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MEETING NEWS

Meeting news from our branches around the world.

The Great Unprepared by Paul at Travelpharm

Over the last few years it has become increasingly obvious that travellers (from all backgrounds, ages and levels of intelligence) come under two main divisions, those who are organised and those who are not.

The former group are well versed in what they need to take with them to keep alert, safe and healthy, whilst the latter group always leave you feeling rather edgy, concerned, and often uttering those immortal words: 'I don’t believe it !'

The teenager who is about to depart for several weeks to the Amazon with her partner and has just run out of her Contraceptive Pill, the man who is leaving the next day for Kenya who had no idea he would need antimalarials for that destination, or even worse the person who 'never' gets bitten by bugs so wont waste money on pills that will only put him off his beer!

The list of the great unprepared is too vast to attempt. UNPREPARED is described in the dictionary as: Having made few or no preparations; Not equipped to meet a contingency; Not steeled as to face a shock and there will be plenty of shocks for those who do not seek out the wealth of advice available.

The Governments FCO site (www.fco.gov.uk) will give you superb guidance on those who can supply Travel Insurance, Embassies to contact if in difficulty, doctors surgeries for those with medical problems, and security information such as places to avoid and measures to take to protect your belongings and cash.

There are lists of FCO partners who supply information on vaccinations and antimalarials if appropriate to your destination, local disease problems, equipment such as medical packs, mosquito nets, useful travel medicines, and very often a voice on the end of the phone should you wish to discuss anything.

As part of Travelpharm we will offer our help and support whenever possible as well as a range of the items just listed.  If we cannot answer your question we will find a man or woman who can.  Please don’t become one of the great unprepared, there is simply no excuse ………..!

Paul, a pharmacist can be contacted on: info@travelpharm.com or alternatively, take a look at their website: http://www.travelpharm.com

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Meeting News from London by Padmassana

Our first speaker was Simon Casson, who took us on a journey in the footsteps of his hero Butch Cassidy, riding the Outlaw Trail. Simon’s pictures portrayed the barren deserts through which the outlaws managed to stay one step ahead of the law. It was not an easy journey, made more challenging when Simon managed to buy a horse that was blind! Over the course of his trip Simon and his two companions got through a number of horses and also lost a couple. Simon finally managed to reach Canada some months later than planned.

Our second speaker was Calum Macleod, who took us Uzbekistan. The country only gained its independence from the USSR in 1991. We saw the beautiful cities of Khiva and Samarkand with their minarets and spires and wonderful blue tiles. Simon explained that the country is allegedly becoming easier to visit, so hopefully more of us will get the opportunity to visit these cities.

Mark your diary for forthcoming meetings:

Sat. 6th November

  • Christian Tyler – Into the TaklamakanDesert – “Wild West China”
  • Janet Street-Porter – Walking in Australia The Larapinta Trail [Alice Springs] and the Bay of Fire Walk [Tassie]

Sat. 4 December

  • Amar Grover – North Pakistan – Kailash Valleys of Chitral to Gilgit via ShandurPass
  • Matthew Leeming -Afghanistan OR Iraqi Marsh Arabs

Sat. 8th January 2005 (the second Saturday)

  • Four Mini-talks and New Year Party

London 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. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk Admission: Members £2.00 Non-members £4.00.

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Traveller's Illnesses: Scorpion Stings

Where is it likely to happen:   scorpions can be found in the wild in South, West and North Africa; North, Central and South America; India; and the Caribbean.  Among the scorpions in North America, the 'nasty’ ones can typically be found in Arizona, New Mexico and on the Californian side of the Colorado River, whereas the other North American species are fairly harmless.   In Mexico each year  between 1000-2000 deaths arise as a result of scorpion bites.  Because of their size scorpions can easily travel anywhere in the world as stowaways with cargo and they have been found in many large ports. Scorpions sting with a poisoned hook on their tail, which is typically raised prior to an attack.

