Everyone dreams of their perfect holiday. But sometimes it’s hard to know where to start to make sure your getaway is the memorable and enjoyable break it should be. In this guest post, renowned luxury travel blogger Ana Silva O’Reilly from mrsoaroundtheworld.com reveals her top travel tips for hassle-free holidays. As she explains, sometimes preparing the best getaways means beginning the planning long before your plane is due to start thundering down the runway.

When it comes to travelling, I seriously do not consider myself to be a risk taker. I like my holidays. I like them a lot – and I will pretty much do everything I can to ensure I make the most of them.

Being organised could be one of my best personality traits. I say “could be” as sometimes it doesn’t work brilliantly – but more about that later!

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Who doesn’t love taking a few snaps on their holidays? Exactly. This week’s World First Weekly Wander is a photography special and sees our social media man, Tristan Rothwell, offer a few of his specialist tips as he scours the web for the best new travel photography blog posts.

Take it away, Tristan!

Greetings travellers! It’s time for our weekly catch up on the web’s hottest new travel content. After revving the engines with The Mongol Rally last week, this week we’re shifting focus to one thing that 99.9% of us do on our travels: photography.

I’m a keen photographer and have been for several years. I shoot mainly digital with a sprinkling of 35mm and medium format thrown in for good measure. But with the recent purchase of a shiny white iPhone 4, my photographic weapon of choice has changed a little!

The iPhone is with me at all times. I photograph everything, much to the annoyance of those around me. With travel firmly in mind I thought we could look at some recent travel photography articles that will hopefully inspire and instruct you in the art of the travel photograph.

But first I thought I’d offer a few tips of my own that I think will help you to get better shots and become a better photographer. Maybe.

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Zoë Dawes – aka The Quirky Traveller – is a travel writer.  She was recently voted Britain’s Best Travel Blogger and her website www.thequirkytraveller.com was voted in the Top 10 Inspiring Travel Websites 2010. We asked Zoë to give us a few ideas for brilliant places to visit. We never guessed that it would be good old Blighty that would take the top spot. But there it is. And Zoë really does know what she’s talking about.

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For many of us, going on holiday is one of those rare times when you can settle into a deckchair and get stuck into a really good book. It’s a glorious indulgence isn’t it? Once you know that everything, including the travel insurance, is in order you can begin to relax.

I love reading and adore books so I’ve spent many trips hauling piles of novels around with me. On one trip, to India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Bali I endured a couple of months with three volumes of Indian epic ‘A Suitable Boy’ in my rucksack. They must have weighed over a kilo but I just couldn’t bear to be parted from them. What a fool I was. But then again, they hadn’t invented e-readers yet!

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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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How’s your summer been so far? A little lacklustre, if ours is anything to go by. It’s not uncommon is it? So how about planning an autumn break to somewhere hot and sunny? How does Southern California sound? It has always been a popular mid-haul destination for good reason: sunshine year round, consistently warm temperatures and some of the most renowned tourist attractions in the world. Southern California rarely disappoints.
Yet despite its popularity, California has a few surprises left for the intrepid tourist. There are still a few exciting destinations that have managed to remain just under the radar. The aerial tramway at Mount San Jacinto is one of them. Cai Waggett, a regular visitor to the Golden State, spills the beans…

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We have heard today that air traffic controllers are expected to be among 750,000 workers who will join a day of mass strikes that are planned by trade unions for the 30^th June. If this happens then the travel industry will face more delays, cancellations and travel misery. Oh dear.

If you are due to be travelling on the 30^th June or shortly after then it should be noted that you will be covered for Travel Delay, Abandonment and Missed Departure on your World First Travel Insurance policy as long as you took out your policy before 16^th June (today) at 0800 GMT.

Unfortunately anyone who took out a policy after this cut off time will not be covered. However, as usual, your airline should be responsible for offering you alternate flights or compensation for additional accommodation.

We will update this story as and when we hear more.

Why late season boarding can play havoc with your snow style

It’s half term for many schools next week. And that means a mass exodus for a spot of late season snow. But, as the European ski season comes to a close and the numbers start to drop, the number of skiers coming home in plaster rises significantly. According to World First Travel Insurance, the end of the ski season is the time when injury claims go up. The reason for this is quite simple: the pistes have had months of regular use and will have deteriorated since the beginning of the season, there is less snowfall and the temperatures begin to rise. This often leads to more ice, which, in case you hadn’t noticed, is very, very slippery.

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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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