Travel Insurance For the past few years, whenever I travel, I buy travel insurance. Why? So, I'll be covered if I loose my bags, trip and break an ankle, get stuck somewhere and miss a flight, or maybe do all of those things at once.  Here's an article on travel insurance by Rick Steves. Here's an article with a more technical overview of travel insurance from the Travel Insider. I've been using Travel Guard for the last few years. They even sent me a cool night-light pen! I go to the website and call their number on the phone. 1.800.826.4919. Then I talk to and agent and I can read about policies at the same time. You can buy a basic plan and add to it later. Ask them to mail stickers to you so you can put them on your bags and camera and in your wallet. Or you can print the stickers yourself. Happily I've never needed their help. But it has added to my peace of mind while I travel. Safety I've been traveling to Italy since 1983, and I've never been robbed. There was time I gave the cab driver a 50,000 lire bill and I thought it was a 500. My mistake. However, as a traveler you are a bit vulnerable, since, no matter what you do you look like a traveler, and at times you will be a little disoriented. Rick Steves has a great page full of tips, including pages on security. Here's the link. So when you're in the city, or an airport, or any crowded place, pull out your big-city smarts and be aware. Elba is a very safe place. Residents will even leave their keys in their front doors. When I asked Gau about this he said, "It's a small island. Thieves have nowhere to go." |