I went into the office next door to say goodbye to my colleague. We were off to Turkey the following morning for a week. “Are you fixed up with travel insurance?” he asked. I said that I never bother with it. He put his head in his hands and said, “I will not allow you out of this office until you pick up my phone and order travel insurance!” I stared at him, but did what he said. Then I asked what it was all about. He seemed amazed that I had never heard his story. “My wife and I went on a one week trip to Turkey about 2 years ago. We were part of an organized group. One day we were taken to see some famous waterfall near the city of Antalya. We were all standing at the edge looking down into the gorge when my wife took a step forward so she could see. Next thing her foot slipped and then she went over. I was sure that she had gone forever. The guide called for help and eventually a rescue team arrived and climbed down on ropes, found her and pulled her up. She was alive but had many broken bones. They got her into the ambulance, pushed me in as well and we took off. All the time I sat in the back looking at her hardly breathing and thinking how clever I had been to take out travel insurance. We were in Antalya for about 2 months while she was in hospital. They were scared to try and fly her home. Everything was being paid for by the travel insurance, including part of my enforced stay at a hotel near the hospital. I explored Antalya from one end to the other. Ever day I got on my knees at least once to say thanks for the travel insurance. You know what that small step could have cost me without it? My wife is fine now, she recovered really well, just a few achy joints in the rainy season, you know. Did you remember to pack the sun-block?