Last week we fanfared the May winner of our monthly travel writing competition. (You can catch up here if you missed it.)

As ever, the competition was extremely close and our runner up was Mandy Huggins from Cleckheaton. Mandy’s vivid account of Japanese karaoke was a lovely read. But we’d still rather stay away from the microphone ourselves. We’re not even sure our singing is legal in some countries.

Here’s Mandy’s entry. Take a look! (more…)

It’s easy to be sceptical sometimes.

But at World First Travel Insurance we think it’s essential to provide travel policies that our customers can really count on. If you get in to trouble abroad, we’ll be there. And we offer access to 24/7 emergency assistance and customer care to make sure you get the help you need – wherever you are in the world.

Of course, we wouldn’t expect you to just take our word for it.

Here are some recent examples of how we’ve helped our policyholders when their holidays were struck by the unexpected. Just use the links if you’d like to read more about any of the stories we mention. We want you to be as confident about our policies as we are. (more…)

May was an extra special month in our travel writing competition.

It brought us the last entries we’re judging until My World First returns in the autumn, bigger, better and more brilliant.

• You can read about our big plans for the improved competition here

So what did our plucky entrants entertain us with this month?

Hayley Green from Bournemouth dubbed Spain’s Nerja an ‘Andalusian Brighton’ while tucking in to delicious Mediterranean cuisine, and Jaz Chopra swapped Weston-super-Mare for the unexpected hospitality of Costa Rica’s indigenous tribes during a volunteering trip.

That’s not all. Stacey Pryce from Wrexham conquered first time flight fears by playing scrabble, while Kelly Martin from Gloucester revealed how her life changed forever during a solo travelling trip round Australia. Oh, and our sympathies went out to Hazel Rigazio, whose lost suitcase forced her to spend much of her honeymoon wearing her husband’s Bart Simpson swimming shorts. Aye carumba.

But there could only be one winner. And that was a writer who questioned karmic justice during a visit to Pushkar in India. Congratulations to Bryan Poynton from East Molesey in Sussex.

You can read his Kindle-winning entry below and see what so impressed our judges!

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No one likes to think of the unexpected.

And that’s especially true when you have a holiday to look forward to.

Bad news: as travel insurers we know that sometimes things go wrong on holiday. Good news: spending a few minutes planning at home before you jet off will help make sure you stay safe and enjoy a memorable, hassle-free holiday. Just the way it should be.

Here are some free online resources that will help. (more…)

Well, here we are.

It seems like only yesterday that it was announced that London would be hosting the 2012 Olympic Games. But we are now tantalisingly close to welcoming the world’s greatest sporting event to our back yard.

If you’re travelling to watch the planet’s best athletes at one of the Olympic venues around the country, we’ve got the perfect low-cost policy to protect your travels from unexpected hurdles. Yes, sometimes you do need cover for travelling in the UK too… (more…)

One man dies every hour in the UK from prostate cancer.

It’s a shocking stat, isn’t it? One that highlights the importance of Male Cancer Awareness Month, which is taking place throughout June.

If you’d like to make a difference there are a number of ways you can get involved. In this post, we’ll show you some of them, from parachuting to simply making a small donation. When 43,000 men are diagnosed with a form of male-specific cancer each year in the UK, every penny counts. We’ll also explain how, when it comes to travel insurance, male cancer patients don’t need to break the bank to get specialist cover. (more…)

For lots of travel-lovers, a cruise is the ultimate way to see the world.

So the last thing you want is to become unwell while you’re at sea. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to Mrs Bates from Essex, who encountered heart problems during a world cruise with her partner.

The Bates insured their holiday with World First Travel Insurance. This is an account of how we helped them. (more…)

Just picture it. You’re dressed in your favourite finery, sipping a glass of bubbly after stepping on board a beautiful cruise liner.

Having settled in to your well-appointed suite, you inch out of the harbour and set sail for the epic expanse of the open ocean. You’re on your way to explore some of the world’s most famous destinations. All aboard!

Sound good?

If you’ve ever dreamed of taking a cruise for yourself, you could be in luck. Cruise holidays are making waves and the number of luxury cruises departing from the UK is rising rapidly. More than 660 cruises will set sail from the UK this year, with initial estimates pointing towards a 17% increase on British embarkations compared to last year.

So how about it?
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You might be asking yourself: ‘Why is Diabetes Week important?’

Well, consider these numbers.

In the UK alone, over 3.7 million people are living with diabetes. The condition is on the up in Britain and a further 7 million people are at high risk of developing some form of it. Perhaps even more alarmingly, you could even be in the early stages of diabetes yourself – without even knowing it. Clearly there is a need for increased awareness and increased support. Through Diabetes Week, the charity Diabetes UK offers both.

Here’s a quick intro to what’s happening across the UK for Diabetes Week 2012 and a short explanation of how diabetes affects travel insurance.

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Like lots of people, at World First we can see the benefits of staying in shape.

Unfortunately, we’re a little way off a bunch of fitness freaks who can negotiate a 5k run without so much as breaking a sweat. So we’re slightly dreading the fast-approaching Michelmores Charity Run.

The 5k run takes place on Tuesday 12th June near our office in Exeter. It’s being held to raise money for Families For Children, who find loving families in the south west for children who have experienced loss and upheaval. It’s all the incentive we need to don our lycra, limber up and pant our way through the city.

If you have any spare pennies please visit our Just Giving page to donate and help us raise as much cash as we possibly can. It’s all for a great cause.

• Go there now!