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On Packing

A journey always starts with packing. Whether you are off for a week in the Costa del Sol or a months hiking the Himalayas, the problems of packing are always the same; what to take.

In the days of yore, the question had an easy answer. Everything. On royal progresses, Queen Elizabeth I took hundreds of staff and dozens of wagon full of her junk. Whilst she may have stopped short of the kitchen sink, she did take portraits, carpets, furniture, and of course, her throne. However, the majority of us are not royalty, and in the age of baggage allowances, we have to be somewhat more selective in our packing.

This restriction brings with them the natural anxieties that go along with any choice. Am I taking too much? Too little? Will I really need my hair-straighteners in the Amazon? What happens if I actually do need a kitchen sink? Whilst not bringing all we need seems to be the biggest danger, equally none of us want to be the burke with a suitcase the size of a small car and weighing as much as a fully grown, overweight hippopotamus. So a balance must be struck.

It is in achieving this balance that the anxiety arises. However the tribulations are often trivial. Should I take my navy blue shirt, or my light blue shirt? Which will I want to wear when I'm there? If I take one, will I regret not taking the other? Whilst these issues plague us before we leave, we rarely give it send thought once we have arrived at our destination.

We await our travels with such great anticipation and excitement, and we want them to go perfectly. One of the few things we can do to ensure this before we leave is to make sure we bring the right stuff. This is why we fret over it so much. In reality, once you step outside your front door, the importance of the contents of your suitcase diminishes rapidly. If the worst comes to the worst and you forget to bring something or you bring the wrong things, then don't forget, other countries do in fact have shops.

We all want the picture perfect holiday, and whilst we can aid this by bringing the right things, ultimately, what we bring has little correlation to how much we enjoy our time away. Just don't forget your passport.

By Peter Singlehurst on 08/07/07

The Informal Guide to Women Going Solo

The hardest choice that the soon-to-be traveller (male or female) has to make is not where to go, but who to travel with. Most people set off for months on end with a friend or a lover, and have an excellent time. But as someone once told me, going travelling together will either make or break a relationship. So, each person has to decide whether the desire for companionship and security outweighs the risks.

Travelling with someone else automatically entails the risk of limiting yourself on your trip of a lifetime. Instead of doing and seeing exactly what you want to, and at your own speed, you will potentially be restricted by the desires of your travel partner. Similarly, travelling solo exponentially increases the chances of meeting other travellers and having a broader experience. The question is, on a hugely exciting and expensive round-the-world trip, are you willing to compromise?

I decided that I was not prepared to compromise and set off as a 19 year-old, Single Female Traveller, destined for four months of travel throughout South East Asia, Australia and South Africa. For others, the choice is not so clear-cut and many are uncertain as to whether travel should be undertaken in groups, pairs, or solo.

To this end, I am sharing with you my Five Rules of being a Single Female Traveller, devised as per my experiences, in the hope that they will be of use to reluctant single travellers.

Rule Number 1 - People will respect you. Enjoy it.

One of the advantages of travelling solo, as a female, is that people will be continually impressed. On my flight to Bangkok, I found myself seated behind 4 twenty-something Irish lads who were astounded to learn that I was travelling alone and proceeded to tell everyone sitting around me, gaining me no end of respectful looks, and even some free drinks.

Rule Number 2 - Don't get overconfident.

High on the approval of my fellow travellers, I arrived at Bangkok brimming with confidence and proceeded to make the mistake of pooh-poohing the taxi queue and hopping on a bus to Khao San Road, which is where my hotel was. Twenty minutes later, I realised that I had no directions to the hotel, other than it was near Khao San Road. I jumped off the bus and dragged my backpack aimlessly throughout the area, hoping to spot the hotel. I did not, so I spontaneously jumped into my first ever tuk-tuk, which I hoped would solve my problem!

Rule Number 3 - People will try to take you for a ride (quite literally). Don't freak out, just remain calm and firm.

The tuk-tuk promptly ignored my instructions and took me to a travel agency, which I rapidly realised was in the league with the devious tuk-tuk driver. I steadfastly refused to get out of the tuk-tuk and the exasperated driver eventually succumbed and forty minutes later, I was finally dropped off at my hotel, which had actually been around the corner from where I had initially caught the tuk-tuk. I have come to the conclusion that whilst there is a time and a place to be spontaneous, there also comes a time when you need to admit your limitations and catch that taxi!

