World First Weekly Wander is our super-speedy rundown of the top travel stories that have caught our eye and captured our imagination. Here’s a look at what’s new.

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How’s your summer been so far? A little lacklustre, if ours is anything to go by. It’s not uncommon is it? So how about planning an autumn break to somewhere hot and sunny? How does Southern California sound? It has always been a popular mid-haul destination for good reason: sunshine year round, consistently warm temperatures and some of the most renowned tourist attractions in the world. Southern California rarely disappoints.
Yet despite its popularity, California has a few surprises left for the intrepid tourist. There are still a few exciting destinations that have managed to remain just under the radar. The aerial tramway at Mount San Jacinto is one of them. Cai Waggett, a regular visitor to the Golden State, spills the beans…

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World First Weekly Wander is our brand new breakdown of the travel blog posts that have caught our eye over the past week. As always, it’s been a busy week in travel cyberspace and there are several posts we’d like to share with you.

Here’s your quick digest of what’s new.

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We have heard today that air traffic controllers are expected to be among 750,000 workers who will join a day of mass strikes that are planned by trade unions for the 30^th June. If this happens then the travel industry will face more delays, cancellations and travel misery. Oh dear.

If you are due to be travelling on the 30^th June or shortly after then it should be noted that you will be covered for Travel Delay, Abandonment and Missed Departure on your World First Travel Insurance policy as long as you took out your policy before 16^th June (today) at 0800 GMT.

Unfortunately anyone who took out a policy after this cut off time will not be covered. However, as usual, your airline should be responsible for offering you alternate flights or compensation for additional accommodation.

We will update this story as and when we hear more.

Dreaming of Eastern promise but don’t want to fly? There’s another option: travel by train. But how do you organise it? How much does it cost? And why is it so brilliant for those with a sense of adventure?

It might not be conventional. But you can actually travel all the way to the Far East by rail, journeying across Asia via the Gobi desert and Beijing. It’s a fantastic way to see the world. Whether your destination is Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore or Bangkok, it’s possible to travel across vast distances in complete comfort. And it needn’t break the bank.

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World First Weekly Wander is our brand new breakdown of the travel blogs that have caught our eye over the past week. We monitor dozens of travel blogs so we can stay on top of all the best new content. It’s a super-easy, super-speedy way to stay in touch with the best travel tips and holiday hints.

Here’s the buzz in travel cyberspace this week.

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Crohn’s disease is relatively rare. There are currently around 90,000 people in the UK living with the condition and it is estimated that for every 100,000 people, there will be seven new diagnoses each year. But what is Crohn’s disease? How can it affect your holiday plans? And why do Crohn’s patients get a fairer deal with us?

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With over five million Brits now living abroad, more and more of us are taking the opportunity to use our holiday allowance to visit friends and family in foreign climes. And why not? For one, it’s a great way to cut the costs of your holiday.

But worrying new research published by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) shows that young people are more likely to buy a present for their host than take out travel insurance. In fact, a third of all travellers did not take out a policy last time they visited friends or family abroad, 77% stating that saving money was a key factor in the decision. It’s ironic, then, that not taking out a comprehensive travel insurance policy could have been one of the most expensive travel mistakes they ever made.

Travellers without insurance could find themselves in serious financial difficulty if they need medical treatment or lose valuable possessions. For example, if you need treatment for a broken arm in Spain you could find yourself up to £5,000 out of pocket. Ouch. Heart attack in the US? That’ll be £40,000. Clearly we never think the unexpected will happen to us. Especially on holiday. But is it really worth the risk? Comprehensive travel cover from World First begins from as little as £7.

If you’re travelling in Europe, you should also get a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). It’s free. And it entitles you to free or reduced-cost emergency care. You can get yours at www.ehic.org.uk.

But, say the FCO, travel insurance is still essential.  Despite the belief that they don’t have to prepare for a holiday when visiting friends and family, 39% of British nationals have ended up relying on their host when things have gone wrong during their trip. British expats hosting visitors have to deal with a range of problems, from taking their guests to hospital when they fall ill to providing financial help to pay for it.

And that’s one gift they could probably do without.

For more information, watch the video below. You can get a quick quote for comprehensive, cost-effective travel insurance from www.world-first.co.uk. Quotes start from as little as £7.

Video: Visiting friends and family overseas: Know Before You Go

The internet is bursting with information for travel fans. But with so many new travel tips and holiday hints published by the minute, how do you keep up? Our new blog series will help. It’s called World First Weekly Wander and it’s a super-easy, super-speedy way to stay informed.

Sound good?

Each week we’ll give you a quick summary of the rumblings in travel cyberspace. All you need to do is scan our weekly post, read the synopses of the ten best articles we’ve found, and pick which you want to read. Simple. We stay on top of all the blogs that matter as well as many others that are more under-the-radar. The result is a weekly collection of the most helpful, informative and entertaining travel stories out there. Perfect.

Right, that’s the introduction over with. Here’s what’s been hot in the travel blogosphere over the last seven days.

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If you recieved your World First newsletter recently then you’ll realise that the hot holiday happening this year is the trend of taking absolutely everything with you on your travels (if you haven’t you can sign up here). By everything we don’t mean the kitchen sink we mean Granny and Grandad! Taking a holiday with the whole family in tow is now called called ‘Greycationing’. It’s not a new idea but has now got a shiny new name.

So. What are the advantages over your common or garden family hols? Firstly, it can help to spread the cost of the holiday accommodation by booking somewhere that’s bigger and offers better value. Secondly, Mum and Dad get to have a little time to themselves and thirdly, the kids get to see Granny and Grandad. Oh yes, and Granny and Grandad get to have precious time with the whole family. Everyone is a winner. Except Mum and Dad slightly more so perhaps.

The family behind World First travel Insurance took themselves off on a greycation recently. Here’s Tristan Rothwell’s first hand account of the joys and, er, joys, of the extended family holiday.

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