Why take the risk?

[bangkokjulia]

"I too agree that anyone over 70 finds it difficult to purchase affordable travel insurance. What I object to is to tourists who head over to Thailand for their cheap two week holiday, and brag about the fact that they don't have travel insurance. Then the sh1t hits the fan, and they find themselves laid up in a Thai hospital. Inevitably, their relatives back home have to bail them out. It's a joke. If people can't afford travel insurance, they should be precluded from travelling."

1BADDAT:

"You have heard people brag about not having travel insurance? This doesn't seem like anything to brag about."

bangkokjulia:

"Of course it's not anything to brag about-but brag they have. Oxygen thieves breathe-doesn't mean they should."

giddyup:

"I can understand someone bragging about a cheap airfare or the package deal on a hotel room, but what is there to brag about not having travel insurance? Makes no sense."

I really hate repeating myself. Perhaps you are one of the thieves I am referring to.

[BritManToo]

The only person who could sing My Way properly (apart from Sinatra obviously), was my dad !

and

Edited April 8, 2016 by BritManToo

[giddyup]

"I too agree that anyone over 70 finds it difficult to purchase affordable travel insurance. What I object to is to tourists who head over to Thailand for their cheap two week holiday, and brag about the fact that they don't have travel insurance. Then the sh1t hits the fan, and they find themselves laid up in a Thai hospital. Inevitably, their relatives back home have to bail them out. It's a joke. If people can't afford travel insurance, they should be precluded from travelling."

1BADDAT:

"You have heard people brag about not having travel insurance? This doesn't seem like anything to brag about."

bangkokjulia:

"Of course it's not anything to brag about-but brag they have. Oxygen thieves breathe-doesn't mean they should."

giddyup:

"I can understand someone bragging about a cheap airfare or the package deal on a hotel room, but what is there to brag about not having travel insurance? Makes no sense."

I really hate repeating myself. Perhaps you are one of the thieves I am referring to.

No, just a skeptic.

Edited April 8, 2016 by giddyup

[Rob8891]

OP, a weeeee story about Trans...

When my world collapsed in the UK I just wanted someone to put me in a box and bury me.......

Then I thought...Feeeeeeeerk it, to old to worry about a perfect life, yes l could have stayed in the UK locked up in a room looking out the window till l popped off...........Nooooo, not me.........

Got on a plane with a few quid l had and TRIED stuff, didn't give a shit.......

Now ten years on I still have a smile, the worms ain't got me yet, my wife's offspring, with my help, have a secure future and will probably take care of me if a big problem...BUT, if they don't l don't give a shit...No, l have through my own gamble been OK....Lucky, perhaps, but Trans is not a couch potato, l still lift weights to exercise my old ticker and drink a beer......BUT, I don't drive a bike, one risk gone, try not to get into fights, risk gone..

The only risk I take is singing songs to the locals.......... ...............

Trans, Trans, Trans. Singing to the locals.... THAT is the risk to end all all risks!

Edited April 8, 2016 by Rob8891

[bangkokjulia]

bangkokjulia:

"I too agree that anyone over 70 finds it difficult to purchase affordable travel insurance. What I object to is to tourists who head over to Thailand for their cheap two week holiday, and brag about the fact that they don't have travel insurance. Then the sh1t hits the fan, and they find themselves laid up in a Thai hospital. Inevitably, their relatives back home have to bail them out. It's a joke. If people can't afford travel insurance, they should be precluded from travelling."

1BADDAT:

"You have heard people brag about not having travel insurance? This doesn't seem like anything to brag about."

bangkokjulia:

"Of course it's not anything to brag about-but brag they have. Oxygen thieves breathe-doesn't mean they should."

giddyup:

"I can understand someone bragging about a cheap airfare or the package deal on a hotel room, but what is there to brag about not having travel insurance? Makes no sense."

"I really hate repeating myself. Perhaps you are one of the thieves I am referring to."

giddyup:

"No, just a skeptic."

No reason why I would make this up. Why would lying be beneficial? For a so called Australian, you are a bit of a wally. Carry on

Edited April 8, 2016 by bangkokjulia

[Rob8891]

Oh yeah, me likes a ramble. I don't claim to be a meandering member just because my husband tells people that I don't walk, I meander; my mind meanders a lot more than my feet. I have some serious back problems and occasionally have to take some very serious pain medication. At such times, my username should be changed to something I remember my dad singing to me so many times when I was little as it was one of his favourite songs; Rambling Rose. That thought, or the words that inspired that thought has brought back a lovely memory for me and has moved my already very chilled moved up several notches. Thank you. And yes, long time no see.