What happens if I get bitten: the majority of scorpions are harmless to humans, although the sting can be extremely painful and will require painkilling treatment.  The following symptoms can be observed in cases of moderate to more serious poisoning:

  • Malaise, sweating, heart palpitations, rise in blood pressure, salivation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. These symptoms should be treated in a similar way to snake bites, and a doctor should be consulted as quickly as possible.
  • Hyperacute (typically allergic) reactions in the form of blurring of consciousness, unconsciousness, convulsions, fall in blood pressure, shock and consequently the threat of death may occur.

What should I do if I get stung: pain at the site of the sting can sometimes be limited with an ice cube.   Painkilling injections (morphine-based painkiller) may be required and a doctor should therefore be consulted. In the case of more marked symptoms, treatment must be given as for snake bites, and the patient must receive medical treatment as quickly as possible.   There is antiserum for scorpion venom. Treatment must be overseen by a doctor.

How can I avoid being stung by a scorpion: scorpions are nocturnal animals and often hide in dark cracks and vegetation.  Ideally, accommodation should have a ledge that is at least 20cm high to prevent entry of scorpions.  Places to look out for scorpions include cupboards, under the duvet and bed, or in shoes (look under the duvet/bed and shake your shoes thoroughly before putting them on). 

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Meeting News from New York

There was no New York meeting in October, but we will resume in November – Subject will be Tibet by Ken Axen!

For details of forthcoming meetings email newyork@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates, click here at our website.

New York meetings are held at The Wings Theatre, 154 Christopher Street (btw Greenwich St and Washington St ), to the right of Crunch Fitness, in the Archive on the first Saturday of each month at 4 pm.  Admission: $8.00 for members and $10.00 for non-members.

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Interesting Facts

Interesting country facts.

  1. The United States has the most money, power, airports, cell phones, radios and ISP's.
  2. The United States consumes more energy than India, the Middle East, South America, Africa, South East Asia and Oceania combined – which means more than 3.1 billion people.
  3. The top 5 energy consumers are all cold countries. The next 6 are mostly oil producers.
  4. Guatemalan women work 11.5 hours a day, while South African men work only 4.5.
  5. Guinea has the wettest capital on Earth with 3.7 metres of rain a year. You’re 66 times more likely to be prosecuted in the USA as in France.
  6. Nearly 1% of Montserrations are police.
  7. Most Zambians don't live to see their 40th birthday.
  8. Want your kids to stay in school? Send them to Norway.
  9. Mexico has the most Jehovah's Witnesses per capita in the OECD.
  10. Indonesia has the most known mammal species – and the most mammal species under threat.

Source:

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Meeting News from New York

There will be no July and August meetings, but back in the Fall, with a new format!

For details of forthcoming meetings email newyork@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates, click here at our website.

New York meetings are held at The Wings Theatre, 154 Christopher Street (btw Greenwich St and Washington St ), to the right of Crunch Fitness, in the Archive on the first Saturday of each month at 4 pm . Admission $8, non members, $10.

Mac.s Travel Tips

MacI read somewhere that two Australian women travelling in Africa to dissuade anyone taking stuff from their backpacks put rubber toy snakes on top of their stuff in backpacks.ï¿Â½ They heard Africans and others were afraid of snakes.ï¿Â½ (When I lived in Grant Bldg here at the Soldiers Home in Washington DC, pigeons would use the window sill outside my room as a toilet.ï¿Â½ I brought a similar toy rubber snake and put on the window sill.ï¿Â½ The pigeons took no notice and still performed their toilet all over it. ï¿Â½Ha!)

I don’t know how accurate this is, but I read that if you pay for airline ticket with a credit card the credit card number goes on the airline ticket.ï¿Â½ I know many recommend you pay for airline ticket with a credit ca rd in case they go broke you are covered etc. But this adds a new dimension.

Someone suggested that when you go to the beach you put your valuables in a plastic bag and bury in sand and cover with a blanket while you swim. Someone else suggested a waterproof bag you could take in water with you.

