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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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.

Some women choose to travel abroad to give birth. They have time to put things in place and plan.

But sometimes things just happen. Junior decides it’s time to make a break for the big wide world  just when you were enjoying yourself on holiday or even when you were in a business meeting.

If you do travel abroad when you’re pregnant, you’d be advised to take a certain number of precautions just to make sure things go smoothly. (more…)

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…)

So it’s over. The phone ins are talking about nothing else, the Fabio will he/won’t he resign or will he be pushed debate is in full swing and there’s just a general hungover feeling. We can blame rotten defending (John Terry, what were you doing? You’re supposed to be able to clear up a route one ball punted from one end of the pitch to the other), shaky self-belief or over paid prima donas, the World Cup dream (for England at least) is over for another four years. It’s time to turn back to more mundane things like going on holiday to forget all the depression of this Tuesday morning. Why not do something truly unforgettable and go on an extreme holiday? Here’s a few ideas: (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…)

What with volcanic ash and airline strikes, holiday cancellation insurance has been in the news quite a lot recently, and not always in a positive light. Well, we can’t actually guarantee to pay out every time but maybe we have the next best thing.

World First has just launched two new cancellation policies that will cover you in almost any scenario you could imagine. (more…)

If you’ve travelled recently, are travelling or are planning to travel, you could be forgiven for being a little confused.

The ash has been coming back in the last couple of weeks but only to the edge of Europe. Frustrating if you live in Belfast, Dublin or Gran Canaria, but it didn’t cause the same major problems as it did across the whole of Europe a month or so ago (and hey, if it means me staying a few more days in Gran Canaria, where’s the factor 50!). (more…)

It seems like British Airways’ long-running dispute with its cabin crew is some way from being resolved. A series of strikes was announced by the Unite union to begin on 18th May until 24th May. Legal action by BA on 18th May cancelled them on the basis that the union had not informed its members that 11 votes had been spoiled.  The union appealed and 2 days later the strikes were back on. As things now stand, further strikes will be held on 24th – 28th May, 30th May – 3rd June and 5th – 9th June. The union also said it would hold a further ballot for industrial action over the company’s conduct during the dispute. (more…)