Thai Protesters overrun airport blockades

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Title – Thai Protesters overrun airport blockadesSource – The Independent on Sunday
Date – 30th November 2008

This situation was if not inevitable, at least wholly predictable. The political situation in Thailand has been deteriorating for some time now and the patience of the protestors was being pushed to the limit; some form of further action seemed inevitable. Sadly stuck in the middle now, are over 100,000 tourists trying to leave Thailand and countless others, who have had to cancel their plans to travel.

The effect this will have on the tourist industry in Thailand is to yet to be established. Thailand had just started to get back to normal after the devastation of the 2004 Tsunami. Will it stop people travelling to Thailand? Probably not, certainly in the short term it will have an effect as people choose other destinations rather than taking the risk of having to cancel holidays; but in the longer term it will bounce back again. However that will certainly start to change if this ‘siege’ repeats itself, Thailand will start to lose its appeal in favour of other destinations if people start to see the country as unstable and believe the chances of their holidays being disrupted as high.

Thailand is in deadlock. A government seemingly fairly elected, even if the current prime minister was appointed by the elected party rather than through any electoral mandate (not so unusual when you consider our own prime minister…); suggestions of government corruption at the highest level; an army that wields great power but is reluctant to act against the people, especially those who ‘support’ the King, to whom the army is ultimately loyal; a police force who are loyal to the government, but not highly effective and who are keen not become political pawns or go against the army, the king or the people; and the King who is revered in Thailand by all, but who is keenly aware not to get involved in civilian politics or meddle with the government structure and who has himself not designated a clear order of succession to his rule which is a worry to everyone in Thailand.

Thailand is perceived by many despite all of these factors to be a ‘safe’ destination for British travellers and Thailand paints this picture well in promotion of its tourism industry. The reality can be very different and complacency is the traveller’s worst enemy. There are many considerations which travellers to Thailand must consider:

Travel Health: There are many travel health concerns to consider; Malaria is widespread in many parts and Malaria Prophylactic drugs should be discussed with a doctor at least 6 weeks prior to departure; Dengue Fever is increasingly common and in some specific locations, almost at epidemic levels, yet despite being aware of localised outbreaks information is not always widely communicated for fear of putting off tourist; Rabies is endemic and travellers should avoid any animal that can be a carrier and consider vaccination before departure; food hygiene is not always of the highest standards and travellers should only drink bottled water;
Travel Safety: Illegal drugs although readily available in Thailand carry heavy sentences, the death penalty is still enforced for drug trafficking, British citizens are not protected from heavy sentences for drug offences; scams of all sorts are common in Thailand, the more serious of these scams can include the drugging of victims for the purposes of robbery; road traffic accidents are a common cause of hospitalisation in Thailand; and statistically Thailand remains one of the highest risk destinations for British citizens;
Destination Advice: Apart from the political situation mentioned earlier, there is an ongoing violent struggle in the south of Thailand between Muslim separatists and the largely Buddhist government. This has resulted in thousands of deaths over the past few years and countless ‘terrorist’ attacks. Tourists have become unwittingly involved in this conflict with kidnappings and deaths occurring as a result.

Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) run a Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshop (GYITSA) designed to provide travellers to any part of the world with the knowledge and skills to travel safely and allow them to make the most of all the new experiences they encounter whilst avoiding the wholly predictable pitfalls that occur along the way.

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.

Lorry kills Africa gap year student

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Title – Lorry kills Africa gap year student
Source – Metro
Date – 17th November 2008

It’s always very sad to read stories like this one about Claire; our thoughts are always with her family who have to deal with the loss of a person who was clearly gifted, had a zest for life and a passion for exploration and travel. When accidents happen so far away from home it adds a sense of helplessness that exasperates the tragedy still further.

This is a terrible accident, it could have happened 5 miles from her home or 5000 miles away in Africa. The only difference being that generally speaking regulation is stricter in the UK with regard to driving standards, enforcement and the maintenance of vehicles on the road; so in that sense roads in ‘developing’ countries are by their nature are more dangerous.

I would not suggest that there was much that could have been done differently which would have changed the tragic outcome of this situation, but it can serve as a warning to others. It can act as the starkest reminder that additional care is required on the roads, crossing the roads and even standing at the side of the road, in some parts of the world.

