Two Britons die on Vietnam boat; Drowned Britons were on a world bicycle ride.

Title – Two Britons die on Vietnam boat – 28th September 2009 (www.bbc.co.uk)
Title – Drowned Britons were on a world bicycle ride – 29th September 2009 (Metro)

It is another reminder, if one was needed, that the adventures we all take part in on our travels are not without risk.

There is no indication that this was anymore than a freak accident resulting in tragedy. However it remains the case that accidents in or on the water is one of the top two reasons for death overseas from accidents; alongside road traffic accidents.

All too often boats can be overloaded, safety precautions inadequate or completely ignored and equipment old, ineffective or wholly absent.

Two of the greatest threats to young travellers in developing countries using boats as a means of travel are inexperience and peer pressure.

Inexperience leads to naivety or an assumption that what is a very safe form of transport in the developed world carries little danger in less developed countries or that local boat operators experience will keep them safe. The latter is often certainly an important factor, but in countries where many people live on or below the poverty line, profit is often the winner in the battle between investment in safety equipment & maintenance or squeezing an extra few (or hundred) passengers on board and safety.

Peer pressure, is one of those problems that is very difficult to eradicate completely. Not wanting to be the one in a group who seems over-cautious or who speaks up when something doesn’t seem quite right, but rather taking the ‘fingers crossed’ approach, has led to many accidents that were avoidable. On boats, not paying attention to safety briefings is common (I know when I was working as a Dive Master in Thailand, it sometimes seemed like I was talking to myself) and not wearing life vest when available is endemic; are you really going to be the only one sitting there in an old torn bright orange ‘waist coat’?

As I say peer pressure is the most difficult ‘problem’ to fix. What we do during Our Workshops is to find ways round the peer pressure or at least somewhere comfortable in the middle. If you don’t want to wear the life jacket and be the odd one out, why not ask for one you can sit on as a cushion? That way you don’t stand out, but if disaster strikes, you will at least have a life vest to hand in the few minutes it can take for a boat to go down.

At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Safety, alongside sessions on 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 www.safegapyear.com. 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.

BA: now it’s £60 to pick a seat

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Title – BA: now it’s £60 to pick a seat
Source – The Sunday Times Travel
Date – 28th September 2009

I feel a rant coming on…. I will try and avoid the worst of it…

So it seems that British Airways are trying to slowly change their business model to compete with the ‘low-cost’ airlines.

The problem for me is you can’t have the best of both worlds. If you want to be a low cost airline then offer those silly low prices and charge for everything else, while providing a level of service which ‘reflects’ the price. If you want to be a scheduled (traditional) airline who can charge a ‘premium’ for flights without the mad scramble, then do that. I’m not sure a hybrid works where you pay the ‘premium rate’ and then have to pay for everything else.

The question is what is next, are they going to follow Ryanair and Easyjet and charge for every stage of the process? I’m in no doubt that other airlines will follow suit and in time we will get used to it, but I know what to expect if I am booking ‘low-cost’ and I know what I expect when I am willing to pay that little more for a carrier like BA. If the differential is no longer there, then cost alone will be the factor which decides my future airline choice… can BA really compete?

It used to be straight forward to calculate your flight costs into you overall travel budget, but independent travellers need to be careful these days not to be caught out by the many additional charges and baggage restrictions etc.

Be very careful especially with your baggage allowance, I have been with several carriers who have ignored my excess on the way out (skis, diving equipment etc) and when I have been on the other side of the world ready to return home have suddenly decided to follow the small print to the letter and charge me many hundreds of pounds in excess baggage… to date with no success, but more through luck, long arguments and stubborn persistence, then any magical formula.

So rant over… hopefully most passengers will object like I do to paying extra and leave the task of choosing their seat until the last 24 hours when it is free; that way everyone has a fair crack of the whip in getting a decent seat. Sadly it does seem the lottery of the emergency exit seat is a thing of the past; let’s just hope the people with the money to burn are also fit enough to open the emergency exit if required…

At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Transport Options alongside sessions on Travel Safety, Travel Health, Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Documentation, Travel Money and Insurance and more.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com. 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.

‘Out of control’ thrill firms put UK gapers in danger

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Title – ‘Out of control’ thrill firms put UK gapers in danger
Source – The Sunday Times Travel
Date – 28th September 2009

This is a story we first commented on in April 2008:

· Tour group admits errors over river-boarding death
· Family blames daughter’s death on the pursuit of most extreme sports

In my previous blog entry I included some simple ways you can take your own precautions when choosing a company whose hands you intend to put your life.

