The new World First web site is to be launched this weekend. It marks the completion of first stage of a new era for us with a new emphasis on building our reputation across the Internet with a variety of social media outlets, this blog being one of the main ones.

Insurance doesn’t have a very good reputation. Insurers are only about one rung up on the interesting chain from accountants. But there’s more to us than you might think. Travel insurance is part of the travel industry. That’s already more interesting isn’t it? So we’re going to be talking about the travel industry, not just insurance. (more…)

It’s official: 60 is the new 40, 70 is the new 50 and – well you get the picture.  If the silver surfer phenomenon continues, we will all be travelling well into our 90^th year, as long as we can afford it that is.

The opportunities for travel post retirement are so much greater these days, whether it is a short hop for a city break or an extended visit to friends and family on the other side of the world.  Most of us have so much more time to live out our travelling dreams later in our lives.

No kids (unless you are staying with them!), no job to return to, no limits on what we can do. Right? Well, at World First Travel Insurance that’s what we believe. (more…)

Many of you have already booked or will be booking beach holidays for the summer. For the vast majority, everything will fine and you’ll come back relaxed and ready to go. We’ve all seen the seaside rescue programmes on TV though and they act as a reminder that the beach and the sea do present some dangers. Here’s a guide how to how to stay safe. Most of it is common sense, but these things need to be said.

Avoid sunburn

No amount of information about the dangers of over-exposure to the sun seems to prevent us from flocking to the beach to fry all day long and come away looking like a ripe lobster (I know, lobsters can’t be ripe, but you get the image). Sitting on the beach all day is fine, but protect yourself from UVA and UVB rays with factor 20+ water-proof sunblock. Avoid the sun at the warmest times of the day between 11 and 3. Believe me, even at 4 in the afternoon, a beach on the Mediterranean can be a pretty warm place. And don’t forget your hat (do I sound like your mother? Unfortunately she was right). (more…)

That’s a bit of a mouthful isn’t it? E111 forms were obtained from the Post Office, you got them to cover medical expenses when you went to Europe. Or so you thought anyway. I can only ever remember getting one for school trips like when my daughter went to Italy. But let’s face it, they were an inconvenience and even though everyone knew about them, nobody bothered to get them.

Well now, they are no more, they’ve been replaced by the European Health Insurance Card. This entitles you to medical treatment at reduced cost or sometimes free when you visit a European Union (EU) country* or Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland temporarily. In practical terms, you get the same public health service treatment as locals would get. And there’s the rub. Not all public health coverage is the same and just because it says Health Insurance doesn’t make it the same as a Health Insurance policy you’d buy from an insurer. (more…)

Because if you get a problem, the Embassy or Consulate or whatever it’s called will be around to help you. Won’t they?

Well, they won’t. There is a limited amount of things the Foreign Office can do for you, but getting you home isn’t one of them. Our friend Danny went away recently. It has to be said that he was particularly unlucky, but any one of the things that happened to him could happen to you. Have a look at this video to see what happened.

Then again, whilst you might not get into trouble, there’s all kinds of things that could go wrong

Travelling off-piste is very much in vogue these days. You can do some pretty extreme things in the pursuit of pleasure like flying a MiG jet over Moscow, swimming with sharks or going to the edge of space where the sky above you is black and below you is blue.

You don’t have to go that far though, thrills are still to be found on mountain sides, down fast torrents, on the snow of in the sea. And then there’s all the more exotic places you can go without placing yourself in sporting danger. A recent survey by ABTA has highlighted a trend towards visiting former war zones. (more…)

In an occasional series of interviews, we’ll be asking members of the World First team and beyond, a number of questions about their travel experiences. Today, it’s the turn of the Editor (well, we’ve got to start somewhere!).

First holiday memory

My father worked for British Railways (as it still was at the time) so from the early 1960s, the cheap travel gave us the opportunity to go to a relatively under-developed part of Spain where I first experienced a sunny beach. (more…)

Every year, the European Union designates a European City of Culture (well, recently it’s been two, and this year it’s even three). It’s an opportunity for that city to showcase its cultural life and transform the way they are perceived internationally.

Previously, candidates were selected simply on the basis of their cultural history, scheduled events and the ability to provide infrastructural and financial support. Increasingly, the social and economic benefits of the award are being recognised and the potential for cultural development is now a criterion for selection. (more…)