Silja was our roving correspondent at the ITW show in London in January. We asked what were the most important travel tips she came away with after having attended some of the talks and walked around the show several times. This is what she reported back on:
1 Insecticide evaporates quickly, so reapply frequently in heavily infested areas (Paul Goodyer, Staying Healthy on the Road).
2. Sponsorship can cost a lot of money to get, and may not be worth it in the end (James Greenwood, Global Ride on Horse Back).
3. Travel writers should have an angle, or put another way, why should they publish your work? (Travel Writing – Dream Job panel).
4. Whatever your injury check your insurance company will pay for treatment, and if you travel with a group and you go off alone, you may not be insured (Mr. Henderson, Getting the Most from your Grudge Purchase).
5. The three greatest hazards in the jungle are flood, dead trees falling on you and hornets (Ken Hames, Survive the Jungle).
6. Email your CV to yourself if you don’t want to carry copies, especially across borders (The Big Trip panel)
7. You can earn money abroad by taking a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course (I-to-I TEFL Workshop: Travel and Earn).
8. If you send publishers sheets of transparencies, copyright and caption each one as they may get separated (Travel Writing – Dream Job panel).
9. If you video your trip, take care with sound as wind can obliterate voices (Tarquin Cooper, How to Make & Sell a Film of your Expedition).
10. A disposable nappy is a great dressing for a head wound, it even has holes for ears (James Greenwood, Global Ride on Horse Back).
Silja Swaby is a consultant marine biologist, runs her own business, travels, and writes. Right now she is looking for a publisher for her book about travelling light, and is planning an expedition with a horse. If you would like to contact Silja, her e-mail address is: siljaswaby@hotmail.com