We always tell participants on our Independent Travel Safety & Cultural Awareness workshops that travel presents challenges; very few people go on a Gap Year or a 3 month trip without having to face one or two along the way.
The important thing is to avoid as many as possible through effective planning. Of equal importance is how you deal with and overcome those challenges which will inevitably be encountered along the way.
What impresses me about this story is how incredibly frightening this experience must have been for all involved and yet how they faced the ultimate adversity and supported each other to get through it.
Traumatic situations like this one tend to have one of two consequences; either it knocks the confidence to such a degree that people choose to avoid any further experiences which could have similar negative outcomes or it makes people stronger. Those who manage to use the experience in a positive manner in their lives also gain a conversation piece they can trade on over dinner for years to come…
The old adage ‘when you fall of the horse, you have to get straight back on’ applies. By planning a backpacking trip Sarah Calascione has demonstrated amazing resilience and I have no doubt that it will only add to her character.
Even in the worst possible situations a positive attitude to the challenges faced goes a long way. Adrift in a life raft in the middle of the Atlantic ocean (an ocean which has already claimed your main vessel), would terrify even the most hardened adventurer. This is a situation which is so unexpected it is almost impossible to plan for, but the attitude adopted to the challenge is important and it is clear that by singing to provide comfort to each other, those caught up in this nightmare scenario helped significantly reduce the impact of the incident.
At Safe Gap Year our Independent Travel Safety and Cultural Awareness Workshop considers issues of Travel Safety, alongside sessions on Cultural Awareness, Travel Health, Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Transport Options, Documentation, Travel Money and Insurance and more.
Please visit our website at http://www.safegapyear.co.uk/.
For more information on any of our services, please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.
To view the original article Click Here
Source – Evening Standard
Date – 23rd February 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment