Hitchhiking Holidays

There are few certainties on the open road but there are ways to protect the safety of property and person. An awareness of the potential risks is vital in planning and undertaking any trip and although hitchhiking can be an exciting and thrifty way to travel, proper preparation is essential to prevent an adventure becoming a disaster.

Hitchhiking is understandably popular amongst students. In Edinburgh the HITCH society organises trips from Scotland to Eastern Europe and to Africa. The method may be daring but there is nothing reckless about their preparations. Health and safety briefings are only part of HITCH's rigorous program of getting their members ready for travel, while extensive behind-the-scenes support work is carried out by HITCH's parent organisation, LINK Community Development. 7,500 people have safely and successfully completed journeys since HITCH began in 1992.The statistics speak for themselves: there has not been a major incident in 20 years since HITCH was created which arguably demonstrates the effectiveness of their program.

An event of this nature can never be 100% risk free though, as experienced HITCH member Ed Brooks reiterated. 'Potential hitchers must be aware of this and should be conscious of their own safety at all times.'It is never advisable to hitchhike independently. Specialist organisations can provide logistical and technical support before departure and during a trip. Hitchers are required to text in every day and are tracked on the LINK website where they can be followed by family and friends. The 24-hour phone line provides support in case of emergencies, and LINK passes on the details of each participant to relevant foreign embassies and consulates so that they can intervene in the event of an accident.

Alexis Nielson works for LINK and has fond memories of her hitchhiking adventures. 'There are highs and lows' she recalls, 'and standing at the side of a slip road at 8am for an hour and a half is never fun. But watching my best friend sing and dance in a huge Mexican hat – hoping that his cheeriness would stop cars - was just priceless.' For more than 10 years, the HITCH has been sponsored by Rough Guides, www.roughguides.com. This association with a well-established company in the travel/tourism market is testament to the diligent and responsible way in which LINK organises the programme.

Ultimately though, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not recommend hitchhiking as a safe or reliable way to travel. It does however provide up to date information about the situation in particular countries for anyone wishing to travel internationally. Wherever you end up, make sure you're up to speed on the travel advice at the links below, and check them out on the move on facebook & twitter, FCO Travel.

http://www.lcdinternational.org/england_wales/hitch/hitching_safe.htm 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information about student travels, you can go to:  
www.fco.gov.uk/travel

For up-to-the-minute travel advice sign up to Facebook and Twitter feeds:

www.facebook.com/fcotravel or twitter.com/fcotravel

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first episode focusses on Ibiza and Mallorca, the second on the Costas and the third on Tenerife and Barcelona. The program should be very relevant to students due to the popular holiday destinations that are featured.

The first one is on Channel 4 this Thursday (1st March) at 22:00, with the second on the 8th and third 15th.

A great way to keep regularly up to date.

Volunteering and travelling abroad can be rewarding but proper preparation is essential. It is important to be familiar with cultural idiosyncrasies as well as the medical and political risks that vary from country to country. Learning about them in advance is one of the best ways to prevent things going wrong. Nothing can completely insulate you from risk but having an appreciation of local customs, being accepted by the community and of course travel insurance go some way to reducing the chance of an ideal trip turning into a horror story.

Many societies at the University of Edinburgh have charitable goals. Some are focused on national issues and others international, but the Christian Union is committed both at home and abroad. Students are warmed at their hot chocolate stall on cold days outside the library, whilst every other Thursday they provide free toasties 'We're not looking to convert anyone,' explained the EUCU's International Coordinator Kat Heron, 'we're not here for ourselves but for others. In Edinburgh we are student focused but also volunteer helping the homeless and work overseas.' The EUCU has a global outlook. Strong moral convictions mean the movement is driven to help the world's most vulnerable people, many of whom live in what the Department for International Development considers its 'Focus Countries'. The EUCU reached out to 2,500 prisoners, 560 orphans and 1,600 school children on a recent trip to Malawi.1

Ms. Heron agreed that financial constraints limit the overseas work of the EUCU, but the risks of working in dangerous places did not. Olivia Faulkner, the Co-President of a volunteering organization called ADE Tanzania, said that much 'depends on money, but you have to be fearless.' After raising £5000 ADE Tanzania built a 4 room nursery school in a Moshono, a rural area skirting the capital city of Arusha. The remaining funds finance running costs of £460 a month and a sponsorship program for families that cannot afford to send their children to school. 'With unlimited resources of course it would be possible to do more, but making a difference to some people's lives is what counts.' Whether such help from outside is wanted remains questionable though, as the project received mixed support from locals. Ms. Faulkner described the trouble she had trying to get a carpenter to make repairs on the building.