Rule Number 4 - Don't be paranoid, not everyone is trying to cheat you.

However, my antipathy towards tuk-tuks was lessened a few days later. I had been warned that tuk-tuk drivers were in the habit of agreeing to take you to your destination, as long as you permitted them to take you to a few "sights" along the way, such as gem stores and minor temples. This indeed happened to me, and my immediate reaction was one of suspicion and fear - who knew where I would end up?

The morning turned out to be wonderful as I was taken to places that I never would have thought of going to beforehand. Sure, there was no way I was actually going to buy any gemstones, but the places were interesting to see. I also learnt that the tuk-tuk drivers get gasoline coupons from these various places, in exchange for bringing tourists their way. My driver was perfectly friendly and I was more than happy to help him out by relinquishing control for a few hours and seeing where I ended up.

This paranoia rule was proved yet again to me one night in Cairns, Australia, when I took myself out to dinner as a treat. A lot of people abhor the idea of sitting alone in a restaurant, but I am usually quite happy as long as I take a book and relax with a glass of wine. On this particular evening, a young Australian couple were sitting at the table next to me and kept glancing over at me. I ignored them, and contentedly supped my wine. Then, to my surprise, the guy invited me to join them for dinner.

I agreed, although was quite suspicious, especially as I realised that he was rather drunk. Throughout the course of the meal I wondered, in turn, if I was being solicited for a threesome, or if they were going to run off and leave me with the bill. In the end, they refused to let me contribute towards the bill and insisted that I take their telephone numbers and contact them if I needed somewhere to stay. I felt terrible that I had been so suspicious, but happy that I had got a free meal out of it!

Rule Number 5 - Single Female Traveller? More like Single Female Drug Smuggler

My arrival into Cairns from Singapore was disastrous. The Customs lady at Cairns appeared very interested and admiring of me, as Single Female Traveller. She gushed at my "bravery" and told me how much she wished she had the guts to travel alone. Little did I realise that she was busily marking my boarding pass with instructions for me to be searched by the Customs officials. I was literally the only person from my flight that was taken aside and searched.

Apparently, it is more and more common for drug smugglers to be female as it is wrongly thought that females generate less suspicion. Anyway, my sizeable backpack was vested of its contents to reveal sun-cream and mozzie-spray, but definitely no drugs. However, the Customs officials did not stop there. They were hell-bent on catching me out, quizzing me about my finances and even phoning the Head Office to consult them about me. As a Single Female Traveller, I was a figure of suspicion. I was eventually released into Australia, albeit with a very sour taste in my mouth.

Well, there you have it, the main rules of being a Single Female Traveller. There are, of course, others that I could mention, such as Let Circumstances Guide You, Not Your Itinerary, and my personal favourite, Have Holiday Romances, but I'll let you figure those out for yourselves. Happy solo travelling!

By Alice Hall on 29/06/07

The Mongol Rally

In an effort to do something a little more original than inter-rail around Europe last summer, my roommate and I decided to drive to Mongolia. Just to make life a bit more interesting, we also decided to take the scenic route, oh, and do it in a crap car.

And so on the 22nd of July, we set out with a group of other like-minded fools for what must the greatest road trip in the world. Our route was to take us though eastern Europe, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. Oh, and we were driving there in my grandmother's 1991 Ford Fiesta van affectionately named Megan. Megan was in no uncertain terms an absolute tank. Despite initial teething problems (namely breaking down 500m from the start line), our faithful stead carried us 10000 miles to Ulaanbaatar, and even carried out a major rescue operation in the process.

On entering Kyrgyzstan, we decided that the rally hadn't been challenging us enough. Despite negotiating continental sized potholes the rally had yet to deliver us some serious off-roading. The was only one main road heading north through Kyrgyzstan, but coming off it, we spotted a little road which weaved though the mountains for some 200 miles before rejoining another main road. As we crossed into Kyrgyzstan, we asked a boarder guard if he knew anything of this road and whether he thought our cars would make it. He simply burst out laughing. He didn't really need to say anything else. And perhaps we should have listened to him, but two days later, we found ourselves leaving the safety of the tarmac and heading into the mountains on a dirt track.