The problem with travel insurance companies from UK is that they would evacuate us back to UK not Australia where we have much better facilities. Not a boast, just a simple fact - we lived in England for 20-odd years and Australia for almost 20-odd years and we still, officially, live there now. So sayeth the taxman and he's the big boss - and in case anyone who doesn't know me, most of our investments are in Australia we still pay our taxes in Australia, so we're not trying to cheat the system or get something we're not entitled to, and I'm really not too fussed about the fact that we pay tax. We earn money, we pay tax. That's the way the world goes round. Of course, I'll pay as little as I need to, but if I've earned money I have to pay it - that's how societies work. In return I expect my government to look after my interests by not letting banking and investing regulations get out of hand, provide a military to protect the country if need be and provide fair and equitable law and order. I don't object to paying tax. If nobody paid tax where would we be? Not saying I smile a happy smile when I get a tax bill, but that's just the way it goes. Has to be paid. Far too many people living overseas are under the radar and not paying taxes on the income they make to live on. None of my business, do whatever you want to do. I like to think of myself as a moral and honest person (I'm not a Christian or a believer in any religion). I do believe in karma though, and every night when my head hits the pillow I fall asleep straight away, knowing that I haven't knowingly hurt anyone and been a good member of the kind of society I would like to belong to.

Anyway, I meandered a bit there of track there, but we've been through the health care systems of both countries for various ailments and know from experience that the Medicare system in Australia is much better than the NHS, but the private health insurance sector in Australia is a million times better in terms of hospitals being more like 5 star hotels than hospitals and they all have the latest and the best equipment. We both know that if either of us develops a serious illness that wouldn't be covered by travel insurance, we fly straight back to Aus not UK.

Another thing that not a lot of people know is the motorbike clause. In all of the Australian travel insurance policies you are fully covered providing you are in compliance with local laws. That means helmet on if that's what the local law says, zero alcohol if that's what the local law says, and one that gets a lot of people is the licence. Here in Thailand you need and International Permit as well as your home licence, fair enough, but where most people fall down is that you have to have passed your motorbike test in your home country and your International Permit says that you have passed your motorbike test. But as long as you're in compliance with laws, you're covered. I haven't seen a single policy in UK that covers motorbikes. I've even read the small print (I used to be paid to write small print to catch people out, but it was from a non profit making organisation so my karma came out even) on some policies and you weren't covered if you were a passenger on a motorbike. Even if the rider was a local and qualified one at that doing everything in a totally legal manner, the tourist, as a passenger wouldn't be insured. When we went to Turkey we asked about hiring a bike and the Brit Expat who owed the business mumbled something about insurance and I said no worries, we're covered and he said no you're not and we got into this real argument - I tried to walk away a few times. I told him we lived in Aus and Aus policies are different and we are covered as long as we don't do anything illegal. No, you might think you are but you're not. Because of the difference in conditions between Aus and UK I sent a very legalese worded email, asking the sender to quote my message in full in the reply so that there could be no misunderstandings which asked for confirmation that we were covered for any accidents or liability related to motorbikes, and it took a couple of goes to get the droid on the other end to understand that I wanted my message quoted in full when he confirmed that we were indeed covered apart from road or track racing, which is legal in some cases (Isle of Man, some race tracks) but would never be covered, but I got it. Just to be sure, to satisfy myself that I was on top of things. He got really nasty, just wouldn't let me (a woman - he was that type) prove him wrong. I seriously was trying to walk away from him, I was on holiday, I didn't care. Meh.

Time for another painkiller.

In no particular order, other than pain relief... "Time for another painkiller"........I find McGuigan's Shiraz tends to wash away cares, woes and pain very efficiently.

I hadn't thought about you being medevaced to Aus and not the UK. The thought of being evacuated to the UK now fills me with terror and almost causes an involuntary evacuation.. The thought of being sent to the one and only main hospital in the Highlands would be a fate worse than death, having seen some of the better hospitals in CM. The one at home is shut all too frequently - in whole or in part - due to whatever the virus of the day might be. For the next few years, I'll pay my dues and opt to get treated here if necessary.

Motor bike cover (excluding racing, of course)....one of the things I checked for in various policies and it's covered under the accident insurance section of mine. Helmet? Always! One save my life when I was 17, since then I would never ride without one. The licence is a Thai one, so that's that issue for the next four years sorted.

[bazza40]

OP, a weeeee story about Trans...

When my world collapsed in the UK I just wanted someone to put me in a box and bury me.......

