Newlyweds stranded after fall

If ever there was a story to reaffirm the point I made in my recent news blog entry (Warning tourists of the dangers of ‘Balconing’) here it is.


Now I’m not suggesting that this incident in Corfu was anything other than an accident, but it does once again demonstrate two things; balconies are dangerous places and more importantly the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) scheme is no substitute for comprehensive Travel Insurance.


The EHIC will only get you the same treatment as local people. In some parts of Europe this treatment will be better than in the UK, but in others it will be less good. The point is most people who suffer illness or accident want to be treated in the UK and want access to the specialist treatment we are all automatically entitled to.


More to the point an accident like the one suffered by Carrie-Anne Dudbridge can result in injuries which require months of hospital treatment and rehabilitation, people need the support of friends and family at these difficult times and for that you need to be at home.


The EHIC will not cover repatriation costs, which if you cannot leave hospital and board an aeroplane in the normal manner can cost upwards of £15,000 even from Europe; and significantly more from other parts of the world. In addition to this travel partners and friends will also need to fund their ‘extended’ stay.


The EHIC is a good additional measure to take when travelling in Europe, but it is the BACK-UP to travel insurance, not the substitute.


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.


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Source – The Evening Standard
Date – 19th August 2010
Submitted by – Peter Mayhew

Warning tourists of the dangers of ‘Balconing’

I was contacted by Sky News last week and asked to provide comment live on a news feature they were running on the dangers of ‘Balconing’. It’s a new craze which is sweeping through the Balearic islands and has already led to 4 deaths in young people this summer; amongst a total of 15 deaths recorded as ‘accidental falls from balconies’


Unfortunately the feature Sky News were planning was pulled shortly before it was due as there were further developments with the devastating floods in Pakistan. Having prepared and researched the item I thought I would share it with visitors to our website.


This story came to light following the tragic accident involving a young British tourist Ryan Ellery, who fell from a balcony in Ibiza and suffered very serious injuries.


Balconies have long been dangerous places for tourists with many deaths from balcony falls reported every year, the majority of which involve people intoxicated through drink or drugs.


‘Balconing’ is the practice of either jumping from one balcony to another or from a hotel balcony into a pool. Balcony jumping (from one to another) is said to often be done in order to gain access to girl’s rooms; something which adds a whole other set of concerns.


The practice of jumping from a second, third or fourth floor balcony (or in some cases the roof) into a pool presents what most would see as obvious dangers; miscalculating the distance and clipping the concrete edge of a pool, missing the pool entirely or jumping into a pool which is not sufficiently deep (a 10m jump into salt water requires at the very minimum 5m water depth, swimming pools which are fresh water are even less buoyant) and hitting the bottom; not to mention the potential of colliding with other people using the pool.


It is these dangers which have not only led to the fatalities, but to countless (we have seen reports on between 30 and close to 100) injuries, of which some have been very serious indeed; as in the case of Ryan Elley.


‘Balconing’ is an extension of the practise commonly referred to as ‘Tombstoning’ in the UK and which was recently the subject of a renewed warning from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).


‘Tombstoning is the practice of jumping from height (usually rocks, cliffs, piers, sea walls, jetties etc) into the sea and has led to many fatalities and injuries as a result of miscalculation, hidden rocks, other obstacles under the water, strong currents, shock from the water temperature and due to the significant changes in the depth of water due to the tide.


In the last 5 years there have been 139 accidents from ‘Tombstoning’ in the UK which required an emergency response by the RNLI and 12 which resulted in fatalities. Many of the accidents involved serious life-changing spinal injuries.


The RNLI are so concerned about this practice they have produced a Short Campaign Film highlighting the dangers; it’s a film anyone thinking about taking part in ‘Balconing’ should think about watching before they take the leap.


Preventing these ‘accidents’ can only be done through understanding the causes and educating those taking part. The first thing is to find out who they are; typically they are young men, but I have seen videos of young girls taking part in ‘Balconing’ and recently a 75 year old man was hospitalised in Dorset after a ‘Tombstoning’ incident…


Let’s not castigate young people in search of ‘adventure’, certainly I would not condone ‘Balconing’ on any level, but peer pressure has led young people to take irresponsible actions for generations. Peer pressure usually means doing something as ‘impressive’ or more ‘impressive’ than those that have gone before. Twenty years ago this was relatively straight forward and only involved a small group of friends ‘competing’, in this ‘YouTube generation’ there is a whole world to compete with; it means those prone to risk taking feel pressure to take even greater risks.


