A land ruled by thugs, where parents must watch the execution of children

To view the original article Click Here

Title – A land ruled by thugs, where parents must watch the execution of children
Source – The Independent
Date – 26th July 2007

How many more sets of statistics are needed for our governments to act against the tyrannical government of Burma and insist that they return power to the democratically elected NLD, end their military assaults on their own people and free prisoners held for no other reason then expressing their political views. A country which has a infant mortality rate of 221 in 1000 (in the UK its 6 in 1000), which spends less then 50p a year per person on healthcare and education combined (in the UK we spend about £1200 per person on healthcare alone), where parents are made to watch the execution of their own children, where 50% of the 'government's' budget is spent on the military (Burma has not been at war with any of it’s neighbours since independence from Britain in 1948; the military budget therefore being almost exclusively used to oppress the Burmese people) and where aid from governments across the world has been tiny and disproportionate, against problems in other parts of the world.

Beyond The Blue prides itself on a reputation or providing impartial and transparent advice to anyone taking one of our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshops. We will not provide guidance or advice on certain countries for a number of reasons. These may be as simple as a location like Colombia where in 2005, over 800 kidnapping cases were reported (many believe the actual figure is much higher) and foreigners are regularly targeted, as they generally command a higher ransom. We believe Colombia is an unsuitable destination for the average independent traveller and as such advise against travel to the country (and therefore do not provide information on it) on the grounds of safety.

Another reason we may choose to advise against travel is for political reasons. Burma for example, is a country ruled by an illegal military dictatorship, their record on Human Rights is one of the world’s worst and tourism is one of the primary ways that this corrupt government generates foreign exchange. Much of this income is then used by the military to allow it to better oppress its own people. The list of reported atrocities is a long and disturbing one.

In 1990 Burma held the first free and fair elections since the military regime came to power. By way of demonstrating exactly how out of touch the military regime was with the will of the people and reality in general, they believed that the fear they had instilled in the Burmese people would land them and overwhelming victory. As it turned out Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party won a landslide victory with over 82% of all the votes cast. The military’s response was to place her under house arrest and either imprison torture or kill most of her party. Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest to this day in one of the most flagrant displays of Human Rights abuses that the world seems able to ignore. She has however made it abundantly clear that she feels it is not in Burma’s interest at this time to have tourists visiting the country and providing the dictators with funds to further oppress her people.

A snapshot of the worst atrocities committed by the brutal military regime reads like one of history’s horror stories from hundreds of years ago, but it is happening today :

Widespread use of forced labour. Over 1 million people forcibly moved from their homes, At least 1100 political prisoners (many of whom are routinely tortured), an army of over 500,000 soldiers (The UK has just over 100,000) of whom 70,000 are child soldiers (more then any other country in the world), rape as a weapon of war against ethnic women and children, nearly half the government budget spent on the military and only 19p per citizen, per year, on health and one in ten babies die before their 5th birthday. (Source The Burma Campaign)

Burma used to be one of the richest countries in the region providing exports it now has to import.

However there are other pressure groups that disagree with this advice. Beyond The Blue believes that it is the right of every individual to choose if going to Burma is the right or wrong thing to do. We also believe that the will of the only democratically elected leader of Burma is one that represents the views of the Burmese people. We would never seek to dictate people’s choice of destination and our workshop would be very useful to anyone travelling to Burma, but by way of showing our support for the people of Burma, Beyond The Blue will not provide specific information on this country. We ask anyone planning a trip to Burma to research their trip carefully. The first step of this research should be www.burmacampaign.org.uk.


Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Factor in some sun protection

Title – Factor in some sun protection
Source – The London Paper
Date – 18th July 2007

Many travellers first thought when planning a trip is to head for the sun and even those that shy away, often can’t help getting caught up in areas of high UV exposure. Sun protection is one of the basic items that every traveller should pack as an essential. Knowing how to use it and how much to use will prevent what blights most first time travellers at some point; sunburn.

But the impact of the sun should not be underestimated, most of us may well have been sunburnt at some point in our life, especially those of us that come from the UK who are very susceptible to more serious effects such as sun stroke, when we are in climates our bodies can just not deal with on their own.

