I have no idea why???
 

I see people traveling to places that would never cross my mind. Then see a call for help on the hub. Africa is one such place. War pestilence and corruption. Not to say about crime high way robbery, and crappy road's. Why go to a place where your safety and any standard that you recognise is not in place. That's not only Africa, but other south American country's. Soviet block, Indian, and the far eastern country's. A good chance you are either going to get robed, mug, or shot at. Or just ripped of by the police. A biking trip to me, is to go some place that I feel safe. Should get a fair crack of the whip. And not stopping at petrol station, or traffic light's. Only for some scum bag to rip something of the back of the bike and leg down the road.


Me I stay with-in the EU. Why? First off my UK bike insurance will cover me where ever I go. Should get some kind of health cover if I need it. Last but not least. Just about every one speaks English.


Europe is a dam big place. Even after saying that, If something goes tit's up, there's a good chance you can get your self home. It's a plane or a train ride away. Me I have a trailer at home. If push come's to shove. I'll come home hook up the trailer and go collect the bike my self. Some of these recovery companies don't do what it say's on the tin. I know that from a friend who broke down in Germany. The long and short of his tail of woe was. The bike was only valued at a grand. He had a £200 excess on the recovery. So the company told him to dump the bike and they would pay him £800. Easy way out for them. So what did he do? Stored the bike locally. Flew home. Got a trailer and when out and brought it back. Only to find out later that the insurance company owned the bike. Ring Ring, Insurance company. I've got the bike back, can I have the V5 please. You want to buy the bike back? Cost you £1200 sir.
John933

When I first read this I thought it was a wind up, you only need to read some of the trip reports to realise most of your preconceptions about the rest of the world are totally wrong. The vast majority or people on this planet are decent, honest, friendly people and your chances of meeting and having a problem with one of the unsavoury minority are as great in a western country as anywhere else, just go out in any UK town centre on a Saturday night.
Stay within the borders of Europe if that is what you enjoy but read up on other people's experience elsewhere in the world and try to learn it is not the big bad place you seem to think it is.

John - Life begins at the end of your comfort zone

.. :yes:

No it was not a wind up. I posted that in all serious. But that the problem with opines. The people who post them believe them. You tube has many a film story's about event's that happen that is not something to look forward to. Or post about corrupted boarder crossing police wanting to be paid to cross from one country to another. When challenged, all you get, it's just business my friend. In all my travels. Meeting people who travel further a field than me. Tell me story's about trouble they have that come with-in that category. That would not happen in an EU country. Greece used to be a place where every now and again the police would make up a story about something you have done. Just to take money from you. Not now. Any way a helmet camera work's wonders when they see it. Just flag you by, catch the next one. The biggest problem I've had in the EU is getting your pocket picked. But the police are not interested in catching them.
Apart from that. Go where you want. But in some places it's not a bed of roses.
John933

VVV

There are many many nice places to see in Europe. You can use endless amount of time to see only small portion of it.

I truly enjoy seeing places which I have previously seen only in magazines or nat geo -channel.
I have now been travelling 2.5 years and I can tell that biggest surprise for me has been truly amazing people everywhere.
As soon as you leave "western" countries behind, people will become so warm, welcoming and helpful that it will blow your mind.
Do not believe everything that comes from news channels, only bad news sell.

After Australia, NZ, USA and Canada I was really looking forward to get outside of western countries.

Mexico is bad, isn´t it? USA border controls told me that my bike will be robbed and I will be killed...:nono:
Well, people over here are just amazing. Truly wonderful, warm and helpful people.

As mark mentioned, you can get in to a serious trouble in western countries, so they are not so safe as people think...

Go out, see and be prepared to be amazed :scooter::thumbup1:

+1
:thumbup1: :scooter::funmeteryes:

I find that a very strange post.

For me the greatest pleasure of travel is when I get ouside of the EU and its thought police, corruption and state control of everything (for state read politicians and more importantly 'lobby groups').

