society account. We do and just pay a supplement to cover the extra number of days needed for the Camino. (Basic is 30 day multi-trip in the EU - costs about £10 for each extra 7 days)
The EHIC card is now only online for new applications, or you can write/phone for a form. We have just phoned to renew ours which is easy as the current card details and certain personal information is all that is needed - provided the card is still valid.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
New here but thought some may find this helpful. I am from the US and I often travel overseas and use this website https://www.squaremouth.com/100?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIo_fK-Leh2QIVhojICh1Maw-nEAAYAiAAEgIBVfD_BwE to search for travel insurance. You can compare between different companies and decide which one is best depending on length of time travelling and destination. (P.S) I have no personal connection to this websiteexcept as a frequent traveler)

FYI preparing for my first Camino in April 2018 some knee issues as I am a disabled veteran and turning a young 51 on the Camino. Any assistance offered I will happily take it!
 
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€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
After very carefully reading the fine print, for my last few trips I relied on the free travel insurance attached to my credit card. To take it up fully, I had to notify the insurer of my travel dates, and they issued a proper certificate. But beware, only specified events are covered and there are lots of exclusions. Every policy will vary and they change all the time. Before doing the same thing again I will check the latest policy.

Often there are problems with accommodation costs if you are injured walking the camino. An injury usually means you cannot keep walking, and you can no longer stay in the albergues. While most insurance covers the treatment costs, it may not cover the additional cost of staying in non-albergue accommodation, which can be expensive in large cities (with the major hospital facilities). Insurance is often geared to recoup the cost of cancelled accommodation - but that is not much use to us. So again, worth reading the fine print to see what would happen if you needed to stay in an expensive hotel instead of an albergue.
 
For Australians I've decided next time I will go with Covermore. I can get insurance on my card but recent experiences from others has put me off them. A number of companies won't insure me because I'm over 70 but they will. I had a friend visiting UK who suffered a severe stroke, was hospitalised for many months and not allowed to return home for over six months. He had to travel with a nurse and in first class. Covermore paid for it all, accommodation, fares etc. When his wife wanted to travel some years later she had to cancel at the last minute because her invalided husband had taken a turn for the worse, they paid all her cancellation costs.

Their treatment of that family, and travel agents advice, has won me over.
 
Here is my annual health and insurance regimen, preparatory to traveling on Camino. By spreading out things to be taken care of and making them part of my regular routine, everything gets done well in advance, without too much strain on my finances.

Bascially, I use two, overlapping methods of insurance.

First, I have travel insurance through my credit card. But as others have said, check the fine print.

Second, I always buy the optional trip insurance from the airline I use to fly to and from Spain. The cost is incidental and covers me as long as I am in Spain. Coverage is for "normal" activities usually undertaken by travelers.

High risk activities are not covered. So, walking (hiking) the Camino is considered normal. However, mountaineering is not an included activity. So, stay away on the Camino paths...:cool:

This is in part redundant, but is sufficient to get me returned home in the event of a major illness.

My primary health insurance cover in the US, Blue Cross - Blue Shield, also provides international cover through Allianz, IIRC. I can use the University of Santiago Hospital. Along the various routes, there is an online locator for hospitals and doctors by specialty. In five Caminos, I have not used it. But it is reassuring to know it is there, as a backstop.

One other way to avoid needing medical insurance while you are away on Camino is to treat your body like a car, preparing it for a long distance trip. My usual Camino season is April - May.

So, starting in December, I have my annual physical examination and lab work. While there, I obtain prescriptions for fresh antibiotics for puncture wounds, bronchial infections and middle ear infections. This usually includes Amoxicillin, Azithromycin and Ciprofloxacin. I fill the prescriptions in late March or early April, before I travel.

In January, I have my eye exam. This timing permits time to obtain new eyeglasses if my prescription changes.

In February and March I have a regular semi-annual dentist visit for cleaning and exam, as well as medical specialist examinations and lab work as needed.

By 1 April, I am medically certified as healthy, and with no evident medical issues. I would have these exams and labs done anyway. So, I just arranged them to provide up-front support to my Camino activity.

I hope this helps the dialog.
 
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A selection of Camino Jewellery
I checked with my Chase preferred credit card customer service and they will cover medical ER and hospitalization overseas, but not medical emergency evacuation (which can be a fortune). Allianz appears great for that. The loss of airfares and lodging is not quite as important to me, as they are a drop in the bucket compared to some of the other deeper costs that could potentially be involved, but certainly hope I never need it!
 
hi, does anyone have any insurance related tips for walking the frances? im taking my time and having various stop offs so will probably err on the safe side and get 2 months' worth... are their specialist hiking insurers or do i just go to a comparisson site?
thank you in advance
andy
For UK peregrinos:-
The underwriter for our account related insurance is 'UK insurance'. 30 days standard with add on available. We have recently paid £20 to upgrade to 42 days for the year.
For older peregrinos they also insure over 75s for a fee of £50 per policy, not per person.
As the policy is account related so free as basic I do not know how much the basic cost is. However if you would like their phone number feel free to send a PM (Conversation).
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Here is my annual health and insurance regimen, preparatory to traveling on Camino. By spreading out things to be taken care of and making them part of my regular routine, everything gets done well in advance, without too much strain on my finances.

