“See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”

It’s a famous proverb with many meanings attached to it – mostly concerned with people’s refusal to accept problems.

However, the ancient proverb is now being used to help spearhead a campaign arranged by the World Hepatitis Alliance to raise awareness of World Hepatitis Day, which takes place on Saturday 28th July.

On that day, the World Hepatitis Alliance is hoping to set the Guinness World Record for having the most people performing the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” actions in 24 hours at multiple venues around the world. (The link is the fear that hepatitis is being ignored around the world.)

Barmy? Quirky? Fun? It’s up to you to decide. But one thing’s for sure: there’s a crucial need to raise awareness of hepatitis. Shockingly, one in 12 people worldwide is living with either chronic hepatitis B or C – that’s far higher than the prevalence of HIV or any cancer. Yet – in the words of the World Hepatitis Alliance – awareness is ‘inexplicably low’.

• Find out more about World Hepatitis Day

• Find out how viral hepatitis is contracted and what the symptoms are

Hepatitis and travel insurance

Living with hepatitis is no reason to miss out on a happy holiday. But it does give you some extra things to consider when you’re choosing travel insurance. For starters, you’ll need to find an insurer that is happy to cover your condition. Sadly, that can be tricky sometimes. And if you do find cover, the premium is often prohibitively expensive.

It doesn’t have to be that way. (more…)

Insure with World First and you’re automatically covered for over 75 sports and activities.

Lazing on the beach with a good book, cooling off with a dip in the pool, and soaking up the culture in local museums – they’re all classic summer holiday staples. But for some people, a summer trip isn’t truly complete unless it involves a few leisurely activities.

If that sounds like you, there’s good news: whether you’re hitting the scenic hotspots on horseback, cycling along the coastal promenade with the wind in your hair or simply fancy visiting the fairways for a cheeky nine holes, we’ve got you covered with quality sports travel insurance.

Covered for what? Do you even need to be covered for sports and activities?

Allow us to explain… (more…)

New report shows increasing numbers of British travellers require consular assistance abroad.

It’s official. More and more British travel-lovers are seeing good holidays go bad.

How do we know? Well, a government department called the Foreign & Commonwealth Office work to help make sure Brits are safe abroad. When things go wrong, they can sometimes intervene to try and help. It’s called consular assistance. The FCO are also alerted when British travellers encounter incidents such as deaths, hospitalisations or sexual assaults.

Basically, if something goes badly wrong for a British traveller abroad, chances are the FCO will know about it.

That’s why the FCO’s new report is so illuminating. They have released detailed figures on everything that has gone wrong for Brits abroad from 1st April 2011 to 31st March 2012. And unfortunately, it doesn’t make pleasant reading. In those twelve months, the FCO handled 19,874 assistance cases – up 3% from the previous year. (more…)

A little preparation at home goes a long way to helping you stay safe on holiday.

‘It will never happen to me.’

That’s what most people think when considering the possibility of something going wrong on holiday. And while it’s true that the odds are stacked against your own personal holiday misfortune, increasing numbers of British holidaymakers are seeing happy holidays soured by the unexpected.

Our message is simple: there are quick and easy things you can do before and during your holiday that will give you the best chance of a hassle-free trip, while being prepared if something does go wrong. In this post, we’ll share some top travelling safety tips.   (more…)

Let’s face it, summer has been a bit of a washout so far!

But you don’t need to give up on summer sun just yet. And now the kids have broken up and the holidays are here, can you resist the lure of picking up a late family holiday deal in search of some skin-bronzing sun? An affordable break could be just a few clicks away… (more…)