Then I thought...Feeeeeeeerk it, to old to worry about a perfect life, yes l could have stayed in the UK locked up in a room looking out the window till l popped off...........Nooooo, not me.........

Got on a plane with a few quid l had and TRIED stuff, didn't give a shit.......

Now ten years on I still have a smile, the worms ain't got me yet, my wife's offspring, with my help, have a secure future and will probably take care of me if a big problem...BUT, if they don't l don't give a shit...No, l have through my own gamble been OK....Lucky, perhaps, but Trans is not a couch potato, l still lift weights to exercise my old ticker and drink a beer......BUT, I don't drive a bike, one risk gone, try not to get into fights, risk gone..

The only risk I take is singing songs to the locals.......... ...............

Trans, Trans, Trans. Singing to the locals.... THAT is the risk to end all all risks!

Not really a risk. The way the locals sing, it sounds like cats being strangled.

[dick dasterdly]

OP, a weeeee story about Trans...

When my world collapsed in the UK I just wanted someone to put me in a box and bury me.......

Then I thought...Feeeeeeeerk it, to old to worry about a perfect life, yes l could have stayed in the UK locked up in a room looking out the window till l popped off...........Nooooo, not me.........

Got on a plane with a few quid l had and TRIED stuff, didn't give a shit.......

Now ten years on I still have a smile, the worms ain't got me yet, my wife's offspring, with my help, have a secure future and will probably take care of me if a big problem...BUT, if they don't l don't give a shit...No, l have through my own gamble been OK....Lucky, perhaps, but Trans is not a couch potato, l still lift weights to exercise my old ticker and drink a beer......BUT, I don't drive a bike, one risk gone, try not to get into fights, risk gone..

The only risk I take is singing songs to the locals.......... ...............

Trans, Trans, Trans. Singing to the locals.... THAT is the risk to end all all risks!

I have backup, Mrs.Trans lad is now a 'special forces cop'........

I said.."How long do I have to wear handcuffs"...?....

PLEASE tell me you're joking about your wife being a special forces cop!

[Konini]

Police got tired of the game in the end, but did pay me an out of court amount for harassment.

What a horrible, horrible woman and what a horrible thing to do. Did the police not realise straight away (or after the first 3 or 4) that she probably had a house that smelled of wee and was full of cats? And to bring your parents into it. Every time I think I people can't do something lower, I hear something else.

You got the last laugh of course. Not the court payout, but the knowledge that she is so twisted that she must have had a truly miserable life. Never forget that.

[TuskegeeBen]

I have read the torrential down-pour of replies to thread,....whew! The OP seems to be fanatically obsessed, with an issue that apparently does not directly impact "his" personal life, in any way, shape or form.

Edited April 8, 2016 by TuskegeeBen

[giddyup]

bangkokjulia:

"I too agree that anyone over 70 finds it difficult to purchase affordable travel insurance. What I object to is to tourists who head over to Thailand for their cheap two week holiday, and brag about the fact that they don't have travel insurance. Then the sh1t hits the fan, and they find themselves laid up in a Thai hospital. Inevitably, their relatives back home have to bail them out. It's a joke. If people can't afford travel insurance, they should be precluded from travelling."

1BADDAT:

"You have heard people brag about not having travel insurance? This doesn't seem like anything to brag about."

bangkokjulia:

"Of course it's not anything to brag about-but brag they have. Oxygen thieves breathe-doesn't mean they should."

giddyup:

"I can understand someone bragging about a cheap airfare or the package deal on a hotel room, but what is there to brag about not having travel insurance? Makes no sense."

"I really hate repeating myself. Perhaps you are one of the thieves I am referring to."

giddyup:

"No, just a skeptic."

No reason why I would make this up. Why would lying be beneficial? For a so called Australian, you are a bit of a wally. Carry on

I want the names and phone numbers of all these tourists that have been bragging to you, I'll just do a quick check to verify your story. OK?

[bangkokjulia]

giddyup, you need some serious professional assistance.

[giddyup]

giddyup, you need some serious professional assistance.

Lighten up, stone the crows, can't take a bit of leg pullin'. The smiley face might have been a giveaway, but obviously not.

[bangkokjulia]

[TuskegeeBen]

Police got tired of the game in the end, but did pay me an out of court amount for harassment.

What a horrible, horrible woman and what a horrible thing to do. Did the police not realise straight away (or after the first 3 or 4) that she probably had a house that smelled of wee and was full of cats? And to bring your parents into it. Every time I think I people can't do something lower, I hear something else.

