Active holidays on the rise for travellers with medical conditions

New research from AllClear Travel Insurance finds a rising trend in people with pre-existing medical conditions wanting to take activity-based or extreme holidays, up from 57% in 2022 to almost two-thirds (65%) of UK survey respondents this summer.

Nationally, 70% of Brits would like to experience an exciting activity holiday, but this is not just limited to healthy young people: 49% of those aged over 55 want to push themselves to have a daring holiday – and the same is true of those with medical conditions (65%).

Top activity holiday choices for people with medical conditions

Those with potentially debilitating medical conditions might be daunted by the opportunity to go on an active holiday. However, AllClear’s study shows that a substantial number of people with medical conditions would say otherwise. Many aspire to seeing the world’s wildlife, with 24% of people with medical conditions saying they would like to go on a safari expedition. Another 19% want to swim with dolphins, and 10% would love to adventure through the jungle.

Further, one in five people with medical conditions (23%) dream of travelling across a continent by train, and 20% want to experience a road trip. However, frozen expeditions hold less appeal for many, with just 9% putting an Antarctic expedition on their travel bucket list.

Lastly, for the thrill seekers with medical conditions, one in 10 dream of water-skiing, and a further 9% want to go skydiving or mountain climbing. 

Garry Nelson, Head of Corporate Affairs at AllClear Travel Insurance, commented: “For some, the desire to have exciting experiences is an important statement of their freedom to live life to the fullest. Set against this hunger for vibrant experiences, it is crucial that people have good travel cover in place to protect them when they are away.

“Over the last three years, we have seen more people with medical conditions cutting corners on their travel insurance to get a cheaper policy, which can risk invalidating cover. With a growing number of people with medical conditions looking forward to more adventurous holidays, there is a twin need to put safety first.

Safeture and Riskline recently released a global wildfire report with travel safety tips.