In the EU/Western European/American mindset, one almost feels the need to look for signs saying 'you MAY do this' in a certain area. The rest of the world is not like that (yet) for the most part.

Wealth and consumerism breed jealousy and thus crime like nothing else.

Europe is a lovely place, the further east you go away from the EU the nicer it and the people get. You should try it.:D:D:D:D:D

+ another 1 :funmeteryes:

John....its great

Wayne

John - I'm very pleased your happy in crowed Europe.

Leaves more of the world for the rest of us. And yes I've been to Europe, thanks. Got robbed there .. twice. Been assaulted a few miles from my home too. Never had any of that in Asia. I've a lot more of the world to see. Preferably dry and warm rather than damp and cool. :palm:

Hmmm, "Limited Horizons"? What a great name for a website, not!

When I fill up my bike's fuel tank I do it myself. To pay, be it in Europe or beyond, I either pay by card at the pump or pay the cashier with a card or cash in the local currency. All just like at home. I also try to speak the local language. Simple.

It seems there are some blinkered people in the UK too. This is a (some might say?) humorous map taking the mick out of some insular Americans

http://www.thebrightstuff.com/images/mapalternative.jpg

Maybe we should draw one with the UK in the middle too?

I'll also move this thread to the Pub. I think it's a better place for it.

I just love the way you think, because your idea is different from mine, your's is right and I'm wrong. As for the American map. That's an old standing joke. Simpler to the statement. America goes to war to teach their people geography. If you talk to American's about why some of them never travel out side the US. The answer is, because there is so much to see in their country why travel abroad. I can kind of see that. As it would take next to a life time to visit just about half of what America has to offer. Same with Europe. Or the other side of travel. Ten day trip to see Europe. Land in London. Fly to Paris, then Rome. With a few other places. Home to the states. To them they have seen Europe in ten day's. It's each to there own. I like the way I do thing's you like the way you travel. Neither is right or wrong.
John933

Where exactly did I say I was right and you're wrong?

I suggested you were blinkered in your strange views and posting them on a website catering for vehicle travellers from all over the world is pretty weird. But hay ho, each to their own.

FWIW I've only been (attempted: I persuaded him it was better for his health to go home) mugged in Bristol (in the UK) and robbed/burgled in West Yorkshire (UK). No problems ever abroad, even in "dangerous" places :rofl: outside Yurop.

My parents thought almost exactly the same - "Why go to a place where your safety and any standard that you recognise is not in place". Except they thought it about Europe. Anywhere over the channel was corrupt, disease ridden and criminal. And no, I'm not making this up for effect; they never went on a package tour or any other holiday out of the UK - the only exception was Ireland where we had relatives.

And it wasn't just them. When I started Euro travelling in the late 60's it was to dire warnings from many people that I would be mugged (except we didn't use that word back then), catch a fatal illness or die in a traffic accident as the "foreigners" couldn't drive. Leaving the UK was a one way journey. The arguments that went on over this you would not believe.

These days Europe is pretty much exactly the same place except somehow it seems less foreign - one currency, hardly any borders, the same EU regulations in Rotherham or Rome. All nice and easy - and that presumably is why you're happy to travel there. Very little culture shock. I doubt you'd have liked the 60's post war Europe.

The parts of Africa and the far east I've visited get much the same reaction now as Europe used to. Don't go there it's "War, pestilence and corruption. Not to say about crime, high way robbery, and crappy road's."
And there's about as much truth in it. Which is to say - a bit. If you're interested in cultural differences then go to these places with the same amount of caution as you'd exercise in Europe. I've never been gassed overnighting in a French Aire and I've not been robbed overnighting in a Senegalese field. But I have seen acts of kindness to the impoverished that would have got the police involved in the UK. We are not the top of the lifestyle tree despite what we may like to think. The rest of the world by and large (warzones excepted) isn't so much dangerous as different. That's the whole point of going there.

