Bus-stop bombing kills one in Bangkok

I have written a lot about Thailand and Bangkok in particular in this news blog over the last few years. However as such a popular destination, I do not think it does any harm to highlight that although the obvious threat from protestors has temporarily subsided, an underlying threat remains.


Further terrorist activity and a resumption of protest should be expected at any time in Bangkok particularly; as we have seen in the past, this can quickly spread to other parts of the country with the popular backpackers destination of Chiang Mai in the North of the country particularly prone to experiencing these types of activity.


To read more about the current situation in Thailand visit the FCO Advice – Thailand page and our previous news blog entries:


• Backpackers pack their bags and leave Bangkok in droves
• Change travel advice for Thailand
• At least 10 die and 500 injured in Thai riot


The key to safe travel in Thailand is to keep up-to-date with local news while you travel through the country and at the first sign of political protest or unrest, leave the area. Pay particular attention during any local or national elections and if there is any sign of ill-health in the king who holds a much revered place in the hearts of all Thai people.


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, 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 – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 25th July 2010
Submitted by – Peter Mayhew

Revellers hurt in Thailand tourist speed boat collision

Sometimes when we are teaching people how to be safe when they travel, it does rather feel that we can use the example of the ‘Full Moon’ party on Koh Pah Ngan as an example for all of the dangers and challenges faced by independent travellers across the world; the ‘full moon party’ has them all.


It is sad to see yet another tragedy unfold and more young people seriously injured when they were relying on the actions of others to keep them safe while they enjoyed all Thailand offers.


What we continually try and reinforce through our website and during our workshops is that you must not rely on others to keep you safe, but be self-reliant.


The ‘Full Moon Party’ need not be avoided at all costs, if it is something which attracts you, then by all means go, but do take extra care; by that I mean really plan ahead for every eventuality because the dangers are significant:


• Theft – Both from the person and from rooms; spend a little more for a descent room in a more secure location and make use of any additional safety facilities available. Don’t turn up thinking you’ll party through and don’t need accommodation, if nothing else have somewhere to securely leave you things; sleeping on the beach may seem a ‘romantic’ notion to you, the Thai authorities view it differently and waking up having been robbed will ruin your trip…

• Drugs – Avoid them and look after your drink, as drink spiking is common. The police patrol the beach and even holding a ‘joint’ can see you locked up with two options; a very heavy ‘fine’ or deportation.

• Sexual Assault – Sexual assaults are not uncommon and often ‘drug-assisted’ either through drink / food spiking or self induced alcohol / drug consumption.

• Medical care – Tropical disease risk is not significant, the island is not generally associated with a high risk of Malaria or many of the other diseases you vaccinate yourself against before travel. Dengue fever can occur and is on the rise in Thailand generally. You should always visit your GP or Travel Clinic before travel. Protection against sexually transmitted diseases should be a consideration.

There are regularly casualties from the party; dehydration, heat exhaustion, alcohol related conditions, accidents, injury from violence and many of the other common travel related syndromes. Make sure your Medical Insurance covers you and that your activities do not invalidate it. There are medical facilities on the island, but more serious cases need to be transferred to Koh Samui; medical facilities on Koh Pha Ngan are often overwhelmed during the Full Moon parties.

• Traffic accident – Is one of the major dangers when travelling but it is reduced in this case because there is little traffic on the island due to its size. Some people still choose to hire scooters and motorbikes (this always seems a little odd when everywhere is within walking distance…) and these present the usual dangers; injuries from accidents usually because of lack of protective clothing / equipment / lack of experience and / or drink driving.

• Transport – This is the danger highlighted in this latest accident. There is only one way of getting to the island and that is by boat, but it is the choice of boat which will dictate your level of risk.


As a general rule I would much rather get on the slow ferry rather than the ‘speed boats’, they strike me as more regulated, more robust and there is an element of safety in the regular schedules which would allow rescue to have a much better idea of where to start looking.