A tan is often one of the things travellers most want to come back with, but sensible measures must be followed not only to protect yourself, but also to achieve the perfect tan. Speed and over-exposure are not the way to go.

Through our workshops we help individuals to plan for their travels in many different ways. As well as looking at personal safety, we also examine how to stay safe from disease and every day problems such as how to obtain clean drinking water and how to stay protected from the sun. During the section on travel equipment we advise on the equipment required for your trip and items such as sun creams and other sun protection.

We do not specifically recommend brands, but we will expand on our own experiences and provide facts for people to make responsible choices. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop is directed at anyone travelling for the first time or returning to travel after a long break. The workshop prepares people of all ages for a trip of any length.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Ask the pharmacist… insect bites

Title – Ask the pharmacist… insect bites
Source – London Lite
Date – 16th July 2007

At Beyond The Blue we are not in the business of recommending certain brands over others and don’t endorse those mentioned in this article over others. But our instructors are all experienced travellers and all have their own preferences they have used in the course of their travels. We do all have one thing in common, we have all been bitten by insects in parts of the world where this is not just an irritation, but a serious health concern.

Mosquitoes, sand flies, bed bugs, fleas, horse flies, mites, ticks, aggressor bugs and the literally hundreds of other varieties of insects that bite and many that carry serious and often deadly diseases are found in almost every environment in the world and for the traveller in this case, ignorance is not bliss it is potentially deadly.

Prevention is the key to protection and measures such as prophylactic drugs should be considered the vital second line of defence.

On our travels we have heard it a hundred times; one traveller asks the next what anti-malaria drugs they are taking and they exchange the horror stories of side effects that come mainly from the grapevine rather then a qualified physician. Then another traveller interjects; they didn’t bother, they claim that in their experience, the risks are over stated, the drugs too expensive and the side effects too dangerous, they even suggest in their tone that there is some credibility to be gained in their bravado, that somehow they are a more hardy traveller because they don’t take the drugs to protect themselves and rely of mumbo-jumbo methods of protecting themselves that they heard 10th hand from an Amazonian Indian tribe……. The picture is one all experienced travellers have heard and one that anyone with any level of common sense knows is peppered with potentially very serious flaws.

The facts speak for themselves, despite having access to the worlds most developed and tested drugs, many travellers from the UK still choose for one reason or another to travel to areas of the world that are burdened with the effects of malaria (that kills more then a million people every year) without taking prophylactic drugs to protect themselves. It is from this group that generally come the 2000 or so individuals that contract malaria every year in the UK. It’s a high price to pay for a little 'Street Cred', or to save a few pounds by not buying the drugs required for the destination you intend to travel to.

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop examines the various dangers from insect bites, how to avoid them and what precautions to take before you travel. The workshops are designed to examine every aspect of travel planning and in-country experiences to allow those attending to prepare with the facts rather then relying on the grapevine for their most important planning and implementation stages.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Four fatal shark attacks in 2006

To view the original article Click Here

Title – Four fatal shark attacks in 2006
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 15th July 2007

At Beyond The Blue our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop examines the facts and not the myths. This approach allows you to make decisions on your safety based on sound judgement rather then at the whim of a Hollywood movie that still haunts the average swimmer in the worlds shark infested seas, 30 years after it was first released.

For many people the fear of sharks keeps them permanently out of the water, for some it keeps them from enjoying some of the worlds wonders like the Great Barrier Reef off the Australian coast or surfing in California.

The facts are simple though with the 100’s of millions of people all over the world heading into the sea for a swim each year, only 4 people worldwide are killed by sharks. In actual fact the danger of getting to the water front (crossing the road, being attacked by another human or even buying a soft drink from a vending machine) is statistically more dangerous then sharks and the risks are substantially higher then sharing water with the so called “killer” sharks.