If familiarity breeds contempt these days then ignorance must have a similar relationship with fear, loathing and worry - much of which vanishes as soon as you experience what somewhere is like. It really isn't that bad a world out there.

OK... I posted that because I believed it. The other thing is I'm knocking on the door of being seventy. So at my age I'm looking for a soft life with a bit of travel. The post was started to advise prospective travellers that are talking about round the world, or round Africa as the first trip out. To look at Europe as a starter for 10. And I put my reason why. After saying that, I would like to travel the States before I hang my boot's up. On my own or with someone, I have no idea.


I did try a few year's back posting along the line's of a bike swop. Get over the problem of a bike hire or getting mine over there and back. The same with someone from the States. The best of all possibilities would be. Some one who want to tour for say two three month. Fly over use one of my bike's and all the kit. I'll travel with them round Europe. And they do the same for me. Kind of like a buddy system. Any way that's wish full thinking.
John933

Try Welcome to Trans-Atlantic BikeShare (www.bikeshareworld.com) or a post on Adventure Rider Motorcycle Forum There's many more Americans on that than on the HUBB.

How's your health John? If you're ok there's no reason why the US - or any other destination, should be that difficult to get to.

I'm not that far behind you - 64 next birthday, and I honestly have not given a second thought as to whether I'm too old to do any bike trip I want to do. I have too much baggage, family connections and economic roots here to go off on an open ended RTW trip but something lasting months is quite feasible. I still have a list of places I want to go to and fully intend to get to as many as possible. As it happens the next one on the list (for 2015) is the USA and I'm just about starting the planning for next Sept (probably about 7-8 weeks). I've been to the US a few times over the years and ridden there a couple of times before but despite the commonality of speaking English, as a European there's definately a culture shock when I arrive. Many of the things we take for granted in the UK and thanks to the EU, throughout Europe, are different in the US. It really is a foreign country (no offence to our US posters :thumbup1:).

Changes in technology etc have made bike travel a lot lot easier than it used to be in (say) the 60's. At a guess I'd say it's about as tricky to ride to South Africa or Mongolia now as it used to be to ride to Istanbul or the Black Sea fifty years ago even allowing that it's a lot further.

Wanting to go to places is the key to it. I still want to travel, to travel by bike, and to go to places that would be on your "worry list". Going back to your first post I wonder how many young people here (or anywhere come to that) leave the UK and head off RTW or into Africa as their first trip. Planning and doing can be miles apart. And even if you set off and it goes wrong, as long as you're not seriously hurt what does it matter? You may be out of pocket but 5 or 10yrs later I doubt if it makes any difference.

As for a "soft life" .... not yet!

I'll be 71 in less than a month, bought myself a Triumph Thunderbird this September to add to the Enfield. Sometimes difficult to choose which to ride :). My next "bike" is likely to be one of these.

Car Reviews: Peugeot 307 CC HDi SE - The AA

Especially for going two up with the wife. Have open air, can carry more luggage on the back seat than on either bike. More comfy seating, longer range and cheaper per mile to run. Add to this the ability to push a button and be in the dry during rain, or for a nap or just to walk about and explore somewhere.

Makes sense to me :)

As for going to strange places.. People is people, they if left alone by their governments all want the same thing. To be allowed to get on with their lives, and for their children to have it a bit better. Simples. I have found that as a general rule the harder the life people have the more understanding and helpful they become.. or does it work the other way round?

Wow !
 

Wow! ....... John you've excelled yourself with that comment !

I can only assume you have been having a bad day?

While you are of course, fully entitled to your view and thoughts on anything you choose, and indeed to express them in any shape and form you choose. There is a time and place for them.
To come to a forum website which is proliferated by people who travel in the very places you refer to, with such ridiculous preconceptions of doom and gloom........... is honestly quite laughable.

You give the impression of a clueless teenager ! You're clearly not, but with comments like that will only serve to make people have "ridiculous preconceptions of doom and gloom......" about John933. Which is no doubt completely ridiculous, ......right?

