I’m currently sat at my desk with my leg propped up on an upturned bin, padded with a cushion purloined from my sofa. Movements are made either by heaving myself around on crutches or leveraging the full capabilities of my swivel chair (i.e. launching myself using my one remaining good leg, wheeling across the floor and ricocheting off various objects/people like a pinball.) A brief encounter with a bullish netball player has left me with a torn ligament and consequently a defunct right knee, which bodes very well for …

Last month I took a trip Italy. I’m not a frequent or organised traveller (I once found my passport in a DVD box), and I found myself buying travel insurance while drying my hair about ten minutes before I left the house. I double checked the value of the cover, but that was it. I didn’t read the Ts and Cs, I just shut down my laptop and rushed to the airport. I was covered and that’s all that mattered, right?

When we buy optional insurance …