Title – Mystery of lad, 20 who vanished on gap year in Africa
Source – London Lite
Date – 27th March 2008
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare, their son or daughter travels to a part of the world they only ever learned about in geography lessons alongside stories of great explorers and then out of the blue their child falls off the radar. This case of Ayden Savaskan is about as frightening as they come, away in a country that many people have never even heard of, on a continent that is well known for political unrest, lawlessness and violence, including kidnappings. With today’s access to mass media and the horror stories that seem to appear on a daily basis, many people will assume the worst.
The world is truly open these days and very few countries are totally out of bounds to the intrepid traveller, but that doesn’t mean that they are all safe or that the things we take for granted are available in these countries. Travellers regularly change plans, they meet fellow travellers in a hostel, meet local people who offer them an opportunity to do something a little different or recommend a different way to the one they had planned and they follow that course. This in itself is one of the exciting things about travel and often leads to experiences otherwise missed, that often end up being the most memorable. But they can also lead to travellers getting wrapped up in the moment and forgetting basic safety measures and the concerns of those that they leave behind at home.
Communication with home and making others aware of your plans even when they change at the last moment, provides a vital safety line when something goes wrong. It gives others who want to help you a starting point to work from, but possibly even more importantly it gives your friends and family peace of mind.
Travelling 15 years ago, before the internet and before widespread use of the mobile phones, communication was much more difficult and people were expected to be out of contact often for long periods of time. Letters would be sent to deposits at predefined post offices and travellers would make every effort to get there within the specified time frames to receive news from home. This didn’t mean that people worried less, but just that they understood when a month went by without word; these days that is no longer the case. Here in the UK, if you are due to meet someone and you are running a little late, it is expected of you to send a text update; the pace of life today is truly much faster.
But many countries have vast areas without access to the internet or mobile phone signal. Wrapped up in the moment, travellers jump at opportunities presented to them and only later consider the implications when they find themselves without a means of communication. If they feel completely safe in what they are doing somehow they feel that others should not be worried, younger adults may simply not appreciate that their parent have been worrying about them all their lives and when they are so far away from home the level of concern is vastly exaggerated.
Fortunately this concern is often short lived as suddenly travellers come across an internet café or suddenly come into an area with a mobile phone signal in the most unexpected places and manage to send a quick message. However occasionally this ‘black-out’ goes on for weeks and even months; parents, friends and other relatives start to ask questions and alert authorities and unfortunately sometimes their worst fear are realised. Aydan fortunately turned up shortly after this article was published, unusually in the custody of the French police in Paris. Despite this situation in itself that would usually frighten most parents, his parents are relieved that they have the opportunity to help unravel the situation in France where due process can be followed and where they at least understand the processes rather than Benin which is so alien to them..
Staying in touch is easier these days then it has ever been, but this in itself means that those you leave behind are more prone to worry about you if they don’t hear from you then ever. Setting up and outlining the way you are going to communicate and the frequency with which you will stay in touch is more important than ever. When you change your plans, tell someone; it will stop those you love and who love you worrying and will make your journey safer.
Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop examines the issues surrounding staying in touch while you are away and the effect your travels have on those you leave behind. It is certainly not a sign of weakness to update every one of your plans and to provide yourself with a safety net for when you may be at your most vulnerable.
Source – London Lite
Date – 27th March 2008
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare, their son or daughter travels to a part of the world they only ever learned about in geography lessons alongside stories of great explorers and then out of the blue their child falls off the radar. This case of Ayden Savaskan is about as frightening as they come, away in a country that many people have never even heard of, on a continent that is well known for political unrest, lawlessness and violence, including kidnappings. With today’s access to mass media and the horror stories that seem to appear on a daily basis, many people will assume the worst.
The world is truly open these days and very few countries are totally out of bounds to the intrepid traveller, but that doesn’t mean that they are all safe or that the things we take for granted are available in these countries. Travellers regularly change plans, they meet fellow travellers in a hostel, meet local people who offer them an opportunity to do something a little different or recommend a different way to the one they had planned and they follow that course. This in itself is one of the exciting things about travel and often leads to experiences otherwise missed, that often end up being the most memorable. But they can also lead to travellers getting wrapped up in the moment and forgetting basic safety measures and the concerns of those that they leave behind at home.
Communication with home and making others aware of your plans even when they change at the last moment, provides a vital safety line when something goes wrong. It gives others who want to help you a starting point to work from, but possibly even more importantly it gives your friends and family peace of mind.
Travelling 15 years ago, before the internet and before widespread use of the mobile phones, communication was much more difficult and people were expected to be out of contact often for long periods of time. Letters would be sent to deposits at predefined post offices and travellers would make every effort to get there within the specified time frames to receive news from home. This didn’t mean that people worried less, but just that they understood when a month went by without word; these days that is no longer the case. Here in the UK, if you are due to meet someone and you are running a little late, it is expected of you to send a text update; the pace of life today is truly much faster.
But many countries have vast areas without access to the internet or mobile phone signal. Wrapped up in the moment, travellers jump at opportunities presented to them and only later consider the implications when they find themselves without a means of communication. If they feel completely safe in what they are doing somehow they feel that others should not be worried, younger adults may simply not appreciate that their parent have been worrying about them all their lives and when they are so far away from home the level of concern is vastly exaggerated.
Fortunately this concern is often short lived as suddenly travellers come across an internet café or suddenly come into an area with a mobile phone signal in the most unexpected places and manage to send a quick message. However occasionally this ‘black-out’ goes on for weeks and even months; parents, friends and other relatives start to ask questions and alert authorities and unfortunately sometimes their worst fear are realised. Aydan fortunately turned up shortly after this article was published, unusually in the custody of the French police in Paris. Despite this situation in itself that would usually frighten most parents, his parents are relieved that they have the opportunity to help unravel the situation in France where due process can be followed and where they at least understand the processes rather than Benin which is so alien to them..
Staying in touch is easier these days then it has ever been, but this in itself means that those you leave behind are more prone to worry about you if they don’t hear from you then ever. Setting up and outlining the way you are going to communicate and the frequency with which you will stay in touch is more important than ever. When you change your plans, tell someone; it will stop those you love and who love you worrying and will make your journey safer.
Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop examines the issues surrounding staying in touch while you are away and the effect your travels have on those you leave behind. It is certainly not a sign of weakness to update every one of your plans and to provide yourself with a safety net for when you may be at your most vulnerable.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.
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