Not without my luggage

AS far as gambles go, insurance is an each-way bet. If you don't have it, you're gambling that nothing bad will befall you.

safari

AS far as gambles go, insurance is an each-way bet. If you don't have it, you're gambling that nothing bad will befall you.

If you do, you're anticipating that something bad will happen and you're just taking the necessary precautions. Despite doing a lot of travel in this job, for reasons I can't really explain, I have never bothered with travel insurance. I always knew I should have it and I'd heard horror stories from friends and colleagues about misadventures on their travels, but I never did anything about it. This is not to say that I take a she'll-be-right approach to my travels. I worry about what might go wrong as much as the next person. I just foolishly never prepared for the inevitability of it.

But I made a resolution at the beginning of the year to buy a 12-month travel insurance policy and I actually went through with it; peace of mind was instantly mine. It might seem a boring subject to write about for our annual travel issue-no one really wants to think about the negative aspects of travel when they are planning their holidays - but if there is one thing I really want to recommend in this issue, which includes our annual Travel Top 50 list, it's this: get some travel insurance.

My policy cost me just $350 for 12 months and it has already paid for itself. On a recent flight to Europe, my bag decided to take a short side trip to a destination unknown. That means I was stuck with nothing but the clothes I'd been wearing for the past 24 hours and with meetings to attend.

I rushed out to buy some clothes to get me through the next few days and to my surprise my insurance policy covered me for up to $500 a day for clothing as a result of delayed luggage. What a marvellous thing this insurance caper is. On closer inspection of my policy

I learnt that if my bag went missing for good, I could claim up to $15,000! And this news had me planning a whole new wardrobe and secretly hoping that I never saw that suitcase again (it turned up 48 hours later). The point is: don't leave home without it. Fortunately, I learned this lesson the easy way.

My complacency probably stemmed from the fact that I always seemed to be travelling to cities that seemed familiar, and that left me unworried about what might happen. For this issue, however, we travelled to somewhere very foreign to me - South Africa. We took all the necessary precautions, which included six injections courtesy of my GP (I avoid vaccinations with the same zeal as insurance) and various other medications. Luckily, we didn't need any of these, but the process of getting the vaccinations and medical supplies for a trip is a reminder that it's a real adventure.

The experience of going on safari in Kruger National Park has left me with a strong desire to return, and on behalf of the WISH team I'd like to take this opportunity to thank South African Tourism for suggesting the idea to us in the first place and for making it all happen so smoothly. The fashion shoot we produced in South Africa starts on page 64 and our list of what to do when you're there starts on page 56.

We welcome your feedback at our Facebook page. If you have suggestions and recommendations you'd like to see make our Travel Top 50 next year, we welcome your contributions.

WISH magazine is free with metro editions of The Australian on August 2.