Gap Year Planning and Travelling Safety Course

Preparing Young People for Travelling Adventures

For individuals, Schools, Universities and Youth Groups

The Course

On this 2-hour course students will be provided with advice, examples and responses to various circumstances that they may face while travelling. We will explain how to evaluate situations, avoid trouble and give them the confidence to make decisions that will enable them to make the most out of their time exploring different areas of the world.

For the Students

The course is primarily about safety and looking after yourself and your friends. But, we also recognise that the whole idea of travelling is to explore, get off the beaten track, try new things and take part in risky adrenaline fuelled adventures. We will certainly not dissuade you from these things but we will educate you in how to go about theses activities wisely, put in the right planning and choose the right person or companies to go with. After all, safety standards and consumer rights are limited in the developing world. We will therefore inform you of the things to look for and how to take these responsibilities for yourself.

We want you to leave this course knowing how to look out for yourself and have the confidence to make the correct decisions. This should prevent you from getting into situations where you feel pressured into doing something through fear, offending culturally or under some other external influence. We also want you to be relaxed when it all goes wrong.

The course is set to be fun and interactive with plenty of travelling stories from the instructor’s well travelled past. It is designed to pay for itself with information about money saving techniques and a chance to discuss good places to visit and how to book things. So there is nothing to loose and everything to gain

In addition we will ask you where you are planning to travel and what you are planning to do when you get there. This will help us to tailor each course to the participants needs.

The Teachers

Lost Earth Adventures’ guides have travelled the far corners of the world, from Everest summiteers, desert explorers and deep sea divers we have a world of knowledge.

During their journeys they have been in a wide variety of situations and witnessed many serious incidences that could often have been prevented. They have experienced being in villages taken over by rebels during a civil war, assaults, scams and food poisoning. Our team have also led many successful adventurous expeditions around the world. They have provided logistical support for film crews and helped in many emergency situations including rescues, causality evacuations and administering first aid.

Most importantly they enjoy what they do and all the adventures they have while travelling. It is their desire that this course will equip its participants with the knowledge to plan and experience their own adventures in a safe and successful way.

You can read more about our tutors on our guides page.

What Subjects do we Cover?

• What to pack – We will bring a variety of kit and show you what we always pack as well as look at kit lists for a variety of regions.
• How to not get your stuff stolen – We will show you a few inexpensive items to help secure your possessions and tell you a few tricks that will really help you out.
• Research- Where to look for country specific advice and information.
• Insurance – What to expect, what to get coverage for and how it works.
• Money – Currency converting, different ways of carrying it, what to do if you lose it.
• Passports- Validity and visas.
• Communication- Internet, telephones, apps.
• Seasons- The issues faced by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• Health- Disease prevention, first aid kits, safe food and drink.
• Drugs and alcohol- Honest and un-judgmental advice.
• Accommodation- How to find it when you arrive in a new place.
• Authorities- Dealing with corrupt and disorganised authorities.
• Female Travellers- Discussion about safety and medical advice, sexual harassment and appropriate dress.
• Public and rented transport- How to stay safe and not get ripped off.
• Muggings and robberies- How to avoid these situations and how to behave should they occur.
• Adventure travel- How to choose a provider or find out what training and experience is needed to do it alone.

Dates and Prices

This course can be brought to you anywhere in the UK. Please contact us with your exact requirements and we will get back to you within 24-hours with availability and a price.

For Parents

When your children decide to flee the nest and embark on a gap year to far-flung and mysterious locations it can be quite daunting for you as parents. It is only natural that you will worry about their ability to cope in new situations and places. After all, unlike in the UK where your child can easily ring and ask for advice, being abroad means they will have to look after themselves. That is why we are running this course. It is designed to address the fears that many people have prior to planning and taking an adventurous trip for the fist time.

Through this course we will make sure your son or daughter is provided with all the information they need to plan their trip effectively. They will leave the course with the skills and confidence to overcome any problems they may face. Using techniques learnt from us, they will be able to travel confidently and securely around the world for the rest of their lives.

The course is designed to get the participants fully involved in the session enabling them to take control of their own gap year and travelling experiences. Their nerves, and yours, will be calmed by the knowledge that they are fully preparing for what lies ahead.

Important Issues Addressed

Keeping in touch – It’s lovely to get postcards and little letters while your child is away but it isn’t called snail mail for nothing. During the course we will look at some of the options for staying in touch, from emails to social media and new phone applications.

Saving you time and money –The Gap Year safety course is designed to pay for itself with information about money saving techniques and problem avoidance. We will show students how to put safeguards in place so they are not needing to ring Mum and Dad in the middle of the night to wire them some cash. We will show them how not to loose the cash in the first place and what to have in place if they do.

Gap year organisations – There are hundreds and hundreds of gap year and activity providers out there. You will want to know that your child is in safe hands, and we can help you identify that they are.

Questions you should be asking are:
What are the risks and how will these be minimised?
What happens if they become ill or have an accident?
Who, if anyone, will be supervising them?
Are the staff competent and experienced?

We can explain to how to find the answers to these questions.

If you have any concerns about a trip you’ve planned or you need assistance abroad please call us on 01904 500094. We can help you contact the right people and help you with any problems you may be facing.

Schools and Youth Groups

Lost Earth Adventures can provide sessions for those students looking to complete a year out before continuing their studies or pursuing their chosen career path. The lesson will not only teach them how to plan a successful gap year and travel abroad safely but also cover essential life skills. They will learn how to cope with everything from dealing with un-scrupulous people to the importance of travel insurance. A high emphasis will be placed on giving the students the confidence to deal with real-life scenarios.

Sessions can be adapted to the individual needs of your students and the requirements of your school. If you think that this would benefit your students then please contact us for more information.

For more information about any of our courses and activities please contact us.