If you are interested, I'm off to Portugal in May of next year. Ride down through France. Do the crossing at Dover. I have a flat booked for four week's just out side Faro. Have to be there on the 15 of May. As for getting there. You can do it in three day's, or you can take the long way round, taking any thing up to a week to get there. I'm looking at cheap hotel's there and back. If you would like to join me next year, let me know.
John933

This is your first post on the subject. Not knowing what it was pertaining to. I'll give you a bit of back ground information to see if I can clear the muddy water's. There are two young lad's. Who both are caring injures of such a level that has seen them both come out of hospital. Then they post up saying about riding to Cape town South Africa. Then they tell us that it's there first time out on a bike, touring.


I was trying to point out that it could be a bridge too far. And a trip with in the EU could well get them blooded in to traveling. I then went on to give the reason's why. It was at that time the Mod's moved the post from that section to the pub. So what has been said before has all been lost.


With that lot in mind I still stand by what I have posted. I'm not no dumb azz poo shooter. Who douse not know what they are talking about. It's a case of learn to walk before you try to run.


Just to put the recorded straight. The place's I have been but not on a bike are. Aden, Worked up and down the Gulf, Two year's. Bangladesh, Singapore, and most of the Malaya. Crossing in to the Philippines, Then down on in to Darwin. British Solomon Island and Mombasa. And that's the place I can remember while I'm sitting here. Bet there is a few I've missed off.


My post to the two lad's. Was trying to be helpful, and informative.
John933

I have no idea what you're talking about now! You started this thread in the sub-forum "Questions That Don't Fit Anywhere Else"

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-fit-anywhere/

All I did was move the whole thing to the Pub which is where I thought your unique rantings in post #1 belonged. Nothing deleted/ nothing edited/ nothing disappeared or whatever!

Good luck!

Must be losing my mind. Where am I going to.
John933

Nowhere out of Europe I'm guessing :rofl::smartass:

:confused1: Errr No. This thread was started by you. If you want to reply to them .. do it on their thread.. not start a new one and expect them to relate one to the other. There are a lot of conversations (threads) here ... I don't expect one to be directly related to another, so I don't read them all.


And the responders here did not have that information. And having now got it ... I say

Good on their adventurous spirit. They will have fun, learn heaps. :clap: They can learn lots here reading, asking questions .. but doing it is the real thing. Don't hold them back. Go for it guys.

If you read the Forwood's (sp?) blog here then you'll find their first description of Morocco as a third world country .. then a revision of their view of Morocco to a clean, well serviced country ... it all depends on your experience, and you don't get that experience by staying local.

It's not an adventure without at least SOME risk

I'm a bit sad to see some of the answers to John original post.

If you reread his post he is just asking a question and stating his frame of mind. I admit some generalities were thrown, but I don't think it is fair to ask for everybody to have the same open mind about the state of the world as a prerequisite to ask a question on this forum. I would not want to be a member of any site that require abiding to a predetermined set of values and ideology.

I think the only imperative is that we are respectful of one another.

That being said, I think John comment was very interesting because it raises a legitimate question about the perception versus the reality of developing countries.

While I think that it is true that in general people have exaggerated perception of the danger of these places, I also think that there is a tendency here on the HUBB to give an overly positive image of those places, bypassing the ugly and highlighting the beautiful, probably, I imagine, in an effort to counter the common negative perception. I think the reality lies in the middle (isn't it always the case?).

If you ask me to convey one primary impression of South America, it won't be a positive one. Sure I have incredible memories, it is a land of amazing adventures, the roads there, the possibilities for riding your bike are simply phenomenal and I'm quite certain that you could not live the same kind of adventure in Europe.

