Missing… from afar

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Title – Missing… from afarSource – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 12th May 2009

I don’t think there is a great need for much additional comment to this article, these tragic stories speak for themselves and the writer hit the nail on the head; tragedy is always difficult for friends and family, but this is exasperated when it occurs so far away from home and in countries where everything is so foreign and unknown to those affected.

The one point I would like to make is that while in these cases the reason for the anxiety is because of tragedy, there are tens of thousands of family members and friends who worry every day, not because anything terrible has happened, but simply because they don’t understand the difficulties in communicating from foreign countries sometimes and do not appreciate that part of travel is to regain some independence and have new experiences.

However this is not an issue of ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, it is a case of everyone getting it right from the start to avoid these misunderstanding causing anyone to worry.

During

Our Workshop we examine ways to reduce the stress to those you leave behind. We examine the best ways to communicate effectively from around the world and the importance of this communication for your safety and for the sanity of those who are left behind; those left watching ‘world news’, which rarely carries anything but bad news, sometimes from the very destinations which you plan to visit.

The hurdles of independent travel are not just for the traveller, but also for those left behind. The feeling of isolation they feel and helplessness can be significant. Especially for parents who may well come from a different generation, one where places as familiar to travellers as Thailand and Peru seem to be from a different world altogether; one they are not familiar with, one they don’t understand and one where their son or daughter who they have been able to protect for their whole life is vulnerable and beyond their help.

We can help you to avoid adding stress to those you leave behind which inevitably leads to stress you will feel when travelling. The pressure to promise to communicate even when communication is impossible sometimes seems substantial; the failure to communicate once promised can lead to real concern amongst those left behind.

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.

Princess proceeds on gap year trip despite mugging incident / Mugged Eugenie goes on

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Title – Princess proceeds on gap year trip despite mugging incident / Mugged Eugenie goes onSource – The Times / The Sun
Date – 5th May 2009

First and foremost let me state for the record I am a fan of the royal family and am not going to start a debate on the cost of protecting them, after all they did not ask to be born into that family and they like everyone, deserve to be protected. At £100,000 a year the princess costs comparably the same as (by some estimates) each person we keep in prison costs us… OK it’s an odd comparison, but when we consider people are incarcerated partly for our protection, you get where I am coming from.

The other argument is; at a time of recession, should the Princess be ‘swanning’ off on a Gap Year? Why not, I understand in the main they have been staying in normal modest accommodation including £15 a night beach huts (clearly she could have done with a bit of tuition in haggling) and she is 19, enjoying all the world has to offer and like so many other young people undoubtedly learning a lot about the world, herself and how other people live; so I say let her be and good luck, I hope she enjoys the rest of her trip.

I would also just point out that figures suggest that the recession has not had a substantial effect on the number of people taking gap years and it is even suggested that the number of people taking career breaks has increased. Taking a year out now and coming back to a new career or at a time when our economy is starting to recover, is not after all such a bad idea and may be just the opportunity some people have been waiting for. I also point out that gap years or career breaks can often be cheaper options than staying in the UK; thinking about it the Princess’s lifestyle on her gap year may be substantially cheaper then the one she has in the UK… she may be saving the tax payer money by being away…. who knows…

On the other hand, we have to look at the example this unfortunate incident presents us with. The Princess and her friends are not the first and will certainly not be the last travellers to be mugged in

Cambodia, especially in Phnom Pehn. It is a dangerous city and more so at night; all travellers should be very careful walking the streets there at night.

Some of the things which happened in the incident, you definitely should not copy. Don’t fight back; look if even the best and brightest of our royal protection officers think better of it, there is a very strong message to be taken. I don’t know what was in the bag which was snatched, but let’s hope they took some form of advice and it contained nothing they could not afford to lose.

The fact is there are several ways to protect yourself from this type of incident. Seemingly the most effective is to take two highly trained members of SO14 Special Branch Officers with you; failing this the next best approach is to learn how to be proactive in protecting yourself and understanding what you can do to minimise the risks and the consequences of such situations; for that our two day workshop is ideal.

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.

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.

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.