The good news is that the New Zealand government have realised that their good reputation has been dented and they need to do something to restore it and flashy advertising is no substitute for real control of the ‘adventure sports’ companies.

As always the responsible companies will welcome regulation, those who complain about it, are the ones to steer clear of.

Being safe does not take the edge off these activities and seeking out a reputable company and asking appropriate safety questions should not be something you are embarrassed to do. Reputable operators will welcome your questions and give you reasonable answers or proof of qualifications and safety / quality certificates.

Standing on the ledge of bridge with a rope tied around your legs should be enough of a thrill for anyone; knowing that the bungee rope is of the right length and in good condition should not add to the ‘excitement’.

At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Safety, alongside sessions on 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 www.safegapyear.com. 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.

Barcelona ‘is a steal’

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Title – Barcelona ‘is a steal’
Source – Metro
Date – 25th September 2009

Who said you need to travel to far flung corners of the world to be in ‘danger’ when you travel?

This latest survey suggests that for pickpockets at least destinations closer to home pose a serious risk; to our pockets at least.

Anyone who has visited Barcelona will be able to tell you that Las Ramblas while being a great place to spend a few hours, is also somewhere a money belt becomes a very worthwhile investment. But it is as much how you use your money belt as the investment itself which counts.

Money belts are not an alternative to a wallet, or to a reputable hotel safe; money belts are an additional layer of protection. Accessing your money belt in public is arguably putting you in greater danger than not using one at all; as it displays where you have probably ‘hidden’ all your valuables and could result in you being targeted for a more violent theft.

The key is to have a variety of different methods of protecting your valuables, both to give you peace of mind and confidence, as well as to protect the bulk of your cash, valuables and documents from the prevalent thieves who prowl Barcelona, Rome, Prague and Madrid and especially the well known hotspots such as Las Ramblas, train stations, busy markets and tourist hot spots.

During

Our Workshop we examine many different strategies for protecting yourself and your property from pickpockets and others who would seek to harm you and steal from you.

At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Safety, alongside sessions on 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 www.safegapyear.com. 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.

Try to be a help not a hindrance

Title – Try to be a help not a hindrance
Source – Metro
Date – 15th September 2009

There are always two key issues which stand out when choosing volunteering companies which promote gap year travel and volunteering projects.

The first is the value of the project for the host community, is it designed to meet their requirements or yours?

The second is are you provided with any real additional protection in the country you will be visiting or is more of your fee spent on fancy marketing than systems designed to assist you when you most need it?

We have often said that you need to choose carefully, there are many excellent companies out there providing excellent services and ethical and responsible volunteering projects, there are also a lot of cowboys… What frustrates me most and tends to ring my alarm bells are companies which portray themselves as charities rather than commercial companies (not to be confused with those genuine charities who tend on the whole to be more focussed on the work they undertake).

Even the big companies often have very limited information or inductions for volunteers. Choosing to go with a company rather than solo is no substitute for doing your own extensive research into your destination and learning ways to reduce the risks you may face in the country you are visiting.
Tourism Concern have indicated that their research demonstrates that one in three companies are so profit driven they don’t even meet candidates before they travel and one in four fail to offer any kind of pre-departure induction at all; where exactly is all your money going and what exactly are you paying for?

At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Safety alongside sessions on 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 www.safegapyear.com. 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.

Tour group admits errors over riverboarding death

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Title – Tour group admits errors over riverboarding death
Source – The Times
Date – 25th August 2009

This is a story we first commented on in April 2008:

·

Family blames daughter’s death on the pursuit of most extreme sports

This conclusion of the associated court case shows the guilt accepted by the company involved and serves as a reminder that ‘extreme sports’ are not without their dangers. The very concept is to get the adrenaline going and to ‘face our fears’ and there are many excellent companies who allow you to do this in the relative risk managed safety.

However where there are good companies there are also inevitably less good ones. In such competitive businesses, standards are often reflected in the prices charged in the battle to win customers. Independent travellers are often guided by price in their choices, in an attempt to try and squeeze the most out of a tight budget, but price alone should never be the only factor.

Let me give an example from my own experience.

As a very keen diver many of the places I visit offer more than one dive operator to choose from. Out of habit I effectively risk assess them all before I choose. ‘Risk assessing’ often sounds like a dull, formal, boring and over cautious approach, but we are not talking about boring forms or meetings with health and safety managers, rather just a sensible approach to making the right choices. The fact is during this process I also find out more about where each company dives, what their approach is to protecting their environments and which dive masters / crew seem the nicest; all very important in making the most out of what is an expensive activity.

My risk assessment roughly looks at the following factors:

· How clean, tidy and organised is the dive shop?
· How well maintained does the hire equipment look (even if I am using my own equipment)?
· How new does the equipment look (are the BCD’s faded by the sun, ripped, ragged etc)
· How do the staff approach my enquiry (do they ask to see my diving qualification, log book or enquire about my level of experience)?
· What type of boat do they use and what condition is it in?
· What are their emergency procedures?
· How knowledgeable are staff about the local area / environment; are they going to make my dive more interesting or just functional?
· What experience do the Dive Masters / Instructors have, who registers the dive centre and to what grade?
· I will ask other divers who have already dived for a recommendation or their experiences?

This seems like a long list and a hassle, but all this can be achieved through casual conversation when you visit the dive shop and while you are checking out the area. You will very quickly find which dive operation you are most comfortable with and which one is likely to give you the best experience. Like many ‘extreme sports’ safety must be at the top of your list of concerns when you are planning a dive; otherwise you’ll be uncomfortable and will not enjoy the experience…. And what is the point of that?

You may not be an expert, but common sense and a few well placed questions can go a long way to reducing risk. The behaviour, safety equipment, approach to safety and making that extra effort to make your experience one to remember, will certainly be a first step to avoiding accidents.

At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Safety, alongside sessions on 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 www.safegapyear.com. 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.

2009’s hottest destination (and that’s when the trouble started)

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Title – 2009’s hottest destination (and that’s when the trouble started)
Source – The Independent
Date – 21st August 2009

Responsible and Ethical Travel often treads a thin line and those influential bodies in the travel industry have an important role in making sure they stay the right side of it; none more so than Lonely Planet.

In this case it does seem that their decision to highlight the Bay of Fires in Tasmania as the ‘hottest’ destination for 2009 has led to a local battle which the Australians are by now very used to. The three way fight between conservationists, big business and the aboriginal community.

I don’t think we can really blame Lonely Planet for this, maybe they will even have been the catalyst to help preserve this area before it is eroded through human development, much as it may have been ignored until now, it this day and age nothing stays hidden forever.

So what can you do?

Promoting Ethical and Responsible Travel is something you can play your part in. Do your research and listen to all sides of the argument before you decide how to spend your ‘tourist dollars’ and where you decide to visit.

It is very much individual choice as to where you decide to visit and how you visit. Always balance your choices with the desires of local people and the level of ‘harm’ almost any form of travel will cause. We can certainly help you find a balance which will be acceptable to you, where your positive impact can offset some of the negative impact travel inevitably has.

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 Health, Travel Safety, , Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Transport Options, Documentation, Travel Money and Insurance and more.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com. 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.

Tourists to plead guilty / Community work for fraud Britons / Gap-year fraudsters plead to come home

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Title – Tourists to plead guilty /

Community work for fraud Britons / Gap-year fraudsters plead to come home
Source – The Independent / www.bbc.co.uk / The Times
Date – 6th August 2009 / 20th August 2009 / 20th August 2009

This is an update on our earlier blog entry:

· Brit pair ‘terrified’ in hellhole Rio jail

I always try and emphasise that I don’t write / post these entries to vilify those involved or to make suggestion on guilt or innocence, but rather as a warning to other independent travellers. These are warnings which could protect you from some of the potential pitfalls of your actions abroad.

The outcome of this court case has found these girls guilty of fraud and making a false report to the police, they were sentenced to 14 months imprisonment (they could have been sentenced to as much as 5 years) which was converted by the judge to community service and a fine. This is undoubtedly a lucky escape when you take into account the Brazilian jail they would have had to serve their sentence in.

However in sentencing them to two hours community service per day for 8 months, they will have to remain in Brazil for eight months as they serve their sentence. During this time they will have to fund themselves and as things currently stand be unable to return to the UK. Their appeal will no doubt try and address these factors.

Possibly just as bad or worse, both will have a criminal record which may well preclude them from certain career choices.