That being said the level of adventure and excitement that you can find there should not be confused with what would be an objective (as mush as objectivity is possible) impression of those countries on a human perspective. I've seen things there that have touched me, troubled me, saddened me so much that when you ask me how was latin america, it is those emotions that take the first spot. But after I told you about it , I'll tell you how amazing my trip was :thumbup1:

So to answer John's original question, why go there? Because sometime going into places where you are out of you comfort zone and places that scares you is the best way to learn new things and to extend the experience you're going to have in this world. Somethings require a bit of suffering to be reached. Like crossing the altiplano desert, scared because you are in the middle of nowhere and your bike could break, but at the same time the beauty of the landscape mixed with the fear and the excitement makes for the most explosive cocktail of memories. I suspect there's a few people on that forum who are addicted to that cocktail ;)

Well said !

Guess who pressed the like button on your post?
John933

I have no idea why???
 

Some apes leave the fertile valley and some stay behind. I think the latter will always be as unable to comprehend the former as much as the former are unable to the latter but neither are wrong or right. But why traverse Africa on a C90 or do a RTW on a 1200GS? For me the answer is simply because one can!

It's a form of intolerance of other opinions and it's been in the HUBB for a while.

If anything, I think the HUBB is LESS intolerant than most places. Tolerance is a hard thing to come by - for too many people, anyone that doesn't agree with their party line is wrong, and needs to be educated in right think, loudly.

Of course on the HUBB we COULD always be more tolerant! Differences of opinion are what forums are all about after all, a way to DISCUSS and learn, not belittle others ideas, no matter how way out YOU might think them.

Ive travelled to 70+ countries and Ive worked as a tour guide in over 20 of them, Ive had no major problems anywhere, the ONLY place Ive had a motorcycle stolen was the UK, go figure.

Absolutely, but it is a case of good-better-best, and where the HUBB lies on that scale.
Put another way, you are in the quest of seeking excellence, and such a quest is never-ending in my view.
All heady stuff in among the day to day tasks.

Post number 73 in the link contains another view on the same subject
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...t-does-61908-5
That is a very high, and difficult, tightrope to walk.

Eventually...this post became more balanced as I followed it through,the beauty of free speech on these forums, people offering different views and opinions. Few months round Europe for me next year starting May ish, looking at fellow travellers plans on here too, I still want to venture further outside 'Europe' when funds allow. Happy xmas to you all and ride/drive safe.

both my parents are in their mid 70s. 10 years ago my dad made his first road trip out of Europe when we both drove to the Gambia, It was a relatively safe introduction being part of an (semi) organised group as the Plymouth Dakar challenge.

Last year, now in their 70s, my folks drove to Poland, where we met up with them before driving on with us to Belarus, no mean feat at 73. Hopefully, this September, me and my dad will be going with some other like minded individuals to tour around the off road areas of Romania.

Maybe something like that would be a good intro to the rest of the world, some kind of tour. There's lots of organised type events available, and there are lots of folks on here you could probably tag on with.

Not having got to 73 quite yet I'm no experience of what I'll be like then (:confused1:) but I do know lots of people that age or older who are extremely active. We were discussing travel plans at a family gathering yesterday and my wife's parents (80 next birthday) mentioned they're off to North Cape next summer as part of trip trip round northern Scandanavia. A friend of roughly the same age is an active skier and is off to La Plagne shortly while another (mid 70's) still does long distance (LeJog for example) cycling events.

Even at my relatively tender age I've noticed that the insurance industry is rapidly becoming the biggest obstacle to an active older life era. The renewal for our "easy trip" travel insurance came through a few days before Christmas and I rang them up (more in hope than in expectation) to see what, if any, of next year's planned trips they would cover. As an intro I said I was planning a few more active events in the next 12 months and got the reply "yes, we do cover cruises". ... :( What hope is there really if that's their idea of being out on the edge.

These days I work on the medical desk of a medical assistance company organising the repatriation of people from overseas who have damaged themselves or got sick abroad. We work for various insurers

What you really want from an insurance company is the knowledge that when the sticky stuff hits the whirly object they will pay out and not quibble.

