“Every gap year student should have some skills training to help them travel in a more sensible and informed way. There are very few things in life that we expect to go off and do with no training, so why do we assume that travelling in the developing world can be achieved without preparation?”

Charlotte Hindle – author of Lonely Planet’s ‘Gap Year Guide’

Sunday 17 August 2008

Tourists beware: if it’s fun, Italy has a law against it


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Title – Tourists beware: if it’s fun, Italy has a law against it
Source – The Independent
Date – 17th August 2008

This headline is a little harsh; they have not really banned fun, they are merely controlling the excesses of their society to protect it. After all, three people sitting on a bench in Novara could easily turn from simple harmless fun into a riot…. Thinking about it, they may actually be creating fun; I can’t believe there are not people wandering round looking for couples sitting peacefully together on park benches and sitting next to them, thus plunging the couple into the criminal underworld; or groups of friends playing stand-up sit-down, where they have to avoid any two people being seated at any one time by someone else having to jump up… As for building sandcastles, I wonder if the law extends to other structures made of sand or is simply designated to eliminate sand ‘castles’… I have a vision of domes, articulated lorries and all manner of sand structures taking the place of the more traditional castle…

But on a slightly more serious note, understanding local laws and culture will go a long way to ensuring you have a event free trip. Never assume that what goes at home, goes abroad. It’s fair to say that breaching any of these strange local laws will probably not see you deported from Italy, but you may well find yourself with an unwanted fine to pay.

In other parts of the world something as simple as wearing revealing clothing such as swim wear may land you in substantially deeper water and many activities we take for granted at home can lead to serious difficulty, unnecessary danger, large fines and even larger prison terms. Ignorance or claiming you are a foreigner will simply not wash as an excuse.

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop will prepare you for any destination you choose to visit. We will provide you with personal safety and cultural awareness advice for the countries you are visiting. By providing you with the tools to allow you to prepare effectively for your travels, you will gain the confidence that will allow you to make the most of your travel experiences.

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.

Saturday 16 August 2008

Walking tall with no footprint


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Title – Walking tall with no footprintSource – The Guardian
Date – 16th August 2008

Responsible and ethical travel is an industry buzz word at the moment; but how different is a ‘buzz word’ from a ‘marketing tool’?

Environmental destruction and global warming are a reality even to the greatest sceptics and we all have to play our part in reducing carbon emissions and reducing our impact on our environments. This is even more important when we travel; what right do we have to damage the environment of the countries and communities we visit?

So on the assumption that we can not rely on all of the many commercialised gap year organisations (they prefer to call themselves organisations rather than companies, many even seem to portray themselves as charities…) to distinguish between the ‘green’ merits of their various voluntary projects; how do we make those choices?

The key as always is to do your own research and be very aware that these companies are employing the latest marketing tools to attract you, marketing tools that are expensive and have one purpose; to ‘recruit you’.

Don’t misunderstand me, they are not all bad or ‘money grabbing’ most do an excellent job and some are doing incredibly valuable work which benefits local communities, the environment and the volunteers. It is fighting through the crowd who try and blind you with clever ‘glossy’ marketing and to get through to these good companies, which is sometimes difficult.

Many urge you to talk to previous volunteers to ask about their experiences, be aware these are people who are either employed or hand-picked to pass on the company’s message.

But more than this if you do consider your impact on the environment to be important then think carefully about what you intend to do on your travels, where you intend to go and what you can do to reduce your impact. This article offers some solutions.

I am not one of those people who believe that we should look to wholesale changes to our way of life, for example I don’t believe we should all give up flying, but I do think we should alter our lifestyles where we can, think about changes that will not affect us badly but will positively affect our environment. I think also we must change attitudes so that wasteful activities are exposed for what they are. However calculating our impact is such a complicated process and until a simplified calculator is easily accessible, it will be difficult for us to realise out individual impact.

For example this weekend a popular newspaper gave away a free energy efficient bulb to every reader. On the surface a good thing. They did it for one reason, to increase circulation; increased circulation equals increased environmental impact. Add to this that to claim your light bulb you had to visit a branch of a national DIY chain; how many people jumped in their cars or took a detour to collect their bulb? Add all this together and it is possible that this offer actually had a very negative impact on the environment.