There is also an element of not realising the benefits of the health & safety standards we enjoy in the UK; the RNLI is a great example of this, a voluntary service we should be rightly proud of.


The fact is if I decide to pick a fight with a grizzly bear with my back to the edge of the white cliffs of Dover, on the assumption I somehow survive, I will be rescued and I will receive treatment. This is a great privilege and unique to the UK, in much of the rest of the world it is money or insurance which will get you help and the standard of that help will vary very considerably.


If we can remember this then it should make us take more care to avoid requiring assistance when we are abroad. Climbing onto the railings of a third floor balcony with the intention of throwing yourself off into the pool below, is in this context is a very very bad idea.


This brings me on to the subject of travel insurance, you should never travel anywhere without it. Even the ‘simplest’ medical procedures can carry considerable cost; if you go to A&E in the UK the cost will not cross your mind, but it can cost thousands of pounds to the tax payer and in the rest of the world they will charge you. If you require medical evacuation, the cost can be as high as £10,000 to £30,000 in extreme reported cases costs have been in excess of £100,000.


So travel insurance is vital, however if the reason for your injury is that you were drunk and decided to jump into a pool from the second floor balcony, the chances of your insurance company paying out are somewhere between limited and zero. Drink or dugs alone usually invalidate insurance, as do voluntary acts of recklessness.


I spoke to a senior FCO official on this matter and they are genuinely worried about the ‘craze’ of ‘Balconing’ and the minister responsible is considering releasing a statement on the issue. They re-enforced our concerns about the invalidation of travel insurance through such activities.


Alcohol and drugs play a significant part in these activities, the levels of intoxication turns ‘Balconing’ from irresponsible and dangerous to suicidal. Think about it if you are not fit to drive a car…


The fact is that binge drinking has become a problem in the UK, with people drinking to excess and the nature of the drink being high abv drinks and spirits. Many of those who travel on these types of holiday take that one or two day a week binging habit and spread it throughout the week.


The problem is people are not aware of the number of units they consume but rather count their consumption in the number of drinks they have. Because they are on holiday they often consume even more and the volume of spirits measures in particular can mean that a standard shot of spirits (typically 25ml in the UK) contains twice as much alcohol as they are used to (a standard measure in most continental holiday locations will be 50ml).


The consequence of this is that holidaymakers binge twice as much as usual, without realising it. Because the body can only eliminates about 1 unit an hour, many of those binging in these resorts can find themselves never sobering up and so actually getting drunker and drunker as the week goes on; by the way you can’t sleep off alcohol, the rate of sobering changes little awake or asleep.


Ask around British tourists on the Balearic islands and it will not take you long to find one who has consumed 30+ units the night before. So let’s use this example of a tourist who has consumed 30 units in one night; when they wake up they might still have some 20 units in their system. Even if they don’t drink until the evening, when they sit down for dinner and drink their first glass of sangria they may well still have 10 units in their system… the point is they will often be starting a ‘new’ night from a position of significant intoxication.


This scenario is a problem at the best of times, with a mix of peer pressure, YouTube, a feeling of invincibility, a lack of life experiences which provide a natural risk aversion and potentially other chemical stimulants playing their part, it provides a dangerous ‘cocktail’.


What can you do:


• Tell people of the dangers; show people the RNLI Video
• Talk to those who might take part in such activities with respect; explain to them that if peer pressure means it is more difficult to say no than to jump, surely saying no is actually a braver thing to do…
• Don’t encourage other people (when someone is drunk even shouting at them to stop may just add to the sense of encouragement, silence can be deafening), walk away and get other to walk away; few will jump without an audience; avoid being guilty by association.
• Tell someone at the hotel or the police; you might be saving a life.
• Drink in moderation and take it in turns to stay sober to watch over your friends.
• Be a leader not a follower.


If you’re a thrill seeker or an adrenaline junkie there are hundreds of safer ways to get the shot of adrenaline and the kudos you are looking 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 – Sky News
Date – 13th August 2010
Submitted by – Peter Mayhew

British Behaviour Abroad – Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) 2009-10 Report

The report highlights the problems Britons encounter during travel which require assistance from the FCO and their in-country representatives. These include the consequences of;


• 944 Britons being arrested for drug related offences
• 19% of Britons travel without insurance
• Britons spend only an average of 25 minutes researching local laws and customs of the country they are travelling to
• The FCO dealt with a staggering (almost) 2 million consular enquiries.
• Although Spain had the highest number of consular assistance cases with over 14 a day (5283 a year), Thailand had the highest percentage of consular assistance cases per visitor / resident with over 2.6 a day (957 a year).
• Spain had the highest number of arrests (2012) but once again Thailand had the highest percentage of arrests (249 of which 68 were for drug related offences) followed by UAE (265) and USA (1367).
• Of the 3689 Britons hospitalised abroad, Spain has the highest number (3689) with Thailand having the highest percentage (199) with Greece second (471) and Egypt third (235). Many of these cases were due to motorbike accidents and drink related incidents.
• A total of 5930 Britons died abroad with Thailand (292) again the country with the highest percentage of deaths to visitors / residents.
• 27,272 passports were lost or stolen. For once Thailand (827) only comes third on the list of frequency per visitor, with New Zealand (1662) coming top and South Africa (832) coming second.


The complete report can be downloaded from the Foreign Office website (British Behaviour Abroad).


It should be noted that the figures given above are those for cases where consular assistance was sought or where incidents were reported to the FCO; they do not take into account the many people who fail or choose not to do so. We can therefore assume that to one degree or another, the actual numbers may be significantly higher.


It is highly recommended that if you get into any kind of difficulty when travelling you seek consular assistance. Even in cases where you think you don’t actually need their immediate help we would strongly advise people to make contact, as even seemingly innocuous situation can quickly spiral into serious ones.


The British embassy / consulate / high commission in the country you are visiting will be more than happy to offer assistance in whatever form you believe to be necessary (providing it is within their power / remit to do so). This means they will also be more than happy for you just to touch base with them and let them know the situation you are in.


For example if you fall ill and require hospitalisation, you may be very comfortable with the level of medical treatment you are receiving (many countries round the world have health care which easily matches that which we enjoy in the UK) and your insurance may cover your costs. The benefit of contacting the FCO representative in the country you are visiting is that if your condition suddenly deteriorates, they will already have a knowledge of your case, which will allow them to more quickly contact your family or advise you on other local medical opinions you may wish to seek.


The following are some point worth considering in relation to above snapshot of this report:


Drugs – Avoid illegal drugs at all costs and avoid association with others who may be using / dealing illegal drugs. Availability does not indicate legality and it can generally be assumed that those drugs which are illegal in the UK are illegal in all other parts of the world (in places such as the UAE even many drug which are sold under prescription in the UK are illegal). Do not believe those who tell you that drug use is tolerated; they are either kidding themselves as a drug user; kidding you to ‘impress’ you; or involved in marketing (selling) illegal drugs. In many countries the penalties for drug possession can be significant and even association with drug users can land you inside a very unpleasant prison cell.

Alcohol – Alcohol plays a significant part in many injuries, accidents and fatalities in travellers. When travelling we tend to have a more care-free (invincible) attitude then when at home; which considering the risks in most other countries are higher than in the UK, is actually the exact opposite of the approach we should be taking. Alcohol plays a part in many social activities and there is no particular problem with this in itself; however you should take significantly more care and be aware of the relative strengths (sizes of measures) of alcohol and moderate your consumption when abroad. Avoid mixing alcohol with: unfamiliar locations / people; drugs (illegal & prescription); driving / traffic; especially driving scooters / motorbikes; water (being in or on); heights; cultures & countries where it is illegal or not tolerated; ‘extreme sports’ (skiing, diving, riding etc.); confrontation; more alcohol… Be aware that being under the influence of alcohol or drugs is likely to invalidate your insurance.

Driving - Road accidents continue to be a significant cause of injury and death abroad, with insufficient care being taken by many travellers in regard to safety equipment which they would routinely use in the UK; these are often ignored on roads where the risks are significantly higher and where local road rules / conditions may be unfamiliar. Make sure you are insured and use the appropriate protective equipment even if locals don’t; over 1.2 million people die on roads around the world each year with over 70% of fatalities being in resource poor countries.

