Monkey business: Why you need to be wary of simians when travelling

Monkeys can be a menace. Cute but dangerous. 

I've seen an unsuspecting shopper robbed of their groceries by an agile simian in South Africa, and an idiot bitten by a monkey in Bali. 

The closer humans come to their natural habitat the bolder monkeys become. 

Now a leading travel insurance company has issued a waning for holidaymakers; use caution or you may end up with a massive medical bill. 

Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) has just completed its 2025 round-up of travel insurance claims and reported that the number of travel insurance claims resulting from monkey-related incidents has surged by 350% in the past two years. 

While 78% of these claims were medical claims relating to bites or scratches from monkeys there were also several cases of theft-by-monkey.

In one case a traveller reported a gang of monkeys breaking into their villa in Bali and stealing a mobile phone - that one sounds dubious to me as monkeys prefer food to digital devices.

Others have had sunglasses and prescription lenses snatched straight off their faces - monkeys love shiny things. In another case, a child visiting Ubud Monkey Forest was hit in the eye by a monkey and required two rabies shots and a course of antiviral medications to combat potential rabies exposure.

Jess Strange, Chief Customer Officer at SCTI says: “Many people don't realise how quickly costs can add up when you fall ill or get injured overseas. Insurance isn't just about covering bills - it's about making sure you get the right care and support when you need it most.

“In some situations, getting home safely isn't as simple as booking a standard flight. 

“Customers may need to travel with a medical team, which often means an air ambulance or chartered flight - costs that can quickly climb into six figures. Even something as simple as upgrading a stricken traveller to premium economy or business class can add thousands of dollars to the bill."

It is pretty simple really. If you can't afford to take out travel insurance don't travel. Or be prepared to launch one of those annoying Go Fund Me pages to cover your stupidity. 

SCTI provides International Comprehensive and International Medical Only travel insurance policies for those travelling overseas. A Working Overseas policy is also available. Visit the website for more information: www.scti.com.au

Hotel housekeeper makes off with big haul

When you stay at a luxury hotel - paying big money for the privilege - you expect hotel management to have vetted the staff.

Not so in one unnamed hotel at Knightsbridge in London.

A hotel housekeeper has been accused of stealing a suitcase of jewellery worth £350,000 ($668,000_ - and she has apparently gone on the run to her home country of Romania.

British media reports that detectives are searching for Marinela Manolesu, 28, who was working in an unnamed hotel in the upmarket area when the jewellery was allegedly taken on October 8.

More than 20 items including necklaces, bracelets and watches were stolen.

The Metropolitan Police said the woman fled the UK around a week later and travelled to Romania, and that officers have contacted the authorities there.

The housekeeper had reportedly only been working at the hotel for a short time before the theft.

But I must say that if I had over a half a million dollars worth of gear in my luggage, then I would not leave it in my hotel room for the staff to half inch.

That, surely, is what safes are for.

Hotel with "secret" doors the site of mystery thefts

Imagine having several thousand dollars stolen from your hotel room.

Then discovering that your hotel has secret doors disguised as mirrors that allow direct access into hotel rooms.

Imagine the hotel owner coming up with a totally weird excuse for the secret doors.

And then discovering that the local police have made "no progress" three months after the theft.

The excuse from the un-named hotel owners is wonderfully Thai, too, especially with the doors being locked on the outside.

His version was that the secret doors enabled "mistresses" to escape. Which would not be possible with the doors shut from the outside.

This is a story from Kanchanburi in central Thailand (pictured above) - two hours from Bangkok - and the media is too scared to name the hotel involved.

Which means that all the hotels in the Kanchanaburi region - where the Khwae Noi and Khwae Yai rivers meet and form the Mae Klong River - are under suspicion.

Stranger and stranger.

The victims were two families who checked in and stayed at the hotel on April 26 of this year.

They filed a complaint with the officers at the Meaung Kanchanaburi Police Staion but there was zero progress, so they shared their story with the Thai media with the English language paper The Thaiger splashing the report.

Now, unfortunately for the Thai tourism industry, the story has gone global.

The victims helped each other in checking inside their rooms, doors, and windows until they discovered the secret doors hidden behind mirrors.

The hotel owner has argued that the victims could not prove the existence of their assets and he could not be responsible for their losses if they left their belongings in their rooms.

Our Thai correspondent reports that the hotel isn't named because a Thai business can sue for damages their business. So beware of leaving anything of value in a Thai hotel room - and don't expect much help if valuables do go missing.

That gold must be somewhere: massive heist at Toronto airport

Toronto's Lester Pearson Airport was a complete shambles when I was unfortunate enough to use it last year.

So it comes as no surprise to hear that millions of dollars worth of gold and other-high value goods went missing at the airport - and no one has a clue how it happened.

Canadian police are investigating the theft of at least $20 million in gold from a container that was being shipped through the airport, Travel Mole reports.

The entire container apparently disappeared without anyone noticing.

“Our investigators have got their eyes opened to all avenues - we’re looking at all angles on how this item was stolen,” said Peel Regional Police Inspector Stephen Duivesteyn.

“What I can say is that the container had a high-value shipment. It did contain gold but was not exclusive to gold and contained other items of monetary value.”

Local media reported that more than 1,600kg of gold was in the container.

Police said there was no impact to normal airport and passenger operations.

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority said the thieves accessed the cargo holding area via an adjacent company which has its entrance outside secure areas of the airport.

No arrests have been made yet.