March brought another exciting instalment of our monthly travel writing competition, My World First. Anna Mochnacka from Barcelona made us hope we never have to visit the Doctor in Laos. Barnaby Davies got more than he bargained for when he visited an Austrian salt mine. And Beverley Keenan from Blackpool reminded us of the frustrations of lost baggage.

That’s not all. In what will no doubt surprise plenty of male readers, 1,000 camels weren’t enough to lure Charmaine Brown’s husband into selling his other half during the Essex couple’s holiday in Morocco. Eleanor Bransden from Littlehampton added to her self-proclaimed ‘extensive’ repertoire of embarrassing gaffes while travelling in Greece. And we were as perplexed as Bryan Poynton from Surrey when we read about his Nepalese meal of apple pie…and chips

While Jonathan Wallen from Newport pushed his stamina to the limit 2,000 ft above sea level in Southern Peru, Kate Daniel found her paradise when she swapped Grimsby for the Maldives. And last month’s winner, Mandy Huggins, had a close encounter with a deadly snake in The Gambia.

We’d like to say a big, big thank you to everyone who entered. But there could only be one winner. The judges’ decisions are in. March’s winner was a writer who had a very memorable train journey through Russia. And that’s putting it lightly. Congratulations to Paul Bingley from Suffolk. Here’s his Kindle-winning entry…

You might want to cross your legs.

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Ready for a shocking statistic? 75% of people around the world living with a bleeding disorder do not receive the treatment they need. That’s just one of the messages that the World Federation of Haemophilia is hoping to share on World Haemophilia Day. April 17th will see events take place across the globe to raise awareness of haemophilia and other bleeding conditions. And while medical standards are very good here in the UK, general awareness of the condition is patchy. Perhaps that’s why it remains difficult for haemophiliacs to get good, affordable travel insurance. World First can help.

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Following last week’s post on Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, the campaign’s creators, Bowel Cancer UK, write a guest post about the signs and symptoms of the condition and tell us why the campaign is so important.

Bowel Cancer UK is encouraging men and women to be aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease this Bowel Cancer Awareness Month – April 2012.

Bowel cancer (also known as colorectal or colon cancer) is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK, affecting both men and women. Every year over 40,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer and more than 16,000 people die of the disease. But this doesn’t have to be the case. Bowel cancer is very treatable, especially if it’s caught early. That’s why awareness of the symptoms is so important. (more…)

Off on your travels this Easter? Great! Here are a few things you should make sure are ticked off your holiday checklist before you get cracking…

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