At first the going was tough but bearable. The scenery was spectacular. The mountains were covered in grass and a wide shallow river flowed next to the road carrying icy water from the glaciers above us. We plodded on for a day, heading steadily up hill towards the Karakol pass, after which we would be heading down-hill. It was trying to cross the river on the second day, just short of the pass which caused us so many problems. We found a suitable crossing and managed to get our car though, but the other team we were with fared less well. Their car cut out half way though the river and we had to push it to the bank. On cutting out, water had been sucked into the engine. We spent the whole of the day trying to get it started, but armed with no mechanical knowledge and only a couple of spanners, our chances were always slim.

And so as night fell, we realized that we were going to have to abandon their car and turn round. The only problem was, that Megan was a van. There were only two seats, and there were four of us. We polished off a bottle of whisky which had been intended to be used as a bribe at some point, but desperate times had caused for desperate measures. And so we spent the night on the mountain, surrounded by glaciers, and in the morning awoke to find ice on the inside out our tent. We negotiated a final crossing of the river and headed back down the mountain, with three people crammed in the front, and one person sitting on the roof.

We drove all morning, and at about lunchtime realized that we were running out of fuel fast. We had a look over the car, only find that we had knocked a hole in our fuel tank. This was not good news. We were still forty miles from the nearest inhabited place. So we set about fixing it in true Mongol Rally style. We each took a whole pack of chewing gum, chewed until it was the right consistency, and then tried to plug the gap. Now if you ever find yourself in a similar circumstance, my advice would be to not use chewing gum; as it turns out, it's soluble in petrol. In minutes it was a gooey white mess, but never fear, we had duck tape. So four packs of chewing gum later, and half a role of duck tape, we had stemmed the flow, with just about enough petrol to get us back to civilization.

On entering the town we located a mechanic. He looked at our mend, disapprovingly muttered something in Russian, got under the car, removed the mess, and plugged the hole with a tiny piece of soap. That bit of soap held for another 3000 miles and got us all the way to Mongolia! Later that day we pressed on to the capital Bishkek, leaving the other team to rescue their car from the mountain side, which incredibly they managed, and only arrived in Mongolia a week after us.

By Peter Singlehurst on 02/07/07 who is going into his last year at university

Women Travelling Alone

In the UK, as well as across Europe, there is a growing trend of 'singledom'. More and more people are living alone and this trend is also reflected in how we travel. Not all of us choose to travel in pairs or groups anymore and women are no exception. Although most of the perils and pitfalls of solo travel apply to men as well as women, there are some hazards that apply more exclusively to women. Other cultures and traditions where the position of women is different from that in the West mean women travellers sometimes face challenges in addition to everyday travel hassles, but these can be lessened with a bit of forward planning, before a trip somewhere new.

Language Learning

Learning some of the local language wherever you're going is invaluable. Nothing beats telling someone you're not interested in their lewd advances in their own language! Of course if you make the effort to learn a more obscure language, this can backfire somewhat and the person in question might never stop talking to you for the sheer pleasure of having found a traveller who speaks their language, but it's still worth the risk. Generally, knowing even just a few useful phrases of the local lingo is a good starting point for feeling safer and more at ease in a new environment.

Avoidance Tactics

Some women resort to wearing a fake wedding ring and having fake pictures in their wallets of 'husband and children'. This might seem false, but it can save a lot of hassle and explanations about why you're on your own. Of course if you happen to be married, but travelling on your own, it's good to bring up your husband in conversation as soon as you can. Also being firm, saying 'No!' and meaning it, does tend to put suitors off. Acting offended and recruiting the help of local women can also make a difference when in a sticky situation. In Latin and Muslim countries sexual harassment and constant cat-calling can be very annoying, but having a calm and firm attitude will make all the difference. Simply going about your business with confidence is enough to show many potential suitors that you're not to be messed with. Easier said than done in a new place? Perhaps, but do your homework and find out about the place you're visiting. You'll feel safer and more confident knowing more about what to expect.

In emergency

Should worst come to worst and you are assaulted or even raped, be aware that in some places, the local police is not the best place to go in search of help. If in doubt about law enforcement in the country you're visiting, it may be best to contact your embassy or consulate first instead. Bear in mind that incidents of women assaulted while abroad are very low compared to women assaulted or raped in their home countries or even in their own homes, still one of the least safe places for a woman to be. Common sense and good preparations before a journey are key to making your time abroad safe and fun. Also, if you meet interesting strangers while away, don't put yourself at unnecessary risk. Ask yourself 'if I was at home, would I do this?'. If you'd think it too risky in your home environment, why put yourself at even greater risk in a place you don't know very well. Be travel safe and savvy.