Travel Health – Ensure you visit your GP or travel clinic at least six to eight weeks prior to departure in order to allow enough time to complete any course of vaccinations they recommend. For malaria areas always use prophylactic drugs prescribed by your doctor and ensure you finish the course (this may be up to 4 weeks after travel, but is the most dangerous time as far as contracting malaria goes). Take bite avoidance measures as viruses like Dengue Fever cannot be vaccinated against and no vaccination is 100% full-proof; it is vital to have a combination of vaccinations and proactive prevention measures to ensure the best possible protection. Take out comprehensive travel insurance and make sure you are covered for the areas you intend to visit, the activities you intend to take part in and that your insurance will pay out if you need to be repatriated; make sure you tell the insurance company of any existing medical conditions as these may invalidate your insurance if not disclosed.

Rape & Sexual Assault – the FCO reports 132 cases of rape and 140 cases of sexual assault of which were notified. The numbers reported will certainly significantly misrepresent the actual number of such cases in travellers. Although drink / food spiking will be used in a significant number of cases of sexual assault, this is certainly not the only methodology and such assaults are often accompanied by violence or the threat of violence. It should also be noted that a significant number of these assaults will be carried out by ‘fellow travellers’ and that the drug most commonly used in ‘drug assisted sexual assault / rape’ is alcohol. Stick with people you trust and be careful who you trust; it is better to be self-reliant than to rely on someone you have only recently met.

Documentation – Copy all vital documents, take two copies with you, keep them separate from the originals (I keep a copy in the lining of my daypack and backpack) and leave a copy with someone you trust at home; so that if everything goes missing you can be faxed / emailed a copy. Never allow your passport to be used as a form of security against hire / rental or to secure your accommodation.

FCO – The Foreign & Commonwealth Office can and will provide very useful advice and guidance both prior to and (through their representatives in-country) during travel. However travellers must be self-sufficient and should not rely on the FCO for material assistance. They cannot intervene or supersede local laws and law-makers; they can’t fund you even in the case of serious emergencies; they can not issue ‘get out of jail free cards’. They will help you and your family and friends help yourselves and offer you vital support and advice to assist you in resolving your predicament.


The report contains very useful information and case studies on individual locations and offers a great insight into the problems other travellers have encountered in the countries featured; Australia, Canada, China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, New Zealand, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates (UAE), USA. If you are visiting any of these countries it is worth a few minutes of your time to read the information on the countries you will be visiting, otherwise see the FCO Country Information page of their website, for more information on every country / territory in the world.


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.

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Source – FCO

Date – 16th July 2010

Submitted by – Peter Mayhew

You’ve no head for mixing drinks and skiing, Britons told

People who travel to the mountains in the winter generally do so for two reasons ski (yes I know… and snowboard) and après-ski. Inevitably the après-ski involves a degree of alcohol consumption, it is the level of this consumption which can lead to problems and the fact that increasingly British travellers are not observing the ‘après’ part of the concept but rather partaking in ‘pendant-ski’ (or during ski).

I’m not preaching about alcohol consumption, that is not our role; however we do feel that it is important to point out facts and to let people make sensible choices based on these facts.

At altitude alcohol does have more a pronounced affect and as a rule the measures alcohol is served abroad are significantly bigger than in the UK; a dangerous combination.

It is a myth that a shot of brandy is a good cure for cold or hypothermia, it may lessen the symptoms and therefore reassure the victim, but it can actually exasperate the causes; drawing warmth away from vital organs, where the body’s natural defences concentrate core body temperature. The picture of a Saint Bernard with a barrel of brandy round the neck comes from a tourist brochure…

With this in mind, people who are drunk not only don’t realise how cold they are getting, but their body will not react in the usual way to the cold and protect itself; this make drunk people much more susceptible to hypothermia.

Sadly every year too many people find out the hard way that, whereas in the UK falling asleep in a doorway on your way home is an embarrassing incident or at worst results in a night at the pleasure of her majesty, at altitude in winter the consequences can be much more severe.

Remember that being intoxicated can invalidate your insurance and an accident on the slopes for someone who is uninsured and requires repatriation to the UK, can cost in excess of £15,000.