The speedboats are much more haphazard, often waiting till they are ‘full’ before leaving. The drive for profit is often at the expense of safety. There has undoubtedly been an improvement in the regulation surrounding these speedboats in the past 15 years, but how strong the enforcement of these regulation is remains in some doubt.


The trip from Koh Samui to Koh Pha Ngan is not long enough for the additional risk of speedboats to be worth the time saved.


On any boat journey there are factors to consider:


• The seaworthiness of the vessel and reputation of the company
• The capacity – is it overloaded
• The safety equipment – life rafts, life jackets, communication equipment, pre-departure drills etc.
• The weather
• Visibility


In this case some people do seem to have been wearing lifejackets, which is a start. The two points from this report which would worry me most would be the weather conditions which seems to have been far from ideal and travelling at night which is something to be avoided on all but the best equipped vessels (such as those which cross the English Channel).


Maybe more facts will come out from this particular accident in time, although it seems for now that the two boat drivers have disappeared, which would be a worrying sign.


It would be remiss of us to make assumptions in such a case, especially when people have been seriously hurt in an accident; however from personal experience of this region, I have seen boat drivers, showing off, racing each other and using vessels they clearly know are unsuitable or not in perfect working order.


Few would be surprised to hear that corners are cut in an effort to increase profit and to get those tourists who arrive late, across the water and to the party, even in the middle of the night; trust me, the full moon party is not that good that it is worth risking you life for.


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, 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 – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 27th June 2010

Backpackers pack their bags and leave Bangkok in droves

Common sense seems to have prevailed amongst travellers and they have abandoned Bangkok in favour of other parts of Thailand and South East Asia.


This is very bad news for Thailand and the tourist industry which makes up such a large part of the economy in that country, but individual safety concerns have to supersede these concerns for now.


An uneasy calm seems to have descended on Thailand for now, but no one is denying that the problems which led to the recent unrest have not been solved, but rather brushed under the carpet and oppressed by the force of the Thai army.


While these political challenges remain unresolved we can expect to see sporadic protest and it would not surprise many if these occasionally turned violent.


We should also point out that the violence was not restricted to Bangkok but did spread to other parts of the country, most notably the popular northern city of Chiang Mai.


For now the FCO has changed its travel advice (25th May 2010) for Thailand and Bangkok (and Chiang Mai) in particular; it advises ‘against all but essential travel to Bangkok’, rather than the previous advice which was ‘against ALL travel to Bangkok’.


This may not be reassuring, but in effect it reflects that fact that the situation in Bangkok in particular has calmed down, but could easily flare up again at any time and without warning. This advice excludes transit through the airport which is deemed to be ‘safe’.


Travellers should also inform themselves of curfews which are still in place and vary in different areas of the country. If you find yourself in a curfew area, make sure you observe it; local police / army will not discriminate between locals and tourists and police / army in areas under curfew tend to be more on edge than normal; not a great combination in a country where all police carry guns.


For the latest advice from the FCO on Thailand, please Click Here.


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, 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 – Independent on Sunday
Date – 23rd May 2010

Change travel advice for Thailand

The FCO has changed it Travel Advice for Thailand. Their advice now reads as follows:


“We advise against all but essential travel to the city of Bangkok, in light of ongoing political demonstrations. This advice does not apply to passengers transiting Bangkok airport on their way to other destinations in Thailand or internationally.


Today the Foreign Office amended its travel advice for Thailand to advise against all but essential travel to Bangkok.


This advice reflects our concern for the safety of British nationals planning to travel to Bangkok, given the risk that violence could break out without warning during the increasingly volatile political crisis.


The situation is changing on a daily basis, and we recommend that British nationals living in Thailand or travelling to the country check our travel advice regularly for details of further developments.


If you are in Thailand and are planning onward travel, please note that Suvarnabhumi airport is operating as normal. The route to the airport from Bangkok city remains open.