We have firsthand experience of diving with sharks, we have ourselves sought out some of the so called most dangerous sharks and watched them go into a feeding frenzy. This may seem to some to be insane, but the shark is a beautiful creature, there is no doubt that they are potentially life threatening, but most human encounters with sharks have one of two result; the first is a thrill to those who are privileged enough to witness a shark in it’s natural environment and admire evolution at its best; the second is the disgraceful habit of over fishing it, especially the practise of fining that kills millions of sharks each year, simply to harvest the fins before throwing the rest of the (often still alive) shark back into the water.

The issue of sharks is a simple one, understand your destination, seek local advice, avoid high risk areas where it is actually dangerous to swim due to the number and species of shark present and when an area is 'safe' enjoy the water. Remember sharks really do have a lot more to fear from humans then humans have from them.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

3000 types of mozzie

Title – 3000 types of mozzie
Source – The Evening Standard
Date – 8th August 2007

Mosquitoes can arguably be considered as the single most dangerous animal to humans on earth. They are involved in the transmission of malaria that kills over a million people a year and are also responsible for the transmission of other fatal diseases in many different parts of the world.

Mosquitoes are also here to stay. In certain parts of the world there have been exceptionally successful eradication programmes and programmes that have been designed to reduce or eliminate the breeding grounds that can lead to prolific population growth amongst mosquitoes. Singapore for example does not have a significant malaria problem, thanks to their continued hard work in reducing and eradicating mosquitoes. But freeing Singapore, a tiny and immensely rich nation with almost no naturally wild areas, is relatively straight forward in comparison to some parts of the world that do not have these luxuries, Africa and many of Singapore’s South East Asian neighbours suffer terribly from the diseases that are spread by mosquitoes and even in countries we generally consider safe from malaria such as the USA, mosquitoes carry other hidden dangers such as encephalitis.

We know the dangers and annoyance that mosquitoes can cause travellers as well as the local population. We know how to manage and minimise these risks when travelling to countries where diseases are spread by mosquitoes. During our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop we identify many areas of Travel Health and consider the problems mosquitoes can cause by first looking at where in the world precautions should be taken, where precautions and prophylactic drugs should be used and fundamentally how to avoid being bitten in the first place. By understanding the mosquito’s behaviour and therefore putting measures into place to make sure you’re protected effectively when mosquitoes are at their most active, the risks can be reduced to acceptable and manageable levels.

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

Is a one-dose malaria vaccine around the corner

Title – Is a one-dose malaria vaccine around the corner
Source – Telegraph Magazine
Date – July 2007

It’s one of the holy grails which the best scientists around the world are looking for; a cure that will save thousands and in the case of malaria, millions of lives. Malaria is one of the blights on the world and kills a million people every year, including the young and frail, who can’t fight off the symptoms of the disease. Most of these victims live in sub-Saharan Africa where they don’t have access to the medications and simple protective measures such as mosquito nets, which travellers from the UK do and should not take for granted.

During our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop we examine what measures individuals should take when travelling across the world to areas affected by malaria and other diseases. Despite the availability of drugs and protective measures such as repellents and mosquito nets, many travellers still don’t take the basic precautions seriously and in 2006, 1386 people in the UK were diagnosed with the deadliest strain of the disease. Of those affected 81% had not taken prophylactic drugs to protect themselves against the disease, even the most sceptical travellers must understand the ramifications of that statistic.

Malaria is treatable, but it is not straight forward and is a highly debilitating disease to those affected causing weeks and months of an illness that can reoccur years later and throughout a lifetime. It’s certainly not something to be taken lightly or to consider a risk worth taking. Anyone who has the opportunity to protect themselves in any way from malaria should take it. We provide all the information you will need to do this effectively, with the help of equipment and medical advice from your physician.

We run workshops for individuals of all ages and all experience levels, we help you prepare for all your travel needs, to enable you to prepare everything in advance and give you an advantage when you arrive in-country.


Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

EU bans all Indonesian airlines

To view the original article Click Here

Title – EU bans all Indonesian airlines
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 28th June 2007

Just a few years ago Garuda (Indonesia’s national airline) was one of the favoured choices of the budget traveller looking for a cheap round-the-world ticket. But things have changed rapidly in the airline industry and this week all of Indonesia’s 51 airlines were added to the EU’s list of carriers banned from the EU for safety reasons.