The same goes for some volunteering projects. If you are going to plant trees in China to help combat global warming for two weeks, would you not be leaving a large carbon footprint overall? Maybe you can plant trees closer to home? However equally importantly the trees which you plant may also be protecting biodiversity, soil erosion and the micro climate, add to this your personal experience working with local communities and it may be worthwhile after all. If the alternative is you taking a two week holiday on the beach in Thailand it makes the balance between your potential carbon footprints even more complicated. Ultimately it is only you who can decide and that decision can only be made if you research all the information available.

Be sensible and decide for yourself whether your trip or volunteering is worth it and what impact it will have, but if at first you feel it is not worth it, look again there are many many honest worthwhile organisations out there and you will find one that suits your needs, your interests and your motivation.

At
Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Ethical and Responsible Travel alongside sessions on Travel Safety, Travel Equipment, Travel Health, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice and more. Taking a gap year, career break or volunteering can be the experience of a lifetime, it need not carry any guilt in fact it should make you very proud, choose wisely and you’ll have a positive impact on yourself, those you meet and your environment.

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.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.

Tuesday 12 August 2008

British arrests soar 32% in Spain

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To view the BBC article please Click Here


Title – British arrests soar 32% in Spain
Source – www.bbc.co.uk & The Independent
Date – 12th August 2008

That over 2000 people were arrested in Spain out of 17 million visitors is hardly a headline, if anything the headline should be how few people are arrested and how tolerant the Spanish authorities are towards us Brits…

Now I know this opinion is generalising a little and based on the extremes we seem to champion on our less subtle cable TV channels and ‘reality’ programmes, anyone who has spent any time in one of those Spanish resorts that attract the millions of visitors can surely be under no illusion that there are many more people that go unarrested who probably should count themselves lucky.

More importantly and less attractive as a press headline are some of the other statistics. Visitors to Indonesia have a 1 in 100 chance of having a serious incident, be that robbery, drugs related or accident; in Thailand we have long warned of the high incidence of traffic accidents involving Britons on motorbikes and scooters, these latest figures show the high degree of hospital admissions and deaths from such accidents; UAE we recently highlighted as a country where not understanding the local culture and law could land you in very hot water indeed and this again is reflected in these latest figures.

The warnings are there and plain to see. Take out comprehensive travel insurance and don’t take part in activities that would render this insurance invalid; research your destination and learn something of the culture and laws of the country you are visiting; have respect for your hosts and don’t think you you will be granted special dispensation because you are a foreigner, those days are over and if anything today foreigners are made an example of; seek comprehensive travel health advice at least 8 weeks before you leave; act responsibly.

We can help you in all of these areas. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop helps to prepare you thoroughly for your planned travels where ever in the world they may take you. Day one covers aspects of conflict resolution which will give you the skills to avoid conflict in all its forms and personal safety techniques that enable you to free yourself from aggressive or violent situations without the need to use force. Day two covers all practical aspects of travel including Cultural Awareness, Destination Advice, Travel Health, Transport Options, Travel Equipment and Travel Insurance.

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.

Monday 11 August 2008

Off into the unknown


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Title – Off into the unknown
Source – The Independent
Date – 11th August 2008

This is a very balanced article and one which echo’s much of what I write in this blog; there are many dangers out there but if you maintain perspective they are not as great as they may seem. One of the problems is that when a tragedy occurs especially to a young ‘gapper’, the stories are sensationalised and magnified because of the sadness felt, that someone (often a young adult) with such a spirit of adventure has been the unfortunate victim of crime or tragic accident.

But the article is right, statistically taking a Gap Year may not be much more dangerous than our every day lives, however the two points it omits are ones that anyone travelling should consider.

The first is that when travelling even minor situations are exaggerated because we are often so far away and in such unfamiliar locations, that situations we would handle almost as second nature at home are difficult for us to resolve. The second is that most travellers will take risks when travelling, which they simply would not take at home.

