We’ve learnt something over the last six months.

Our customers and readers have had some extremely diverse travel experiences. And they’re pretty fantastic at sharing them in writing too.

How do we know? Well, at the tail end of 2011, we launched a travel writing competition named My World First. We called on our customers, followers and everyone else to share their first time travel experiences with us. (The clue is in the name of the competition!) Each month, the writer who most impressed our judges won themselves a Kindle. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?

We had no idea how successful it would be. That’s why we need to make a few changes.

Allow us to explain…

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Lots of people love the monarchy. Others have far less zeal.

Fan or otherwise, it’s hard not to get excited about the fact that The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee means we have a four day weekend coming our way. For many, it’s the perfect excuse to enjoy a short break away from home. And why not? If you’ve got travel plans then we can give you a cost-effective policy to protect your getaway, whether you’re going abroad or exploring the UK.

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Daniel O’Donnell? When we took the decision to start a monthly travel writing competition at the end of last year, we had no idea we’d be reading about him as we sifted through future entries.

Then again, we didn’t anticipate a lot of things. Like how good some of the writing would be. Or how spectacularly diverse people’s travel adventures are. Once again, the most recent entries did not disappoint.

So while Corinne Faulkner from Northants was getting carried away with her Danny Boy, Amanda Goldston from Staffordshire brought us to the edge of our seats with her recollection of a perilous cliff-top tantrum as a toddler. Denise Jones from Southport made us long for a visit to Holywell Bay, Rochdale’s Jennifer Guertin regretted dressing up as a geisha and Rhian Beth Taylor from Wrexham got more than she bargained for when she swam with dolphins…and lost her bikini bottoms. Crikey.

But there could only be one winner. And that was Richard Lakin from Stafford, whose tale had our judges rooting for him and his pool-based escapades.

Here’s the Kindle-winning entry, in all its glory.

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Whatever your reason for travelling abroad, you’re sure to want a trouble free trip. Many of the things that go wrong for travellers can be prevented or made less stressful by taking a few simple precautions, such as those recommended by the FCO.

Here’s why you really should know about the FCO before you next go on holiday.

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It’s National Epilepsy Week. In this guest post, Angie King from Epilepsy Society offers some essential tips on travelling with the condition.

Planning and preparation are the cornerstones of every successful holiday, and even more so when epilepsy is part of the equation.

Travelling with epilepsy is not necessarily a problem but it is a consideration, undoubtedly posing its own set of questions. So let’s answer some of them.

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Euro 2012 is just around the corner. If you’re heading out to cheer on the Three Lions, there are three things you need to do before you leave:

1) Read the FCO’s Euro 2012 travel advice.

2) Take out good travel insurance.

3) Hope that Andy Carroll has found some sort of form in his England shirt by the time we (inevitably) meet Spain in the Quarter Finals.

This article will help you net two of those goals.

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Find a great seniors policy with World First

There’s no denying it, travel insurance is a holiday essential.

But when you’re planning a trip away, shopping around to find the very best policy is rarely top of to-do list. For one thing, it can take up lots of valuable time. So does that mean you should settle for the first policy you see and hope it will be enough to keep you safe and secure?

Of course not.

That’s why we’ve spruced up the seniors section of our website to make it easy to see what your policy includes when you travel with World First. And, on top of that, we’ve created a helpful guide that shows you exactly what to look for next time you’re choosing a travel insurance policy.

So you won’t have to spend hours shopping around.

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In this guest post, Dilys Morgan, founder of GrandparentsNow.com, shares a few holiday tips for those travelling with three generations of family.

We all look forward to the summer holidays – and it’s becoming increasingly common for three generations to holiday together, often with grandparents footing the bill and hiring a villa, or holiday home for the duration.

Holidays like this can work out brilliantly:  the parents have a chance for some respite from their children while grandparents step up to the plate and entertain them.  Grandparents get a lot of good quality time with their beloved grandchildren.  And the children get spoiled!

But we all know that living at close quarters isn’t always easy – and it can be hard for both grandparents and parents to adjust to sharing the same space, working out how to divide the labour, ensuring that no one feels either put-upon or left out.  So here are some of our top tips – gleaned from our own experience and those of people we’ve met and talked to through GrandparentsNow.com.

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World First Managing Partner, Martin Rothwell, has been voted one of the top business people in the south west.

Each year, Insider Media publish their snappily titled 42 under 42, where they identify 42 of the south west’s finest entrepreneurs and business leaders under the age of – you guessed it – 42, based on nominations from senior industrialists and professionals. It’s a great achievement.

“It’s a great honour to be selected,” reflected Martin. “But it’s not just about me, it’s also down to the support I get from the entire team at World First – particularly the Customer Service team, who are on the frontline handling calls every day and giving our customers the very best experience possible.”

Martin was singled-out for his twenty years of experience in the travel insurance industry and for the hands-on role he takes with the business. The breadth of cover provided by World First was recognised too, along with the fact that we are one of the few travel insurers to offer comprehensive policies to travel-lovers with medical conditions, right up to the age of 100.

Nice to know you’re in safe hands, isn’t it?

Be part of our success story and visit www.world-first.co.uk for your travel insurance.

UK border staff are due to strike this Thursday (10th May). Find out what your rights are if the disruption affects your travel plans as well as what World First customers are covered for by their travel insurance.  

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