you are all right except for the fact that I live in Italy and things work in a very different manner here.
you all have surely read or seen what's going on here, economically and politically, so I'm quite sure I won't find any insurance company that is going to cover my risks on an international trip.
I'll check out, but my main concern is that I won't be paid if I get stolen something even if I've get a policy. Sadly we're all seeing everyday news about insurance companies not paying their clients...
You have no idea how Third World Europe is in some respects until you live here.
When I lived in Britain I could get pro insurance that would cover all my equipment, film, processing, bad weather,
reshoots!, the lot. We never flew off anywhere on assignment without taking out specific policies. And no, it wasn’t too expensive to add to any calendar or fashion shoot.
Here, in Spain, I can get cover for as long as the equipment is at home, and as long as it’s in a safe! I can’t get cover for watches or anything else valuable if I am mugged in the street.
In other words: we cover you where there’s absolutely no chance of any risk but if you want cover in a situation where you may need it, you are joking, señor, aren’t you?
Since retiring, I found the only solution that I could come up with was to use one of those Video Security devices. It looks like a video cassette and has a trembler mechanism inside, which once you lock the thing, will explode into piercing shrieks of alarm if moved. I put that on top of the camera case with a sticker telling exactly what the device is. So far, so good.
Attempting to hide a camera case in a room where the staff has an intimate knowledge of every tiny corner is futile.
I did utilise the hotel safe box system in Singapore, but it was the only such place I found where the box was both big enough to accept a camera case and where I felt at ease using the service.
Rob C