By Anna Maria Espsäter on 27/06/07 who is a London-based freelance journalist specialising in travel features and can be contacted at: annamariaespsater@yahoo.co.uk

Charity Jailbreak

As a student at Durham University in the UK, I heard about a charity "jailbreak" competition to get as far away from uni as possible, and back, in under 48 hours. My friend and I decided to take part, and made it to New York. We also raised about £500 for charity. We also had a lot of fun, and enjoyed a new way of travelling- for free!

Waking up at 5.30 am on Friday morning, I didn't feel like I'd only had 4 hours sleep the night before. The adrenaline and sheer randomness of the DUCK (Durham University Charity Kommittee) charity jailbreak had me on a bit of a high! Dressed in our rather fetching duck hats, my partner in crime, Ruth Sherlock, and I made our way to the jail (where else?) to met the other participants, who were dressed as everything from bride and groom to lions. Then we were off! We bribed a bus driver with lollipops to get ourselves to Newcastle, then (illegally) hopped the metro to Newcastle international airport. We were rather pleased with ourselves, having made it there in under an hour. However, after going up to the first desk, and trying to blag some flights to anywhere, we were rather impolitely informed that we were the sixth pair to ask for that this morning. We were met with much the same response from all the other desks we asked (which was about half of the total desks in the airport). Disappointed, we opted to have some breakfast and a think. It was a breakfast we would, temporarily, regret. Another pair, who had arrived at the airport after us had got themselves tickets to Tenerife with Thomas Cooke (who were in the half of the airport we had not asked). We ran to the desk to plead with them to get us on the flight as well, but they were having none of it. Eventually they offered us the chance (but nothing concrete) of two single seats to Tenerife that afternoon. It was just after that that we met Sting's sister. She is the manager of B.A. in Newcastle, and offered us two flights to London, with the promise of trying to get us further away, with return flights, after that. It was not, however, without serious deliberation that we let Tenerife slip away from us.

As luck would have it, however, a lady named Jude, who worked behind the desk at B.A. was on the same flight as us to visit her family. On arriving in Heathrow, she made some phone calls, and managed to get in touch with special services, who normally whisk celebrities through airports with minimum hassle. In conjunction with B.A.'s press office, they eventually sorted something out, although, for fear of getting our hopes up, she would not tell us what. It was a long, tense journey from terminal 1 (the internal flights terminal) to terminal 4 (which we realised on the way was the long haul terminal)

"We've got you two flights on BA115," said Gerard, the special services man, "How does New York sound?"" Not only had he got us to New York for free, he had got us into World Traveller Plus... the old business class. Things were looking up.

The flight was pretty good. You're not supposed to get free champagne in world traveller plus class, but when one of the stewards (whose name, coincidentally, was Peter DUCKworth) realised we were doing this for charity, he sorted us out with what ended up being a bottle between us. He also got us up to the cockpit after landing, which was a bit of a treat!

Still feeling the champagne, we landed in New York, and were whisked through immigration by special services there. We managed to rearrange our flight (which had been due to leave 3 hours later) for the following morning, as we wanted to see the big Apple. We bought (yes, bought, you try blagging one) a Metro ticket to Manhattan and marvelled at the Empire state building (again, it's impossible to blag your way up there for free, so we didn't go up), and wandered around Time square. We got a little lost in Chinatown, so headed back to the airport terminal for a quick two hour sleep before checking in for our 8 am flight.

We flew home, stayed with my parents for a night (they gave us lots of sponsorship and somewhere to shower), then had to pay £15 for a national express coach to Durham, as National Express are no longer giving away free seats for charity. We returned to Durham and were informed we had won. Which was nice.

Overall it was a very random, but very fun weekend. I would recommend it if you don't mind a little stress of having nowhere to sleep but an airport floor, and like a little randomness and adventure! If you are to try it, I would also like to let you know that you need a lot of luck, which we, luckily, got... It was literally through no skill of our own that we got the furthest... just being in the right place at the right time, and sheer luck!

By Pat Scanlon on 16/06/07

Everest Base Camp

My Everest Base Camp trip was such a humbling and exhilarating experience that I would recommend it to everyone.