Our advice; think about the first glass of wine with your lunch, reflect more carefully about your second and after your third take the chairlift down. Look after each other; don’t let people walk home alone at night; keep your mobile phone charged; carry a small torch and whistle to signal for help; tell people where you are going; and send a quick text message to tell someone you have got home safely.

Taking a little extra care does not have to be boring, look around and see how many French people get drunk on the slopes or for that matter in public. By all means enjoy a drink but don’t ruin it by getting drunk; after all the adrenaline rush should be saved for the slopes.

At Safe Gap Year our Independent Travel Safety & 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 – 10th December 2009

FCO releases 2008-09 incident figures

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Title – FCO releases 2008-09 incident figures
Source – FCO
Date – 25th August 2009

These statistics must be taken in the context that they are purely those incidents which the FCO have been made aware of (needless to say ‘incidents’ for which British citizens must contact the embassy such as loss of passport are accurate and representative) and do not include those ‘incidents’ which are not reported and we must assume are significantly higher.

What we can assume however is that as a percentage these figures are representative and as such the most ‘dangerous’ countries highlighted are accurate.

The number of ‘assists’ that FCO staff deal with is staggering and certainly reflects the excellent work and the significant workload that the FCO puts in to protecting British citizens and assisting them when they are abroad. 2.1 million consular enquiries in a year is a significant number.

Travellers must however remember that the British embassy staff are limited in the assistance they can offer and being a UK citizen is not a ‘get out of jail free card’. You are always subject to the laws of the country you are visiting and must have enough funds to support yourself, pay any expenses you incur and get home.

The FCO is through initiatives such as the ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign, trying to get travellers to plan more effectively and prepare better for foreign travel to reduce the number getting into difficulty.

Effective preparation is important for any type of travel, however it is fair to say that people taking a short holiday to Spain who encounter an ‘incident’ (5430 excluding lost/stolen passports sought consular assistance in Spain in the year ending March 2009) should find it easier to deal with than those travelling to Mongolia where any form of assistance is limited. The traveller to Mongolia must take as much care as possible to be self sufficient and avoid any ‘incident’ from taking place; the complication of visiting such a remote country can make even normally innocuous ‘incidents’ very serious.

Preparing for a 2 week trip to Greece is relatively straight forward and advice from the FCO ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign should be sufficient. Those planning travel to more remote, developing countries over an extended period should seek more specific and detailed advice such as our Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop.

I have picked some of the more ‘interesting’ statistics from this report (the full report is available on the link at the top of this page). The report reflects the year ending March 2009:

· Britons were most likely to be arrested in UAE (294), followed by Thailand (202) and the USA (1534).
· One in seven of all arrests of Britons worldwide were for drug related offences. 991 people were arrested for drug offences.
· 19 British nationals are currently facing capital charges (those which carry the death penalty) worldwide.
· Britons were most likely to be hospitalised in Thailand followed by Greece, Egypt and India. Many of these hospitalisations were the result of alcohol related incidents and moped/motorbike accidents.
· 29,774 passports were lost or stolen worldwide. 3228 in USA, 2446 in Australia, 826 in China, 871 in South Africa
· 270 rapes & sexual Assaults were reported worldwide

If we consider those unreported incidents, these numbers are very significant. These situations are made much worse when you are stuck a very long way away from home, family, friends and support. What may be ‘relatively’ insignificant at home is magnified many times when you are stuck in a country where everything is very different, standards vary and often language barriers mean that you will not understand what is happening.

We help independent travellers understand and prepare for every instance to reduce the number and seriousness of ‘incidents’ which happen and to know what to do if they do.

Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) is a travel partner of the FCO Know Before You Go Campaign.

At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Independent Travel Safety & Cultural 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.

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

To view the original articles click on the links below

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.

Brit pair ‘terrified’ in hellhole Rio jail / Brazil ‘fraud’ Britons bailed

Title – Brit pair ‘terrified’ in hellhole Rio jail / Brazil ‘fraud’ Britons bailed
Source – The London Paper / www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 30th July / 1st August 2009

Whatever the outcome of this particular case and I try always to apply the pretext that people are innocent until proven guilty, it highlights the potential for seemingly innocuous cases to turn into very serious ones.

There are many people who have defrauded their travel insurance company; they may not view it as ‘fraud’ and I have met some people who genuinely believe that it is ‘nothing serious’ and that ‘everyone does it’. Everyone doesn’t, I assure them.