British Nationals should exercise extreme caution throughout the country, and avoid demonstrations and large gatherings, some of which have recently turned violent. If violence breaks out again British nationals are advised to remain indoors and to monitor the media and this website.


British nationals requiring consular assistance should call 02 305 8333 (in Thailand). British nationals are encouraged to register with our LOCATE service.


For further information, see our travel advice for Thailand.”


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, 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 – FCO
Date – 22nd April 2010

At least 10 die and 500 injured in Thai riots

Trouble in Bangkok… it is not the first time I have written those lines…


As predicted another wave of protests have been taking place in Bangkok and sadly they have once again turned violent.


There is little point in going over the reasons again, as I have covered this in previous blog articles and the fundamentals of the arguments have not changed significantly; this time it is the ‘Red Shirts’ doing the protesting.


It has to be said that the end does not seem to be in sight for Thai protests and if the ‘Red Shirts’ get their way, it will probably just lead to the ‘Yellow Shirts’ taking to the streets as they have done in the past.


What this means for the traveller is two-fold.


Firstly it should go without saying that those areas where the protests are taking place should be out of bounds to travellers. I say it should ‘go without saying’ but watching television reports earlier today it was clear that some of the people milling round the scene of the previous nights violence were tourists with cameras flashing… These places are not tourist attractions; they are dangerous parts of the city where violence can flare up at any time and where live bullets were used against protesters. More-over these are places where the previous night people died.


Take heed of the FCO advice which recommends against travel to certain parts of Thailand and do not forget that when the FCO recommends against travel it usually means your travel insurance becomes invalid in those locations.


The second point to note is that the chance of these protests spreading is significant. Previous protests have spread to other parts of the country and more significantly for travellers, the tactics used previously have included shutting down the International Airports by protestors ‘occupying’ them. This led to major disruption last time round, with many hotels filling up and this hub of air travel for South East Asia closing down completely.


Thailand is still open for business and there is at this time no need to cancel trips if you avoid those areas which need to be avoided. However if you plan to travel to or through Thailand make sure you are aware of the latest situation and once in-country stay in touch with developments so you can change your plans if it becomes necessary.


The FCO also suggest you register with the British embassy in Thailand on arrival.


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, 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 – Independent
Date – 11th April 2010

Mongolia’s worst winter on record

Mongolia is a truly stunning country, its beauty lies in the vast open expanses, incredible culture, the friendly and generous people you meet and the feeling of being in one of the last true remote areas of the world.


The hardiness of the people who live there is a reflection of the incredibly harsh conditions. If evidence were needed of exactly how ‘easy’ our life in the UK is by comparison, during our harsh winter this year all most of us had to deal with was a few days off work and a little inconvenience in not being able to use our cars as we usually do for a week or two.


How would we survive a whole winter at -40°C?


How can you be self-sufficient when permafrost means that growing anything to sustain yourself is near to impossible for a large part of the year?


Can you really survive these conditions year after year when you live in a Ger (traditional felt tent)?


The fact is the Mongolian people are amazingly resilient, over a third of the population maintain the traditional nomadic lifestyle, but sadly as in many cultures the traditional way of life and the modern world with its integrated economy are not always compatible; this is very much the case in Mongolia today.


There are positive signs in Mongolia, but it is a young democracy surrounded by two of the world’s superpowers and abandoned by its former benefactor. It is starting to realise the potential mineral wealth which lies just below the surface and which China would gladly gobble up, but these projects take years to create wealth and require huge capital injections (which themselves often come at a cost of handing over large stakes to nation builders like China & Russia). Relatively small countries like Mongolia who are trying to help themselves but who have arrived late to the world economy, are always going to struggle.


All this matters little to the over 1 million nomads in Mongolia, their way of life is little affected by the world at large, but with an ever bludgeoning urban population crammed into two or three major cities divided by vast areas of steppe / desert and with little infrastructure, the lack of reliable services and the all but non-existent welfare state, creates predictable problems.


