Whether you’re embarking on a gap year or trip of a lifetime, a York-based travel company has plenty of ideas and advice. RUTH ADDICOTT reports.

IF YOU were travelling abroad and taking an overnight bus in Thailand, where would you keep your valuables? In a separate bag, next to your head and use it as a pillow, right? Wrong. According to Richard Goodey, founder of tour company, Lost Earth Adventures, it is the most common mistake people make. “They fall asleep and someone takes it,” he says. “I meet people all the time who have lost their money, passport and wallet. They say ‘I had it right next to my head.’ I say, ‘Yes, but you were asleep’.”

Richard (who keeps his valuables in a money belt shoved down his trousers) is well versed in such scams and runs a series of one-day gap year planning and travelling safety courses.

The York-based company, Lost Earth Adventures, which he founded four years ago with his wife, Sarah, is running courses in York, Leeds and Sheffield – the idea being to highlight potential pitfalls, offer advice and show backpackers how to stay one step ahead. The course is open to anyone – backpackers, anxious parents or holiday makers wanting to go off the beaten track. “We have met so many people who have lost their money due to scams or been victims of assaults, I think training goes a long way,” says Richard. Richard spends six months of the year in Asia, organising tours in Laos, Nepal and Thailand and as Thailand is still the top gap year destination – despite an increase in accidents – safety is one of the issues at the top of the agenda.

Figures published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office last year showed the number of people hospitalised in Thailand was up by 31 per cent. The number of deaths was also up 31 per cent, despite fewer cases worldwide. Road traffic accidents involving young people on mopeds were one of the biggest factors. Another issue Richard says travellers need to be aware of is taxis and buses driving too fast.

“In the Himalayas there are massive drops on the side of the road, the drivers often overtake on blind bends and it can be quite dangerous,” he says. “A lot of people just roll with it and say, ‘Oh, we’re in Asia’, but statistics show otherwise. You only live once.”

As well as tips on travelling on public transport, the course will advise on what to do in difficult situations and in an emergency, whether it’s dealing with corrupt authorities or going to a dentist to have a tooth pulled out.

“You need to be asking what sort of tools they are going to be using and are they clean because some of these countries have no control over this stuff,” says Richard. “A lot of people get taken for a ride and end up having operations they don’t need to have.”

With adventure and ‘once in a lifetime experiences’ at the forefront of peoples’ minds, the course will also urge travellers to ensure instructors and tour guides are properly qualified.

Apart from setting off an avalanche at a ski resort which resulted in him breaking his coccyx (he now urges everyone to do an avalanche safety course), Richard says the biggest mistake he made on a gap year was not being aware of the situation in the countries he was in. Things came to a head when he was trekking through Nepal, he was oblivious that there was a civil war on and ended up being held up by rebels at gun point.

“We should have researched and checked where we were going, but we were young, naïve, stupid and decided to just plough into it,” he says.

Along with hints on phone cards and how to stay in touch with family via various apps, the course can also offer ideas on funding and finding work.

Richard worked as a chef in a restaurant for a year in England to fund his first six-month trip to Asia. When his money ran out, he went to Australia and worked in a mine in the middle of the desert where he made $10,000 in three months.

“It’s not fun, it was 12 to 14 hour days, but if you can put up with it, it’s a great way to earn money,” he says. “If you then head into Asia, that $10,000 will last you six months of living like a rock star. People say ‘I didn’t have the opportunity’ – you do have the opportunity if you make the opportunity. If you’ve got the determination and don’t mind working hard, there is nothing stopping you from jumping on a plane, flying to Australia and picking up a job.”

• The Gap Year Planning and Travelling Safety Course will be held at The Priory Street Centre, York, February 8 and 9 (£89 per person). For further info, visit lostearthadventures.co.uk or phone 01904 500094.

 

Foundation also offers advice on safe overseas travel...

Caroline’s Rainbow Foundation, the charity set up in memory of York teenager Caroline Stuttle, who was murdered while backpacking in Australia, also provides advice on safe overseas travel for those taking a gap year.

The charity last year launched a mobile-phone app to allow young travellers to access advice more easily. The app combines the knowledge and experiences of students and travellers from all over the world, giving first-hand information from people who have recently visited various destinations, said Richard Stuttle, Caroline’s brother and the founder and director of the charity.

The app can be accessed at carolinesrainbowfoundation.org and is also available to download at iTunes and the Apple App store.