24/7 Travel Insurance Blog

The title of this blog probably immediately made you think “Florida”. While no article about theme park breaks would be complete without covering the theme park capital of the world, you may not be aware that your options are far greater than that.

Blighty
Don’t forget that what is considered to be one of the best theme parks in the world – Alton Towers – is right on our doorstep. A break there need not be expensive either, as the Tussauds Group (who also operate Chessington World of Adventure and Thorpe Park) frequently participate in voucher schemes such as Tesco’s recent promotion, and you can cut costs by using Nectar points too. Although the Alton Towers hotel has had rave reviews, you can stay in the area inexpensively by using local B&Bs or camping. Visit http://www.altontowers.com/

Blackpool Pleasure Beach is the home of The Big One, Europe’s tallest rollercoaster, and The Big Dipper which is one of the few wooden rollercoasters left and has delighted generations of visitors. Blackpool has a vast choice of accommodation so finding something competitively priced shouldn’t be difficult. Visit http://www.blackpooltourism.com/

For kids (of all ages!) you can’t go far wrong with Legoland. http://www.legolandhotels.co.uk/ offers ticket and hotel packages. For something a bit different, try Diggerland. There are four theme parks situated in Devon, Durham, Kent and Yorkshire and visitors can ride in and even drive diggers and dumper trucks – haven’t you always wanted to do that?! Visit www.diggerland.com

Europe
Disneyland Paris is a popular option for families wanting to give the kids the Disney experience while it still holds the magic. A reported downside of going to the Florida Disney is the kids will be too small to access rides at other theme parks but waiting until they are old enough for this means that Disney is not quite the same – the characters just become people in suits after a certain age! The options for getting to Disneyland Paris are plentiful and competitively priced, particularly if you use the ferries, Channel Tunnel or a low-cost airline. Again if you are on a tight budget, consider a hotel outside the resort – France has a number of inexpensive hotel chains such as Campanile and Formula 1. Visit http://www.disneylandparis.co.uk/ and http://www.franceforfamilies.co.uk/

If you ask the question “what is the best theme park in Europe” a likely answer you will hear from many people is Port Aventura, which is just outside Barcelona. Ryanair fly to Girona airport, and the proximity to the Costa Brava means that the park is very accessible to British holidaymakers as part of a package holiday. Visit http://www.portaventura.co.uk/

If you are going somewhere else in Europe and fancy taking in a theme park, the Theme Park Vision website provides detailed information about 80 theme parks (and 3498 attractions) in 14 European countries here.

United States
Florida is the first choice of most people seeking a theme park holiday and the sky is the limit on how much you can spend on such a trip. The good thing about Florida is that there is an excellent range of accommodation options including hotels and self catering, and if you stick to visiting the theme parks you can probably do without a car as the transport links to the theme parks are excellent. Other ways to save include arranging your theme park tickets in advance, and travelling off peak – Florida is usually warm all year and you may also find the theme park queues to be shorter in Autumn and Winter. A popular course of action is to spend a whole day on the web investigating all the options, and a good starting point is http://www.floridareview.co.uk/

For something really off-the-wall, try Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Owned by Dolly Parton, the park pays homage to the legendary lady and even the website is a masterpiece of kitsch. Visit http://www.dollywood.com/


Don’t forget your travel insurance!
A great thing about theme park breaks is you can get your thrills in a safe environment. But you will still need travel insurance! 24/7 travel insurance offers cover for 1 week in Europe for a family for just £14.00*, or for two weeks in the USA from £43.82** - so it won’t make a dent in your holiday budget either!

*Premium includes Insurance Premium Tax, based on two adults aged 18-54 and their accompanying children aged under 18 taking out a “standard” Single Trip policy (excluding personal possessions cover) for 7 days for European travel and purchased within 14 days of departure date.

**Premium includes Insurance Premium Tax, based on two adults aged 18-54 and their accompanying children aged under 18 taking out a “standard” Single Trip policy (excluding personal possessions cover) for 14 days for Worldwide travel and purchased within 14 days of departure date.

Labels: Theme-park-breaks

There are few things that put such a downer on a trip as falling ill on holiday. Serious problems are obviously very traumatic, but even minor illnesses seem much worse when you are miles from home. In this blog we discuss some of the more common travel ailments and what to do about them.

Sunstroke/sunburn
This is more likely to occur during the first couple of days of your trip, where, due to the sheer novelty of seeing sun, you overdo it and feel lousy for the next few days.
Young children especially should be kept out of the sun as much as possible as it doesn’t take much to make them very ill. Wear a hat as much as possible, drink plenty and avoid the sun when it reaches its peak between 12-4pm; you will notice the locals probably have a siesta about then, so follow their lead!