What does affect everyone be they nomadic herder or urban resident is the kind of winter they are slowly emerging from. The vast majority of Mongolians rely on their herds to sustain them and in most of the country yaks are the economy.


60% of all livestock in Mongolia has been lost this winter; while we rightly worry about recession at home, Mongolia has effectively lost 60% of their economy, an economy which is as real as the individual yaks and sheep that each family has lost.


It is difficult to quantify such a fundamental loss, but imagine if fire destroyed 60% of every business, 60% of every item of stock on the shelves of every store disappeared, for every ten loaves of bread on the supermarket shelf only four were available; the UK would go into total meltdown.


In Mongolia the end is not in sight, they can’t just restock, the summer months are short and the harsh conditions mean their cattle and sheep have short reproductive cycles and produce less offspring over their lifetimes. Hardy the yak may be, but evolution has developed this hardiness of this creature by reducing the yield to increase survival rates.


Think about this, if you rely on your livestock for food, in order to be self-sufficient you have to slaughter some and keep some for reproduction. If over one winter your herd is reduced by 60%, you need to increase reproduction in order to make up the numbers, but the number you have to slaughter to feed your family and prepare for another winter stays the same; there comes a point when this is no longer sustainable, something has to give.


There is the real possibility that come the spring this disaster will be perceived to be levelling off as the thaw kicks in, whereas in reality it is the long term effect which has the potential to be devastating.


The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation carry out amazing work in Mongolia and we are always delighted to recommend them to you. A little still goes a very long way in Mongolia and it never ceases to amaze me what good they can do with the little funding they get.


Please visit their website at http://www.cncf.org/ to discover more about the work they do and the volunteering opportunities they can offer.


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, 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 – CNCF
Date – March 2010

Passengers banned from the roof of ‘super crush’ trains

Travel in India is synonymous with its railway network and the romantic imagery of trains trundling along with passengers perched on the roof either to avoid the crowded carriages or in order to benefit from the ‘air-conditioning’ is one familiar to many.


But times change and the romance is not quite so pronounced in India’s burgeoning cities, where the railway journies can make the ‘London commute’ seem like a treat.


Travel in India is dangerous and poses a serious risk to travellers. With an estimated 250 fatalities on India’s roads every day, the figure of 17 fatalities on the railways each day actually seems quite small by comparison.


But as always we need to put some perspective on these figures. India is a very large and densely populated country, the Indian state railway network is vast and is the second largest employer in the world (only surpassed by the Chinese ‘Red’ Army); the number of fatalities on the road is exasperated by the standard of the vehicles and lack of safety features which we take for granted in the UK (including the failure to wear seatbelts).


So although there are inherent dangers in the transport network there are ways to reduce this risk and it should not put people off visiting India, but rather alter their behaviour in-country.


On the rail network it should be acknowledged that climbing onto the roof is inherently dangerous; even to locals who may be familiar with the process, several fall off every day some of which end in fatalities. The clumsy traveller (sorry but let’s be honest, travellers are never as agile or surefooted as locals; that’s just the way it is…) increases these risks considerably.


My personal point of view; I love train travel, I think it is one of the most satisfying forms of travel when distance is involved, especially on ‘slow’ trains. It allows you to view the country you are in and the change in the scenery as you go from one area to another, to watch the people going about their daily business from the heart of the city through to those tending their fields out in the country.


One of the most rewarding aspects of train travel though is that it is the form of travel taken by locals. This allows the traveller to immerse themselves in the real life of the country they are visiting and meet real local people, many of whom will be only too pleased to share conversation with you during your journey.


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 – Times
Date – 18th February 2010

Restaurant bombing kills eight in tourist zone

Terrorism strikes again and it is another serious blow for India and it’s tourist industry, but it should not lead us to take India off the list of countries we visit just yet.


Undoubtedly the risk from terrorism is something we must take seriously when planning independent travel and we should implement strategies to reduce the risk from terrorism.