Day one we arrived in Kathmandu and the following morning we flew out to Lukla at the bottom of the Himalayan region from where we commenced our trek. Flying in between some of the foothills was quite amazing, and landing a twin prop on a hill top was quite something too! An Uphill landing strip, just 400-500 metres long!

The first thing you notice is probably that it is so much hotter and the air is considerably thinner! Ha! We were hit by a row of beaming faces, who were eager to be our porters for the trip up the mountain - incredible guys. We played a lot of ball with the porters (at lower altitude anyway!) and made great friends with them. Some of these guys carried 100 kilos (15 stone) on their heads/ backs up the mountain, all the way to Base Camp - including foodstuffs, expedition equipment and supplies.

The actual journey took us up the Dud Khosi River slopes, and up to Namchee (3500m) which was pretty straight forward trekking, apart from the bridges which weren't always as safe as they looked. Once on them there was oncoming traffic - like Yaks and porters, coming the other way! An interesting dilemma whilst hanging 200ft above a ravine.

At Namchee we took the time to rest and acclimatise and from there on in I was feeling pretty rough, struggling with the altitude and getting Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) after 4400m (in the shadow of Ama Dablam). Still, we were in the middle of the Himalayas, and that wasn't a time to consider giving up by any means!

Everyone started to lose their appetite quite dramatically as we continued up the Glacial valleys to higher altitudes and more and more stunning vistas. Still, we had one thousand vertical metres to ascend before we reached Base Camp. As we arrived at Labouche (4900m) we were hit with a snow blizzard and made haste to get warm inside the tents and didn't much want to go outside (as you can imagine!) During the night the wind really picked up and some tents were lifted off the surface of the mountain (at about 3am), retrieving them and setting them up again was no fun in the chilling temperatures.

Arriving at Gorak Shep (5300m) the following day was a real joy. It was to be the camp for our two days of climbing - one towards Base Camp (5335m), the other another peak in the vicinity - Kalapathar (5545m). We barely ate a bowl of soup each here, but still launched our assault on Kalapathar straight away that afternoon. We reached the top in three hours and sat and looked down towards Base Camp and across the Khumbu Glacier towards Everest (Sagamartha). An incredible sight, and truly humbling to be up there.

Base camp was more of a long and arduous ascent than it was technically challenging. Nonetheless, it had been on all of our minds that this was the 'destination' and so reaching it was an amazing moment. Two of us walked onto the glacier and to stand on something that (in theory) is moving and fluid is quite something. We were surrounded by the summit teams planning their routes, and it was an excellent opportunity to watch some of the Sherpas laying ladders across crevasses on the West Cwm icefall on their way to Camps I and II.

Descending down from there was such a joy and a comfort! We had made it up to Base Camp in 12 days but needed just 5 to get down. All of us were keen for lower altitudes (being able to breathe), hot showers (having a wash) and a beer! All in all it was a spectacular trip, we had: climbed 2 glaciers, spent 17 nights in the Himalayas, seen 4 spectacular sunrises; 3 avalanches; walked to Base Camp (5335m); Climbed Kalapathar (5545m); been inside an ice cave; flown a power-kite at 4200m; eaten 2 buffalo curries; and, to date, managed to raise in the region of £8,500 thanks to very generous support and some of the team are still aiming raising money from their friends and family so we anticipate achieving the fund raising total of £10,000, which will go to support Advantage Africa.

By Chris Lomas on 07/06/07, who amongst other things runs Gumption

Climbing in East Africa

The tallest free-standing mountain in the world, Kilimanjaro, majestically sits in Tanzania at the border with Kenya. In April 2001 I went to Kenya and Tanzania with the goal of reaching the walking peak of Mount Kenya and the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. The former was a way of preparing for the latter in terms of altitude.

As our ascent and descent of Mount Kenya was up one side and down the other, we (Anthony Lindley and myself) were faced with an unfortunate situation. We would have to carry all the belongings we had in Africa with us over the mountain. The guidebook we were using for our route advised a 15kg total weight with 18kg as an absolute upper limit. We calculated that on average we were carrying 25kg. Later in the expedition this would prove far from ideal.

We managed to hire a 4x4 to take us to the park gates and having paid the park fees (which at the time were very low), we set off. The rules of the park allowed us to enter without a guide or porters which we were keen to do as it felt far more adventurous than not having to struggle with our rucksacks and in which direction to go.