Ready To Travel

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Title – Ready To Travel
Source – The Times
Date – 15th April 2008

Read the statistics in this article and it might put you off travel completely, a total of 394 deaths between Thailand, India and Australia each year. But these countries received nearly 2 million visitors and in total across the world only 230,000 people took gap years. So how do these figures add up? Most of the deaths in these statistics were from natural causes, older travellers visiting relatives or ‘retiring’ to these popular destinations. It is true that some statistics put ‘serious incidents’ happening to gap year students as high as 1 in 4, but don’t be scared of statistics like these thrown in without context. The vast majority of gap years pass off without incident and those taking gap years come back with experiences, skills and confidence that enhance the rest of their lives.

Travelling is ‘never’ without risk; but a better description is that travel is ‘not without increased risk’ as our lives already involve risk every day. But in our everyday lives we manage risk effectively. When we cross the road, we look left and we look right, we manage the risk. The same should be the case when we travel, if we are visiting countries where standards are very different we have to learn quickly and prepare well to manage the additional risk that these differences may present.

A good example of this is road transport. In the UK it is heavily regulated. Speed limits are strictly controlled as are all other rules of the road, the roads are ‘well’ maintained, people have to pass a strict test to qualify for a licence to drive and our vehicles are maintained through MOTs. This is certainly not always the case in other countries; especially developing countries where there is simply not the investment available to enforce these strict standards; in some countries there seem to be no rules at all. Here local knowledge is essential and choosing your driver, vehicle carefully reduces the risk considerably, but you have to know what to look for in the first place, where does that knowledge come from?

Risks have to always be put into context, they are undoubtedly greater when travelling, but managed correctly they are easily outweighed by the rewards. Gap Year and Independent Travel is undoubtedly an experience that helps individuals to ‘grow’ to ‘mature’ to change the direction of their lives and to enhance their future opportunities. It is an opportunity that when presented should not be missed. Certainly it should not be missed because of fear of the risks, maybe changes need to be made to original plans if they were unsuitable for any reason, but change and not cancellation is the key. Don’t cancel a trip, prepare for it and manage the risks so they are reduced to ‘acceptable’ levels.

Travel is not meant to always be easy, but it is also not meant to be so difficult it takes away the fun. Ultimately it has to be fun, ultimately you have to have amazing experiences and ultimately there have to be some challenges. The ultimate goal is that your time passes off without incident and a substantial part of that is down to you. It is always surprising the number of incidents that happen to independent travellers that are wholly avoidable by taking precautions that would not take anything away from the experience itself.

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop can help you to gain the essential skills and knowledge to set you on your way to a safer more fulfilling travel experience. Our travel specialists have two things in common they love talking about travel and they love travelling. People setting off on a gap year or independent travel experience need to prepare before they leave and not assume that general life experience in the UK prepares them in any way for the day they find themselves lost in northern Sumatra in a small town where no one speaks any English in the middle of the monsoon season; I guarantee there is nothing you have experienced in the UK or that your parents may have taught you that will prepare you for that; and I should know, it has happened to me!

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.

I was abandoned as soon as I landed

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Title – I was abandoned as soon as I landed
Source – The Times
Date – 14th August 2007

This is an all too common story, you pay all your money up front and once you set off the company you booked through are more concerned about where their next booking is coming from, rather then your plight on the other side of the world and you end up so far out of your comfort zone you can’t even remember what life back home was like.

The projects themselves are often badly researched, inappropriate, misjudged or wholly unnecessary, in the worst scenarios, gap-year volunteers actually hinder local communities rather then provide any form of assistance. We have heard stories of people turning up to their placements to be greeted by blank looks from local staff asking themselves who this strange westerner is who has just offered their services. Following a quick call to the local contact, it is revealed that no one from the company has ever visited the project, but had heard third hand from others that they were looking for English teachers.

We regularly hear stories like Sarah’s, they don’t all end happily, many students buckle under the pressure they have simply not been prepared for and leave for home soon after they arrive but many, like Sarah, realise their potential and struggle through making the projects all the more fulfilling for them. Happy endings are common but so are the failures, but if you are promised the support then you deserve to get it, even if with hindsight you did manage on your own, what justifies the £3000 you paid?

