There’s certainly an air of pessimism around at the moment with the recession biting and job prospects looking increasingly dim. So it’s no surprise many people, young and old are considering an extended trip away from it all, some even opting for a career break to do something completely different.
The biggest destinations for adventurous Brits include the perennially popular Australia, Canada and Europe, places where travellers can be reasonably sure of good infrastructure, reliable services and a culture not too dissimilar from their own. But for another large portion of budding explorers the safe option just won’t cut it, and they set sail for more challenging destinations in South East Asia, Africa or Latin America, places with vastly different standards of conduct and lower levels of development.
Needless to say, in these far flung places your average western traveller needs to be more aware of the potential risks while travelling. A lot of things you’ll encounter will be very different and at times in these countries things will go wrong. Here’s a list of ten brief steps designed at raising awareness for newby travellers, helping you towards a safer trip and a happier attitude.
1. Plan your travel buddies
Here’s the decision: do you go lonesome or take your mates or partner? It’s easy to see why many people set off with friends. A buddy on the road gives you steady companionship through thick and thin and a measure of safety as you watch each others’ backs. Room rates may be cheaper and your money will go further. However, travelling in the third world can be tough, draining and boring and there’ll be times when you want to strangle each other. At times one person will want to do one thing, the other person, another. Can your friendship take it? Soloists will avoid these kinds of issues but may in turn face greater isolation, loneliness and possibly danger, especially for the girls. But also funny things happen when you travel solo: people will approach you more and become friendly, you may be ‘adopted’ as a family member and get invited to places you wouldn’t normally go. The decisions are entirely yours and a lot of people get huge satisfaction from that.
2. Eat well
Food is so essential to your overall quality of experience that it cannot be overstated how important it is to eat well. You are what you eat and if you eat little, substandard or downright dangerously then you might as well just go home. It’s so easy on a shoestring budget and with a bus to catch to miss a meal here, not have the time there and before you know it you are losing your appetite and getting miserable. Of course the tucker will be different from anything you have encountered and you may not even like it, but make sure you find the best food possible and eat properly.
3. Do your best to stay healthy
Anybody travelling in a place like India for a while is likely to get the runs, it’s just a fact of life and sometimes no matter what you do, you’ll get sick. The most common traveller’s ailments include stomach troubles, sunburn and fungal skin infections. The main thing is to do what you can to stay out of their way, especially if your trip is just a short one. Drink bottled water, use sun cream, eat good quality stuff, use condoms and stay clean! Get yourself kitted out with a good first aid kit and a reliable book on travel health. Oh, and get insurance with worldwide cover.
4. Let the animal out!
Having a great time is what it is all about and the people that have the best time always get stuck into every experience with relish and abandon. Learn to leave your British reserve behind, forget about being shy and retiring, and get involved. Often in these countries people are more passionate and instinctive, which is great! Do as they do and you’ll find yourself fitting in and having fun like you never believed. Leave your negative stuff at the door. Sure the conditions on the bus may be cramped, the train is late, the food tastes of crap and its 32 degrees in the shade, but hey these people deal with this every day! Get out there and enjoy yourself.
5. Learn to laugh…a lot.
On the road you just have to learn to laugh at everything; take all the mishaps and ridiculousness seriously and you’re headed for certain meltdown. Try not to be one of those miserable people who criticises every little detail of the country they are in, always whingeing about some lacking service or etiquette difference from home. Accept that in these places things go wrong all the time. They don’t have the same levels of development, life is tough and some people are desperate. If you can develop thick skin and learn to laugh in the face of adversity you’ll do much better.
6. Don’t get bored
Boredom is a killer, they say, and in a strange place where you’re possibly on your own and far from friends, the saying rings true. Get bored and you’ll feel depressed, lonely and generally rubbish. You may have your reasons - the money is low, you don’t know anyone, you have a few days to kill - but always, always plan loads of stuff to do. Motivate yourself with exciting trips and push yourself into interactions with people. Give yourself projects, for example photography, writing, even buying souvenirs. Humans live best from diversity so always arrange activities to do and have a Plan B. No money? Volunteer in a local church or orphanage for a few days or weeks. Don’t be wistful and melancholy, be a man (or a woman) with a plan!
7. Money - don’t suffer!
Lack of budget is almost like a point of pride for some travellers, as they see how far they can go on ten dollars a day or some such rubbish. If this is you and you’re happy living an extreme lifestyle, then fine, go with that and get prepared for substandard sleeping, gut wrenching illnesses from bad food and encounters with the worst kind of people. Smart people realise what they are doing is the experience of a lifetime and that money is a means to an end, the medium through which we have the most fun possible, stay safe and get the most out of the trip. Don’t be a miser, be good to yourself and take that incredible trip. If you don’t, the chances are you’ll never be back here again in your life and will kick yourself you didn’t take the chance while you could. Money worries? Just borrow it or stick it on the credit card and work it all off when you get home, no regrets. Come on, you’re worth it!
8. Go softly
Always try to find out as much as you can about where you are going before you set off. You’ll appreciate the people and the places you are seeing so much more and develop an appreciation and respect for the place which will come across in your interactions with the locals and thus be reciprocated. Avoid comparing what they have to what you have at home, and go softly and respectfully through their land. Open your eyes to what’s around you, learn as much as possible of the local language and be open and friendly. You’ll be amazed where a good attitude will get you.
9. Don’t give a fool a chance
Most people you meet will be fine but along the way you will inevitably meet unsavoury characters or those not to be trusted. It’s not a nice feeling to have something taken from you and your positive vibe evaporated as you wonder which scum nicked your camera from your dorm room. The rule is to adopt security measures, guard yourself against theft and trouble, in short don’t give a fool a chance. There’s a plethora of stuff you can get to protect your luggage and documents these days but the most important steps are just being careful with your stuff. Don’t carry your camera about your neck in a dodgy area of the city. Don’t leave bunches of money in an open suitcase by your bed. If someone seems dodgy, get away. Trust your instincts, stay safe and stay smart.
10. Get home ok
Wow. The trip of a lifetime all done and home you are. Now get ready for the post travel blues. After such an amazing trip and one long high, it’s inevitable you’ll feel down in the dumps as you get back to nice safe home. It’s so quiet. So predictable. Where has the sun gone?! Try not to dwell on it, get your photos organised, your friends on Facebook and dive back into life with good memories that will be with you forever.