However it should also be noted that the threat from terrorism in the UK is itself not insignificant and it is the very randomness of strikes that makes it very difficult to eliminate the threat completely, in any part of the world.


If you visit the FCO’s travel advice by country website, you’ll find that without fail even the ‘safest’ countries carry a veiled warning that terrorism can strike anywhere and at any time. Undoubtedly there are countries / regions of higher risk and there are a number of places worth avoiding for now.


Your behaviour in-country can certainly help to reduce the risks, not announcing your nationality with flags on your pack or union jack t-shirts is a start, in countries like India ‘western’ targets have been favoured for the international impact they generate.


Many journalists going to high risk countries have taken to finding small local guest houses to stay in rather than staying in heavily fortified international hotels which present a ‘challenge’ to terrorists and where if they succeed they send a very strong message about their potential ‘reach’; a local guest house being destroyed does not generate the same press coverage, which is ultimately the aim of most ‘modern terrorists’.


Planning to avoid areas of terrorist activity should certainly be at the heart of destination choices for the independent traveller, but often it is a region which is best avoided rather than an entire country; this is certainly the case for India.


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 – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 14th February 2010

Wounded elephant kills 11 – including a worshipper

Wild animals pose a serious threat to humans and the situation gets worse every year as man encroaches slowly on the last remaining natural habitats available to them.


Elephants alone kill over 200 people around the world every year, generally when on drunken rampages after eating fruit which has dropped from trees and fermented.


While it is certainly worth being aware of the dangerous animals living in the environments you may be visiting during travel, this should in no way put you off travel or cause you great concern while you are travelling.


Following local guidance and understanding the danger each animal poses and therefore how to protect yourself from them, will significantly reduce any risk you face.


Wild animals pose little danger to travellers who take care; on the rare occasion that travellers do come to harm, it is generally because they have been reckless.


By way of example snakes which scare many people, kill very few people in Australia (despite it having many of the world’s deadliest species); yet snakes in South East Asia kill thousands every year. The difference is millions of people in Asia work in paddy fields, barefoot and a favourite habitat of snakes. So the reason people in Australia don’t suffer as badly (apart from the availability of anti-venom) is simple; shoes.


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 – The Times
Date – 10th December 2009

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.

Encephalitis toll approaches 130

To view the original article Click Here

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

To view the original article Click Here

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.

Tourists warned of Thailand airport scam

To view the original article Click Here

Title – Tourists warned of Thailand airport scamSource – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 20th July 2009

There is not a continent on earth (with the exception of

Antarctica where the penguins are remarkably honest) where scams are not perpetrated. Some are worse than others, some more frightening, some more expensive, some more obvious, some very clever, some criminal and some just ‘cheeky’.
Thailand is no exception to this rule, in fact it can sometimes feel like Thailand specialises in the scam at every level. They range from the fake gemstone scam, to the planting of illegal drugs. Sadly as with many countries where the police are paid a very low wage, some scams inevitably involve rogue police officers and other government officials.

In countries where corruption is almost endemic, some scams effectively become accepted as part of ‘the system’.

The thing which worries me about this scam is first that it seems to target victims using technology (CCTV) which is easily manipulated, but more that it takes place in what many travellers feel is a bit of a ‘sanctuary’; the airport.

Culture shock affects us most in unfamiliar environments like the Far East where the heat, humidity, hustle and bustle, traffic, food, chaos of the urban areas, poverty etc. delivers sensory overload, which can be significant. Sometimes the ‘sanctuary’ of an international airport, an environment we feel comfortable in, which is familiar to us and one more akin to our home environment, is just what we need to boost confidence for the next leg of a journey.

This also means we let our guard down, we behave in a manner more familiar to the one we know at home. Everything has a price so there is no need to haggle, the food (even if we take the local option) is presented in a more western style and so we assume that we will also be protected in the way we are at home; a way we take for granted.