It was only a few weeks ago we were discussing the tragic bus accident in Egypt. In the UK we don’t hear about the many tragedies on the roads in other parts of the world, but look at the statistics and it is clear that people should take much greater care and attention when we are far away from home and we need to appreciate that the rules we apply at home often don’t apply abroad. Many parts of the world the differences are far more profound than just driving on the other side of the road.

At Beyond The Blue (safe gap year) we run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety and Awareness workshops (GYITSA) designed to provide anyone planning a Gap Year or Career Break to travel more safely and with heightened awareness of the risks faced in other parts of the world. We cover issues of personal safety, Transport Options, Travel Health, Travel Equipment, Travel Safety and much more. There are some tragic accidents where nothing would alter the outcome; but for many of the problems faced by travellers, understanding the potential risks allows us to reduce them, without affecting the enjoyment travel offers us.

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.

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.

Burma court jails more protesters

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Title – Burma court jails more protesters
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 14th November 2008

It is always difficult to decide if this blog is really the right place to highlight the problems in Burma and to add our voice to the call for a free Burma; after all this is really about Gap Years and Independent Travel. The world is full of very worthy causes that we should be promoting; Zimbabwe; Congo; Sudan; China & Tibet; The Middle East; the list seems endless…

My justification for it is this; we don’t ignore other parts of the world where very terrible situations are occurring, there is no merit in comparing one situation with the next to see ‘which is more worthy’ and certainly during our workshops we examine the issues of Ethical Travel to those countries candidates are planning to travel to; but it is better I believe to concentrate efforts in this blog and in my life personally on one or two causes that I can be truly passionate about; where I feel I have a direct emotional link to the subject. For now we concentrate our efforts on raising the profile of; the street children in Mongolia through the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, their child sponsorship programme; and to raise the profile of the disaster that has befallen the Burmese people for the past 60 years.

So with this in mind I look at what is happening in Burma at this very moment and see yet more evidence of the insanity (literal) of the generals, who illegally ‘rule’ the country. Much as their insanity is evident in their actions, it is also clear that they are the masters of subtle but devastatingly effective suppression and that nothing anyone inside or outside of the country thinks makes even the slightest dent on their non-existent consciences.

However as much as they have never paid any attention to the opinion of rest of the world, they also like the ‘quiet life’, probably more for the effect pressure has on their trading partners, rather than any pressure they might feel from ‘western’ powers.

Maybe I’m cynical, but if I am it is only because the history of the Burmese Military Regime has proven that cynicism when it comes to their actions is usually closer to the truth than any other approach. Can it really be a coincidence that this seemingly rushed ‘judicial process’ and the disgraceful consequences have taken place when the world is consumed by the worst financial crisis in a generation, when news headlines are dominated by economic meltdown and the inside pages by the crises in Congo? There is little space or time for news agencies to print or report on this story and the lack of credible information makes them more reluctant still.

To think, if I were in Burma writing this Blog I would be looking at 20 years in one of the world’s worst gaols; my family and friends would be facing persecution and any privilege they were afforded would be removed; and many of their friends would have no option but to shun them for fear of reprisals through association…. It makes me feel quite sick to even write this with that thought in my mind…

I have written before on this blog my justification for urging people not to visit Burma on Ethical grounds. I urge you now to visit the Burma Campaign website. Anything we can do to make sure the world does not forget those people who have more courage than we in the ‘west’ can even understand, are not just locked up and forgotten, is worth doing. I have never known a Free Burma, looking at the history of Burma, few people alive in the world have and then only for a few years; I hope in my lifetime I have that opportunity and more then that I hope one day the Burmese people have the opportunity to choose that course for themselves.

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.

Belgians die in Egypt coach crash

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Title – Belgians die in Egypt coach crash
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 31st October 2008

It was only a month ago I was writing about the kidnapping of tourists in southern Egypt (Sahara tourists are held captive after being seized by ‘band of gangsters’) and warning that while in that case it was an unusual and unpredictable occurrence, there were other quite serious risks that travellers to Egypt should be aware of. We highlighted the dangers on the roads in Egypt and their poor record on road safety.

Sadly I now find myself commenting on another tragic road accident, this time involving a bus of Belgian tourist and resulting in the death of 6 and the serious injury to another 26.

