Commuters from the Bath and Bristol areas were in a bad moo'd recently - underly fed up with being forced to ride cattle class. Hundreds of them staged a protest by wearing cow masks as they rode the overcrowded trains provided by First Great Western. Their main gripe was being forced to stand on long journeys because insufficient seating was provided for the demand. The service was also said to be unreliable - with frequent delays. On top of all that, First Great Western fares are believed to be Europe's most expensive!



Good for them, I say! We Brits are far too polite for our own good and don't complain enough when we're being milked. We pay more of our hard-earned moo-la for everything, yet are expected to put up with inferior service dished out in the pursuit of corner cutting to increase profits. Such greed is hard to stomach - even with two stomachs. Whatever happened to common decency?

The protesters have called for a freeze on any more fare hikes until First Great Western improves its train service and they are no longer treated like cattle. In fact, it would probably be illegal to treat cattle that way - the perpetrators would have the animal rights people all over them like flies on a cow pat. Unfortunately, the company knows that the commuters are at their mercy and have no choice but to use their trains. They've continued to make hay while the sun shines - and even when it mostly doesn't. They've continued to cash in on the discomfort of their passengers until they reached the end of their tethers and won't stand for it any more!

We've all had that familiar childhood 'are we there yet' feeling as we sit grimacing in our budget airline seats. We keep a stiff upper lip and don't complain because? Well'At least we have a seat to strap into, and we know that without a cattle-class airfare we wouldn't be going anywhere at all. We're led by the nose - like cows to the slaughter - and we can't bring ourselves to say no to those tempting budget flights and holidays.

Despite all the talk about global warming and carbon hoof prints we still flock to the airports for our cheap flights, getting fleeced at the airport shops and restaurants along the way. It's easier to blame the cows for global warming, what with producing all that methane gas?

Travel has become more affordable and available to the masses, but does it really have to be less comfortable? We save time by eating lunch on the hoof. We save money by flying with no frills. We endure the crowded departure lounges and sit on the floor. We brace ourselves against the panicked stampede created by the lack of seat assignment. We've got used to being prodded and herded onto planes - but we don't like it. We complain about the high taxes on everything. We chew it all over and swallow it anyway - but it's hard to digest.

Fortunately, there's one field where you can still get value for money - and that's with your travel insurance - if you choose wisely! Get a quote from an established travel insurance company where you'll find affordable prices with no cuts to either customer-service or products - and you'll never be treated like cattle. Getting to your destination in cramped conditions is one thing, but if your luggage goes missing or anything else goes haywire during your trip it could be the last straw!