Dear Globies, travellers and friends,
As the British skies suddenly seem darker and the nights are drawing in, winter is definitely upon us. Never one to be deterred by the elements, here’s a roundup of travel events, news, campaigns, meetings, ticket offers and even a competition. We hope to provide some inspiration in the lead up to the new year, and for your plans for an adventure filled 2014.
Happy travels,
The Dragonfly,
The Globetrotters Club
Professional London-based travel photographer Steve Davey is offering his guide ‘Improve your travel photography’ on his website bettertravelphotography.com completely free. Having travelled to almost 90 countries with his camera, and working for the likes of the BBC and Footprint handbooks, Steve is an experienced travel photographer. His website also hosts photo galleries from his travels across the globe, and a tips section.
You will get the first part immediately, with the second and third parts following automatically in subsequent weeks. The first part includes information on how to make the most out of your camera, such as adapting aperture size and sensitivity. It also has a helpful section called ‘in your camera bag’ detailing what you should consider packing to capture the very best photographs.
All you need to do to receive the first part in pdf format is fill in a short online form from the following link.
Globies London July meeting saw a series of talks from members under the banner title ‘Around the World in 80 Slides’. Many of the 10 minute talks were successfully delivered by members with no public speaking experience, though their enthusiasm shone across the hall throughout. Talks crossed the globe, from the plight of the Saharawi people of Western Sahara to the hippy trail and Holy Places of India by way of Ecuador, Italy, Iran, China, Antarctica and Albania. We really enjoyed the eclectic and geographically expansive nature of the afternoon. Thank you to everyone involved.
If you haven’t attended a meeting recently you’ve also missed talks from Andy Madeley, who has cycled from London to Sydney, and John Pilkington discussing Patagonia, among others. Our next London meeting is on Saturday 7th December.
Tourism Concern is currently running a crucial campaign, to call upon governments and tour operators to end orphanage tourism.
Every year thousands of volunteers and tourists are lured to giving love to children in need around the developing word. Tourism and volunteering in orphanages is fuelling the demand for “orphans”, and so drives the unnecessary separation of children from their families.
In the past decade the number of orphan children has declined worldwide, however the increasing number of orphanages in many developing countries matches the rising numbers of tourists. In Cambodia the number of orphans have halved and yet the number of orphanages has doubled – 75% of children in these institutions are not in fact orphans. In Ghana the figure is as high as 90%.
Goolge finds 505,000 results for ‘volunteer orphanage abroad’ – most are marketed by holiday companies and tour operators. In the UK there are at least 30 tour operators sending volunteers to orphanages and Tourism Concern is demanding that they stop sending tourists and unqualified volunteers to orphanages.
The petition will be presented to tour operators to demand an end to voluntarism placements in orphanages, which is why it is important that as many people as possible sign it. Please circulate the petition to your friends, family and colleagues and help us put an end to vulnerable children being used to sell holidays.
To sign the petition and find out more, visit the Tourism Concern website: www.tourismconcern.org.uk/orphanage-petition.html
Globies with a desire to take to the seas next year may wish to pursue the £2 ticket offer for the London cruise show, on 22-23 March 2013 at Olympia. With the largest collection of cruise-lines and operators in one place at Europe’s largest cruising event, it may well be worth the trip to go and window shop these luxury voyages. All the more reason to hopefully win the lottery or consider cashing in that pension.
You can find out more and order the reduced price tickets, which are usually £10 on the door, on the website: www.cruisingshow.com and quote ‘E1’ to claim the discount. You can also phone 0871 620 4024 to book in, calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras. The offer expires on 21st February 2014, and on top of the £2 ticket a £2.50 booking fee also applies.
Similar to the true Globies spirit, Tripbod, a London based start up company, is seeking to connect travellers and locals, while cutting out the corporate middleman in the process.
Local travel advice can make all the difference – whether from a friend who lives there, a relative who has been there, or even a local bus driver who gives you travel advice on the area – they can all add that something special to the trip.