Bascially, I use two, overlapping methods of insurance.

First, I have travel insurance through my credit card. But as others have said, check the fine print.

Second, I always buy the optional trip insurance from the airline I use to fly to and from Spain. The cost is incidental and covers me as long as I am in Spain. Coverage is for "normal" activities usually undertaken by travelers.

High risk activities are not covered. So, walking (hiking) the Camino is considered normal. However, mountaineering is not an included activity. So, stay away on the Camino paths...:cool:

This is in part redundant, but is sufficient to get me returned home in the event of a major illness.

My primary health insurance cover in the US, Blue Cross - Blue Shield, also provides international cover through Allianz, IIRC. I can use the University at Santiago Hospital. Along the various routes, there is an online locator for hospitals and doctors by specialty. In five Caminos, I have not used it. But it is reassuring to know it is there, as a backstop.

One other way to avoid needing medical insurance while you are away on Camino is to treat your body like a car, preparing it for a long distance trip. My usual Camino season is April - May.

So, starting in December, I have my annual physical examination and lab work. While there, I obtain prescriptions for fresh antibiotics for puncture wounds, bronchial infections and middle ear infections. This usually includes Amoxicillin, Azithromycin and Ciprofloxacin. I fill the prescriptions in late March or early April, before I travel.

In January, I have my eye exam. This timing permits time to obtain new eyeglasses if my prescription changes.

In February and March I have a regular semi-annual dentist visit for cleaning and exam, as well as medical specialist examinations and lab work as needed.

By 1 April, I am medically certified as healthy, and with no evident medical issues. I would have these exams and labs done anyway. So, I just arranged them to provide up-front support to my Camino activity.

I hope this helps the dialog.
Thank you for a very detailed post.
 
hi, does anyone have any insurance related tips for walking the frances? im taking my time and having various stop offs so will probably err on the safe side and get 2 months' worth... are their specialist hiking insurers or do i just go to a comparisson site?
thank you in advance
andy
Most travel insurances cover hiking up to a certain altitude. Nothing on the camino goes high enough. All you need worry about is length of trip. Different companies cover different lengths. In my case, because I am over 65, I had to shop around a bit to find a company that allowed two months for my age group. And dont forget your EHIC card. Produce it immediately if you need medical assistance in Spain. Some doctors have been known to send people to private hospitals that are not covered by EHIC
 
Tom, you never fail to amaze me. You are always extremely knowlegeable and take the time to make your posts very clear and helpful. And your preplanning tips put me to shame!

Since walking the camino and volunteering at the Pilgrim Office is the center of my life in retirement, I arrange everything else to support those two trips. This includes non-emergency family visits out of state and all other local activities and commitments. The camino comes first.

As I need to do all this stuff anyway (i.e. medical exams) I might as well arrange everything to fit with my planned coming activities. Once it becomes my new routine, it is easy. Make a plan, follow the plan...

The stacked insurance scheme is just something I developed over 45-years of international traveling. Even when I go into the US Medicare system in about 6 months (by law, not by choice), my primary insurance cover will just revert to being secondary when I am at home. However, when traveling overseas, it remains the primary insurance cover, as Medicare is not honored out of the US. The secondary and tertiary credit card and airline covers are like adding blankets on a cold night.

Hope this helps.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I'll just add that I'd recommend, with painful hindsight, to check out the recent post on Preventing Plantar Fasciitis. What hubris I had to not listen to the experience of veteran Camino walkers to stretch everything, every day...even your feet.
 
After very carefully reading the fine print, for my last few trips I relied on the free travel insurance attached to my credit card.
I did the same, Kanga, and had to make a claim for hospitalisation on my last trip. The process of getting my claim paid was rather protracted, as among other things they, (Allianz), demanded a full medical history from my GP, which cost me $300, and was not covered in the policy. That said, I was satisfied with the outcome.
I was reassured on entering the hospital by a prominent sign for Allianz displayed there.
 
Since you are from the UK; make sure you get your European health Insurance Card:
https://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx
It covers you for equivalent state health care in any EU country. It is free.

We never bothered looking at specialist hiking insurance, we just got Annual Multi-trip insurance. This comparison site seems like a good place to start:
https://boughtbymany.com/news/article/top-10-travel-insurance/

What you will bring with you is important, because many policies have single item limits, so if you bring an expensive laptop or camera the full cost mightn't be covered. But many people on the Camino don't bring much in the way of high value items anyway.

Just to point out that while the EHIC is free issue the medical treatment you receive might require a payment at the point of contact with the medical service. What it guarantees you is that you, as a citizen of an EU country, will get the same treatment as a native of the country you are receiving medical treatment in.

For example a work colleague was on holiday in France last summer when his daughter contracted rubella. He took her to the doctor and had to pay for the consultation. The doctor gave him a form (in France the feuille de soins) to fill in. He then went to the pharmacy to get a prescription filled. The Pharmacist tore the tabs off of the medication and stuck them on the feuille de soins.

On leaving France he then had to send his paperwork in for a refund - I think he got 80% of the cost back.

So, in short, EHIC is free access to medical facilities, not necessarily free treatment.

On my last long Camino (Pamplona to SdC) I used Virgin Insurance and it cost me £24 or so. I was 64 and have mild hypertension. You'd be foolish to go without.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-

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