From that perspective, Thomson are not too good. Price is quite good, but balanced against that is the fact that they will go through your medical history with a fine tooth comb in the event of a claim, and if there is anything in there you haven't declared, they probably won't pay out. And all that checking takes time of course, when time may not be on your side

At the other end of the scale, for the over 50s SAGA are hard to beat for normal everyday type stuff, not too sure about the more 'dangerous' activities. That will hopefully change though as over 50s get more adventurous. But they are very reliable.

For the under 50s, sainsbury is suprisingly good and the one I will probably go for.

Don't forget other specialist insurers though, like through the motorcycle federation, but check who the underwriter is. Cigna is the main underwriter we deal with and they seem pretty good.

of course, all that only applies in the UK!

The key though is hide nothing, if you don't declare something and you need the insurance they may not pay out, even if the reason for the claim is unrelated to what you didn't declare, and they will find out because in almost all illness claims and some accident claims, we will need a medical report from your GP before cover is agreed.

A very informative post with an inside view on medical insurance companies, perhaps it could go into trip paperwork in some form or other perhaps with some examples of why insurance companies don't pay out.

thanks:thumbup1:

I would say the two main ones are they find something in your GP record you failed to declare or you are doing some kind of activity that's excluded.

We had a big case recently where a guy was injured kite surfing, which isn't covered, but when we got the translation of the medical report checked it turned out he was windsurfing, which was covered. The difference was whether a medical bill of potentially tens of thousands of pounds would be paid for by his insurance, or him.

Be under no illusions, we're into selling your house territory here, especially in America where bills frequently run into hundreds of thousands.

I recently queried a bill from America for over £10000 for simple gastoenteritis that required (or probably didn't) a one night stay in hospital.

Mark, PLEASE put a post together and I'll be VERY happy to put it somewhere useful :) The whole insurance question is something that really does need a proper writeup, especially for the older amongst us - and that includes me. :(

Sadly I'm around a year behind where I'd like to be on content... or is it two years...?

Grant, that would be Moggy 1968 ..

Like to be..? Need several life times for the 'like to be' thing :( .. Should I become a Buddhist? :palm:

---------------
One insurance thing .. going wrong so far http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1028263

I would be quite happy to but as Warin has pointed out it is Moggy 1968 who has access to first hand information, if I write something based on his reply there is a risk of inaccuracies creeping in.
One point I would like to mention on the subject is something I have put in several replies to the often asked question "can I ride in Europe/Africa/America on a provisional licence" is no it is illegal but also your insurance will be invalid.
Apologies to the OP as we are now totally off topic but an important issue.

I am not so sure that we are :offtopic:
this most recent discussion is a very valid consideration for staying "closer to home" as one ages (and we all do the latter if only because the alternative is clear).

The basic information about the approach taken by life insurance companies must be in here already surely? I feel sure that I have seen it discussed in here previously ("elf and safety" on the road for instance), somewhere between the "expert" information and those who don't understand the difference between life insurance and insurance of vehicles.
I agree that Moggys' post is a worthy read because he has some inside knowledge of the business that is current, but it is hardly a new revelation.

As for the OP, he is expressing a view about why he travels in a certain area while asking a question - personally I see little enough of this type of discussion; so often a report turns on how many beers were consumed or how many countries could be "ticked off the list" in the shortest possible time.
Or, heaven forbid, "I am saving the planet by riding around the world and it would be really great if you pay me to do it".
As the OP said: why? (and please don't come back with that old chestnut "because it's there" and similar tedium).
Nor, just for clarity do I have any problem with folks who are doing such things for such stated reasons - but please don't think that it is of widespread interest or that your blog should be in the best seller list of e-publishing.

I'll get my coat now! Happy new 2015 by the way.

Life's a risk, then you die

Why go- a thousand reasons- but for me it is to understand and maybe in the end be able to influence change here at home to make the world a better place.

As for the risks I once had a conversation with a round the world traveler and the only trouble he ever had was when he was robbed - in USA state of Oklahoma.

