Travel Insurance

I took a tour of Morocco with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) in April ’08. It had many excellent features, including a special guide. During the post-trip extension to Marrakech, two days before we were to leave, I fell while climbing to see a waterfall. (In the future, I probably should eliminate any tours with the word “adventure” in the title.)

Through my travel agent, I had purchased travel insurance with Mercury Claims & Assistance of Wisconsin, LLC. At the time, the deadline had passed by which I could purchase travel insurance through OAT.

I booked a week-long horseback safari in Botswana from Equitours (Dubois, WY; 800/545-0019 or 307/455-3363, www.equitours.com) for Aug. 5-12, 2007. The land price was $2,450, and I used air mileage to upgrade a $2,000 round-trip coach fare to business class on Delta (Lexington, Kentucky, to Johannesburg, South Africa, via Atlanta, Georgia, and Dakar, Senegal).

After 50 years of traveling, my wife, Alma, and I, both 82, had our first experience with the need for medical insurance on April 17, 2008.

Four of us were scheduled to depart Sydney, Australia, March 9, 2008, on a month-long cruise. However, on Jan. 9 one member of our party suddenly died.

During our “Discover Thailand” tour (including pre-trip to Cambodia) with Overseas Adventure Travel (Cambridge, MA: 800/221-0814, www.oattravel.com), Jan. 14-Feb. 2, 2008, I slipped and fractured my ankle within 24 hours of our arrival in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Some situations take longer to conclude than others, as in this next letter. — Editor

I rented a car in Australia, Oct. 17-29, 2007, where I had a minor accident. The car was parked legally and I wasn’t in it when it was sideswiped.

We took our second Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) trip, “Real Affordable Costa Rica,” Oct. 12-24, 2006. Those interested in traveling to Costa Rica or Peru for the first time may find these trips both informative and well paced, even with the obligatory “gold factory” visit which allows travelers about two hours to purchase goods one can get at any shop in the country.

Regarding travel insurance, all travel is a risk, but so is staying home, catching up on that “to do” list.