July 4th 2011

Busy day today? Too stretched to catch up on the best in travel news and writing? Manic Monday making it impossible to manage those blog feeds? Don’t panic. The World First Weekly Wander is our very own weekly breakdown of the best travel based web content. It’s compiled by our very own Tristan Rothwell ( @WFTristan for all you tweeters). So sit back and let him do all the work.

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Diving for novices and people with medical conditions

Taking off for a winter sun holiday? No doubt you’ll want to make the most of every opportunity that comes along. And what is a beach holiday without getting in the water? Exactly. If you’re the type of person who can’t lie on a sun bed all day then scuba diving must be the ultimate sea going thrill. It’s not something you’d ever consider in the UK ( for obvious reasons) but on a winter sun holiday, when the air temperature is 28 degrees and the sea temperature is 20 degrees or more, who could resist?

Of course diving can be dangerous so there are going to be a few hoops to jump through before you can swim with the fishes. Firstly – and most important – is your travel insurance. Will yours cover you for diving? Some policies will have exclusions, others will limit the depths to which you can go and some will specify that you always dive with a reputable operator (and why wouldn’t you?). World First Travel Insurance policies will cover you for diving up to 30 metres, providing you dive with an approved and qualified operator.

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Surfing abroad? Choose your airline carefully

The autumn is a great time for surfers, especially those who love to travel. With powerful swells hitting beaches all over the globe and the weather back home turning cooler, there’s every reason to book a flight and head off in search of the endless summer.

Getting there, of course, is half the fun. Travelling light – especially if you’re going to be trekking to far flung beaches – is key. Getting good travel insurance that will cover you for all events is also pretty vital. If you intend to make a few forays it may be much more cost effective to take out an annual policy. World First can even offer travel insurance specially for surfing holidays. Well worth considering!

Of course, another thing you won’t be able to do without is your surfboard. Unfortunately, packing it up and booking it onto a flight isn’t as easy as you’d think. A few years ago British Airways banned surfboards (as well as lots of other sports equipment such as windsurfers, canoes and kite boards) from all their flights. After lots of protests from surfers around the globe they gave in and lifted the ban – to a point. (more…)

Increasing numbers of people are now taking a year off to go and do something completely different with their lives. Typically and traditionally this has been students taking time off before they go to university but now we are seeing older people deciding to get out of the rat race or the rat race choosing it for them when they are made redundant. (more…)

There’s bike races and there’s the Tour de France. The world’s greatest cycle race is approximately 3600 km long and runs across France and its neighbours. This year, the itinerary is taking riders from Rotterdam to Paris, via the Alps and Pyrenees – the scenic route. It lasts three weeks and will finish in Paris on 25th July. 22 teams and 219 riders started it on 3rd July. How many will finish? (more…)

The biggest killer in sub-Saharan Africa and in many other places in the world, way ahead of AIDS or famine, is malaria. Without wanting to be sensationalist, it kills a child in Africa every 30 seconds, Africa accounts for 90% of deaths from it as it is home to the most deadly form and it is responsible for 20% of the deaths of under 5s and 10% of all deaths in Africa. South Africa included football fans.

Cheryl Cole (or Tweedy or whatever she’s called these days) and her problems will hopefully place something of a spotlight on malaria and help reduce the incidence of this preventable disease – I know, most diseases are preventable one way or another, but this one can really be prevented cheaply. (more…)

Backpackers old and new have always travelled across Europe and the world by train. As relatively characterless and antiseptic high-speed trains gradually take over the travelling landscape, it shouldn’t be forgotten that there is a wonderful architectural heritage in our train stations (and some pretty rubbish ones as well, but we’ll ignore them). (more…)

A lot of people fantasise about long-term travel and just giving it all up and going away.  Most of them never manage it,  something or someone always  seems to conspire to prevent it happening. But for the lucky few, gap years can be an incredibly enriching and even life-changing experience.

However much we’d like to just throw everything up in the air on a whim it wouldn’t be a good idea. A minimum amount of planning is required to prevent a dream experience turning into a nightmare. (more…)

The exams are over and summer holidays are here again. Well, for some of us anyway. If you’re a student and you’re kicking your heals wondering what on earth you’re going to do for the next year because you deferred going to university, you may well consider taking a gap year off and seeing the world. It’s a unique opportunity, you’re young, healthy (hopefully) and enthusiastic. Here’s a few tips and guides to help you make it a success. (more…)

Many students decide to take a year off after school before committing themselves to university or a job. It’s a great way of seeing the world or getting some experience before moving on the the next stage. And increasingly, older people are also feeling the urge due to unexpected unemployment or just sheer burnout, to take time out and a break.

So you’ve got your passport, your tickets and your money. What about your health when you go abroad? Fancy some Delhi belly? Some sunburn? Or even worse, a dose of malaria? Here’s a few basic rules about staying healthy on the road. (more…)