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Seeing this beautiful planet we live on doesn’t have to be bad for the environment, or the local communities you are visiting. In fact, tourism can play a big part in helping make this world a better place, as well as benefiting the lives of those who rely on tourism. Here are some top tips for being an even more eco-minded traveller on your next trip and ways to support the community you are visiting.

• Consider travelling by train rather than by plane where possible.
• Choose non-stop flights to minimise CO2 emissions.
• Use public transport for transfers and travelling at your destination.
• Take a reusable water bottle – more and more places are installing water coolers for people to refill from as an alternative to buying bottled water.
• Say “no” to straws and plastic cups at bars, restaurants, hotels, trains and planes.
• Eat local cuisine with low food miles.
• Choose vegetarian dishes over meat dishes.
• Ask if the food you’re choosing is sustainably caught or grown.
• Keep showers short.
• Switch off the electrics in your hotel, apartment or hostel.
• Ask housekeeping not to change sheets and towels daily.
• Open windows instead of using air con.
• Choose resorts and hotels that are eco-minded.
• Choose packages that give back to the local community.
• Book excursions with local tour operators rather than the package provider.
• Join a local litter pick.
• Choose to do activities with minimal impact on the local environment such as hiking and biking.
• Share images of plastic pollution on social media to raise awareness and prompt change.

Don’t forget your travel insurance! Loads of activities are covered as standard with Worldwideinsure.com, and every policy can be tailored to meet your unique adventure needs.

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Post-adventure blues can hit like a brick after a trip. If you feel down in the dumps after a holiday, why not give these things a try

1. Re-create your favourite dishes.

There is bound to be a dish that won your heart on holiday. Cooking it up back home will bring back great memories and help that feel-good factor linger for longer.

2. Enjoy a tipple of your favourite drink.

Every part of the world has its own unique beverage. Whether it is a freshly made herb tea or a drop of something stronger. Take time to sit and savour whatever it was you enjoyed while you were away and you are sure to feel the relaxation wash over you!

3. Listen to the music.

Whether it was the music playing in bars and cafes, local performers, or the favoured local station of taxi drivers, you are bound to have heard a few tunes that sum up the vibe of your time away. Playing some choice tracks when you are back will lift your mood in no time.

4. Get together with friends.

Seeing all your friends will make you realise that you are actually pleased to be back, and you’ll get to share all your favourite stories, adventures and experiences. Why not give them a themed treat and cook up your favourite dishes, serve the local drinks, and put on the tunes for added ambience.

5. Create a photobook.

Don’t leave your best pictures to get lost on a laptop or somewhere on social media. Create an album and get it printed. It’ll make for a wonderful coffee table book that you can flick through with friends and family.

6. Journal the best bits of your break.

Make note of what your trip felt like, what stood out, what amazed you, what surprised you, and how you changed during your time there. It can be good to reflect on how the experience of a different culture can change our own perspectives on the way we live our lives back home. You can even add your thoughts, notes, and experiences to your photobook!

7. Meditate.

A great mood enhancer and a wonderful opportunity to recognise what you are grateful for in your life at home, and for your experiences while travelling. Meditation also brings “me time” into our daily routine – a treat that we don’t just have to save for when we are on holiday.

8. Exercise.

This is the number one way to lift your spirits. A short walk, swim, or time in the gym can make all the difference to how you feel. While it might not be an exercise that relates to your recent adventure, it’ll help you banish the blues fast.

9. Explore your local area.

You don’t have to travel far to have an adventure. Try exploring your local area with fresh eyes, make time to see and do the things that attract visitors from out of town. See a local band, eat somewhere that serves traditional fresh food, and take in the sights on a touristy day off.

10. Plan your next overseas adventure.

There’s nothing quite like having a new adventure planned to rekindle the feeling of wanderlust. Make a long list, make a short list, make a bucket list and decide where you’ll be heading next!

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Don’t forget your travel insurance! Worldwideinsure.com can tailor your policy to include as many or as little activities and adventures as you’d like, insure you while you are already travelling, and provide car hire excess insurance too.

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Simple tips to ensure you and your mates make beautiful memories instead of becoming enemies on a group break abroad.

1. Agree on the type of holiday you’re having – Active? Retreat? Nocturnal?
2. Decide on a destination together.
3. Choose a “package level”: Are you going shoestring, or do you want to splurge on eating out every night?
4. Schedule free time so you have a chance for independent adventures, or just some time to recoup.
5. Each write a list of things to see and do and schedule an itinerary based on something from each person’s list.
6. Nominate a group organiser for each individual adventure so the burden isn’t always on the “most organised” person in the group.
   

