My husband and I have very different views regarding insurance. This may be because I’m Financial Advisor and I believe that everything should be properly protected and he is of the view that everything will always be all right and insurance is an unnecessary expense.
We recently had a trip to Spain in our classic BMW 840 as we had been invited by the Spanish BMW 8 series register to join them in celebrating the marque’s 30th anniversary. We were to be based in Santander and we had planned to go via the tunnel to Calais and drive down to Spain. I love France, so this was a great idea.
As our 8 is 25 years of age, it is not covered by our standard roadside recovery policy. When I mentioned this, my husband Karl said “Well?” “No, not ‘well’” I replied. “Suppose we break down in the middle of nowhere?” “That’s not going to happen,” he said, “and we can always sort it out if it does.”
To cut a long story short, I explained that I wouldn’t be going without roadside recovery – let’s face it – we both had travel insurance for possessions and our health, and the only thing that wasn’t covered by additional insurance was the car. Karl is a great researcher and told me that the RAC offered the best policy for our needs and to humour me he would take out the top of the range one.
So… off we went.
We stayed in some lovely places on the way through France, eventually reaching our destination in Santander where we met up with the only other British car that was attending the event, and all the Spanish ones.
We had a wonderful time driving in convoy through the Picos mountains, on roads we would never have found without the help of our Spanish friends. We visited a museum (again that we would never have found on our own) which housed the largest collection of Rolls Royces anywhere and generally had a fabulous time.
All too soon the get-together and the driving adventure were over. We took leave of our new Spanish friends and we started our leisurely drive back home.
Everything was going swimmingly until Karl noticed that the water gauge had gone marginally higher than usual on a very short drive from the restaurant where we had had dinner to our b and b. When he checked the water level the next morning, he had to add several litres. The water pump had cracked. A very minor thing, but it rendered the car unable to be driven. Being a classic, getting a replacement part was not going to be a simple, five minute job.
Thank goodness for our RAC cover. They couldn’t have been more helpful. Our stricken car was uplifted and taken to a local garage, we were taxied to a hire car company and were able to continue our journey to our last stop in Honfleur. For the record, our first taxi fare cost more than the insurance premium.
We were also given choices as to whether we wished to have the car repaired in France, or repatriated without being repaired. We chose the latter option, and sure enough, two weeks later our lovely car was returned to our door on a transporter.
All this for the cost of an insurance premium. Think about it…
When you decide against insuring against critical illness, or protecting your income, because everything will be all right, and nothing ever happens to you, just remember my broken water pump in the middle of the Loire Valley on a Bank Holiday Thursday. Don’t the French just love their Bank Holidays?
Until next time…
PS If you would like any help in protecting you and your family against unforeseen illness, do please get in touch with me.