So to be suddenly caught up in this kind of scam is frightening and the fact that those involved are officials within the airport, the police and potentially even the judiciary, make it a very difficult one to get out of. The loss of passport puts you at the mercy of your ‘captors’ and the facilities you are kept in mean that any sum of money to free yourself seems reasonable.

The hope is that by uncovering this scam publically and by consulates putting pressure on the Thai government, it makes them clamp down and put and end to this practice.

To avoid getting caught up in the scam the best and most obvious way is to avoid shopping at the airport. If you want to shop, just don’t touch anything you are not buying and pay with a credit card so you not only get (and keep) a receipt, but also a record of your transaction is made by your card company. The last piece of advice is to be more obvious than usual when handling anything you are going to buy, don’t open your bag, hold everything at arm’s length and with finger tips so any cctv footage will clearly show you paying for items and shop alone. Shopping alone means that if you are travelling with a partner at least they can call the embassy for help if you are caught up in the scam.

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 Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Health, 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.

EU lifts Indonesian airline ban

To view the original article Click Here

Title – EU lifts Indonesian airline ban
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 14th July 2009

This is a blast from the past. Garuda Airlines was long a favourite amongst backpackers and ‘gappers’, as it offered cheap flights to Southeast Asia and on to

Australia. But things went quickly downhill after the Asian financial crisis and Indonesia’s own internal problems after the fall of the Suharto dictatorship.
Indonesia has made significant progress and despite the eventual 2007 ban (many travel companies had delisted Indonesian airlines much before this) they have improved standards to such a degree that the EU have readmitted them and removed them from the list of banned airlines.

The EU ‘black-list’ is a good starting point for anyone researching airline safety; http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/list_en.htm

For now Guruda will be flying out of the Netherlands, but that does not make it inaccessible to UK travellers and I would imagine that it will still offer ‘good value’. Any increase in competition is only good for travellers looking for cheap long haul flights.

With the recent spate of accidents including the still unexplained accidents by Air France and Yemeni airline, I also welcome the EU’s scrutiny of world airlines. It helps us make informed decisions about ‘airline safety’ around the world.

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 Health, Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Travel Safety, 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.

Drugging Danger on Indian Trains

To view the original article Click Here

Title – Drugging Danger on Indian Trains
Source – Sunday Times
Date – 31st May 2009

That the Indian police are warning travellers about the risks of ‘spiked’ food and drink on Indian trains, means that people should really be paying attention…

Drugged food and drink on trains in many parts of the world has been an increasingly common problem, especially on the Indian Sub-continent. This warning seems to be directed at female travellers and although they should be taking as much care as anyone, the implication given is not entirely correct.

By suggesting that women in particular should be wary of drugged food, the natural conclusion is that the reason for the ‘spiking’ is to enable the perpetrator to sexually assault the victim. Although sexual assault or drug assisted rape is certainly one possible motive and is still predominantly directed at women, the use of drugs to disable a victim is probably used more as a way of incapacitating a person in order to facilitate theft or robbery.

In the case of theft, the threat is clearly directed at male and female travellers, so I wanted to extend the warning given by the Indian police to all travellers. Be careful when offered hospitality by strangers, especially on trains in India where these ‘scams’ are known to happen. The consequences of being ‘spiked’ can be much more serious than simply being robbed, apart from the potential of sexual assault the effects of the drugs themselves can have serious consequences to health.

It is about finding a balance; hospitality of local people is one of the joys of travel and to avoid it completely is to miss out on a fundamental aspect of the travel experience. The use of good judgement is key; a knowledge of where and when it might be appropriate to accept hospitality and mitigating the risks by travelling with people you trust (and where there is doubt one member of your group foregoing the hospitality offered) will reduce the risks faced from this particular threat.

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 Ethical and Responsible Travel, Travel Health, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice, Transport Options, Documentation, Travel Money and Insurance and more. During our workshop we look at many of the ‘common scams’ and the threats faced by travellers from criminals in the countries they intend to visit.

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.