World First Travel Insurance Blog

Be a traveller, not a tourist. It’s an expression that gets banded about a lot these days, by me if no-one else. But what does it actually mean? If you read travel literature, not just Bill Bryson (good though he is) but Paul Theroux (Louis’ father), Jonathan Raban or Bruce Chatwin, you’re probably a traveller. If you’re more interested in what’s going on the beach or go on the tour to the local Roman ruins but don’t understand (or care) much about them, you’re a tourist. Travellers go to places to discover, relax and learn. Tourists go to places to tick them off a list of places they can say they’ve been to. (more…)

In recent months Thailand has been embroiled in political turmoil opposing the red-shirted supporters of former Prime Minister Taksin Shinawatra and government forces backed by the military. The six-party coalition is under pressure from its supporters in the upper classes and from royalists to crack down on the mainly poor red shirts.

Thailand has a constitutional monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej who has been on the throne since June 1946, making him the world’s longest reigning king. The government is freely-elected with a Prime Minister at its head. However, the military has had a tendency to intervene from time to time when it doesn’t like the government or it does something it doesn’t to upset it. The last time was in 2006 to remove the previously mentioned Taksin Shinawatra. Perhaps they didn’t like him buying Manchester City? (more…)