This will all seem very harsh when in reality it seems that these girls are far from ‘career criminals’ and the facts suggest they made a stupid mistake and an error of judgement. The fact that they were ‘robbed’ is not in question (a traumatic experience as it is for many travellers). It seems that sometime between that incident and reporting the crime against them, they made the decision to exaggerate their loss. Many people will say that this is hardly uncommon; the fact is, it is a crime.

What we emphasise to independent travellers and what we preach during our workshops over and over, is to remember when you are in another country you must abide by the laws of that country and are subject to the sanctions those laws impose. Being British does not entitle you to any special treatment, in fact it can often mean you are made an example of.

It is safe to say that were this crime committed in the UK, these girls would at worst be facing a fine and possibly some community service, so their situation is not wildly different; the problem is this has to be done over 8 months and in Brazil… it adds a rather different perspective to the punishment.

We must also always remember that insurance fraud is not a victimless crime; the insurance companies actually only lose in the short term, it is all travellers who lose in the long term, with higher premiums (premiums which rise every year, in no small part due to the number of claims received by the insurance companies).

At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Documentation, Travel Money and Insurance alongside sessions on, Travel Health, Travel Safety, Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Transport Options, and more.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com. 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.

Encephalitis toll approaches 130

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Title – Encephalitis toll approaches 130Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 17th August 2009

Japanese encephalitis is one of those vaccinations which some travellers ‘sacrifice’ in order to make a ‘cost saving’. It is a rare disease in travellers, which is why some people choose not to get the vaccination; which is not available for free on the NHS.

However it is important that cost is not a factor in this decision making process.

Every time you travel you need to carry out a travel risk assessment and ‘cost’ should never be a factor in this equation. Sensible risk reduction is always cost effective, as the consequences of ignoring risk can often not be calculated purely in monetary terms.

In regard to the risk assessment for Japanese encephalitis, there are a number of different factors to take into account; the region you are travelling to; the type of activities you intend to take part in; rural or urban travel; the type of accommodation you will using; if you will be staying, working or visiting farms; the duration of your stay in the area; the time of year; and recent ‘outbreaks’ in the region.

This latest outbreak in a poor and remote part of India (Uttar Pradesh) is certainly something that any traveller to the region should be aware of. It makes vaccination of anyone travelling to the area, a fundamental part of the risk assessment process; tightening up on mosquito bite avoidance measures, will also help considerably.

At

Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Health, alongside sessions on Travel Safety, Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Transport Options, Documentation, Travel Money and Insurance and more.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com. 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.

China tries to contain plague after second death

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Title – China tries to contain plague after second deathSource – The Independent
Date – 4th August 2009

Just the very mention of ‘plague’ fills people with horror and conjures up images of biblical times; not a modern world in 2009. In the 14th century the ‘black death’ (plague) killed a third of Europe’s population; some 25 million people perished.

However for the average traveller, plague need not be near the top of the list of concerns. There are no known incidences of plague in travellers returning to the UK since 1918. However ‘awareness’ is a useful tool in developing preventative strategies.

The main strategy for preventing the contraction of plague is to avoid endemic areas / outbreak areas and to be aware of those animals which act as a vector for the disease.

This particular outbreak should not affect travellers unless they are already in the area; which is very remote and rarely visited. The Chinese have become very effective at controlling outbreaks of infectious diseases by isolating infected people and infected areas; something made easier when the government has so much control over its people…

Outbreaks of plague are not as isolated as they may seem and not always confined to these remote parts of the world. Although Africa accounts for 80% of cases, central Asia is also high on the list of the endemic areas; some 2000 cases and 180 deaths reported annually (figures from 2003). Worldwide there are also occasional large outbreaks, such as the 5000 reported in India in 1994. There have also been isolated cases in rural

USA, Peru, Vietnam and Mongolia.

In Mongolia it is relatively well known that the Marmot, a common sight on the open steppe, can and do sometimes carry plague They are also hunted as a source of protein and for their skins by the local nomadic people. The Marmot is a representative of the type of animals which can carry plague, including rats, rabbits, prairie dogs, gerbils, guinea pigs and other rodents. Needless to say contact with these animals is not advisable in areas where plague is endemic.

At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Health, alongside sessions on Travel Safety, Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Transport Options, Documentation, Travel Money and Insurance and more.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com. 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.