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Original poster

Am I being nasty..

176 replies

coolma · 19/08/2010 20:43

..or do I feel a bit Hmm about the girl who has broken her back in Corfu and is asking for public donations to get home for treatment because she didn't have holiday insurance? Surely, nowdays, insurance is an absolute essential for travelling? I expect I'm being horrible but I really think it's a bt much...

OP posts:
AnyFucker · 19/08/2010 23:34

of course, 'tis scary, nobody said any different

AnyFucker · 19/08/2010 23:35

anyway coolma, since you dropped your bomb and then bogged off, what further have you to say for yourself ???

has you mind been changed by this thread ?

JaneS · 19/08/2010 23:38

Er .... nor did I suggest they did, Anyfucker. Confused

TheJollyPirate · 19/08/2010 23:39

Her husband says she wasn't drunk but slipped and fell over the 3 foot balcony.

The holiday was a last minute gift from relatives - not sure I'd have thought about travel insurance tbh but then am a bit naive about these things as someone who doesn't often go abroad.

SpeedyGonzalez · 19/08/2010 23:39

Yikes, what a horrible thing to happen - drunk or not. Yes, she was stupid for not buying insurance, but honestly, to berate her now and say 'tough shit'? Come on, really. Surely we're all better than that.

BertieBotts · 19/08/2010 23:42

LRD I thought the same - quite glad I came across this thread as well actually!

I didn't realise it was so cheap either. Then again, people in my family have an odd attitude to insurance. Mostly they don't take out insurance on anything unless it is required by law. My uncle convinced my cousin (his DD!) that she would be fine going to America with no travel insurance (Now even I am not that naive - I was shocked at this!) and she had an allergic reaction to something whilst there, was surrounded by people in the street offering to call her an ambulance and she had to tell them no. Luckily it was a relatively minor reaction and calmed down by itself but it so easily could not have been Confused

Actually I think what shocked me the most about this story was the fact that people immediately listened when she said "Don't call an ambulance, because I can't afford it" :(

AnyFucker · 19/08/2010 23:43

No where on this thread have I judged her for falling off a balcony

If I had been stupid enough to not protect myself properly in the event of an accident, I would take personal responsibility for my actions and raise the money myself, or more likely, my family would

not expect, nor even hope for, strangers to bail me out

that is all

JaneS · 19/08/2010 23:46

Yes - that reminds me of my grandparents saying not to call an ambulance - and they had memories of doctors before the NHS, it's scary.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who was so naive - good to remember it's necessary and I must budget for it.

Can I ask, if you go somewhere in the UK, should you get insurance then too?

AnyFucker · 19/08/2010 23:49

no, LRD, that isn't necessary for medical stuff

but if you wanted to take out cancellation insurance and whatnot, then yes

personally, I don't bother for the Uk

JaneS · 19/08/2010 23:49

Any, how does one find out about needing insurance? I recently looked at a holiday in Greece, and nowhere does it even vaguely encourage us to take out insurance. In fact it says that all costs are covered, and I would never have known that insurance was needed as well. I would have looked into it further if we'd signed up for it, but shouldn't the companies be made to make it more obvious?

JaneS · 19/08/2010 23:50

(Cross post Any - thanks for the info.)

BertieBotts · 19/08/2010 23:51

It sounded like it was pretty cheap according to someone a few pages back.

I probably wouldn't bother within the UK - unless it was a really expensive holiday and the insurance was cheap, maybe. The maximum cost of getting home from anywhere in the UK can't be that much.

zookeeper · 19/08/2010 23:54

The poor cow has broken her back. She may be paralysed. What happened to compassion?

AnyFucker · 19/08/2010 23:55

LRD, I find it difficult to believe you don't realise travel insurance is required

sorry, don't mean to horrible

did you get as far as actually booking your holiday?, because either

a) the company tries to sell you their insurance, at massively inflated prices (don't buy it)

or

b) you tick a box to say you have it covered by someone else (a better option, because then you shop around and get the best value you can)

StormyWeather · 19/08/2010 23:55

LRD, you can get insurance travelling in the UK, and it's very very cheap - a few quid for a week - but it's not needed for health reasons because the NHS is countrywide. However, if you book something on the expensive side, then it's good to have insurance in case you have to cancel due to family emergency, or whatever, or you lose something valuable, money, etc while you're away.

hobbgoblin · 19/08/2010 23:55

Does nobody question this 'oh you MUST have insurance' issue? Okay, maybe for travel it is understandable but I don't buy into the being insured to the hilt ethos at all. In fact, it pisses me right off.

AnyFucker · 19/08/2010 23:57

hobb, it might piss you off, but would you like to be in this girl's position ?

JaneS · 19/08/2010 23:58

AnyFucker, why do you find it hard to believe? It's evidently specialist knowledge - you'd only need to know it if you holiday abroad.

I am hoping we can get a holiday sometime, but we can't book it. We'd love to go to Cornwall for a while but I think that would be just a matter of driving there. I would of course check out the potential problems if we ever booked it, though.

I've never booked a holiday, and I don't know how it works, but I had been trying to get a vague sense of it to see if we could afford it, that's all. Doesn't make me stupid, thanks very much.

JaneS · 19/08/2010 23:59

Thanks Stormy, that's good to know!

StormyWeather · 20/08/2010 00:00

LRD and AF - I see I was a bit late with my post and you've given LRD excellent advice AF. LRD, most websites of reputable travel companies have a link usually under 'Extras' at the top of their page which will take you to the insurance they offer. Any travel agent worth their salt, whether on the telephone or on the High Street, should offer insurance at point of sale. Personally I will quote for my customer, but am perfectly happy if they go elsewhere because I do realise mine isn't the cheapest. However, I do stress that it's very important to have.

By the way, did anyone know that you can actually be prevented from flying if you don't have insurance in place? Random checks are occasionally made. And if you decide to buy it at the airport at the time you leave, then you will definitely pay a premium.

JaneS · 20/08/2010 00:05

Thanks Stormy! So far, I've only travelled on my own when my university has booked the flights, but I expect they booked insurance and I never knew about it.

I will certainly make sure I have it it I have a holiday abroad ... though I am still slightly Hmm at the idea that I should have known this already!

JaneS · 20/08/2010 00:19

Btw, Anyfucker, I am wondering how often anyone books with a 'company' for an ordinary holiday? Does it not occur to you that lots of people just go to spend a few days in a B&B or a hotel?

hobbgoblin · 20/08/2010 00:19

No. course I wouldn't but Insurers have us by the nadgers don't they for exactly this reason.

hobbgoblin · 20/08/2010 00:21

Do you know, I have just had a marvellous idea. A revolt against insurance comapnies. Everybody says fuck off to insurance and fb appeals for money when they need it. I bet we'd all pay much less by donating to people as they need it on a reciprocal/community pot basis than we do on insurance premiums for everything.

I partially jest.

scottishmummy · 20/08/2010 00:32

fucking hell shes not going to walk on the plane is she.did you feel a wee frisson, have a giggle when people were on tv left uninsured after floods in Northumberland?

she should have made adequae provision but doesn't merit this derision

poor her