A combination of poor road conditions, poor driving standards, the long distances involved and drivers being pressured to drive through rather than take regular breaks, is a lethal combination. I am not suggesting fault in this particular case, because at the time of writing the investigation seems to be on-going. The problem is with many of the roads being two lane highways and long stretches of flat straight road, it is not just your driver who can place you in danger, there is a very real threat of oncoming vehicles being out of control, the driver not concentrating or (as seems to be the case in many of these accidents) being overtired or asleep.

However as always we must emphasise that millions of tourist visit Egypt without incident.

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop (GYITSA) provides information on Transport Options and the importance of asking the right questions before you choose the best means of travel. We are never in complete control of all the risks we face, but by reducing those we can control we can make travel significantly safer.

Throughout our workshops we examine a number of subjects that will reduce the risks you face on your travels, these include; Travel Health, Travel Safety, Destination Advice and specific advice for Women Travellers.

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.

Supporting Burma

Title – Supporting Burma
Source – Tourism Infocus
Date – Autumn 2008

Burma and it’s deep seated problems feature regularly in this blog, we try and do our bit to raise the profile of the terrible problems the country faces; problems which can almost all be laid directly at the door of the illegal and brutal military regime which has ruled the country for over 60 years. A regime who will do anything to cling on to power and who don’t think twice about using torture, extra judicial killing, threats against women and children, imprisonment and depraved violence including rape as a weapon of war, to keep control. Control over a country they have turned from a beacon of light in South East Asia; from the a country rich in resources; from a country with an industrious people who once made it the ‘rice bowl’ of South East Asia; to a basket case; to a country that spends less then 50p per capita per year on health care and education combined; to a country that can’t feed itself; to a country that desperately needs foreign aid but refuses to accept it; to a country where an already devastating cyclone is turned into a tragedy of such magnitude that most still don’t comprehend it; to a country rated as one of the world poorest.

We have written to many companies and individuals over the years giving our opinion on Burma and trying to convince them that investment in and tourism to Burma, just exasperates the problems, by providing funding to the military regime to allow them to continue their oppression. We have had some success; in one notable case persuading a well known travel company to remove Burma from their brochure and website and in its place put a link to the Burma Campaign UK website. We have received many letters in response, some have been positive, people offering to support the various campaigns, some negative generally from companies using the age old excuse of ‘freedom of choice’ as an argument for them selling trips to Burma.

We believe in freedom of choice and we agree that travellers should be able to make up their own mind where they travel to. But freedom of choice is only ‘freedom’ if you have all the information to make an educated ‘choice’. Travel companies that promote Burma use words and phrases like; ‘Shangri-La’, ‘unspoilt paradise’, ‘peaceful, spiritual Burma’. Have any of these people been to Burma and spoken to real Burmese? Do the Burmese describe Burma as ‘Shangri-La’ or is it closer to ‘hell on earth’?

Burma is undoubtedly one of the world’s most beautiful countries, the various ethnic groups in Burma are undoubtedly some of the world’s friendliest, gentlest and most spiritual people, but they are prevented from being themselves by these dictators. When people tell you that you can travel to Burma and use ‘local’ facilities that fund ‘local’ people and not the ‘government’, they show their abject ignorance of Burma. The ‘government’ control everything and areas they don’t have complete control over, they will simply not allow you to travel to. Any money you spend in Burma will provide the government with funding and almost anything you spend will be on hotels, guesthouses, transport etc that is sanctioned by the government for tourist to use. For a Burmese person to get this sanction to provide services to tourist, they need a licence which involves paying off the local ‘government’ or being in their pocket.

I am a strong advocate that tourism to Burma indirectly funds the brutal oppression. If the tour operators put that in their glossy brochures would anyone go? Probably not if rather than a picture of the serene Pagan temples, they showed the forced labour building the roads to allow tourists to visit them or pictures of one of the world’s largest child armies that helps to prop up the military junta…

There are many organisations which support the struggle for a free Burma. We recently wrote to Tourism Concern to offer our support of their excellent campaign and they chose to publish an extract of our letter, posted here for your attention. At Beyond The Blue (Safe Gap Year) we will not dictate where you should go and where you should not go. We choose to educate rather than dictate. We have yet to meet anyone who has decided to travel to Burma once they have all the facts made available to them.

