Hello all,

time for a catch up and a chance to pass on some interesting articles and comments Ive received lately. In this edition you can read about the latest Globetrotters Club Travel Award winner, follow Mac through surviving travel emergencies and learn about life in Calabria, Italy. You can also see that the London and Chester branches have continued to busy with very interesting programs… And Ive added a couple of sections in this introduction to highlight some news and events !

Members News

Artist Karen Neale and her partner Alex Lassuss Rodriguez have given birth to a baby son and are all doing well…congratulations to all of three of them

Photographer Dan Bachmann spoke at the Royal Geographical Societys Young Members Geographical Journeys: Young Members’ Micro Lectures evening on 9 March on London…briefly recounting his visit to Karamojong people of north east Uganda. You may recall Dan undertook this quite unique journey by being partly funded by winning the Globetrotters Travel Award in June 2009…perhaps this is the start of a new speaking career, particularly as you can catch him at the Chester branch in May.

Committee member Francesca Jaggs, the clubs Publicity and PR officer, is going to Sarajevo as a volunteer for Healing Hands Network in May 2010. If you would like to help sponsor her endeavours and raise money for charity, click here for more details http://www.mycharitypage.com/francescajaggs

Interesting Events

· As European Capital of Culture for 2010, Istanbul is hosting a plethora of events throughout the year across the city from heritage, visual arts & multimedia to film, theatre & dance, music, museums, literature & poetry. Many other projects are well underway, from restoration work on historic sites such as the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Suleymaniye Mosque and the Ataturk Cultural Centre to the construction of brand-new art and cultural centres, from ongoing festivals and arts events to the commissioning of new artistic works for 2010. For full calendar of events see www.en.istanbul2010.org.

Thats all for now heres to enjoying the spring and travels you might be about to start J

The Ant
theant@globetrotters.co.uk

Mark Kalch — Solo Crossing, on foot, of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Mark was proudly born in Australia and has spent the last 12 or so years of his life working towards becoming a professional adventurer and explorer. Expeditions have taken him from Everest to North Africa, from Ethiopias Omo Valley to the mighty Amazon and from AustraIia’s outback to the forests of South-East Asia. He has run rivers in Southern Africa and trekked for weeks on end in the Andes of Peru, forged trails through dense jungles in East Africa and explored deserted tropical islands off the coast of Australia by sea-kayak. A true Globetrotter…

However this time round his plans for the club went askew an injury to Mark meant that he spent his return from Iran recuperating rather than being able to prepare for us…this meant he talked about his rowing epic down the Amazon. See http://www.expeditionamazonas.com/ from more details of that trip or more generally about Mark on http://www.markkalch.com/.

Jennifer Barclay — Return to South Korea

South Korea is often called the best-kept secret of Asia, with most westerners hearing more about the closed state to the north and the DMZ that divides them than the fascinating country to the south. Jennifer Barclay, author of Meeting Mr Kim, has been researching and writing about the country for years and went back in September 2009 to dig deeper. She was served strange fish by one of the oldest diving women of Jeju, went walking in a volcanic lava tube, got a rare view of North Korea, met a robot and watched old men playing chess. See for more details about her travel & writing career generally.

The next London Meeting will be on April 10th, this is the second Saturday of the month due to the Easter public holidays.

Details of the London branchs forthcoming meetings, through to July 2010, can be found at https://globetrotters.co.uk/meetings/lon10it.html

The London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend. There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh in September. For more information, contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 7193 2586, or visit the web site: www.globetrotters.co.uk.

The lecture was again well attended with regulars turning up for this bi monthly major event and they were treated to yet more travel exploits to distant lands via the following very different talks:-

· Latin America by bike: speaker Clive Parker detailed his cycle tour of Central and part of Latin America. This incredible journey is the subject of his book “Pedalling Panama” and through mountains, heat and chill, Clive cycled over 7000 kilometres which he illustrated with a superb talk. See Clives web site for more details http://www.cliveparker.co.uk/.