ADE Tanzania encountered not only passive resistance but also active interference. Collusion between Cornel, a local contact, and the staff of the house they stayed in resulted in property theft. 'To be robbed by the nicest people, trusted people, makes you shaky' admitted Ms. Faulkner. Fortunately, ADE Tanzania's volunteers all had travel insurance. Ms. Faulkner explained that it was important for volunteers to know they would be reimbursed for anything lost or stolen in order to preserve morale and aid recruitment. She went on to describe how unhelpful the police had been: 'They kept our numbers and tried to chat us up. You can't take anything for granted when you're in a different country, not even help from people who are supposed to protect you.'

An awareness of social and cultural difference is vital. Ms Faulkner forgave the thefts because 'it is Africa, and life there can be less predictable.' At the risk of betraying my Western prejudice, I could point out that the temptation to steal might be harder to resist in a less stable or developed country where the likelihood of being caught is slim and a camera is worth a year’s wages. An unintended consequence of volunteering might be that wealth is spread through such crimes: I am not suggesting they are acceptable but it might help explain why the police don't feel obliged to solve them. Locals’ needs are arguably greater than visitors', and when multi-nationally incorporated insurance companies can afford to foot the bills the most vulnerable benefit and individual travellers are protected from acute loss.

Sam Abrahams is the CEO of another volunteering organisation called First Aid Africa, which trains local people in first aid so that the knowledge can be passed on once volunteers have returned safely home. He counselled against telling horror stories. 'I try to get away from this view of Africa as a bad place, where because of the levels of poverty people might try to nick your iPhone. I would never dissuade people from travelling to some of the most remarkable places in the world, and travel in Africa is an incredible experience.'

Mr. Abrahams forcefully asserted the importance of preparation though, warning that 'you don't just put yourself in danger when you don't prepare, you put other people in danger.' First Aid Africa is involved in West African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi, and each expedition has a western leader as well as a local one. This encourages local integration, vital for ensuring security. The expedition leaders are trained in risk assessment and conduct simulations to prepare themselves for the unexpected as well as possible. They also visit everywhere the volunteers are going to be before any of the volunteers arrive, ensuring workplaces, work colleagues and accommodation are suitable.

Mr. Abrahams advised anyone interested in overseas travel to become familiar with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's online resources. The FCO provides 'very good information on the ground' while the 'Know Before You Go' campaign promotes awareness of the risks of travelling abroad through up to the minute information and general advice. Travellers are encouraged to start making preparations as early as possible. For example, some vaccinations require a course of months and VISA application can be a lengthy and complicated process.

Locals treated EUCU volunteers kindly and their expedition to Malawi was uneventful. First Aid Africa has a great safety record, without a single serious incident in three separate 'Focus Countries' involving any of their more than 300 volunteers over the past 5 years.2 ADE Tanzania has had some problems though, and Mr. Abrahams suggested a possible explanation. 'The communities we work with have requested our volunteers to come in, which provides a certain level of security. The more you can say there's an active partnership, the better.' It's controversial but possible to suggest the EUCU is protected by bonds of religious fellowship (in Malawi, which according to 2007 estimates is 80% Christian) while First Aid Africa provides 'something accepted' by the community. ADE Tanzania might have had more trouble because it was not as locally integrated as the other organizations, recalling Robert Louis Stephenson's famous remark that 'there are no foreign lands. It is the traveller only who is foreign.'

Arguably though, it's a question of chance. It's impossible to predict what situations are going to present themselves (what Mr. Abrahams called 'unseen risk') but there are a few things you can do to minimize the 'real risk'. Ms. Faulkner pointed out that appropriate dress is important, and that 'girls in shorts and strappy tops' could dress more carefully. She explained that thieves know girls keep money in their bras and recommended a more secure hiding place. Finally, Ms. Faulkner repeated her advice to 'take it all as it comes. I went out on my own and nothing happened for 3 months. I returned with some friends and all those bad things happened in 2 weeks.'

I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from travelling or volunteering in developing countries. Such experiences can be exciting, rewarding, even life changing. What I am trying to do is highlight how unpredictable it can be, and draw attention to some of the ways travellers can make things safer for themselves. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides detailed advice on the best ways to prepare for going overseas, and promotes awareness of the potential risks through the 'Know Before You Go' campaign. The campaign has led to year on year reductions in consular cases since it began 10 years ago. I advise anyone considering an overseas adventure to visit www.fco.gov.uk as an early and important part of preparation.

1 Kat Heron, EUCU International Coordinator, Interviewed 13th October 2011

2 Sam Abrahams, CEO First Aid Africa, Interviewed

For more information about student travels, you can go to: 
www.fco.gov.uk/travel

For up-to-the-minute travel advice sign up to Facebook and Twitter feeds:

www.facebook.com/fcotravel or twitter.com/fcotravel