It was hot and rather difficult to begin with, but as with most new forms of exercise it boils down to settling into a sustainable rhythm of deep breathing to get enough oxygen to our systems - particularly vital at the higher altitudes. The first couple of days were not too difficult.

Our food situation was basically some sort of carbohydrate with something to add some flavour. I remember it being rather salty and combined in the later stages with the altitude, not appetizing in any way. We regularly managed on biscuits and sweets which were unsurprisingly more palatable.

Using four season sleeping bags meant that sleeping was not too cold at all but some of the places we pitched were eerily desolate - not nearly as bad as if we had used the single person tents which have no extra space at all for cooking if the weather is inclement.

The third day, despite it being my turn to have the light pack was a massive struggle against the altitude sickness that had definitely settled in. Each set of nine steps felt like an almost impossible endeavour - but of course there was no possibility of giving in (at this altitude we were not too much at risk as we did not have many of the serious symptoms of altitude sickness). The views and tarns were as spectacular as would be expected and we finally reached our last place to sleep on the ascent. This happened to be a hut where once we again we cooked food that can only be described as revolting - six years on the thought is far from pleasant. There was a chap also staying in the hut who had been there for many days as he was making attempts on the climbing peak. He had previously been training as a doctor in the United States and thought that if he went back to it he would specialise in high altitude medicine. He suggested that we all go to Mount Elgon in Uganda - the rumours that Ebola broke out there were enough to deter us!

Summit day was full of fun with the appropriate photos with flags before we started on our journey down. At one point along our route we realised why people have vanished on the mountain when Anthony suggested looking for footprints as the route was far from obvious. This little blip aside we strolled down feeling rather pleased with ourselves at having overcome excess baggage and the lack of a guide - we were now to face Mount Kilimanjaro.

This mountain presents specific issues for cost (the park fees are extortionate) as having a guide was compulsory which meant there would have been barely any saving not having porters as well. We arranged to do the mountain over 7 seven days which included an extra night at 3000m to ensure full acclimatisation.

I got the impression that our guide was rather surprised at the ease that we practically skipped up the mountain over the first few days - unencumbered as we were. The route we had chosen was of medium gradient because of the high failure rates over the other ones. This is due to one being too easy to walk up, allowing unacclimatised people to go up too quickly and the other is seriously steep with large height gains each day.

Having porters who doubled as chefs meant that we ate like kings meaning that energy levels were not a problem that we had to face. The last night of the ascent was particularly chilly and the brightness of the day had meant that my eyes needed a bit of a rest, which they got until we emerged at midnight for our attempt on the summit.

It was now snowing and we realised there issues that are brought about by several groups ascending at the same time. The person who is tenth in line has only packed ice to walk on whereas the first person has snow (which there all year round on Kilimanjaro). The problem with this was that my balance is not superb and frequently I had to use my hands to keep me safe - crampons are not used on this route possibly negligently as we saw our guide's trusty umbrella vanish from whence we came. The gloves I was wearing were fleece not waterproof (at Anthony's suggestion - to be fair to him he has amazing balance and that was really the issue), so while the other groups were struggling with altitude we had trouble with the cold. Even when we relaxed entirely we had full body shivers - it turns out that many layers of technical rowing kit were simply not enough. Anthony had cold feet and ascribed all his temperature problems - but they were nothing to what occurred later.

The final part of the ascent was tiring but that was quickly forgotten once we had reached the summit. After the initial elation of success and the sight of the peak of Mount Kenya where we had been mere days before, I thought I should check on my hands. The right one was cold and stiff but not obviously too damaged. The left was simply frostbitten. The glove off, I was greeted by a hand that was yellow, swollen and would barely move. My guide kindly gave me some dry gloves and after the obligatory cheesy pictures we started to descent.

There was still another night to go in the park and my enormous, swollen hand has covered in blisters which I lanced and drained but filled again overnight! My fingers were rather dead looking. Once we were off the mountain at the edge of the park and had dealt with ungrateful porters and their tips (who had often been very slow - remember we had not been keen at all to have them in the first place - and quite possibly had damaged our tent), I pottered off to a clinic.

