We take it for granted. We fancy getting away to the beach with our family so we book a couple of weeks in Spain or Florida, sort out a cheap flight and organise some travel insurance for between £10 and £20. But not all of us can take it for granted. How many would be prepared to pay £6000 for travel insurance? If you're a cancer sufferer, that could be the cost of insurance on a trip to America, even assuming you would be offered a policy in the first place.

Of course, when someone faces a diagnosis of cancer, often the one thing they want to do is get away from it all with a holiday abroad, but finding the insurance for the trip is not easy. Seonaid Green, a cancer support specialist at Maggie's, Edinburgh, says it is difficult for most cancer sufferers to get any kind of cover, though not impossible. "One lady I know is having treatment and is desperate to go away on a holiday," says Seonaid. "She has a recurrent cancer and knows she doesn't have a lot of time left, but the company she approached wouldn't offer cover until the autumn, when she'll be three months clear of chemotherapy."

There are practical reasons for that, says Green, because chemotherapy can compromise the immune system, making patients more susceptible to infections, particularly on planes. "But infections are fairly straightforward to treat and if you've got cancer you need a doctor's letter anyway to say you're fit to travel. Many sufferers feel that if their doctor says they're fit to travel then why do insurance companies insist they're not?"

Maggie's has put together a list of companies that clients have said have been helpful. "Even when they say they provide cover for people with cancer, most companies will not provide it for those having chemotherapy or radiotherapy."

As well as cancer and heart disease, many insurance companies will charge extra for pre-existing conditions such as respiratory conditions, circulatory problems, including hypertension and stroke, serious back conditions and some mental health problems. You may have to use the services of specialist insurance companies and it may also be costly, or cover may be refused. People over the age of 65 are also often refused cover.

Norrie Brown was diagnosed with lung cancer four-and-a-half years ago. After having one lung removed, a tumour was discovered in the other and he began chemotherapy. After the first treatment session his condition had stabilised enough for him to plan a holiday to America. But when he inquired about travel insurance, and explained his medical condition, he was quoted a price of more than £6000. He declined.

Norrie, 59, from Penicuik, Edinburgh, says that when his cancer was diagnosed, it was distressing enough, especially since he had been a healthy non-smoker all his life. Despite all the other restrictions that cancer imposed on his life, he says that not being able to take a much-needed holiday was the unkindest cut of all.

"I wanted to book a 10-day holiday for myself and my wife. We were supposed to be sailing to New York on the Queen Mary and flying home and we were looking forward to it. I didn't know much about travel insurance. I just reckoned there would be an excess to pay and that was it. I was at the travel agents and actually had my credit card out to pay when the travel clerk asked if I had holiday insurance, and that's when I mentioned I'd had cancer treatment. She advised me to sort out the insurance first because some firms might not insure me," he says.

Brown came across a list of insurance companies covering for pre-existing medical conditions and spent all the next day phoning one after another. "Everyone came back to me saying I wouldn't get insurance. It was with the last company I called that a guy told me even if I could get insurance, it would cost in excess of £6000, which was about three times the cost of the trip.

"He told me to forget America and travel to Europe instead and I wasn't prepared to travel to America without full medical insurance because if anything goes wrong there it can bankrupt you," he says.

Since then, Norrie and his wife have contented themselves with regular trips to Spain and Greece, though without full insurance because he encountered the same problem trying to get cover. "The minute you mention the word cancer' to insurance companies they turn cold on you, they don't want to deal with you," he says.

Brown regularly attends one of the cancer support groups run by the Maggie's Centre in Edinburgh to offer help and advice to all cancer sufferers, and he says most of those he has met there have had similar experiences.

Given that cancer is increasing as people live longer, a number of new insurance companies have sprung up to offer specialist travel cover for people with serious pre-existing conditions. However, with cancer, it seems more likely you may be insured if you have been in remission for some time, and it also depends on the type of cancer involved. And at the very least you have to have finished cancer treatment for a certain period before most companies will consider you.

A spokeswoman from the Association of British Insurers says: "It's not that the industry is discriminating against cancer suffers. High street policies are cheap and cheerful and cover most people's needs. What they don't usually cover is most pre-existing medical conditions, including cancer. They might cover you for something such as asthma if you have it under control, though you may have to pay a few pounds more, but other conditions like heart disease and cancer won't be covered under a normal policy. The specialist companies can make a better risk assessment."

Green says one of the problems with these specialist companies is that the procedure involved can be harrowing, involving a lot of personal and medical questions. "People at the centre often comment on how difficult these question can be, like asking whether a person has a terminal diagnosis. If people aren't prepared for these questions it can take them into all that emotional stuff that they're trying to keep a lid on. The person asking the questions is probably reading from a computer screen. It may sound like someone is asking you what your shoe size is when they're actually asking you how long you've got to live."

Green says many cancer sufferers, after being constantly rejected by insurance companies, prefer to take the risk and travel without full medical cover, even to America.

"They would rather take the risk of paying £2000 for some emergency treatment than paying £6000 up front for something they may not need," says Green.

In Europe the European Health Insurance Certificate, or E111 card, offers cover for emergency treatment, though not air ambulance service back to the UK, which costs about £12,000 from Europe and £35,000 from America.

Norrie Brown believes insurance companies, and society, need to change their attitude towards cancer. "The trouble with the word cancer' is that it has a terminal feel about it. We should stop thinking of people dying from cancer and start thinking of people living with cancer instead, and that's the message that Maggie's Centre is trying to promote."

Where to find a quote
The Maggie's Centre has compiled a list of insurance companies that may offer cover for those with a cancer diagnosis.

Insure Cancer, www.insure-cancer.com, 01252 782 392;
Insure Pink, specialising in breast cancer, www.insurepink.co.uk, 0800 022 3213;
Marks & Spencer www.marksandspencer.co.uk, 0800 068 3918;
Age Concern Insurance Services www.ageconcern.org.uk, 0845 833 0758;
Greenbee, part of John Lewis Partnership www.greenbee.com, 0845 610 0305;
Endsleigh, medical screening service www.endsleigh.co.uk, 0800 028 3571
For the full list, call Maggie's on 0131 537 3131.

Cancer Backup also has a list of useful insurance companies on its website www.cancerbackup.org.uk;
For other information contact the British Insurance Brokers' Association helpline 0901 814 0015 or www.biba.org.uk
The price for travel insurance for those with a cancer diagnosis varies considerably. The average price for insurance for Europe is £200 to £300.

Insurance for America, Canada and Australia can be much more, particularly America with an average cost of £4000.

How you can help
To mark our 225th anniversary, The Herald is teaming up with the Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres in a campaign that will provide lasting support for people across Scotland affected by cancer. We are inviting you to become a Herald Friend of Maggie's, either as an individual, a group or a company, to support the charity's work in 2008 and beyond.