We saw the advice booklet from one such company that students are supplied with to 'prepare' them for travel, it contained some useful information which anyone could have gleaned from the FCO website and then among the safety advice was the useful hint “when in a busy train station, do not take large quantities of cash out of your wallet and have it on public display or it might be stolen by someone rushing past you”. It was accompanied by a representation of a man in a busy station holding his cash like a hand of cards and a second drawing of him without the cash looking glum and a local running off in the background…. Do you feel ready to travel now?

People should not feel bad about taking a gap-year for fun or not having a fixed project when they arrive at their destination, often they can have equally great experiences or work at their destination without having to pay a lump sum to someone else to organise it. The thousands of pounds you save can prove very useful to you on your travels or to people you meet along the way. The old adage “don’t give a hungry person a fish, give them a net to allow them to fish” still stands. The key if you do go on an organised gap-year volunteering programme is to research the company and the project they are sending you on and don’t rely on their flashy marketing. Look behind the gloss and get them to commit to exactly what they will provide. If they fail in their commitment ask for a refund or write to trading standards and demand they meet the same standards any other commercial company has to. Remember that although many of them act like charities, very few actually are!

Much of the appeal of these gap-year companies is the support they offer, but there are other ways of getting that confidence to set out. At Beyond The Blue our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop provides candidates with knowledge and skills to travel independently with confidence and to prepare for your travels adequately considering your destination. We offer you the support you need before you leave home so that you can learn some of the essential skills required as well as being mentally prepared for what you are about to encounter when you arrive.


Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Gap-year students told to forget aid projects

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Title – Gap-year students told to forget aid projects
Source – The Times
Date – 14th August 2007

There are undoubtedly many gap-year students that partake in gap-year volunteering projects that do benefit local communities as well as giving the students themselves an experience that will potentially change their outlook on life and potentially their career options and opportunities. But as this article and VSO suggest there are many stories of students paying large sums of money for very little in return and what exactly are they paying for?

Figures of students paying £1500-3000 to companies to facilitating gap-year volunteering programmes are common, but these often don’t cover flights and provide individuals with accommodation in 'local' lodgings or with families. This experience of living in very basic accommodation can be a great learning curve; it makes students experience for a short while what locals experience for a lifetime and gives them a grounding to work alongside local people. But this type of accommodation is also generally very cheap to provide and often costs as little as £25 – 50 a month when booked by an individual, not to mention the discounts a company would get booking in bulk.

Then you will be promised an in-country support network; but often this is no more then someone on the end of a telephone sometimes many many miles away in a different part of the country. The qualifications they have to be your support often varies significantly; sometimes they are no more then someone who has done a programme the previous year and who returns at a discount if they go back as the local contact. We have even come across situations where companies make gap-year volunteers who have been in-country for just 6 weeks the in-country contact.

There are endless stories and it’s not all bad, thousands of gap-year volunteers go out each year and work hard to do their little bit to make things better and many return home reinvigorated and enthused by what they have achieved and what they have learned from their hosts. Many of the communities they visit benefit not just from a wall they may have built, or a fence they have fixed, but by the experience of sharing their way of life and learning a bit about ours.

People should not feel bad about taking a gap-year for fun or not having a fixed project when they arrive at their destination, often they can have equally great experiences or work at their destination without having to pay a lump sum to someone else to organise it. The thousands of pounds you save can prove very useful to you on your travels or to people you meet along the way. The old adage “don’t give a hungry person a fish, give them a net to allow them to fish” still stands. The key if you do go on an organised gap-year volunteering programme is to research the company and the project they are sending you on and don’t rely on their flashy marketing. Look behind the gloss and get them to commit to exactly what they will provide. If they fail in their commitment ask for a refund or write to trading standards and demand they meet the same standards any other commercial company has to. Remember that although many of them act like charities, very few actually are!

Much of the appeal of these gap-year companies is the support they offer, but there are other ways of getting that confidence to set out. At Beyond The Blue our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop provides candidates with knowledge and skills to travel independently with confidence and to prepare for your travels adequately considering your destination. We offer you the support you need before you leave home so that you can learn some of the essential skills required as well as being mentally prepared for what you are about to encounter when you arrive.


Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Now parents want gap years as well

Title – Now parents want gap years as well
Source – Metro
Date – 2nd July 2007

It’s been a growing phenomenon; 'Gappers' are getting older and older. A generation ago, taking a year out of your career was almost unheard of, let alone for something as frivolous as world travel. But increasingly older people and people with established careers are taking the time out to travel the world and to be as adventurous as their young counterparts.

Where once the beaches of Australia and the jungle temples of Cambodia were the almost exclusive domain of the young Gap Year Student, they now find themselves joined by an ever increasing number of independent older travellers. People who change careers are seeing it as the perfect opportunity to take a year off, to go and experience first hand the places where 20 years ago only serious adventurous dared go, but are now open to an ever more sophisticated tourism industry. Others find themselves working for the growing number of far-sighted employers who have career break schemes set up, to allow their valued employees to take time off without the need to worry about their job, which will be waiting for them when they return.

But with this latest survey suggesting the 35% of 45 – 54 year olds are seriously considering taking a Gap Year the number of 'older' Gappers is set to reach new highs. It is a prospect that can only be good for all concerned, as the travel mentality is a great leveller and allows individuals whose paths would not normally cross, to find and share the common ground. 18 or 54, travel tips as you arrive at a new destination will be the same; where a good place to stay is, are there any cheap and good places to eat, what is the best way to get to the local attraction and can you recommend a good guide, are questions where the age gap has no impact.

At Beyond The Blue our courses are designed to suit all ages, the perils that individuals face when on their travels are the same no matter how old you are. A mosquito does not decide on its 'victim' by age and a conman sees everyone as a walking wallet, greying hair or bright pink hair they will find an angle. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop was designed with all ages in mind; we find the common ground and resolve it.

We particularly steered away from simply calling it a 'gap year course', as the concept of a 'gap year' is still one that most people see as the young school / university leaver, but that is no longer the case. Independent Travel is now open to everyone and we are ready to help everyone achieve their goals safely and with renewed confidence.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Boss to swap city life for Africa

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Title – Boss to swap city life for Africa
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 11th January 2007

Gap years are traditionally taken either after finishing school or after finishing at University. The excuse has long been that it is at a turning point in life, that these experiences are most practical. But perceptions are changing, individuals are realising that life changes at so many different points and not just between the ages of 18 and 25.

Increasingly the world of Gap Years has opened its doors to people of all ages and from all backgrounds. Famously Alanis Morisette packed a backpack after her first hit album 'jagged little pill' and headed for India to regain her focus and enjoy new experiences. Career breaks are now accepted by farsighted employers as a way of retaining staff who they will loose if they don’t provide the facility for sabbaticals to be taken.

You don’t have to be a Managing Director or rock n’ roll superstar to be able to afford the experiences that can be gained from travel abroad. You don’t have to be a millionaire for developing countries to benefit from the help you can give while taking part in a volunteering project.
We can help you to prepare for the ultimate Gap Year or Independent Travel experience through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop. We cover aspects including personal safety, Cultural Awareness and Travel Equipment needs as well as addressing the relevant issues related to your destination.

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.

Workers take Gap Year too

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Title – Workers take Gap Years too
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 8th August 2002

Gap Years are increasingly open to a much wider section of society. Once the reserve of the young adult in search of adventure and even then, only those whose parents could afford to support them, they are now open to everyone who has the confidence to pack a bag and set off to find their own special sunset.

But old or young, rich or self funded, the problems faced when away tend to be the same. Travelling is a great leveller, you arrive at your hotel or hostel and everyone is the same boat and many have the same ambitions. It’s a great way to meet people of all ages and a great way to meet people from all over the world. Travelling 10 years ago in Australia, you would meet British travellers at every turn and if you were lucky a few Europeans and the odd American. Now if you are staying in a hostel dorm, you’ll be lucky enough to find that most of the people you are sharing a room with are from all over the world.
We can help you prepare for your travels and set off in confidence to explore the world and make the most of all the experiences you have with the people you meet along the way. From personal safety information and personal safety techniques to what equipment you’ll need and how to behave in the new countries to ensure that you don’t offend cultural sensitivities, our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop will help you plan in the best way possible to ensure your trip is a positive and safe experience.

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.