It looked like it was stuck in the 1950s - wooden surfaces being notoriously difficult to keep properly clean, but the staff were very kind. Using my needles they took all the skin off my blisters an then put some sort of antiseptic on the wounds which hurt as would be expected. I as bandaged up and had to let the lymph drip out for days.

Disasters with hands aside (which still plague me), the mountains were such fun and we especially enjoyed the new encounters with tests of mental and physical strength. Go as soon as possible as if these areas ever get as busy as the Inca Trail in Peru the experience will probably not be as good as it could be.

By Pip Bennett

Travelling Africa - By Car

Travelling Africa by car offers its own advantages, excitements and pitfalls. The freedom to travel where and when you like is a huge advantage in countries where public transport is makeshift and timetables anathema, particularly if you want to fit in a lot in a short space of time. (When I took a trip around Southern Africa, I managed 7 countries in two months.)

The biggest advantage, however, if you can get a 4x4, is going off the beaten track into areas that you really won't find out about properly in a guidebook. In countries, such a Mozambique, tourism is only really just developing (there aren't any proper up to date guidebooks to the country out at the moment). What you will be told about in detail are the few resorts or towns which pack in the backpacker buses that do go round to a few of the same hostels. With a car, you can shop around, find something better, and go to some of the many places the buses pass by. The downside is that many if these less frequented areas or towns show it: there is often not much to be seen other than dusty tracks and the same kind of village after village. However, the journey alone can be worthwhile and it certainly makes for better stories when you get home!

The biggest disadvantage is clearly the hassle. Certainly, it is harder to organise than bussing round and using local taxis and other transport requires almost no pre-planning whatsoever. However, if you use a reputable rental or buy-back company much of the paperwork is done for you. One particular issue is borders. All will have their own rules about vehicles and as you are effectively importing a large expensive item, they can be suspicious. In countries outside of the Southern African Development Community, there is almost a universal need for a carnet, bond for the value of your vehicle against you failing to take it out of the country again. Rental companies usually won't allow you that far, but buy-backs will help. If planning a one way trip, my advice is, in fact, to end in Europe, where any cost will be lower and officials and laws are likely to be easier to deal with. (I met a Danish guy driving from Cape Town to London, so at least someone else thinks it can be done.)

There is the also the obvious problem of breakdowns. We had several: breaks, handbrake, carburettor, battery (on fire), exhaust. However, we had an old car with nearly 200 000 km on the clock. Buy a newer car and you will avoid these. Otherwise buy from a reputable company - our buy-back firm paid for most of the repairs. Most importantly, buy or hire the right car. Toyota Hilux is honestly the easiest car to fix in Africa (if not generally). Everywhere big, however backward, will have parts. Even if they don't, someone will be able to fix it with something. (One of our exhaust repairs was made by hand from a piece of plastic as we waited when no parts were available, and lasted over 1000k.) Second preference would be Land Rover as many places also have parts, though not quite as common. Don't get any other brand unless your staying in SA, Namibia and Botswana, or not going very far from a big city. Finally, take a large roll of gaffer tape with you. Even without any mechanical knowledge, when something breaks, you can often spot it and tape may get you as far as the next garage.

Practicalities: For shorter trips in only one country, local car-hire is available in the larger cities and popular tourist destinations. See guidebooks for some advice before you go, however, as 'larger African city' does not always mean much in the way of tourist services! Really, the only place to get a 4x4 for any length of trip in Southern Africa is in South Africa, where long-term rentals are fairly cheap. If you are going for more than eight weeks, a buy-back car is probably the best option, all based in Cape Town (as far as I know). I used Drive South Africa, just off Long Street, and Alistair there was very helpful. They'll provide you with insurance, essentials such as spare petrol cans, and extras such as roof tents (very useful) and camping gear if you need. They'll also provide you with documentation to help you get across borders and help you organise a carnet, required for travelling further north.

Buying a car is also possible, but be patient with the paperwork and be prepared for delays in buying and selling at either end if you want a good price - the market is nowhere near as big amongst travellers as in Australia and New Zealand. Also note that you can't take non-4x4 hire cars outside of SA, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia and Botswana and many companies will restrict hire of 4x4's as well. Buy-back won't generally have those restrictions, but the risk is on you and there is usually a big excess on the insurance.