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7. Make sure daily plans fit with each other’s personal routine – early-risers and up-all-nighters may not want to do the same things at the same time!
8. Give people permission to say “no”, and be willing to accept they may want to change plans or do something different.
9. Embrace the power of the unreasonable request – maybe you have a bucket-list must-do and it requires your buddies to miss a night’s sleep so you can see it! (Don’t forget number 8!).
10. Remember your manners. Being in close confines – even with those you like the most – can be exhausting, especially if you are on a longstay adventure. Remember your pleases, don’t forget to say thank you, and keep it in mind that a hug can go a long way.

Did you know we do longstay travel insurance? Excellent for backpacking adventures, gap year experiences – and you can even get covered if you are already travelling!

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If you save money on your flight, you’ve got more to spend on holiday right? Here are 16 superb tips that might just help you secure yourself a cheap flight for your next holiday!

1. Follow the airline’s social media, it is a great way to hear about upcoming offers and deals.
2. Search the airline’s website direct, it can often show tickets at a very different price to third party travel websites.
3. Get on your airline’s mailing list, anothergreat way to hear about the latest deals, discounts and promotions.
4. Always search incognito,sometimes you can get a better price if your search history doesn’t show you’ve been shopping for holiday clothes!
5. Erase all search history before doing a new search, because believe it or not, repeatedly searching for a particular flight/destination can actually cause the price to show higher!
6. Choose off-peak travel times, it might be less convenient to travel at 5am, but the savings could make it worth it.
7. Sign up to a frequent flier programme, so you can work towards those elusive perks.
8. Get a credit card with air miles, because indulging in a bit of retail therapy and to then get rewarded with cheap flights is a solid win-win.
9. Don’t fly direct, just one short stopover can make a huge difference to the ticket price.
10. Mix (don’t match) airlines, sometimes the return flight is the costly one, but booking two one-way tickets with different airlines you could save a pretty penny.
11. Search one ticket price at a time if travelling in a group, that way if there is one cheap spot it will show up.
12. Check prices of nearby airports, as it may be cheaper to land a little further out and pay the transfer.
13. Use a flight booking app, Skyscanner and Hopper are both great tools to analyse and predict flight prices.
14. Sign up for email alertsfrom cheap flight websites and apps, so you know about the best deals before they are gone.
15. Consider going all inclusive, as bundling hotel, transfers and flights with just one provider is often cheaper than booking the separate elements.
16. Wait for last minute deals, it is a risk that just might be worth taking to save a few quid.

Don’t forget your travel insurance! The emotional and financial impact of missed flights, delays or a cancelled trip can be huge – make sure you are covered before you jet off on your next trip!

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Air travel is a mixed bag of experiences. Waiting, rushing, mild panic, boredom, elation, feeling travel sick… Here are a few things you can do to even out those highs and lows and be a bit less stressed next time you travel by aeroplane.

Hacks for before you check in

• Customise your hold bag – bright tape is perfect for making your luggage stand out at baggage collection.
• Pack all essentials in your hand luggage – just in case your hold bag goes missing, you’ll still have your chargers and toiletries to get you through the first day.
• Download all your tickets and passes – just in case you have no connectivity make sure you can access them offline!
• Have a hard copy of all essential travel documents – just in case your phone gives up altogether.
• Take a photo of where you park – bay 6B is not memorable after a week in the Bahamas.
• Wear your bulky items – to avoid paying for extra baggage.

Hacks for before you go through security

• Pack your devices and liquids at the top of your hand luggage – it saves time!
• Empty your pockets before you get to security – it saves time!
• Finish up the water in your bottle – so you can get a cheap refill the other side.
• Choose the security queue with business travellers – they tend to be more prepared so go through faster.
• Never queue behind families, hen parties or stag dos – they tend to faff more and be less prepared so go through slower.
• Choose the left queue – apparently most people are right-handed so will go right as it is easier. Left hand lanes should therefore be quicker.

Hacks to get you through the wait the other side

• Use headphones for noise cancellation – not for music so you don’t miss important announcements.
• Connect to the airport Wi-Fi – or risk maxing out your data allowance before you even get to your destination.
• Brush up on key phrases – Duolingo is an addictive language learning game and will make the time fly while you actually boost your language skills!
• If you haven’t already got it, get your travel insurance! A call with the lovely team at worldwideinsure.com will make the time fly while you’re waiting for your flight.

Hacks for on the plane

• Board last – if you are the last on, you may well get that elusive upgrade.
• Sit over the wing – you are less likely to feel turbulence. Morning flights are less likely to be turbulent too.
• Don’t sit by the bulkhead – that’s the safest place to secure babies in bassinets, so more likely to be where the screaming is.
• Ask for seconds if you are hungry – not all passengers take their meal so why not have what’s leftover if you are still hungry.