You got the last laugh of course. Not the court payout, but the knowledge that she is so twisted that she must have had a truly miserable life. Never forget that.

And you consider that closing scenario (your last two sentences) to be some twisted form of restituted compensation? Huh? Sigh!

Edited April 8, 2016 by TuskegeeBen

[neverdie]

bangkokjulia:

"I too agree that anyone over 70 finds it difficult to purchase affordable travel insurance. What I object to is to tourists who head over to Thailand for their cheap two week holiday, and brag about the fact that they don't have travel insurance. Then the sh1t hits the fan, and they find themselves laid up in a Thai hospital. Inevitably, their relatives back home have to bail them out. It's a joke. If people can't afford travel insurance, they should be precluded from travelling."

1BADDAT:

"You have heard people brag about not having travel insurance? This doesn't seem like anything to brag about."

bangkokjulia:

"Of course it's not anything to brag about-but brag they have. Oxygen thieves breathe-doesn't mean they should."

giddyup:

"I can understand someone bragging about a cheap airfare or the package deal on a hotel room, but what is there to brag about not having travel insurance? Makes no sense."

"I really hate repeating myself. Perhaps you are one of the thieves I am referring to."

giddyup:

"No, just a skeptic."

No reason why I would make this up. Why would lying be beneficial? For a so called Australian, you are a bit of a wally. Carry on

I want the names and phone numbers of all these tourists that have been bragging to you, I'll just do a quick check to verify your story. OK?

If something needs to be verified it would be your doctors qualification, clearly his treatment is helping you much

[neverdie]

giddyup, you need some serious professional assistance.

Lighten up, stone the crows, can't take a bit of leg pullin'. The smiley face might have been a giveaway, but obviously not.

You're as funny as a Islamic terrorist in a cockpit @ 35,000 feet.

Don't give up your day job.

[giddyup]

giddyup, you need some serious professional assistance.

Lighten up, stone the crows, can't take a bit of leg pullin'. The smiley face might have been a giveaway, but obviously not.

You're as funny as a Islamic terrorist in a cockpit @ 35,000 feet.

Don't give up your day job.

Two words for you neverdie, the second one is off. You are what's known as a serial pest, pity there's no exterminator I can call.

[Konini]

You got the last laugh of course. Not the court payout, but the knowledge that she is so twisted that she must have had a truly miserable life. Never forget that.

And you consider that closing scenario (your last two sentences) to be some twisted form of restituted compensation? Huh? Sigh!

I think I do actually. It's not nice, but I don't pretend to be nice. I try to be a good person, I don't knowingly do anything that will hurt or have a negative impact on anyone, but I have an evil side.

His wife is obviously very unhappy. She can't possibly be of a happy disposition, doing the kinds of things that she has done to him and his parents. And, from my evil side, in my humble opinion someone who does such horrible things is almost 100% guaranteed to be miserable and deservedly so. Karma.

[Konini]

and

Oooh this one could turn in a meandering ramble, but I'm tired so it probably won't

Confessions of a misspent childhood.

1977. About half way through the summer holidays. The Sex Pistols couldn't book a lot of venues because of trouble they always tended to have at their gigs.

A group called the Tax Exiles or S.P.O.T.S., there was some confusion about the name at the venue, were playing at Young Outlook in Doncaster - the naffest disco in the whole world. Word whispered around those in the know, that it was the gig to go to. I was still a couple of months away from turning 14, but lots of black around your eyes as was the fashion back then and green hair and who would have imagined I wasn't 18?. I wasn't even asked. I don't think any of us were. Told mam I was staying at Gina's house, she told her mam she was staying at my house - we had the perfect scam going.

Gina lived over the other end of Doncaster - 2 bus rides, but it was Yorkshire Traction and the fare was 2p each trip - I honestly thought all English councils had 2p for kids and 7p for adults fares for their buses, I was surprised when I found it wasn't the case.

I was 12 and she was 14 when we met. We didn't visit each other's houses often, but when we did there was mililary planning. Dressed immaculately, almost school uniform, never any make up or nail varnish and spotlessly clean. Hair in a tight pony tail

No, I'm sorry, I can't, I have to call you Mrs Blamaires, it wouldn't feel right to call you by your first name.

We'll be passing the market on our way back from the whatever we're going to, would you like us to pick something up for you on the way back?

We're going to the park Mrs Blamires, do you want us to pick up milk or bread on the way back? It's not far out of our way if you need it.

Do you want me to help you to do that Mrs Blamires?

Gina did exactly the same thing to my mam.