Tripbod has a global network of trusted local experts who can provide travel advice for not much more than the price of a guidebook. An adviser (also known as a tripbod) can give pre-departure trip planning advice based on their local insight, experience and passion. Tripbod offers independent travellers a platform to connect with trusted local experts to share travel tips. Local experts can create personalised itineraries and bespoke travel ideas based on the travellers needs and interests, or even spend the day walking visitors through the best of what their city has to offer.
So, whether you’d like to earn some extra cash and show someone the best of your home town, or whether you’d like to connect with a local on your own travels, there’s plenty of interesting travel opportunities to explore. To find out more, visit: www.tripbod.com
Other innovative organisations that share a similar ethos are Couchsurfing, whereby members share some free space in their home to travellers, and receive the same welcome in return from other hosts as they travel themselves, While it may be a couch, an airbed, a meal or just a drink, the site aims to link hospitable people with one another around the world, without any financial exchange. Check it out at www.couchsurfing.org
And if you’re more picky with your accommodation, you can still mix and stay with the locals via AirBnB. The site allows people to advertise spare rooms in their homes, ranging from basic hostel to five star hotel style lodgings. AirBnB offers far cheaper prices when compared to a hotel or traditional bed and breakfast, but it’s probably still pricier than a backpackers’ hostel. See the website: www.airbnb.com
One of the best resources of all is the Globetrotters very own Mutual Aid, which has been around far longer than any of the above. Simply post your enquiry on the Globetrotters website, present it in person at a Globies meeting, or contact the Editor to pass on the message for you.
The Adventure Travel Show offers a world of extraordinary discoveries, and is one of the UK’s biggest events for people who like to travel outside the mainstream – whether it be on small-group adventures, exclusive expeditions or epic journeys.
The Adventure Travel Show takes place on the 25th and 26th of January, and is packed with inspirational travel advice, travel photography and travel writing seminars, and a whole host of free talks from experts, explorers, TV adventurers, tour leaders and guide book writers who will help you uncover your perfect adventure. Specialist travel operators will also be on hand to offer guidance on everything from walking and trekking to exploratory journeys, safaris, overland trips and even life-changing volunteering projects.
The event is offering Globies an exclusive discount on the ticket price, with advance tickets at just £6 instead of the usual £10 on the door. To redeem the offer, simply quote ‘Globetrotters’ when booking online at www.adventureshow.com or when calling 0871 620 4024. Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras.
Globe is also giving two lucky readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to the event. Just answer the following question: Where is the ATS taking place? a) Olympia b) The local village hall or c) The NEC.
To enter, send an email to Chloe at Editor@globetrotters.co.uk with your answer, along with your full name and GT?membership number. Entries will be drawn out of a hat and announced at the end of the year. To find out more, visit the website: www.adventureshow.com
Thur 28 Nov Explorers Connect, London. Australian Geographic adventurer of the year Tim Cope will launch his new book. More information
Sat 30 Nov Launch of Encircle Africa: Around Africa by Public Transport, about the first solo and unassisted circumnavigation of Africa by public transport written by Globie Ian Packham: More information
Sat 7 Dec Globies, London. AGM (members) and meeting (non-members welcome). Mary Fogarty talks about Marrakech and Souira and Derek Brown talks about taking a boat on rivers in Indonesia and Laos. More information
Wed 18 Dec Tales of Adventure, London. Screening of Tom Allen’s multi-award winning film ‘Janapar’.
Sat 4 Jan 2014 Globies meeting and New Year Party, London. Please bring some food and drink and get chatting!
Thur 16 Jan Tales of Adventure, London. Visit talesofadventure.co.uk for details.
25 – 26 Jan Adventure Travel Show. See this newsletter for a competition and ticket offer.
Future events
Sat & Sun 22-23 March 2014 London Cruise Show, Olympia. See this newsletter for discounted tickets.
If you have an event you would like to add to our events listing, please contact us.
This newsletter was written by Chloe Marshall and Ian Packham
Do you have any comments, suggestions or questions?
Drop us a line: Editor@globetrotters.co.uk or leave a comment.
Photos courtesy of the Adventure Travel Show