Insurance Makes the Unlikely More Likely

I'm not a fan of insurance; it seems like a huge waste of money. Ever since I had my $200 Schwinn Le Tour bike stolen when I was 13 and got only 60 bucks from State Farm for it, I've held insurance companies in a special dark place in my heart.

However, I still drink the Kool-Aid. For a trip like this, which will probably end up costing around $6-7K, insurance sounds like the right thing to do. Anything can happen between now and January 14, not the least of which are the Tanzanian elections later this year.

So this is the insurance plan I just purchased for $201 today: the Access America Classic Comprehensive (TB05)!
Baggage Coverage $1,000.00
Baggage Delay Coverage $200.00
24-Hour Hotline Assistance
Missed Connection Coverage $500.00
Emergency Medical Transportation $500,000.00
Emergency Medical and Dental Benefit $25,000.00
Trip Cancellation Protection $5,000.00
Travel/Trip Delay Coverage $500.00
Trip Interruption Protection $7,500.00

That all sounds good to me, I guess. I won't spare you the details of the policy, but I've just discovered that I wouldn't be covered if there is domestic civil unrest in Tanzania and our trip is cancelled as a result -- unless that unrest was somehow initiated by, say, al-Qaida. If that happens, well, I might just take the financial hit and be OK with it.