Cancelling due to a close relative's illness

[LittleEsme]

I've not bought holiday insurance yet for our camping this summer in France. Just found out that MIL has cancer, so I want to be cautious. Do companies compensate for close relative illness? Is it wrong of me to look for a policy based upon this possibility?

I suspect that if you needed to claim, and I really hope you don't, that your claim would be refused or closely examined on a policy bought now as your MIL's illness is a known condition/risk before you're actually buying insurance IYSWIM. Ring a few companies and ask is probably the best idea. Hope that everything is okay.

Do you perhaps have any with a bank account ? You would need to declare it on any new policy. Often they will only pay out to next of kin or in the event of death of an immediate relative who was not travelling.

it would possibly have been covered if you already had the insurance. As your mother-in-law is already diagnosed, you won't get cover now - you cannot insure against things that have already happened.

sorry for this and the circumstances. This, I'm afraid, is why insurance should be bought when you book.

agree with special. too late now to get insurance easily or cheaply to cover this. a broker once told me that you can insure against anything but in this case the costs of doing it are likely to be huge. just make your own plans for if you have to come back early and if you cant go then always worth approaching all the various companies you have booked with - ferry, campsite etc to see if they wont give a refund if they will transfer it to another date. good luck

My dad suffered from cancer, not treatable, and our insurance told us that the condition was known at the time of booking so costs would not be covered if we would have to cancel.

We then agreed that my dad's GP would issue a letter stating that there was absolutely no way to predict the further development, it could mean days, weeks, months or a year, and therefore sudden cancellations would be covered.

In the end my dad died 3 weeks before our holiday and my mum actually insisted on us going knowing it would help us all recover.

Thank everyone for your valuable advice. I appreciate it.
noramum, I'm sorry for your loss.