It’s become a favourite weapon in the linguistic arsenal of travel bloggers across the globe, but the term ‘bucket list’ could soon be canned from the English language. That’s if Lake Superior State University in Michigan gets its way.

Each year the institution produces a list of “Words to be Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness”. Catchy title, hey? ‘Bucket list’ was one of twelve lexically vexing terms to make the nominations.

So has ‘bucket list’ breathed its last? Or would you rather pour water on such contentious calls?   (more…)

Britons never, never, never shall be slaves. At least, that’s how the song goes. And new research has found that British holidaymakers are testing that notion to its very limit, with 21% booking their getaways on company time. That could be costly. But not as costly as choosing to arrange travel insurance while your boss’s back is turned.

A study from online travel agent sunshine.co.uk found that 21% of their customers over the last six months purchased their holiday online while at work, spending up to two hours of company time doing so. 42% booked from home, while only 4% used a high street travel agent. But it’s the revelation that over a fifth of the 2,107 people questioned have booked holidays at work that has raised most eyebrows.

The search for travel insurance should never be rushed (but it usually is)

Whether booking holidays on company time is harmful or harmless depends on your standpoint. But one thing’s for sure: the search for good holiday cover should never be rushed. That’s especially true if you’re on the lookout for travel insurance with pre-existing medical conditions cover.

Without knowing the ins and outs of your policy – being completely clear about exactly what you’re covered for – you could find yourself severely out of pocket if something unexpected happens on holiday and you need to make a claim. Trouble is, research suggests that over a quarter of travellers see travel insurance as an afterthought.

How can we help?

At World First we make it easy to see exactly what you’re covered for. And we give you clear details before you part with your cash, not after. When you get a quote, you have the option to select the policy benefits that are right for you, your holiday and your budget. And if you’re travelling with medical conditions, our advanced travel insurance medical screening allows us to zero in on your condition with much more accuracy than other insurers, meaning you don’t overpay for cover you don’t need.

14 days to digest the small print

Going through the small print of your policy is the key to getting cover you can count on. Sure, it might take half an hour or so. But it’s worth it for the peace of mind you get when you know you’re not going to get caught out by the unexpected during your holiday. Fortunately, we give you plenty of time to make up your mind.

Once you’ve purchased your cover with us, we’ll allow you to cancel your policy and get a full refund for up to fourteen days. No hassle, no quibbles, no questions asked. And if there’s any part of your policy that you’re unsure of, you can call our customer service team for a clear, friendly explanation from 08:30am – 6:00pm Monday to Friday and 09:00 to 16:00 on Saturday.

Can’t say fairer than that. Just make sure your boss isn’t around when you call us.

Get a fast senior travel insurance quote at World-First.co.uk.

Twitter happy?

On Friday 15th July, Twitter is five years old. Yes, five years since that little blue bird first flew into our binary world. Various digital celebrations and festive messages will no doubt trickle through the Twittersphere today. But we’d like to use the opportunity to tell you about the great ways we’re using the social networking phenomenon. And it’s all good for travel fans like you!

Let us explain.

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And where to find the perfect insurance policy for holidaying at home.

Fine dining, golden-sanded beaches, picture-postcard coastal scenery, pastoral countryside, world-famous cities and a vast choice of accommodation; there’s one place that has it all. And it’s right on your doorstep.

Yes, more and more of us are deciding to take our holidays at home in good ol’ Blighty. With purse-strings being tightened at every turn and the cost of foreign holidays continuing to spiral, people are waking up to the fact that giving up on foreign travels doesn’t have to mean going without your annual getaway. For many the UK will do just fine, thanks very much.

There’s no need to buy travel insurance either, right? Well, kind of. But consider what might happen if you had to cancel a booking at your dream cottage in the Cotswolds at the last minute. You could be left substantially out of pocket. Fortunately there’s a policy that’s absolutely perfect for UK holidays.

And you can find out more below.

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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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Going wild? Read the small print first.

It seems that you won’t have to go too far to get snow this week. Winter has well and truly arrived. It’s enough to turn our thoughts to winter sports isn’t it? Funny that, especially when we’ve been talking about it all this month in the World First blog. Perhaps we should have saved it until December and had a little punt on it being a white Christmas this year?

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Now I’m no economist but even I know that the exchange rate means everything when it comes to booking your holiday. It can mean the difference between eating out and eking out the pennies. And that can make or break your holiday, especially during these (and I quote) ‘tricky economic times’.

So whilst you might be able to get great deals on your travel insurance and super-cheap flights, it may not be a true reflection of the cost of your holiday.  Some of those great holiday deals might look great you when you’re tapping away on the laptop absentmindedly in front of the telly, but don’t forget to think about how much it’s all going to cost when you get there. At the time of writing the GBP (£) was at its lowest against the Euro for almost a year, which means that if I nipped out to the Post Office today I’d get about £140 less for every £1000 worth of Euros I bought this time two years ago. That adds up to more than just a few cervezas.

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It seems like the Foreign Office has ruffled a few feathers in Thailand. Following the political unrest and the simmering threat that everything might seriously kick-off, advice only to travel to Bangkok if it was really essential has been extended to the entire country.

The Tourism of Thailand authority is concerned that the advice is an over-reaction as trouble is centered on Bangkok and other tourist areas are unaffacted. The Foreign Office, for its part, is “watching the situation closely”.

The Foreign Office regularly monitors situations in countries that could become dangerous for foreigners. It issues various levels of advice rangingbfrom “be careful” to “don’t go there at all”. The only country is that category for now is Somolia.

The concern in Thailand now is the prospect of numbers of tourists cancellling their holidays because travelling would invalidate their insurance. For now, there has been no downturn in searches for flights on the Internet and it seems that many are ignoring the advice and going anyway. Watch this space.

Sounds great doesn’t it? I just renewed my home insurance with Direct Line (yes, I will name them, hello Google, I’m here!). The house insurance (more Google attracting) deal is quite good. It includes buildings and contents as you’d expect with a reasonable level of cover, I added accidental damage because I can never be sure what stupid things I’ll do at home. I haven’t yet put by foot through the ceiling as it says in the documents but I wouldn’t be surprised if I did. I did put it through a ceramic cooker top a few years ago.

Then there’s legal support like most policies these days, they cover personal possessions outside the home and they’ll pay my salary while I’m on jury service. But what really caught my eye was the travel insurance. All for 250 quid a year. I know a little about travel insurance, I thought, I’ll have a look at that. (more…)

Whilst there are far fewer ads on the TV than there used to be, the holiday booking season is upon us. It’s time for our annual flock to the sun in search of a little time out of the rat race. So where are we going? It seems that the Costas are (finally) on the wane and our tastes are increasingly diversified. ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) has just released its report on travel trends for 2010. They make interesting reading and show how fashions have changed in the last 10 years or so. (more…)