There are also those people who have genuinely been robbed, pick pocketed, had bags stolen or been mugged who have taken the opportunity to embellish and exaggerate what was stolen to increase the insurance claim. This too is ‘fraud’ clear and simple. Let’s also remember these claims cost every traveller in increased premiums…

In the UK such ‘small scale’ fraud is rarely a police matter, it is usually dealt with by the insurance company themselves; even if the police do get involved the chances of spending more than a few hours in a cell awaiting interview are minimal.

We tell people time and time again, do not assume what goes at home, goes abroad. The law is different, the emphasis is different and the response is often very different. £1000 in the UK through significant to many people, is arguably not that significant to big insurance companies. £1000 in a developing country is very significant to everyone and much more likely to receive close attention. In many foreign countries there is also a dedicated police force tasked with protecting ‘tourists’, although I don’t think it is unfair to say they are really tasked with protecting ‘tourism’. Where tourism is a significant source of foreign exchange and GDP, the reputation of the tourist industry is fiercely guarded.

Most people realise that to be able to make an insurance claim when you return to the UK you need a police report from the country in which the crime took place. In this case that is what these girls seem to have done and on receiving the report the police seem to have investigated (something maybe we don’t always expect from police in the UK with ‘minor’ crimes) and discovered that there was some disparity between the report filed and the items missing.

£1000 is a lot of money in Brazil and probably a lot in comparison to the local police salary. It sounds strange but pride is a significant factor in many cases and I don’t imagine the local police and judiciary were over impressed by two young tourists trying to pull the wool over their eyes (if this is actually what happened). Travellers who get into trouble are always subject to local laws and local prison facilities. No one wants to find themselves in a Brazilian gaol, they really are dangerous places and two young English travellers are going to find this especially difficult.

I am sure that the truth will eventually come out and I hope even if they have been ‘stupid’ they are allowed home soon, because I would imagine what they have already had to face would be enough of a punishment for even a more serious crime.

There is a lesson here for everyone else.

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.

Graduates to get gap-year money

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Title – Graduates to get gap-year money
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 1st August 2009

Undoubtedly when this scheme is formally launched the ‘spoilers’ will be out there talking about ‘the cost to the taxpayer’ and how ‘graduates have already been funded by the tax payer during education’, but I for one will not be amongst them.

Opportunities for young people can seem few and far between sometimes and if this scheme allows 500 young people to go off and help communities who are in desperate need of it, then I am all for it. Not only will the communities benefit, but graduates who may not have the chance otherwise, will experience something which will not only change their lives but change their employability and their outlook on the world.

Purely from a political point of view at a time when the country has turned slightly inwards and far right political parties and those with isolationist manifestos have gained slightly in popularity, it is important that our younger generation are given opportunities to see the benefits of an inclusive world.

There are a number of schemes out there already which provide funding for bursaries or funding for young people including the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (

www.wcmt.org.uk).

The benefits of a constructive gap year are well documented, most employers like them, they provide real-world insight for candidates.

Many parents (despite the sense of trepidation, fear, loss of control and helplessness) accept that there are very positive benefits to a gap year. After their child has completed a successful gap year the parents experience for themselves the positive change and the increased sense of responsibility their child returns with.

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.

Currency cards beat sky-high airport rates

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Title – Currency cards beat sky-high airport rates
Source – London Lite
Date – 25th February 2009

One of the key considerations when you are planning independent travel is the best way to take money with you and how to access it when you are travelling.

The balance between cards, cash and travellers cheques should be a starting point. Currencies should be your second consideration; often a combination of local currency and US dollars, Euros and Stirling is required. If you are travelling through many countries this can mean that you end up with far too much cash on parts of your trip and far too little in countries where access to more may be a challenge.

For example when you travel in Papua New Guinea, cash is essential as banks can be few and far between, yet it can be a very dangerous country and you really want to avoid carrying too much cash… then there is the added problem that in some parts of New Guinea cash is pretty worthless as a barter system still largely exists… it can be a real headache.

During the global economic meltdown we are now experiencing, foreign exchange fluctuations have been unprecedented and there are likely to be more to come. Some have been advantageous to UK travellers and the pound has strengthened against the weakest currencies; but unfortunately most have strengthened against the pound.