Years ago I met a couple in Rio De Janeiro travelling around the world. ï¿Â½They took their airline bag to the beach and she used it as a pillow while he swam. A big wave came up and she lifted her head to see how he was doing and when she put her head back her pillow was gone.ï¿Â½ No one saw anything but interesting enough there were two undercover policemen just wearing bathing suits that took the couple up in the hills nearby to see if anyone was carrying their airline bag. This was unsuccessful so they returned to the beach and someone said they saw some little boys burying something in the sand (supposed to come back at night andï¿Â½ retrieve).ï¿Â½ They found the bag intact and the grateful couple dispensed money to all.

If you would like to contact Mac, he is happy to answer e-mails: macsan400@yahoo.com

Our Friends Ryanair

What are they up to now? In yet another bid to save more money, Ryanair are trying to reduce the amount of luggage passengers check in. They say that passengers with checked-in baggage may be asked to pay a fee for each checked-in bag to reflect the cost of providing check-in and baggage handling services. Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said that he hoped to introduce charges of up to £50 a bag next year, with a view to phasing out hold luggage. “The purpose is not to make money from checked-in luggage – the purpose is to get rid of it altogether.” In future, he said he wanted passengers to print out boarding passes when they booked tickets on the internet, allowing them to go directly to their departure gate on arrival at the airport.

So, be warned, you are encouraged to carry your luggage with you and will be forced to pay an excess luggage charge of £4.50 per kilo above the new checked in limit of 15kg. From July 2004, Ryanair have made changes to the amount of luggage that can be a) checked in; b) carried on to the plane and c) increased the excess luggage charge, as follows:

· Increase in the personal ‘carry on’ baggage limit from 7kgs to 10 kgs per passenger (will there really be enough room for ever passenger’s 7kg bag? I doubt it somehow.)

  • Reduction in the personal ‘checked in’ baggage limit from 20 kgs to 15 kgs
  • Increase in the charge for excess baggage from £4.00 to £4.50 per kilo.

Ryanair has sacked two of its workers who sat in an overcrowded plane’s toilets for a flight from Spain because there were no other seats. The captain of the packed flight from Girona, near Barcelona, to Dublin Airport resigned after he gave the two cabin crew permission. “This is the first such incident of staff travelling on an already full aircraft in the 20 year history of Ryanair,” the company said in a statement.

And more legal spats: after legal disagreements between Ryanair and BBA who operate Stansted airport on fuel charges at Stansted, Ryanair have announced that they will invest USD$240 million to expand its second British base at London Luton. Ryanair accused BAA of overcharging on a fuel levy introduced in 1991 to pay for a GBP£12 million (USD$22.1 million) fuel hydrant system, saying the airport operator had recovered more than GBP£34 million (USD$62.7 million) in 14 years. “There is going to be the mother and father of all wars,” Chief Exec Michael O’Leary told reporters in London. “We are not prepared to be robbed at Stansted. It is a low-cost airport with a high-cost fuel-levy scam going on.” BAA said it was planning to sue Ryanair for GBP£1 million (USD$1.85 million) in landing fees which it said the carrier was refusing to pay in response to the fuel-levy dispute.

Our friends Ryanair have been criticised by the UK advertising watchdog for using the term ‘giveaway’ in an advert. The advert stated a ‘one million flight giveaway’ as long as customers paid taxes, fees and airport charges. The British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the advert which ran in the Daily Mirror newspaper was “ambiguous”. “If something is being described as a giveaway”. consumers shouldn’t have to spend a penny,” an ASA spokeswoman said. However, Ryanair argued that the term “giveaway” meant “to denote or bestow as a gift or prize” or “to sell very cheaply”. This is not the first time Ryanair has got into trouble with the ASA. In Feb 2004, the airline was deemed to have used offensive language in an advert – just before bonfire night in November, they had an ad depicting fireworks with the headline “Fawking great offers.” The ASA received 47 complaints from the public on the grounds that the wording was too suggestive.