Essential Tips for Gap Year Travel Safety Overseas

Here are just a few tips and tricks which can help gap year travellers when planning their travel overseas.

FCDO

Before travelling, do check out the great advice given on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) website
It provides an excellent overview and also advice on travel entry requirements (do I need a visa? need to complete a pre-arrival health form?), crime and safety issues, local laws (J-Walking can get expensive in certain countries!) and awareness on culture, environmental and religious issues.    

Insurance

Make sure you have the correct travel insurance? This is imperative for any traveller. Check you have the right insurance cover, for example, does it provide accident & medical cover? If the FCDO has a travel advisory notice against a country, area or region that you are going to you probably will not be covered.

People also forget that being drunk will negate your cover.

Environmental 

Have you checked the weather? It rains alot in the UK? Actually, this is not correct. Sydney will generally get twice the annual rainfall of London. Environmental issues come in many sizes. In the last month, Brazil has witnessed record high temperatures whilst the Italian city of Naples has felt hundreds of small earthquakes, a reminder that it sits beside the Campi Flegrei, a super volcano. Know what to do if an earthquake strikes? How do I recognise an imminent Tsunami?

Crime Avoidance

Mugged at home – boring, mugged on your travels – so much more stressful and inconvenient. So what do you do? Minimise the chance of being mugged by lowing your profile and knowing where not to go. If it happens minimise the impact – leave your passport in hotel or hostel, only take cash out in higher crime areas. And of course comply to demands and DO NOT fight back.

These tips and tricks for safe travel are just a small section of what we cover on our one-day gap year travel and safety course. A day where we discuss inoculations, what to eat, safe travel on buses, taxis and trains, essential kit and what to pack and we also include basic first-aid techniques with role play, help with planning routes, suggestions of where to go, a separate girls by a girl, and boys safety talk and so much more.

Find out more or to book place on our Gap Year Travel and Safety Awareness Course

We have two trainers delivering our course, both well travelled, Charlie McGrath and Looby Mills.

Courses are held in person in London at the Troubadour Cafe, or our training centre in Daventry, or alternatively,virtually, online via Zoom. We can also arrange private courses. Ask for more details. We are the established Gap Year Travel Safety Provider.

Find out how we can help your young traveller make the most of their trip, get off the beaten track and explore and importantly understand what to do if things do go wrong.

Want to know more? Take a look at what other travellers have said about our courses.

Charlie McGrath, November 2024