But Indonesia is not the only area affected; it is just the headline grabber, as ALL its carriers were added to the list. Other countries were also affected including Bulgaria, Ukraine and other former Soviet Republics as well as many African carriers.

We examine Transport Options as part of our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop. We look at the options available to you and their individual merits, including cost, safety and environmental impact.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

The inconvenient truth about the carbon offset industry

To view the original article Click Here

Title – The inconvenient truth about the carbon offset industry
Source – The Guardian
Date – 16th June 2007

We should all be concerned about our carbon footprint and the damage that our individual activities have on our increasingly fragile planet, but how can we consolidate the impact we have with our natural curiosity and desire to travel to the far corners of the globe with an increasing number of airlines offering cheaper and cheaper fares?

Carbon offsetting is one of the buzzwords of the day. The theory is you can do anything with a clear conscience if you just pay someone else, to either not to use their carbon entitlement or fund one of the ever growing number of schemes designed to cut emissions through funding carbon reducing projects. But like any new industry and any new scheme there have been flaws and there have been scams; so how do you know, in a very unregulated market place, what scheme is actually going to repair the damage of the flight to your chosen travel destination and the activities you partake in when you get there and how you can help prevent climate change.

There are a growing number of schemes to offset carbon, which are being shown not to have the desired effect or to be misleading. Planting trees for example, was a very popular way of offsetting carbon emissions in the early years, but these have largely been discredited, this is primarily because the calculations were either incorrect or calculated on the lifespan of the tree (in other words if for example there was a single tree that could be planted to offset your carbon emissions for your flight to Australia, that tree would have to grow for 100 years to offset the carbon emissions you use tomorrow…. Do we have 100 years to spare before we actually need to offset the carbon emissions of today?)

We examine the environmental and cultural impact of your travel in our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop. We look at carbon offset programmes that have achieved the gold standard, currently the only real indication that an offsetting scheme is actually scientifically proven. Just as importantly we examine ways you can avoid having a negative cultural impact on the locations and communities you visit in the course of your travels. This positive approach allows you to better explore and understand the places you visit and inherently increases your personal safety, while on your travels. At Beyond The Blue we believe in travel, but we understand that there is a price to pay and the many different ways in which you have to pay it.


Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Britons ‘complacent over malaria’

To view the original article Click Here

Title – Britons ‘complacent over malaria’
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 15th May 2007

Malaria is one of the blights on the human populations of the world. Primarily a major cause of death in countries that can least afford to protect themselves, it is the responsibility of all of us that are afforded the luxury of modern medication and expensive equipment to ensure we do everything not to burden the health services of the countries we visit or our own when we return by protecting ourselves effectively. Not using the medication available to protect yourself from Malaria is not only socially irresponsible; it places you in danger of contracting a very serious disease. Some people believe that even if they contract Malaria, it is treatable on your return and generally results in death only in countries where primary medication is unavailable.

These myths place individuals at great risk, Malaria can certainly be treated, but it also kills up to 1 million people every year, so no one should take it for granted. If that is not enough of a warning then consider that people contracting Malaria even if they can be cured often remain chronic carriers and suffer from flares in the disease again in later life. Ask yourself the question if you decide to travel to an area of the world where Malaria is endemic; would you rather pop a pill once or twice a day for the period of your trip and up to one month afterwards or spend 3 months recovering from malaria, another 3 month rehabilitating yourself and spend the rest of your life worrying when you are going to suffer another bout and wipe out another year of your life.

We offer Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops for anyone travelling for the first time or wishing to review their skills and gain the latest information about their destination. The workshop covers many of the major disease threats you might face on your travels and the best way to protect yourself. Prophylactic (anti-malaria medication) are just the first step in protection and not 100% effective, avoiding the bite in the first place and knowing what equipment to pack will help reduce the risk to a minimum and give you the peace of mind to travel in confidence.

Please visit our website at

www.safegapyear.com