Further north, travel by car is a lot more difficult, with carnets required for travel by car between most countries and other difficulties, notably a requirement in Egypt to join the Egyptian AA! However, I believe there are possibilities for starting in Kenya and travelling around in hired vehicles, and people certainly buy vehicle there, but I don't know much more. Note, for any bought vehicle, it is difficult, and extremely expensive, to sell a car outside of the country it is bought in, with import tariffs sometimes exceeding the value of the car. On that point, also be wary of abandoning you vehicle if in difficulties, as you ay still be hit with the tariff on exit. There is no such thing as a broken vehicle in Africa, it seems.

A few quick tips:

If going from Sudan to Egypt, Lake Nasser can be crossed in a vehicle by hiring a barge. I believe it costs a couple of hundred pounds.
If you feel like taking a trip by sea, rumour has it that if you turn up in Mombasa you and your car can take a pleasant trip, Somali pirates excepted, all the way to Port Said in Egypt.
There used to be regular ro-ro ferries crossing the Mediterranean form Egypt to Italy, but they may have closed down. However, websites on Egypt claim prices can be negotiated in Port Said.
If travelling by car from Mozambique to Malawi, the main road takes you to the west, while the East route is more adventurous. Take neither: go straight up the middle, taking a route round the Gorongoza National Park and north to Caia. Near there you can cross the Zambezi via a disused rail bridge for a payment/bribe of 800 000 metical (approx £16). It's marked on some maps, but not all. You may have to wait a few hours, so get to the bridge early. Then you carry on north up a very bumpy road to the southern-most Malawian border post. Not much there, but awesome journey.
With a roof tent, you can save money and camp by the roadside. But beware of thieves if near large towns (no problem in the countryside) and in countries such as Mozambique, landmines are still a problem.
Zambia now has a 'carbon tax' on cars entering the country. Save some dollars!
For really adventurous trips, get insurance in the UK before you go - quotes are available form specialist firms, though I have since lost the names...

By Jack Holborn on 10/05/07

Polar Exploration is not for the fainthearted!

Click here for more pictures of The Antarctic

Antarctica is a magnificent land of white wide-open landscapes, majestic mountains jutting from her landscape full of rugged tales of exploration. The experience of travelling in the world's harshest environment is a secret that very few hold. To endure first hand some of the challenges that faced early explorers whose heroic expeditions to 'the pole' leaves you humbled. To think what times must have been like when people were truly alone is beyond belief.

At the end of last year I led an expedition of 10 people and we skied the last 95 nautical miles or 175 kms to the South Pole. This was a historic distance as this was the point that Shackleton made the decision to save his men, turnaround and head back for the coast.

-44 and the wind chill is taking us down to the over -70 the team are battling with the cold and the doctor comes to me and says that his nose is hurting and he can't warm it up. I take a look and decide that to carry on would mean frostbite, I call the team around and tell them to set camp it is just too cold!

It is a trip of a lifetime and to travel across Antarctica to the Pole, itself in indeed a mammoth feat. Due to the fact that you travel from near sea level and climb up to the Polar plateau you will gain in elevation nearly 10,000 ft. This is a demanding though non-technical expedition and with the right equipment, guides and some training you will attain a goal that less people have achieved than going into space, to reach the most southerly point on earth-the Geographical South Pole.

The group was very fit and they were prepared to ski for 7-8 hours a day, hauling a sled weighing approximately 60 kg over ice that resembles a ploughed field. It is hard going and the bitter cold has already taken its toll on the people who have been less careful with keeping covered up. These exposed areas will blister, discolour and take a while to heal but all will be ok if they are well looked after.

As on all expeditions, success is a team effort and this was a true team and after 12 days of extreme cold, high winds and no contrast which makes navigation almost impossible the group could see the end goal in sight, the South Pole.

Nothing will ever be able to match the feeling you get after being out there,really 'out there' for so many days and then getting the first glimpse of the South Pole Base. It seems to be so close but takes hours of determined skiing to eventually reach it. There is a shining silver globe on top of a barber's pole surrounded by the 14 flags of the original nations that signed the Antarctic treaty and to place you hand on the top of that Globe means you really have made it!

By Jason De Carteret of Voyage Concepts on 23/03/07

Tours

On Packing

The Informal Guide to Women Going Solo

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Women Travelling Alone

Charity Jailbreak

Everest Base Camp

Climbing in East Africa

Travelling Africa - By Car

Polar Exploration is not for the fainthearted!

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