Heat exhaustion symptoms include feeling faint, muscle spasms and nausea. It is very important to replace lost fluids and salt. Sip water and eat something salty like a packet of crisps to rehydrate. If left untreated, heatstroke may develop which is more serious – if the person’s condition deteriorates or they appear confused, have breathing difficulties or fits then seek urgent medical attention.
Sunburn should be treated with moisturiser and cool water, and bear in mind that the only safe tan comes out of a bottle!

Stomach upsets
Traveller’s tummy, Delhi Belly…I’m sure you can think of some other names for holiday stomach upsets.

Drinking water is a very common cause – even in countries where the water is considered safe to drink it might not be what you’re used to so use bottled water if you are worried (in safe countries you could mix the bottled water with local water, decreasing the quantity of bottled water over time). If you plan to only use bottled water, check the seals on the bottles haven’t been tampered with and bear in mind other places that you may ingest local water – ice in drinks and when cleaning your teeth to name but two.

Food poisoning abroad is very common and can range from a minor upset to severe gastroenteritis needing hospital treatment. Food should either be piping hot or properly chilled to prevent the spread of bacteria. Peel raw fruit and vegetables or wash them thoroughly and look out for questionable hygiene practices such as raw and cooked meats stored close together.

If you are unlucky enough to be affected, drink plenty of water and eat small amounts of bland food until symptoms subside. It is worth taking Imodium with you on your trip as having to ask for local substitutes isn’t always easy!

Tropical diseases
Apart from an amazing travel experience, some countries are unfortunately associated with more serious illnesses. Before you go, check whether you need any jabs or medicines for your holiday bearing in mind that some vaccines need to be given in multiple doses spaced over a certain amount of time. You may also need to take anti-malarial tablets (even if you are visiting a malarial zone for a stopover) and if you are visiting more remote areas of some countries you may need additional vaccinations.

Even if you have booked a late deal or need to travel unexpectedly, see your doctor as some protection may be better than none. If you have travelled outside Europe, North America or Australia/New Zealand and you feel unwell shortly after returning home, tell your doctor or pharmacist where you have been.

An excellent resource for travel health information is provided by NHS Direct, and can be found here. Other useful sites for travel health are www.travelhealth.co.uk, www.travelhealthzone.com and the Department of Health’s website at www.dh.gov.uk

Perhaps the most important reason to take out travel insurance is to provide cover for emergency medical expenses abroad – remember the bills can run into many thousands of pounds, especially in places such as the United States and Spain. 24/7 travel insurance offers cover for medical and emergency expenses not exceeding £5m on their “Standard” single-trip policies, and premiums start from under a fiver- a small price to pay for peace of mind on your holiday.

** Premium £4.38 includes Insurance Premium Tax; based on an individual traveller aged under 55 taking out a "Standard" Single Trip policy for 3 days in Europe excluding personal possessions cover and purchased within 14 days of departure date. Cover details and prices are correct at time of going to press and are subject to change.

Labels: Travel-health

Thanks to modern aviation we can now go anywhere in the world in a matter of hours, and some tour operators are even offering short breaks to far-flung destinations such as Hong Kong and San Francisco. But if you’re going on one of these, how do you make the most of your time there without jet lag spoiling it?

What is jet lag?
Simply put, jet lag is an inability for the body to adapt to a new time zone. If your body clock gets very upset it can take as long as a week before you feel human again. It isn’t just feeling tired either, jet lag can cause headaches, indigestion, stomach upsets and nausea.

It rarely occurs when travelling long distance by boat or other transport as it takes so much longer to change time zones so your body has time to adapt. Curiously, babies and small children are largely unaffected by it. There are a variety of theories as to why this might be, one being that babies are generally able to sleep well in any situation.

How to prevent it
The most important thing to do is to begin working to your destination time as soon as the plane takes off. Change your watch and decide at what times you need to sleep and what times you need to be awake (this is easier on direct flights as you don’t have to worry about having to get off the plane when you should be asleep). This is still easier said than done as it is not easy to force sleep when you feel awake, but avoid stress and other stimulants. Use an eye mask too – if it is still light outside when you need to sleep, your eyes will detect this even when they are shut and the sleep will be of poor quality.

Drink plenty of water on the flight – even if you don’t escape jet lag completely you will feel less grotty when you are fully hydrated.

Avoid napping when you reach your destination. It will inevitably turn into a blissful sleep – until you wake up many hours later and realise it is actually now time for bed! Try and get into a situation where it is impossible to sleep such as going for a walk.

A very useful site for helping calculate your sleeping and waking times is www.bodyclock.com The site offers tools such as a jet lag calculator and time zone maps.