Let me give you some examples. In 2002 I travelled to
Mongolia, this vast and beautiful country is really only fully accessible on horseback. At home riding a horse is inherently dangerous, but helmets and other safety equipment is mandatory and we at least have good medical facilities to come to our assistance in the case of an accident. Back in Mongolia I never saw a helmet and the saddles and other equipment were very rudimentary. The horses themselves were semi-wild and certainly not familiar with the frame of a well fed European. But the thing which struck me most when I was 5 days into my adventure on horseback, was what would happen if I fell off and hurt myself? I am not even thinking of a serious accident, something as simple as a broken ankle which considering the mountain, swamp, river crossings etc. was not unimaginable. In itself not a life threatening injury, but when the nearest medical assistance is five days horse ride (on the assumption I could cover the same ground with a broken ankle as I could without) away, followed by a flight (twice weekly); what state would my ankle be in by the time I reached the modest medical facilities available even in the Mongolian capitol Ulaanbaatar?

The additional risks we seem willing to take when travelling are as a result of the euphoric effect of travel itself. We need to do what is possible to temper this over-confidence without taking anything away from the travel experience itself. Once we have assessed these risks we need to actively control them and manage them as effectively as possible; most of us would not even consider cycling in the UK without a helmet these days, yet we will happily drive a motorbike we have rented on some of the worlds most dangerous roads when we travel. It does not make a great deal of sense, yet the willingness to take additional risk, where that risk is exaggerated by our location, somehow seems overwhelming.

At
Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Safety, we help you evaluate the risks, show you the consequences and allow you to travel with more confidence in yourself to make the right choices when it comes to managing the risk involved in your travel. We look at issues such as Travel Equipment, Travel Health, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice which you have to consider before you travel and when you travel. To make sure you can make the most of your Gap Year we will help you prepare for every eventuality so that you can not just benefit on your return but make the most of every experience while you travel.

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.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.

Dynamic Gap Year students will always stand out from the rest of the A-list crowd.


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Title – Dynamic Gap Year students will always stand out from the rest of the A-list crowd.
Source – The Independent
Date – 11th August 2008

This interesting point of view is one with which I concur completely, there is much more value to a Gap Year than simply the enjoyment of travel itself.

In an ever more competitive job market attitudes towards gap years have changed dramatically. Whereas 15 years ago employers looked upon them as signifying a lack of dedication to a ‘career’; gap years are now considered an attribute by many employers, one that helps you stand out from the crowd.

The world of business is now truly globalised. Working in this world you have to have an understanding of other cultures, different work ethos and different attitudes to challenge your own values. In international business an understanding of these differences sets you out from the crowd and gives you a much better chance of being successful.

There has never been a more important time to gain a competitive advantage in the job market, to be able to achieve this while fulfilling lifelong dreams seems to be the ultimate ‘win-win’.

At
Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Safety, Travel Equipment, Travel Health, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Returning Home and the many more considerations before deciding where to travel to and what activities to undertake. To make sure you can make the most of your gap year we will help you prepare for every eventuality, so that you can not just benefit on your return, but make the most of every experience while you travel.

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.

For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or
Contact Us.

Monday 4 August 2008

Robbery, then rape at gunpoint: a couple’s ordeal in Caribbean villa

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Title – Robbery, then rape at gunpoint: a couple’s ordeal in Caribbean villa
Source – The Times
Date – 4th August 2008

As is often the case success can be the reason for downfall, the Caribbean is a perfect example of this. The success of many of the Caribbean islands as tourist destinations have seen huge development a reduction in traditional economies and lifestyles and a widening of the wealth gap between rich and poor.

Add to this the influx of foreign companies that ‘import’ tourists and ‘export’ profits, the subsequent increase of direct flights to and from Europe and the USA, the proximity to South and Central America where the world production of Cocaine is concentrated and the scene was set for these beautiful and peaceful islands to become the perfect staging post for drugs to be smuggled. At one point statistics showed that one in every ten people on flights from the Caribbean were ‘drug mules’.

With this as a starting point, it is hardly surprising that the drug culture has infiltrated these societies and with that the development (or sometimes enhancement of existing) gangs seeking to control these lucrative drug routes. Add to this the proximity of one of the main producers of methamphetamines (Ice) in Mexico and yet another tragedy is in the making.