· A journey through Bhutan: speaker Mike Jones, an inveterate traveller, took us to the unique country of Bhutan. Just to tour there one has to be provided with a local guide as it is quite a reclusive society but one in that the people are both welcoming and so friendly, and a country that abounds with majestic scenery and monasteries often perched high on the sides of mountains.

The next meeting is on the Saturday 22th May at the Grovsenor Museum at the usual time of 1.0pm meeting for a 1.30pm start. There will be two lectures, the first on the Ukraine given by Barbara Dickinson, followed by refreshments then a talk by Dan Bachmann on the forgotten tribes of Karamojong people in Uganda.

Tickets £2 including refreshments

Contact Angela or Hanna for further information of this & future events at Chester via email at chesterbranch@globetrotters.co.uk

For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.

The Ontario branch meetings are held on the third Friday of January, March, May, September and November. Usually at the Woodsworth Co-op, Penthouse, 133, Wilton Street in downtown Toronto at 8.00 p.m.

Regular contributor Mac ruminates on the world of travel & some of his adventures along the way. This time round hes enjoying How to Survive Travel Emergencies as written by Brad Tuttle, who asks What Should I Do When:-

…I MISS MY FLIGHT ? Get to the airport right away and ask to be put on the next flight. If an agent gives you grief, explain why you missed the flight particularly, why it wasn’t your fault. Airlines are more likely to ask for additional payment if an agent thinks you missed the flight simply because you wanted to change your ticket without paying a change fee. With a little luck (and a sympathetic agent), you’ll be on a flight later that day at no extra charge.

Worst case: Paying the difference between your new ticket and the original fare

When all else fails: Realize that no matter what the official policy is, agents can cut you some slack, mentioning that you belong to the airline’s frequent-flier program can’t hurt.

…THE AIRLINE LOSES MY LUGGAGE ? Take the obvious first step and contact the airport’s lost-and-found. File a bag-claim form and ask about the airline’s policy for reimbursing you for toiletries and other essentials. Most bags are recovered and will be shipped to you, so stay polite.

Worst case: About 2 percent of delayed luggage disappears forever. If your bag vanishes for good, file a form that itemizes what was inside it. Most airlines won’t pay for precious items, including cash, artwork, electronics, and jewellery, so don’t pack them in luggage. For covered items, you’ll be paid for the depreciated value, not what it would cost to buy brand-new gear (including the bag itself). Sometimes you’ll even have to produce receipts.

When all else fails: Instead of looking for receipts for items purchased years ago, bring in printouts of the current value of comparable items for sale as “used” on Amazon. Overall, the moral is: Never pack anything of value in your checked luggage.

…I CRASH MY RENTAL CAR?

After the accident insist on calling the police and make copies of the report. If you declined collision damage waiver insurance coverage, your auto-insurance policy should cover damages. If you declined rental coverage and don’t have auto insurance, the credit card you used to pay for the rental should pay for damage to the vehicle.

Worst case: You didn’t check for loopholes in your policy’s fine print, and now you’re stuck with a huge bill. Coverage provided by your credit card or auto insurer often doesn’t apply to vans and luxury vehicles. That’s why you need to call your credit card company and check the fine print before you depart.

When all else fails: Never agree to pay anything to the rental company on the spot. If you’ve looked into all the other options and it looks like you’re on the hook, call a lawyer.

…MY TOUR OPERATOR GOES OUT OF BUSINESS ?

Hopefully, you paid with a credit card, which you should always do because it offers the most protection. If so, call your card company and explain what happened. Your money can be refunded if you contest the charges within 60 or 90 days of when your statement is mailed to you.

Worst case: You paid with a check and didn’t buy travel insurance that specifically covers the financial default of a tour operator. In which case, you’re not getting your money back.

When all else fails: Contact the relevant Tour Operators Association to see if the tour operator was a member of their group and as such, would have been required to keep reserves to refund to customers.

…MY PASSPORT IS STOLENAND I’M THE VICTIM OF A CRIME ?

For most crimes except minor pick pocketing, call the police. If you’ve been hurt or robbed, or your travel plans must be changed, the police report will help you file claims with health and travel insurers. Cancel any stolen debit and credit cards, too.