How to treat it
If you have been very badly affected in the past it may be worth looking into different ways of getting to your destination. Some travellers will happily spend a few extra hours flying to Australia or Japan via the USA as jet lag is often less severe when flying West.

Try not to cram too much into the first days of your trip. If you are on a business trip don’t take on more meetings than you can cope with. Bear in mind that athletes travelling to long-haul destinations often set off as far as two weeks before the event to ensure they are at their best!

Medication is available but many have side effects and they ultimately mask the symptoms rather than fixing them. Time to re-adjust, and prevention is the only really effective solution.

Insurance
If you are prepared to chance the jetlag and still want to take a short break to a long-haul destination, don’t forget your insurance. Cover for a short break to anywhere in the world with 24/7 travel insurance costs from just £12.16* and frequent travellers might get better value from an annual multi-trip policy starting from £50.33** - so you can really enjoy seeing the world without worrying about unforeseen expenses!

*Premium £12.16 includes Insurance Premium Tax, based on an individual aged 18-54 taking out a “standard” Single Trip policy for 3 days for Worldwide travel and purchased within 14 days of departure date.

** Premium £50.33 includes Insurance Premium Tax, based on an individual aged 18-54 taking out a “standard” Annual multi-trip policy for Worldwide travel.

Terms and conditions apply to 24/7 travel insurance. Cover details and prices are correct at time of going to press and are subject to change.

Labels: jet-lag

With climate change and human rights issues being widely reported on the news many holidaymakers are now seeking ways in which they can minimise the impact made by their trips, and even bring benefits to local economies. So what can you do?

Reduce your carbon footprint
As T.S Eliot famously said “The journey, not the arrival matters”. Most trips tend to involve getting to your destination as fast as possible, but sometimes lengthening your journey can be part of the holiday in itself as well as being eco-friendly. Nowadays we can fly vast distances in a few hours and we take this for granted. But it’s easy to lose perspective of how far you’ve travelled and it’s rare to see anything particularly impressive in the air.

It would not be unfair to argue that the rail network on the Continent is far superior to the British version. Trains are quiet, fast, and luxurious, and fares are reasonable. In countries such as Switzerland, taking the train offers stunning scenery and can be the highlight of the holiday. Another bonus is that bus and train stations and ferry ports tend to be closer to city centres than airports, saving you money and emissions on transfers.

Taking the ferry or chunnel to the continent is very competitively priced nowadays as the providers compete with the low-cost airlines. Ferries are a very pleasant mode of travel and there is plenty of room to walk around without annoying your fellow passengers. Longer crossings to Scandinavia and Germany are almost cruises in themselves with comfortable cabins and plenty to do on board.

If you are really keen to check out your carbon footprint on your holiday travel, an excellent calculator is here. The website www.ecotravelling.co.uk also offers some useful tips on how to reduce carbon emissions in your travel plans.

Keep your money local
If you are not a frequent visitor of developing countries you might be daunted by the poverty you may witness. One of the best things you can do about it is to make sure your tourist money goes into the local economy as much as possible.

Try and buy supplies, food and souvenirs from local stores and restaurants rather from your resort and don’t automatically assume that you must go with your tour operator’s excursions and car hire companies – there is more than likely a local company offering the same at a more competitive rate. Obviously you will have to make your own judgements on safety and security with these, but don’t be put off.

Animal Magic
Do your homework before visiting attractions involving animals. Zoos abroad are not always up to the welfare standards you might expect here. On the other hand, many attractions are actively involved in wildlife conservation programmes and are well worth your tourist money.

In some resorts you might be offered the opportunity to have your photo taken on the beach with a chimpanzee or exotic birds. Don’t do this – you have no way of telling what conditions the animal is kept in and if you did find out, you might well be appalled. Give the money you would have spent to a local animal welfare organisation instead.

More responsible tourism
The good habits that you may already apply at home don’t have to go to pot because you are on holiday. Reuse carrier bags and dispose of your rubbish responsibly. Germany and Austria are leading the way on this and you will be expected to sort your refuse.

Many hotels now offer the option to not have your towels and linen changed every day. If they don’t, let them know that you are happy to wait a few days between changes.

Don’t forget your insurance!
As you can see, being a responsible tourist isn’t difficult. But don’t forget to look after number one as well and take out travel insurance for your trip. 24/7 travel insurance offers comprehensive insurance cover for under a fiver*, so you can relax and enjoy your holiday knowing you are being a good tourist in more ways than one!

*Premium £4.86 includes Insurance Premium Tax; based on an individual traveller aged under 55 taking out a ‘standard’ Single Trip policy for 3 days in Europe and purchased within 14 days of departure date. Cover details and prices are correct at time of going to press and are subject to change.

Labels: Tourism