For further information, please visit The Burma Campaign UK and Tourism Concern websites.

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.

‘Yom Kippur riot’ in Israeli city

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Title – ‘Yom Kippur riot’ in Israeli citySource – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 9th October 2008

It would be wrong of me to write in this blog that the riot that started with someone driving a car on the Yom Kippur religious holiday in Israel was simply the result of a cultural faux pas. There are clearly very serious tensions and deep rooted problems in this part of the world and the fact that it was a person of Arab origin driving on a Jewish religious holiday undoubtedly contributed in a very substantial way to the resulting riots.

But this situation illustrates in the strongest way how cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity play a very important role in safe travel.

Learning about other cultures should be one of the main reasons for travel and accepting the cultures of the countries you visit is imperative. You don’t have to agree with local cultures, but when you visit another country you have to respect them or go home. You simply can not expect to force your own culture on your hosts and far too often I see tourists trying to ‘impose’ on their hosts the ‘right way’ to do things or how to think. I use the word ‘impose’ rather than ‘teach’ because they tend not to suggest their way is right so much as tell their host that the host’s way is wrong.

There is nothing wrong with having an open discussion about cultural differences, many people across the world want to talk to you about how things are in the UK, but be sensitive to their beliefs and their way of doing things and do not assume that what we think ‘works’ at home should work around the world, because that is simply not true. I personally believe that if all the world followed the British model, the world would be a much much poorer and less interesting place.

At Beyond The Blue we run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops (GYITSA) for those planning travel to any part of the world. We provide not only practical advice such as guidance on Travel Equipment, but also Cultural Awareness to give candidates an introduction to the culture of the countries they intend to visit so they can travel pre-warned and prepared and enjoy all the positive experiences that independent travel has to offer without, so many of the pitfalls.

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.

Australian tourist killed in Goa

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Title – Australian tourist killed in Goa
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 9th October 2008

Without any further details at this stage it would not be right to apportion any blame yet, but it does serve as a warning once again that destinations change with time and Goa has certainly seen that change; those visiting tend to continue to treat their travel as if it were still a hippy backwater.

Goa is now very much on the tourist trail and is visited by hundreds of thousands if not millions of tourists each year, no longer a sleepy backwater or throw-back to the 60’s, it has changed and with it the threat levels have changed. Where 20 years ago there was a ‘hippie’ drug scene where drugs were almost tolerated, with growth came a more organised and therefore more ruthless drug distribution network. Where organised crime takes over the ruthlessness inevitably follows as the pie grows, more people want to secure a bigger slice of that pie and are willing to do anything for it.

Add to this the influx of ‘local’ workers and migrants to service the ever growing tourist trade and it is again inevitable that tensions will follow. We must also not forget that where ‘rich’ tourist flock, thieves and criminals will also turn up to prey on richer pickings. Together it does not make for a pretty picture.

As always we must add some context to this picture. Hundreds of thousands of tourists go to Goa and have a fantastic holiday without incident, but there does seem to be an increasing number of ‘incidents’ occurring and travellers should be more careful and protect themselves and their valuables and steer well clear of any illegal activities. Don’t be fooled into thinking drugs of any kind are legal or have been decriminalised in Goa and India generally. This is a travellers myth and if anything the penalties are harsher then you will find at home, ask anyone who has seen the inside of an Indian gaol if it is worth the risk...

Also be aware that the police are starting to take a much stiffer stance against crime, but also that they are very aware of the reputation of Goa in the international community and seem willing to go a long way to protect that reputation, both by enforcing the law and in their proactive approach to investigating certain crimes without a preconceived low-profile solution being offered. That certainly seemed to be the case in the tragic case of Scarlett Keeling who was raped and killed in Goa in 2008.

When you travel you can not behave the same way you do at home and you have to accept that countries have their own laws and cultures which you have to abide by. Poor behaviour can often land you in a great deal of trouble; in some parts of the world can place you in extreme danger as respect and ‘loss of face’ is taken extremely seriously in some cultures.

At Beyond The Blue we run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops (GYITSA) for anyone planning to travel to any part of the world. We examine personal safety theory and techniques as well as conflict resolution skills that help provide solutions to confrontation rather than allowing them to escalate. We also provide specific Destination Advice and Cultural Awareness guidance so travellers can be prepared for all the situation they are likely to encounter on the course of their 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.

