Speaking up for today's mum - Jane Cartledge

'WHAT IF it's always you?' You've probably seen the insurance advert on the telly and if, like me, you attract disaster then you've probably stopped to ponder.

I've caught this advert a few times in the past fortnight and I've never seen the end of it. Usually because I've been recalling all the instances when it has been 'me', when things have gone wrong and my life has been filled with more drama than Albert Square.

Yes it's always me, I've concluded. Which makes me wonder why insurance firms want to take a risk.

Take this weekend for instance.

I'd been away to Switzerland for a few days but fell ill with bronchitis.

I struggled through four days of lakes and mountains dreaming not of chocolate and cheese but of cough sweets and Covonia.

Flying inevitably brings its own delays and annoyances but travelling home with a tired three year old after three sleepless nights in a rough hotel certainly adds to the stress.

When we finally touched down in Manchester after a mammoth journey I thought I was on the home run.

But then 'What if it's always you?' popped into my head. Last time I'd flown to Manchester I'd been diverted via Exeter after the air stewardess keeled over during the safety demo.

The time before I'd hobbled through security with nothing to declare apart from a neatly stitched three inch gash on my knee after falling on the ski slope.

Fortunately it was nothing a handsome Italian surgeon couldn't fix but there does seem to be a pattern of mishap and misfortune whenever I leave South Yorkshire.

So forgive me for feeling negative, or at least a little apprehensive, as I sullenly and splutteringly waited for our luggage.

Perhaps I knew our suitcase wouldn't arrive. The empty carousel creaked to a halt and our clothes, my make up and the little one's cherished travelling companions were gone.

As a mum my first thought should have been for her cuddly Pooh Bear, her new shoes and all the other essential elements of our life which were lost in transit.

But I confess my first thoughts were for my hair straighteners and make up. Give me sleek hair and lipstick and I can deal with anything life throws at me.

I've always thought twice about taking out travel insurance and there have been times when I've dispensed with it all together.

It's not difficult to get into a mess while abroad and if drama is your middle name then it really should be the first thing on your holiday list.

Thankfully this time I was insured. A staggering 20 million bags are lost by airlines each year and as our skies get more crowded that number is set to increase.

That's an awful lot of straighteners, make up bags and cuddly toys. That's also an awful lot of dirty washing stuffed into cases the world over.

I won't be travelling anywhere without travel insurance again. Maybe I should try and watch that telly advert to the end and note the number.

It sounds like it was tailor made for drama queens like me.