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Perfect pancakes from around the world

Fancy adding a little something extra to your pancakes tonight? We’ve found three pancake recipes from France, Germany and the USA which will ensure your battered treats have a little more bite. Now’s the time to take inspiration from travel and ditch the same old recipe you’ve been using for years - the American pancakes are our favourite, but we recommend having them for dinner alone, as they’re too filling as a dessert! French crepes These are best served with a dash of sugar and a squeeze of lemon, although, if you fancy something a bit more decadent, whipped cream and Nutella should su... Read more

Make sure your home insurance claim doesn't get rejected

If you're about to purchase a home insurance policy and you're blithely scrolling through those reams of terms and conditions without reading them, stop. Just stop.Those clever people at The Money Advice Service have compiled a list of things that could invalidate your insurance. Here are ten of the... Read more

The worst things about returning home from holiday

Returning home from holiday is a bit like meeting up with a recent ex. You may have a stiff drink to strengthen your resolve beforehand and try to convince yourself that this is all for the best, but there's no denying that a few hours in, you'll realise that you're in the middle of a fairly uncomfo... Read more

Do star signs influence insurance claims?

Comparing over 20,000 customers’ dates of birth and the claims they made, data analysts at Columbus Direct found that Taurus, Aries and Gemini are the three signs most likely to make a claim on their travel insurance – and that usually-adventurous Sagittarians are the least likely to make a claim.Wh... Read more

Brit tourist charged thousands for downloading data abroad

When Patricia Al accidentally downloaded two episodes of My Family when on holiday in Turkey, the only thing she should have worried about was wasting an hour of her life watching the dullest sitcom ever made. However, she was in for a shock when she returned to the UK, as she discovered that she'd... Read more

Columbus Direct get ready for Movember with Octobeard

It's the time of year when all men anxiously begin grooming their facial hair and start looking at expensive waxes and combs on the internet. That's right - Movember is almost upon us, and he who can grow the finest moustache will be the talk of the town. Not content with just the one month of hirs... Read more

Use your social media followers to bag a cheap holiday

If you're a prolific tweeter or you spend half your life on Facebook, good news - your social media presence could land you a cheap holiday. New travel website Hotelied claims to 'unlock personalised unpublished rates at luxury hotels', and when you book your break, you're invited to link up to fiv... Read more

Staying safe in your holiday accommodation

So, you've just arrived at the hotel, and the pool is beckoning. It's time to relax and get stuck into that book you've been attempting to read for the past six months.However, before you charge out to top up your tan, read these hints and tips on keeping your room secure and your belongings safe.• ... Read more

The strangest insurance requests from the archives

We've been trawling through the archives (as you do - at the time of writing, it was a Thursday afternoon), and we've found these gems from 2006. Columbus have been providing travel insurance since 1988, and cover around one million customers a year, so it’s not surprising that over the years that ... Read more

Why you need life insurance

If you think that you can forego life insurance, think again.It's true that it has a few other functions - for instance, protecting key employees in businesses and paying potential estate taxes. However, most people will buy it to protect their loved ones in case something happens to them.It's a mor... Read more

Behave yourselves on flights or you could be shamed online

The next time that you're on a flight and you're tempted to kick off your shoes and relax, you'd better think again. Ever since January 2013, former flight attendant Shawn Kathleen has been uploading pictures of outrageous passenger behaviour to her Facebook page, Passenger Shaming. People all ove... Read more

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