An ambition fulfilled for Martin Dorey: The Outer Hebrides.

If we asked you to name your seven wonders, what would they be? Now what if we asked you to give us your best travel advice, the thing you always have to take with you and why or your funniest story? It’s not easy is it? Well, over the coming weeks and months we’re going to be asking the same seven questions to travel bloggers, travelers, customers, celebs and anyone who we think will have something interesting to share with us. Starting with Martin Dorey, a World First customer who is better known for his camping and cooking ‘bible’, ‘The Camper Van Cookbook’ and his BBC2 TV series, ‘One Man and his Campervan’. Read his Campervanliving blog here.

Here goes… (more…)

World First Weekly Wander is a weekly rundown of the latest and greatest travel blog posts. It’s compiled by our very own social media man, Tristan Rothwell, and it’s a super-speedy way to catch up on the latest travel buzz. This week we’re off to Mongolia. No, really.

Take it away, Tristan!

Hello again travel fans. It’s that time of the week again and the theme for this week’s World First Weekly Wander is…

The Mongol Rally!

Last week our theme was “road tripping” which was great, so great that it inspired us to put a World First Travel Insurance team together for next year’s Mongol Rally. You heard it here first! Unfortunately, my team name suggestion of Nuns On The Run has been thwarted in favour of something more sensible (probably involving the words “World”, “First”, “Travel” and maybe “Insurance”).

So to get us even more inspired and also help me persuade some of my friends to leave their loved ones for quite some time, this week we are off to Mongolia. So start your engines and fasten your seatbelts, this may be a bumpy ride.

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Martin Dorey

If you’ve been anywhere near BBC2 this week you might have caught a brand new series that’s been running every night at 6.30. It’s called ‘One Man and His Campervan’ and it’s all about a chap who travels around the UK in his classic camper cooking and eating as he goes.

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If you can’t make up your mind where to go for your summer holidays this year, then I can highly recommend opting for a life of indecision. And by that I mean staying flexible with a holiday in a classic camper. Not only will a beautiful set of retro wheels make you the coolest kids at the camp site but you’ll also be able to go anywhere you want, safe in the knowledge that you’ve got everything you need right there with you.

Taking off in a classic camper van is nothing new. It’s a fine tradition that goes all the way back to the hippy trail and the idealistic days of freedom, peace and love on the road. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Today you don’t even have to own one to enjoy a taste of the outdoor life. There are now hundreds of companies all across the UK who are prepared to entrust you with their vintage wheels so that you too can enjoy the freedom of the open road.

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How much would you pay for hassle free parking with your ski gear?

Now that half term is over and the drizzle has set in, it could well be time to start looking forward to Christmas – and a winter break in the snow. With exchange rates making Europe a costly exercise for many would-be boarders and skiers, we’re all going to be looking for a bargain. And that means taking a good look at every aspect of your holiday, from the cost of your insurance to all those little holiday extras. They can soon add up.

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Earlier this week we talked about carrying surfboards on UK airlines. So, with half term coming up, we thought it might be a good time to talk about travelling with young kids – and all the paraphernalia that goes with them – on those same airlines.

Family travel essentials

There are always going to be things that you must have when travelling. Passport, tickets, money, the usual. Family travel insurance is also one of them. You could call it an essential. But did you know that having a car booster seat is essential – as it is in the UK – if you intent to drive anywhere in Europe? It is law in Europe for children between the ages of 3 and 12 (unless they are taller than 135cm) to have an age-appropriate car seat. So if you fly-drive it’s something you’ve either got to take with you or hire when you get there.

Carry-on or fly and hire?

We took a look at what the airlines will (or won’t) charge you to carry booster seats versus what car hire companies will charge to rent them at the other end. The results were great for the airlines but not so good for the car hire companies. Many of the UK airlines will carry pushchairs and booster seats for free. However others won’t and will charge per item per flight. So if all you want to do is take a couple of booster seats on a half term break to Spain choose your carrier carefully. Ryanair and BMI Baby will charge you £40 for the privilege. And if that’s a shocker, try leaving yours at home and renting one! Europcar will charge you £11.00 per day over the half term for renting a booster seat in Alicante. Hertz will charge you £22 per day. For a family of four staying for a week that’s an awful lot of cash considering the cost of an average high backed booster is about £40 and a seat booster is about £10. To be fair though, many of the airlines we asked will take boosters and pushchairs for free. Good for them!

Using your own seats

It seems obvious that taking your own seats is going to be the cheapest option – and perhaps the best. After all, you know how to fit your seats and car hire companies often operate a first come first served system, so even if you’ve booked the seats in advance, there may not be any available. Also, there’s no guarantee that a hired car seat hasn’t been involved in a accident previously. If the extra hassle of taking car seats into the airport is going to cause you stress you can always take the opportunity to relax airside with a great value holiday extra - a VIP lounge pass.

The cost of not complying with the law

But what happens if you decide that it’s not worth the hassle or the cost of hiring a car seat? Firstly you could get an on the spot fine for breaking the law. Secondly it just isn’t worth the risk to your children. And whilst underwriters might not see it as a serious offence – like driving whilst on the phone, under the influence or without a seatbelt – good sense must always prevail. Don’t risk invalidating your holiday insurance.  The story as always is this: ‘don’t take chances, either with the law or your family’s’ safety’.

Kid friendly? The UK’s popular airlines and their booster policies…

1. BA: Booster seats go free
2. Virgin Atlantic: Pushchairs and boosters: free
3. Easyjet: 2 kids items (booster or pushchair) free
4. Air South West: Booster seats go free
5. BMI: Booster seats go free
6. BMI Baby: £10 per booster per flight
7. Ryanair: Booster seats £10 per item each way.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office today released their annual British Behaviour Abroad report saying rather wearily that we’re “still” getting into trouble abroad like some kind of exasperated parent. And what’s more, all that trouble is avoidable. Top of the list of reasons why people get into scrapes is the high numbers of drink and drug related arrests. Embassies also helped many people stranded by the problems with volcanic ash. But there are far more quite mundane reasons. Here’s a list of them. (more…)

For us British drivers, we think that everybody else drives on the wrong side of the road. In fact, 25% of the world’s cars are driven on the left, so a quarter of the world’s population are with us. The French however think that we do everything the wrong way round. There’s no pleasing some people!

Unfortunately, driving on the wrong side of the road is the least of our problems. They have different rules too! So here’s a few guidelines to getting around safely and not ruffling the feathers of local drivers, wherever you are. (more…)