Gap year & Travel News

Safety should be of paramount concern when going travelling. When in the planning stages of your trip it is easy to be very aware of safety issues and believe yourself to be too sensible not to pay attention to these things when out there. In reality, however, it is very easy to forget about these things when you’re caught up in the excitement of being away and doing so many new things. I know that this was the case with me. There are a few things that seem obvious to mention but you would be surprised at how easy it is to disregard them once away and there are also a couple of pieces of advice that I would give speaking with the benefit of hindsight!

In regard to personal belongings, much of this will be old news, but as i mentioned before, it is very easy to become lax about certain things when you are becoming more accustomed to travelling.

• Padlock everything! It feels a bit obsessive but apart from anything it gives you peace of mind and, although a very determined thief could always find away in, the chances are they will see the padlock and just move on to another bag without any security.
• When in transit, keep all your valuables including important documents on your person in a secure place and out of sight of others, for example in a padlocked day bag under the seat in front of you.
• When you are staying in the same place, try not to carry too much by way of valuables on you when out and about and keep as much as possible in a safe at your hostel. It is unlikely, however, that you will often find yourself out without needing/wanting your wallet, camera and phone, just keep them out of sight and try not to draw attention to them!
• One of the more useful pieces of advice I was given before going away was try and mentally detach yourself from your personal belongings so that should you be unfortunate enough to have it stolen then it is that bit easier to deal with because you haven’t lost anything with huge emotional value.

• Useful things to bring that you may not have thought of:

1. Multiple memory cards-they are usually  fairly cheap to buy abroad if you don’t want to buy several at home, if you change them regularly in your camera then your photos are in several places so it’s that bit less heart breaking should you lose your camera/it’s stolen.
2. Bike lock-instead of the technical and heavy bag cages etc that you can buy, a bike lock can act as an effective deterrent as well as securing your bag to something so that you can fall asleep and know that it’s not going to be whisked off by someone.
3. Door wedge-when my mum suggested this I thought it was very obsessive of her but brought it along to make her feel better apart from anything else. In the end it proved very useful. Chances are you will find yourself in a guesthouse with a less than secure looking door in which you don’t feel 100% secure going to sleep in, if you put the door wedge in on your side then it will keep the door more or less shut and you will hear anyone trying to get in. It’s a more sociable alternative to the door alarms which can be very sensitive and go off when someone even walks past so you’ll end up dying of a heart attack rather than through someone coming into your room!

The second key area is your personal safety. This is the one which you know most of the rules already but they are the ones that you will be most likely to relax.

• Don’t forget the rules you follow when at home. Never accept drinks off people when you haven’t seen where they come from and never lose sight of your own drink. Believe me, it is so easy to be lulled into a false sense of security. More often than not most of the people you meet will be lovely and just interested in sharing stories with you, but a small percentage of them will be interested in taking your things or worse. I learned this the hard way, got chatting to a lovely person at the bar and accepted a drink in the process. Next thing I knew it was 6am, I was in a part of town I didn’t recognise with all my things missing and no recollection at all of how I got there. It’s not worth it! you don’t have to be cagey with new people, it’s part of the joy of travelling after all, but make sure you keep your wits about you when meeting new people and CRUCIALLY do not let yourself be lulled into this false sense of security.

• Be aware of where your friends are-granted this is easier said than done when everyone is out having a fun night. You don’t have to stick side by side all night necessarily but a good compromise is to agree a point to meet at a certain time. If you can’t/won’t be there then make sure you find a way of letting your friend know. It may seem like a pain at the time but it will make a huge difference. I had to spend hours looking for a friend up and down the beach at 4.30am only to find she had skipped off home without telling anyone. Really anything can happen if you’re not careful so this system should give you all piece of mind.
• It’s important to remember different cultural practices and barriers to communication. Don’t antagonise people, particularly locals in an attempt to pick a fight. The chances are it will end distinctly worse than a fight outside Wetherspoons on a Saturday night. Another risk that is simply not worth taking but one that many (mainly boys) tend to forget at the time.
• Only take cash out, don’t take your card. This is fairly easy to do. Getting a new card sent to you should it be stolen is a HUGE pain, not to mention the fact that, this way you won’t end up rinsing quite as much money as you would if you had your card on you!
• Be very wary of drugs. In many countries there are ‘set up schemes’ in which people are either undercover policemen or they are civilians who will receive money/favours from the police for handing over people using and buying drugs. Overall, it’s not really worth it.

It’s important to check things out properly before you embark on them. There are many areas which this applies to.

• Any intrepid type of trip, for example, rock climbing, rafting, abseiling, trekking, bungee jumping. There are hundreds more but you get the idea. Try not to be too focused on the price of the trip and how exciting it sounds. Check out the equipment that there using and internationally recognised credentials that they have. Sometimes it is the case that if you are being asked for that bit more money the company is more legitimate with higher concerns for your safety. Any recognised guidebook should tell you trustworthy companies to do these things with, so try and stick with them rather than going for the cheapest trip available.
• It is unlikely that you will ever find yourself, or even expect to find yourself, travelling in from place to place in the lap of luxury! However, you don’t have to take unnecessary risks. If when you get to the bus it is falling apart and has a door missing then don’t bother. If it has already been filled and the driver is telling you to sit on the floor, don’t bother (believe me I did this, and quite apart from the 24 hours of unimaginable discomfort, the feeling of a drastically overcrowded bus tipping slightly as it races round corners is not an experience I would wish on anyone!). Again it comes down to money and not getting so focused on your budget that you forget about your safety. At the end of the day, is the cost of a bus ticket worth your life?

Finally there are things you can do to safeguard your health.

• It’s a bit of a controversial approach but bringing broad spectrum antibiotics away with you can be  quite useful. If you find yourself with some kind of illness that you have had before at home and have no way of getting to a doctor then they can stop it getting worse.
• Know what effects your medication eg anti-malarials will have on other medication you may be taking eg the pill or any antibiotics.
• Seems fairly straightforward, but don’t go near any animals unless you know they’re safe!

  

• In regard to food it’s important not to be too obsessive as you don’t want to stick to plain bread for months on end but do be sensible. It’s probably best not to eat fly covered meat off a street stall no matter how charming the vendor is!

• Wash your hands almost obsessively! Dry hand wash is the best thing, and a small thing you can do that will significantly reduce your chances of picking up something nasty!

This is not meant to scaremonger in anyway, and I also wouldn’t want anyone to go away being terrified of everything, never taking risks or assuming that everyone they meet is out to rob them, but it is just important to be aware of certain eventualities so that you can keep as safe as possible when away. Much of what I have said does seem obvious but in reality it is easy to forget but the most important stuff to remember. Ultimately, an awareness of the potential disasters means you will find yourself taking the necessary precautions to keep safe when travelling and make the most of what is supposed to be some of the best times of your life!