I think travel outside of ones comfort zone should be required at least once in your life.

:scooter:

It is for me, it seems to be for you, but who are we to assume that everybody else are like us and that they will derive the same things we derive from traveling out of our comfort zone.


There is probably a lot of things you won't experience in your life that might be requirements of a fulfilling or valuable life to others.


To me reading and learning about history and philosophy would be a far more important requirement then traveling out of your comfort zone. Traveling is just one way, among many others, of opening your mind.


The human experience is vast and complex, I don't think our very limited and subjective experience of life warrants us the perspective and the authority to state what should be required in life.

I am about to leave on an adventure and I am not doing it because it is safe if you want safe stay at home if you want safe get a car if you want safe play golf.
I hope to be going to places that some would consider not safe and I have also considered not going to these places because of the dangers but after many hours of contemplation SAFE = BORING

It's kind of how my plan sits. Travel as much as i can while I am young enough and fit enough. When I am old and (more) knackered I'll buy a nice camper van and do Europe.

Only problem is, by the time the kids are grown up, I'll be old and knackered so I have had to reconcile myself to the fact I may never actually manage 'the big trip' I always dreamed of, so rather than the trip of a lifetime, I shall have to try and do a lifetime of trips.

Life is what you make of it, nothing ventured nothing gained!

The only place I have been shot at is New mexico in the USA! The only place I have been bombed is London in the UK. Both absolutely terrifying at the time.

I will go back to both money and time permitting.

I have been lucky enough to travel a bit, mostly east but some west too!

The world is an amazing place and I only have about 1/2 a life left to see as much of it as I can! I have a wife and child too now but that is not going to stop me. when I can I will take them along for the ride to!

Yes we WILL be exposed to risk, but we will all grow and gain from the experience.

The proof of the pudding ..
 

Absolutely correct .. :thumbup1:

I needed to effect some travel insurance recently. With the comments of this thread in mind, I decided to place the cover with SAGA. Not the cheapest deal available, but still priced at a relatively competitive rate of premium nevertheless.

Result: I made my first ever claim last Monday-9th, based on 'Failure of public transport'. In short, the initial connecting flight from my local airport up to London-Gatwick got cancelled due to a 'mechanical fault'. This meant having to get my flight ticket re-issued with the main airline concerned (Emirates) for the following day, plus an unexpected overnight accommodation expense in a Gatwick-based hotel.

Summary: I submitted my claim for £465.50 out-of-pocket expenses last week, on Monday-9th. I receive a courtesy phone call yesterday, Tuesday-17th from SAGA's Claim Underwriters - Cigna Insurance Services (Europe) Limited - confirming that they intended to credit the full amount claimed, by BACS transfer, into my bank account this week.

Just 6 working days to finalise the claim, from start to finish. No quibbling whatsoever. Excellent travel insurance! :yes:
.

Ten years before I can join :( . Ageist whasits :censored: . Still, good to hear of any part of the Uk insurance industry actually works like that.

I want my road insurance to be with William Hill or Ladbrokes (Book makers for those overseas). At least they'd be apologetic if I'd backed a winner and they decided to welch on the bet based on some small print. Can you imagine the riot if they decided the winner of the 3.30 at Kempton wasn't backed because the owner had changed colours!

Andy

It's not for everyone.

Do what makes you happy and what makes you feel comfortable. You could spend two life times travelling in Europe and never see it all.

100 years ago, the only chance most people got to leave their own town was if they were sent someone by the Military to get shot to pieces. We're all very lucky.


But travelling in these "far off dangerous places" is WAY easier and fun than you think. There are very few places left in the world where you can't buy a starbucks coffee and get wifi in your hotel room. Even the bigh bad wildernesses of the world.

Dangers, hostilities and hardships are highly exagerated to sell books and DVD's. The Government doesn't want you to go anywhere because you're contributing to their coffers so they do their best to scare you with bullshit like the FOC website.

Adventure is a state of mind. Not a GPS location.