"Why can't you be more like Gina?" and vice versa was a very often repeated phrase in our early and mid teens. Gina had younger brothers and sisters, and her mam had managed to get a job working behind the bar at the local pub, so she had a lot of babysitting duties at weekends. "Why are you saying that it's a bad thing that she doesn't ask for babysitting money? She's a lovely girl, they don't have a lot of money and she's just a nice girl You should try to be a bit more like her. I'm sure if I ever asked you to babysit you probably wouldn't do it for less than a fiver." In reality, Gina had one brother and he was older. No idea where her dad worked. Exact same story in reverse was fed to her mam.

Gina didn't have a phone of course, they weren't very well off. We really didn't have a phone, I don't know why. Dad was a miner and mam was a supervising cook on school meals in charge of two kitchens so we weren't poor, we just didn't have one. And Gina did.

We both had jobs working in cafe's 4 or 5 nights a week to fund our weekends. We were very industrious. So as we got older, we would go to Wigan Casino (Northern Soul club for the uninitiated, allnighter which in the early days was 2am to 8am) every Saturday then get the train to Cleethorpes for the all dayer to come down and get ourselves right for school the next day), but it meant whenever I said Gina's mam had to work Friday and Saturday night and she's stuck at home so can I go and stay there for the weekend? I was NEVER refused. My mam would even make or buy a big meat pie and a cake and make up a bag with some bags of crisps and some fruit so I wasn't sponging off a family that didn't have a lot of money every time I went over. Gina's mam would do the same occasionally, but my mam always sent loads of food. So basically, from the age of 13 I had a free pass and enough food for the weekend every weekend, and I would get back home some time on Sunday, occasionally with a little home made thank you gift from Gina's mam. Clever, eh? And we never even came close to being caught.

So back to the story. It was summer holidays, so staying at Gina's house mid week was no problem. Neither of us had actually been to each other's houses for a while because because the new punk look wouldn't have gone down well. The Tax Exiles\SPOTS (Sex Pistols On Tour Sucker) played the worst performance I have ever witnessed. They were actually booed off. By this stage we'd seen bands like The Clash and The Jam and The Stranglers who were pretty talented. The Pistols were the biggest waste of money EVER. Sid was there. He didn't sing My Way. He didn't do anything as far as I can remember. He just stood there mesmerized by something in the air around him. Or not. Didn't make much of an attempt to play the bass.

Two nice memories in one day. That's what a call a good one.

[neverdie]

giddyup, you need some serious professional assistance.

Lighten up, stone the crows, can't take a bit of leg pullin'. The smiley face might have been a giveaway, but obviously not.

You're as funny as a Islamic terrorist in a cockpit @ 35,000 feet.

Don't give up your day job.

Two words for you neverdie, the second one is off. You are what's known as a serial pest, pity there's no exterminator I can call.

You know G'up, when I logged on this morning there was a sudden aweful smell that wafted from my tablet device and upon checking my notification there was the source, you quoting me in this thread.

Surely your definition of 'pest' is skewed, a better definition could be found in your bathroom mirror

Please use the block function and I can assure you numerous others here will return the favour

Have a nice day L.

[TuskegeeBen]

You got the last laugh of course. Not the court payout, but the knowledge that she is so twisted that she must have had a truly miserable life. Never forget that.

And you consider that closing scenario (your last two sentences) to be some twisted form of restituted compensation? Huh? Sigh!

I think I do actually. It's not nice, but I don't pretend to be nice. I try to be a good person, I don't knowingly do anything that will hurt or have a negative impact on anyone, but I have an evil side.

His wife is obviously very unhappy. She can't possibly be of a happy disposition, doing the kinds of things that she has done to him and his parents. And, from my evil side, in my humble opinion someone who does such horrible things is almost 100% guaranteed to be miserable and deservedly so. Karma.

I understand quite well where you're coming from. Been there, done that, w/ the T-shirts to prove it. However, I've also learned that even wishing bad things to happen, even to the worse behaving of people, has a (karmic) boomerang effect of it's own. Good Morning, and Cheers

Edited April 9, 2016 by TuskegeeBen

[kayo]

Comprehensive travel insurance is a no-brainer.

For a couple of hundred dollars I can cover my family worldwide for a month or two.

Some credit cards come with free travel insurance, as long as u book the flight with the credit card. Worth checking out anyway

Yep. And not only medical insurance. One delayed connecting flight or a stolen camera can cost more than the premiums (if you do pay).

Argh..... I just got a shiver down my spine when I read the words, "Credit card"... horrendous scamful things..