Tourists die in Nepal air crash

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Title – Tourists die in Nepal air crashSource – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 8th October 2008

We do tend to take flying for granted and yet especially in more remote parts of the world it is only the skill of the pilots which keeps us safe.

Sit at dinner with a group of friends and ask them about flying and it seems everyone has a story, from terrible turbulence to full-scale emergency landing, terrible food to faulty seats and we laugh and joke about the need for life jackets or how much the ‘brace’ position is really going to help us in an emergency. Airline reputations are easily lost and in the era of 24-hour news and the internet every bad experience seems to find it’s way to a ‘forum’ and good experiences tend to go unnoticed.

I have flown into very many different aircraft, undoubtedly flying business class on Singapore Airlines, which regularly wins or comes close to the top of the Airline Awards league table is a pleasure and I felt very safe indeed; the same can not be said for the propeller plane I took in central Papua New Guinea, as I sat in the co-pilots seat the plane was flown by a missionary and we landed on a grass runway which compared unfavourably with some back lawns back here in the UK, I felt distinctly nervous; or the flight we took in Malaysia many years ago when we were surprised when the man in the ticket office also checked us in and later drove the bus out to the 18-seater plane, imagine our horror when the same man turned out to be the pilot? Greeting us on the plane and clearly registering the slight look of concern on our faces he sought to reassure us with the unforgettable line “Don’t worry I have been flying for nearly a year….” Not an auspicious start and when the door would not shut properly and rattled throughout the flight, you can imagine the relief when we finally arrived and the mad dash for the ferry office the next morning to book our return trip…

The point is, many internal flights are run by less reputable airlines, with less well maintained older aircraft and require a great deal of skill to land at less well maintained and more dangerous airports; they are therefore often more dangerous than international flights governed by strict international safety standards and flying into well maintained airports with modern technology; rather than the man with a whistle I encountered in the Solomon Islands who would watch out for the plane (which would circle the island twice to ensure it had been seen) and whistle for the runway to be cleared of the football match or market that was taking place.

Yeti airline is not rated by www.airlinequality.com and this latest incident comes just two years after another fatal yeti crash. This does seem like a tragic accident, reports suggest that weather conditions changed for the worse just prior to landing with a thick fog descending on the airstrip. Sudden and severe weather changes are not unusual and you should as far as is possible do your research on both the airline and the conditions before you travel, to ensure that you reduce the risks as much as possible.

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop (GYITSA) provides information on personal safety as well as the other areas of travel planning needed to reduce the risk you face when travelling to unfamiliar parts of the world. These include a session on Transport Options and Destination Advice.

Please visit our website at http://www.safegapyear.com/ or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.

Chilling brush with death

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Title – Chilling brush with death
Source – Metro
Date – 8th October 2008

I have to be honest that I am not expert on ice climbing, in fact if I was not enthusiastic about the concept before, I can now categorically say that it is on my list of ten thousand things to do before I die at number 9999 just above wrestling with the box jellyfish...

But I can’t help but admire the sense of adventure, the courage and the expertise shown by these guys in their accent of the frozen waterfalls of Hokkaido island in Japan.

But be warned this really is not the type of activity that anyone but the most experienced should even contemplate and if ever that message was more obvious then have a look at this amazing photograph and the good fortune this pair had despite their experience in this area. Them understanding the risks makes them courageous, anyone who thinks they can undertake this type of activity without meticulous planning and years of experience is foolhardy.

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop (GYITSA) will not prepare you for this kind of activity, that is a truly specialist area, but we will help you to understand the need to plan your travel and to carry out dynamic risk assessment as you travel to ensure you are reducing the inherent risks to a minimum at all times. Where these climbers will have spent many hours selecting and checking their climbing equipment to make sure it is safe, travellers also need to ensure they have the appropriate Travel Equipment for their trip; where the climbers will have spent time studying the climate to reduce the risks from both bad weather and good (too hot and the ice waterfalls become even more unstable) we examine Destination Advice including climate and the best seasons to travel; and where these climbers got lucky, we will provide you with many techniques and suggestions to help you make your own luck and avoid the many potential problems that can occur along the way when you undertake independent 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.