May 2012 is Action on Stroke Month, which is organised by the Stroke Association to raise awareness of the symptoms, prevention and treatment of strokes. This year the campaign is focused on Life After Stroke, to highlight the everyday difficulties faced by stroke survivors and their families.

Being able to enjoy a holiday is an important part of life and therefore an important part of life after a stroke.

If a stroke has left you or a family member with mobility problems, then booking a holiday abroad can be more of a challenge, but it should still be manageable. Airlines and airports are required to offer you a certain level of assistance it you are travelling with a disability — read our article on Disability Travel Insurance and Airline Service for Disabled Travellers to find out more.

A very important part of taking a holiday abroad, especially after having a stroke is travel insurance.

At Goodtogoinsurance.com we believe that everyone should be able to travel with the peace of mind that they have travel insurance in place to provide support and cover the cost of unexpected medical treatment whilst they are on holiday.

We can provide travel insurance cover for travellers who have had strokes and mini strokes and we have no age limits on our single trip or annual travel insurance policies.

The most important thing to remember when you are buying stroke travel insurance cover is to declare your stroke to us. Once you have declared that you have had a stroke we will ask you a short series of multiple choice questions in order to ensure that your travel insurance covers your stroke and any other pre-existing medical conditions. Buying travel insurance for strokes will only take a few minutes and we don’t need a doctor’s certificate.

Our stroke travel insurance includes access to our 24 hour emergency medical support line, medical and repatriation expenses up to £10 million, plus cover for mobility aids and loss of medication.

Get a quote for stroke travel insurance >>

Look out for the symptoms of stroke

If you suspect someone has suffered symptoms of a stroke remember to act FAST and perform the following tests:

• FACIAL weakness: Can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
• ARM weakness: Can the person raise both arms?
• SPEECH problems: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
• TIME to call 999.

If a person fails any one of these tests get help immediately by dialling 999 or 112 if you are on holiday within the EU.

Don’t ignore temporary symptoms, it may be a sign the person has had a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) also known as a mini-stroke. This is still a medical emergency because it can lead to a major stroke.