Where there is a serious drug problem coupled with gangs fighting for control of drug money, there are always consequences that go beyond the internal criminal and gang related violence. It always spills out as drug dependents seek ‘soft targets’ and criminals breed criminals who don’t simply rob and steal, but who have such distain for life itself that they kill as a matter of course.

With the very high profile murder of honeymoon couple Mr & Mrs Mullany the situation has hit the headlines. It is very sad to see this side of a society which does not reflect the average Caribbean islander who will welcome visitors with open arms and a friendly smile; but the underbelly is a violent and disillusioned society with a serious drug problem that has led to lawlessness and gangs that are better funded and better armed in many cases then law enforcement.

Many tourists visit the Caribbean islands without any sort of incident, but this very high profile double murder has highlighted that the innocence of the Caribbean that was lost a long time ago, has now been very publically shattered and as this second story to emerge from St Lucia demonstrates it was not an isolated incident. People must be aware when they travel not just that there is a very violent part of society on many of these islands, but that they are ruthless beyond what many people will believe to be possible.

This is not a new phenomenon; nearly 10 years ago a group of 8 friends of mine were visiting one of the Caribbean islands and were robbed at gunpoint in the middle of the night. They were ‘lucky’; by lying very still and complying with commands the perpetrators gave, they simply lost cash and valuables, this could easily have ended very differently.

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop provides candidates with personal safety skills and techniques to help you stay safe, as well as destination advice and practical advice on all aspects of independent travel to all corners of the world.

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.

Tourists attacked by the dogs brought in to save sheep from wolves

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Title – Tourists attacked by the dogs brought in to save sheep from wolves
Source – The Times
Date – 4th August 2008

We do have a tendency in the ‘developed world’ to be very patronising towards conservation efforts in other countries; we tend to blame them for the destruction of rainforest, habitats of rare endangered species and for not considering the impact on global warming. How short-sighted are the Indians for not protecting the tiger, the Africans for wanting to cull elephant, the South Americans for cutting down swaths of rainforest to grow crops or the Chinese for polluting their way to global domination.

What we tend to forget is that we did just that when we ‘developed’ our country. Look at the UK or much of Europe now and it bares little or no resemblance to its natural state. Most of the A1 predators are gone or so rare they have to be artificially sustained, our beautiful countryside is primarily the result of farming and can we really preach at the Chinese about pollution after our own industrial revolution? Not to mention how much we pollute to this day; look at the pollution generated per person in the UK and China and they look veritably ‘green’ by comparison.

This story demonstrates this clearly to me. Wolves are making a comeback in the Alps, much like some other A1 predators are in the rest of the world because of successful conservation projects. But when a village in Indonesia kills a tiger out of ‘self-defence’ or to defend their livestock we are appalled. We should be looking closer to home; the fuss being made about the reintroduction of beavers to Scotland or wolves in the Alps should make us think twice about criticising others.

For travellers they too should be aware that dangers with local wildlife exist not just in faraway places, but also much closer to home. If the wolves themselves are not yet a serious threat to humans, there is a real possibility that the day will come when their paths cross, but before that time there is the distinct possibility that the dogs we have ‘reintroduced’ to protect livestock against the wolves will turn on unfamiliar humans. Much like many of the fighting dogs we see in the UK that sadly regularly maim and kill because owners are either incapable or irresponsible in looking after them, the Pyrenean mountain dog was not bred as a pet, it was bred as a defender and can not be held to account for what we have done to make it such.

Having written all this, don’t think for a second that I don’t think we should do everything in our power to protect the tiger, the elephant or the rainforest and that we shouldn’t put great pressure on not just China but everyone to reduce carbon emissions; but remember we started many of these processes and we changed our environment beyond recognition and beyond return to ensure our own standard of living and prosperity, so we should try and help others learn from our mistakes not chastise them for following our lead.

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop looks at ways of reducing the impact we have on our environment and on the people and cultures of the countries we visit. We also examine how to travel more safely including ways of reducing the risks from the environments and fauna and flora of those countries we visit; be they wild or ‘domesticated’. These dangers are often hidden and for inexperienced travellers much of the danger is in the false belief that what is the norm at home is also the norm in the countries we visit, near and far. Many dogs in the UK are friendly and approachable; the Patou in the alps should not be confused with a domestic dog walking in the English countryside.

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.