Destination Advice
Once you have decided to travel, take a gap year or career break, the first question you will have to ask yourself is; where do I go?
You may have dreamed of a destination for many years, sometimes even from childhood. You may have been inspired by a book you read, a documentary you saw or simply a dream that stuck in your head and now finally the opportunity has presented itself; you have to grab it.
Maybe the answer is not so clear. It may be that travel never really featured or you felt it was too expensive or simply you never had the urge until now. The opportunity has now presented itself to you; you must grab it and you will not regret it.
More commonly it is a bit of both. You have a destination in mind, a country across the continents and it seems a waste to simply fly there directly when you may be missing so much along the way. You need to know what to see and what to avoid as you make your way to your final destination.
That’s where we come in!
Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop (GYITSA) is the ideal starting point for any planned travel. Not only do we provide you with a wide variety of information and personal safety advice for you to be able to enjoy your travels more safely, we also help you to decide exactly where you will travel to and get you excited about the prospect of going.
There are a number of reasons to travel to destinations around the world and there are a number of different reasons to avoid travelling to certain destinations. There are countries where independent travel is simply too dangerous, some where experience is really needed before attempting it and some where political or social problems make your visit a burden on the local population, rather then providing a positive contribution.
Equally you need to choose your destination to suit your personal objectives. Some people like nothing more then lying on a beach each and every day, others deplore it and would rather be climbing a mountain; maybe you want to try out new adventures and go diving or skiing; maybe you have set your heart on a volunteering project while you are away to give something back to the local communities you visit. Ultimately you have to choose destinations that suit you, what you enjoy and want to achieve. There is no point in following a recommended tour by your travel agent, just because it means you don’t have to think about what you are doing. The world is a very big place, few people get even close to seeing half of what it has to offer and we have never met anyone who can not find a region or activity that does not suit them perfectly. We are here to help you find yours.
With our extensive knowledge and up-to-date advice we will recommend destinations to you, or help you with your travel itineraries based on the information you provide us with. Before attending a workshop we ask candidates to fill out a Candidate Pre-Booking Form, this gives us an insight into your current plans and ideas and enables us to prepare more specifically for the workshops we are presenting. Even if this form comes back blank to us, it gives us an idea where to start.
We also examine in more detail the destinations you have set your heart on or those we recommend to you. We look at the highlights to be enjoyed when you get there and also the cultural sensitivities and dangers of your destinations. By gaining this destination advice, it enables you to better prepare for your travel and allows you to complete that travel more safely.
Destinations come in so many different shapes and sizes, from New York to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, with flight schedules and round-the-world tickets available at affordable prices today, you can be in Rarotonga one morning and New York the next. On each of those mornings you will have experiences that are polar opposites. Understanding the nature of the country or city you wake up in, means that you can enjoy the rest of your day.
You can avoid waking up to the sound of gun fire or other disturbance which through poor research you did not realise was a threat in the country you decided to visit and you can reduce the chance of waking up and simply being too intimidated to leave your room because of the culture shock of being somewhere so different to home.
A good example of this is how few people think of Thailand as a country at war, most see it as a destination close to paradise. But in 2007 over 800 people died in ethnic violence in southern Thailand; an area that continues to boil over with terrorist attacks, violence and killings. Thailand also experienced a military coup in 2006! How can this be one of the worlds most recognised tourist destinations and is it really safe to visit? The answer is yes it is and we highly recommend Thailand as a destination. But there are areas to avoid and precautions to be taken to reduce the risk. Our destination advice will help you understand and manage the risks.
Travel is very easy in some parts of the world and incredibly difficult in others, experience is everything when it comes to travelling and we have it in abundance. From our experience we can advise you on sensible itineraries and routes. Too many people make the mistake of simply looking at geography when they decide on a trip. We understand that experience should dictate your route as much as geography, climate, political stability and your own ability, fitness and budgets.
We believe in a transparent open approach and in and in providing access to useful information through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop (GYITSA).
A short introduction to each of the subjects we cover during our workshop is published to allow anyone planning to travel to gain an insight into the considerations they will need to make, these include:
For more details on our Workshop / Course Dates and Fees please visit the How to Book section of our website, call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us.
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