Wednesday, January 02, 2008

On the move - overcoming inertia

Getting myself organised to travel I something I don't enjoy, and tend to leave until the last minute, unlike Clare who gets the suitcase out and debates with herself what she's going to take several days beforehand. I have to be under pressure of departure to get my act together. It was a bit of a shock to be refused travel insurance because of being on blood pressure pills. It's the sort of thing that doesn't cross your mind, until it happens to you or someone close to you. Millions are kept stable and relatively active by standard medication régimes, but pay more to be insured. There's no discount.

I rang Medicover and got the most daunting and long recorded message that I ended up ringing off frustrated before the 'Press button number ...' part of the routine started. Their website was far better. Again lots of words to read, but a tightly structured unambiguous interrogation process which delivered me the necessary travel insurance certificates in under ten minutes. The Medicover website delivers its services as efficiently as the EasyJet site does, but without the special promotions and nags. Fortunately, I booked my flight early enough to benefit from low priced fares. The travel insurance at £3.70 a day for two weeks cost a pound less than the flight!

I have to be philosophical about the added expense. Last year I booked the flight a little later and paid double this year's price for the privilege. That cost was still a third of the £300 I paid on my first trip to Geneva in 1992, in the world just before EasyJet and the Internet. So many economic and social changes over the past fifteen years. It's amazing to look back, but even more amazing to look forward, as technological and medical achievements forge ahead.

Must go and get some curre
ncy now, but for how long will this be necessary? I wonder.

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