Travel and breast cancer

Can I travel during breast cancer treatment?

Depending on the treatment you’re having, you may be able to travel during your treatment. However, you may be told to wait until treatment is finished.

It’s best to speak to your treatment team if you’re thinking about booking a holiday.

How soon after chemotherapy and radiotherapy can I travel?

Depending on your individual treatment, your treatment team may advise you to wait up to 4 weeks to recover after finishing chemotherapy and radiotherapy before you travel.

Talk to your treatment team about what they would recommend for you.

Can I travel during hormone therapy and targeted therapy?

You can usually travel during these treatments. However, you may need to consider how you feel while having treatment, and any side effects you have.

If you’re taking the hormone therapy tamoxifen, you need to be aware of the risk of blood clots. Long periods of inactivity can increase your risk of developing blood clots. If you’re planning a long-distance plane, car or train journey, get advice from your treatment team or GP about how to reduce your risk.

Some targeted therapies may increase your risk of infection, so it’s important to talk to your treatment team about when it’s safe to travel. 

How soon after breast cancer surgery can I travel?

How long you should wait to travel after breast surgery depends on the type of surgery you’ve had.

After surgery there’s an increased risk of blood clots and other complications.

It’s important to check with your treatment team before booking any travel. They can tell you how long you should wait in your individual case.

In general, after breast surgery you should wait at least a few days until you have recovered from the surgery before flying or travelling long distances. 

Travelling with metastatic (secondary) breast cancer

If you’re having treatment for metastatic (secondary) breast cancer you may be able to take a treatment break to go on holiday. If you want to do this, speak with your treatment team about the options available.

Where can I get travel insurance?

Find out more about travel insurance and breast cancer.

What do I need to take with me?

Speak to your treatment team about what you need to take on your holiday, such as medications you may need to take with you.

You might want to bring:

• A doctor’s note explaining your diagnosis and any medications you’re taking
• A record of recent treatment such as chemotherapy or targeted therapy
• Any medications, plus extra, that you’re currently taking
• Antibiotics, if your treatment team recommends you take these with you
• Evidence that you are fit to fly. The UK Civil Aviation Authority website has more information about this
• Insect repellent to protect your skin against insect bites and potential infection
• High-factor sunscreen – treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy can make your skin more sensitive to the sun
• Compression socks for flying to reduce the chances of blood clots
• Details of your travel insurance policy and contact number
• Contact number for your treatment team

You can also speak to people who have been on holiday during or after breast cancer treatment on our forum and share tips.

Travel and vaccinations 

If you’re planning a holiday or need to travel overseas, check with your treatment team first. 

You should not have any live vaccines while you’re having treatment.

Read our information on vaccines and breast cancer, including COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

Risk of lymphoedema

There’s currently no evidence that having injections in your at-risk arm will increase your risk of developing lymphoedema.

Can I fly with a breast prosthesis or breast implants?

You can wear a breast prosthesis on a plane or pack one in your hold luggage.

Silicone prostheses can sometimes develop air bubbles in the hold of an aeroplane because of the change in air pressure. These might look like small black dots. This won’t damage the prosthesis though, and the bubbles should go away soon after the plane lands.

It’s also safe to fly if you’ve had reconstruction with breast implants.

Implants or a prosthesis may show up in the image from a body scan when you go through airport security. But airport security staff are trained to deal with sensitive issues around surgery and should treat passengers respectfully.

Find out more about flying with a prosthesis.

Can I fly if I have lymphoedema?

You can fly if you have lymphoedema, but you may need to take extra care.

These tips might help:

• If you’ve been fitted with a compression garment, wear it when flying if your lymphoedema specialist has advised you to
• Wear loose clothing with natural fibres to keep you cool and comfortable
• Keep your hand baggage light, use a rucksack rather than a shoulder bag or take a lightweight wheeled suitcase
• Book an aisle seat if possible to allow you to move around more and do any arm exercises needed

There’s no evidence that air travel or cabin pressure cause lymphoedema, or that you’re less likely to get lymphoedema if you wear a compression garment on a flight. In fact, a poorly fitted compression garment, if you don’t usually wear one, may increase your risk of swelling.

Can I go swimming?

After surgery you'll need to wait until your wounds are fully healed before swimming. You can discuss when you’ll be able to swim with your treatment team.

If you’re having chemotherapy, you may also be advised to avoid swimming pools. This is because chemotherapy affects your immune system’s ability to fight infection, which might make you more susceptible to any germs in the water.

You may want to avoid swimming during radiotherapy and shortly afterwards, until any skin reactions have healed. Skin changes from radiotherapy can be irritated by chlorine or chemicals in the pool.

If you do want to go swimming while on holiday, it’s best to discuss it with your treatment team first.

Can I do extreme sports on holiday?

It’s important to speak to your treatment team and get their advice about the activities you want to do on holiday, including things like bungee jumping, climbing or scuba diving.

If you’ve had surgery, you’ll need to wait for your wounds to heal before doing any extreme sports or activities.

And make sure that your travel insurance covers everything that you’re planning to do.

If you do any activities on holiday against medical advice and need medical care, your travel insurance may be invalidated, meaning you’ll have to pay for care yourself.

Managing fatigue on holiday

Going on holiday can be a great way to relax if you’ve had breast cancer. Try to plan ahead and make sure you have time to rest if needed.

These tips may help with managing fatigue while you're away:

• Check how accessible your accommodation is. You may want to avoid staying somewhere that’s on a hill or has lots of stairs
• If you're planning activities while abroad, consider factoring in time between activities to rest and relax
• Drink plenty of fluids (6 to 8 glasses a day) to keep hydrated, as dehydration can make you tired
• Eat regularly to keep up your energy levels. If you’ve lost your appetite, try eating smaller, more frequent meals
• Take a rucksack rather than a handbag as they’re easier to carry, or ask your friends and family for help carrying luggage
• If you’re taking a long-haul flight, give yourself time to rest before and after because of jet lag. The NHS website has more information about jet lag
• If needed, you can request a wheelchair or assistance when boarding a plane, boat, train or coach. The GOV.UK website has information about transport support services for disabled people

Useful resources

Macmillan Cancer Support has a booklet called Travel and cancer that you may find useful. You may also find Cancer Research UK’s travel tips useful.