As an example some independent travellers we advised recently set off for South East Asia on a three month trip last year. The US dollar is widely used in many of the countries they visited. At the start of their trip £1 was worth just under $2, by the time they got back it had lost about 25% of its value and a £1 only bought $1.45; this put a serious dent in their budget. Foreign exchange is not always a subject independent travellers take much interest in while travelling, or at least not until their cards start being rejected…

There are ways of effectively ‘hedging’ against these fluctuations which should be a consideration for independent travellers while this economic turmoil continues and there are increasingly different ways of accessing your money when abroad, which add convenience and protection.

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 Safety, Travel Health, Travel Equipment, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice and more. Currency cards are one consideration which offer some level of protection from both currency fluctuations and the more traditional concerns over the safety of your money from theft and fraud. The focus of our workshop is on suitable solutions for your specific travel plans.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com or join us our Facebook Page and our Facebook Group. 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.

Don’t let the problems snowball if your ski holiday hits the skids

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Title – Don’t let the problems snowball if your ski holiday hits the skidsSource – The Independent
Date – 14th January 2009

With 1 in 4 Britons who take a winter sports holiday doing so without travel insurance, many people are going to have very expensive travel stories to tell.

The fundamentals of travel insurance are very similar whether you are going skiing, diving, taking a week’s holiday or going on a volunteering gap year; make sure you are covered for ALL the activities and countries you travel to and for the whole duration of your trip.

Repatriation after an accident, be that a ski accident as mentioned in this article or following a moped crash in Sri Lanka, can be very expensive. The example given in this article of £35,000 in repatriation and emergency rescue cost is no exaggeration. Never assume that the status quo at home, applies abroad.

We are used to the excellent social welfare system we have in the UK, when you get ill the NHS looks after you; you don’t call an ambulance thinking about the cost and if you can afford it. This is simply not the case in most countries; in some the ambulance crew will first ask for proof you can pay and then treat you.

There are many stories about those who failed to get any insurance suffering not just the anguish of illness, accident or financial loss while travelling, but we also hear regular stories of insurance policies that are barely worth the paper they are written on. You must do your research; with insurance the cheapest is certainly not necessarily the best.

The ‘small print’ is all important and before you buy your insurance check that the activities, duration and destinations of your intended travel are suitably covered. For example if you are intending to go diving on your trip; are you required to take out additional cover, if not how many days diving will the policy cover and is the depth you can dive to limited? Does an annual travel insurance policy actually cover a whole year’s travel? Often annual multi trip policies allow a limited duration for each trip through the year.

There are a lot of questions and you need to get the answers before you leave. Remember limits on insurance policies are usually there for a good reason; for example the insurance company knows that the risks involved in off-piste skiing are much greater than with on-piste skiing, hence why they will not insure it or will charge a premium. When you are considering risks involved in your trip it is worth noting not just what you are insured for, but if the additional risks that your insurance company will not insure are worth taking… those are the risks you should avoid.

At

Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Insurance and what questions you should ask when you a sourcing insurance and the limits within which you should stay to Travel Safely.

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.

Man’s £5 debt repaid 39 years on

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Title – Man’s £5 debt repaid 39 years onSource – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 19th December 2008

Undoubtedly travellers make a connection with people they meet while travelling. Many life-long friends are made and even more acquaintances; a combination of shared experiences and shared hardships, but primarily a meeting of minds, people visiting the same places for the same reasons.

Often it is the commonality that brings people together, in countries far away from home where language difficulties may stop us communicating effectively; meeting a ‘kindred spirit’ from a more familiar world is often reassuring when you feel a little out of your depth.

This is one of those travel stories which restores our trust and faith in human nature and in fellow travellers, many travellers have similar stories even if usually they are over slightly shorter periods of time.

There are two key points to remember and take from this story.

Firstly; if you make a promise keep it. This is especially important if you tell local people you will keep in touch or send them something they have requested once you get home. If you can’t fulfil your promise don’t make it in the first place. Where you probably will not lose any sleep if someone you meet on your travels fails to stay in touch or doesn’t ‘poke’ you on facebook, local people (especially in remote areas) may not take it so well. Often when you visit other countries your visit bring honour, pride and kudos on the family you visit. Their standing within their community may rise, they may well proudly tell everyone of their honoured guest. They may have very little to show for a lifetimes work and something as simple as a picture you have promised to send may become a prized possession; so make sure you send it.