Worst case: Your passport was stolen, and without it you won’t be allowed back into the country. Contact the nearest embassy or consulate ASAP. With luck, you normally either travel with a photocopy of your passport, which will help speed up the process of getting a new one, or you’ve e-mailed a scan of your passport to yourself at a Web-based account you can access.

…MY CHECKED LUGGAGE IS ROBBED ?

You’ll probably never get your stuff back, but you should file reports anyway. Why ? They increase the chances that the thieves will eventually be caught.

Worst case: File a claim for reimbursement for lost and stolen items with the airline directlyand quickly, because claims often must be submitted within as little as 24 hours of an incident. Ironically, airlines won’t pay for the most-likely-to-be-stolen items, such as jewellery and electronics, and they impose caps on their total liability per passenger.

…I’VE BEEN ARRESTED OVERSEAS ?

Drugs are involved in roughly one-third of the arrests of abroad, so it goes without saying to just say no. Legal systems vary widely around the globe, however, and to avoid getting in trouble because of an unusual foreign lawin Singapore, for instance, you can be fined for not flushing the toiletstudy up on your destination’s peculiar regulations in guidebooks.

Worst case: You’re facing serious jail time, or worse. When speaking to the police, be respectful and apologetic without necessarily admitting wrongdoing.

When all else fails: Tell everyone who will listen that you demand to speak with an embassy officer, who can help you navigate that country’s legal system, find a local attorney, and send messages to your family.

…I’M CAUGHT IN A NATURAL OR MAN-MADE DISASTER ? Serious emergencies can happen anywhere (see: London, Haiti, Chile, Mumbai, New Orleans), so it’s a good idea to e-mail your itinerary, including flight and hotel info, to a friend back home.

Worst case: If you’re fortunate enough to have life and limb intact, money shouldn’t be a concern: When true emergencies occur, hotels and airlines are generally very sympathetic to travellers and waive cancellation and change restrictions.

When all else fails: Figure out a way to get yourself to an embassy or consulate, which can provide safety and coordinate evacuations. Getting home may take time, so be patient, and try to console the travellers around you, who may become your new best friends.

Note from The Ant : the suggestions in this article are advisory only based on the author, the reviewers & the clubs opinions…always confirm as soon as practically possible, depending on your own circumstances.

My name is Marty Sturino and I am the creator of http://Calabrianlife.com a web site that is devoted to promoting travel to Calabria by telling human-interest stories about Life here in Calabria, Italy. I’m an American living in Calabria and write human-interest stories from my first hand experiences. Calabrianlife is bi-lingual English and Italian, offers free Italian lessons, digital images of Calabria and features travel destinations. It is specifically designed for tourists, arm-chair travellers and students.

Thanks to development funds from the EU, Calabria is growing and becoming more of a tourist destination all of the time, as evidenced by Ryanair’s flights from London to Lamezia-Terme, during the summer season. It is my sincere desire, that writers like myself and my colleagues will play a role in telling stories that interest others in visiting. Our objective is to provide our readers with the benefit of our experience, eyes and ears, and perhaps some friendly advice. We can’t all make the trip back to the land of our ancestors, and as a result, many have only vague ideas about Calabria based on stories of long ago. Most of them told of the problems of Calabria. There were many. The land was poor, not well developed and not well managed politically. Peasants worked the land of the Padrones well into the 20th century, and people were forced to leave this place for opportunities in Europe and the Americas.

Sadly, many of those who left were not aware of the great history, important events and people of Calabria that helped to shape the future of Europe and the world. Poor people have no appetite for history. They need food and clothes for themselves and families. They needed opportunities, and took them. Our stories are designed to fill in the blanks.. Who were these people ? What was their history ? Just what events shaped the lives of our ancestors and contributed to making us who are we today ? What has happened for those that chose to remain ? We hope you enjoy reading our stories as much as we do writing them…it is an adventure for us too. And a labour of love…

Thanks for your interest in Calabrianlife..

Kind Regards!

Marty Sturino