The second thing to remember is that unfortunately while most travellers are honest, think like you and act like you, there are always some who don’t. Theft from travellers is not restricted to the local population, in-fact some people believe that more theft occurs between travellers then by local populations. Dorm rooms are especially notorious for this, there are unfortunately many travellers who budget badly or do not have funds they require to complete their journeys and there are those who are just plain dishonest and greedy. Never leave valuables or expensive equipment lying around unsecured, be careful where you stash your valuables (always use hostel safes where appropriate and ask for receipts if necessary) and where you display them. It never fails to amaze me how safe people feel in hostel dorm rooms sitting on their beds counting their cash before stashing it right in front of strangers…

At

Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) looks at many different issues including Travel Safety and Travel Insurance, including the best ways to secure your valuables and the safest way to carry the money required for your travels.

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.

Tourists in India samosa shock

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Title – Tourists in India samosa shockSource – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 17th November 2008

Here is a tip you can have for free. When travelling anywhere in the world ALWAYS agree the price before you buy. If you don’t you have not got a leg to stand on when you are charged the ‘tourist price’ afterwards.

Often even when you agree a price it will be claimed that either a different price was agreed or that it should be more because of some ‘unforeseeable’ change in circumstance. Ask any traveller if they have felt ‘ripped-off’ at any time on their travels and you’ll meet few who can honestly say they haven’t.

On many of my travels I have argued (sometimes heatedly) that I was only going to pay the previously agreed price or that if a larger bill couldn’t be changed, I was going to refuse to pay; I wouldn’t be the first person to arrive in a new city and take a meter taxi to my guest house which takes 45 minutes from the airport, but when I agree a prearranged price for the return trip, the drive only takes 5 minutes…. It is one of the ‘joys’ of travel.

We need to have some perspective. The key is to do your best to get a ‘deal’ but not to get obsessed over the best deal. Pay what you are comfortable paying and be satisfied with that, don’t fret that you could have saved 10,000 Dong (Vietnam), after all 10,000 Dong is only 38p… how many times will we spend 15 minutes arguing over 38p when we are at home?

I have to say I admire many of the people who try and ‘rip me off’ when I travel. The best sales people I have ever met are in countries like Cambodia, Indonesia, Madagascar etc. These are people who make the candidates from The Apprentice look like real amateurs; only the circumstance of their birth prevents them from joining the ranks of truly successful business men, business women and often business children!

Think also about what that 30p means to you, as opposed to what it might mean to them. Obsessing about the cost of every little thing can really ruin a trip; it can end up being the focus of everything you do. Being confident and relaxed about your purchases will result in you getting better deals generally, it will allow you to enjoy the haggling rather than dreading it. If you end up paying a little more than the bare-minimum sometimes, think of it this way; someone who most likely struggles each and every day to earn enough to feed their family will be a little happier, it’s not a high price to pay…

Travel should be about what you can get out of the country you visit and what you can give in return, it should not be about how much you can exploit the country you are visiting.

At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop (GYITSA) provides candidates with the information they need to travel more safely and to make the most of their experiences. We examine issues such as Travel Safety, Travel Documentation (insurance, currency, cash and visas etc.), Cultural Awareness (including a session on haggling) and Responsible & Ethical Travel amongst others.

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.

Make it a year to brag about

Title – Make it a year to brag about
Source – Metro
Date – 2nd September 2009

There is a lot to think about when planning a Gap Year and there are a lot of things to think about when you are on your Gap Year. Everyone has an opinion and there are challenges at every turn. You need to be made aware of the real issues you face rather than the thousands of things that could happen, but in reality are very unlikely to.

Most gapers do not need to consider courses which teach you how to avoid kidnap, because the chances of kidnap in at most destinations is low; but they do need to know which destinations carry an increased risk of kidnap.

Most gapers should however be aware of Travel Health issues that are real where ever you travel to.

We dispel the myths and provide straight forward honest advice to help you travel more safely where ever it is you intend to visit.

At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness Workshop (GYITSA) considers issues of Travel Safety, Travel Equipment, Travel Health, Travel Insurance, Destination Advice and the many more considerations you have before deciding where to travel to and what activities to undertake.

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.