Lattitude Blog

If you’ve got a disability then it might sometimes feel that travelling is more hassle than it’s worth. However, having a disability doesn’t mean that you have to cut back on your enjoyment – far from it. Admittedly, some countries aren’t as well adapted to disabled travel as others so it’s important to do as much research as possible before you go, but sensible planning and arrangements will ensure you’ll get the most out of your travels.

When it boils down to it, the best way of getting the most out of your travel experience is to plan well in advance. This way you can really tailor-make every single detail of your trip. Knowing your location, accommodation and the possible attractions you’ll visit will also give your hosts a chance to adapt their location especially for you, if needed. Planning in advance will give you and others time to prepare and make your journey as comfortable and as smooth as possible.

Some specialised travel agents can create tailor-made holidays for those with disabilities that aren’t that much more expensive than standard vacations. However, any high-street travel agent worth their salt will go out of their way to accommodate your needs.

Airlines tend to be well-equipped when it comes to disabled travellers. If you’re visually impaired and require a guide dog, for example, then the EU, North America and Australasia all participate in the pet passport scheme, which means that dogs can board planes with the owner.

What to pack, however, isn’t so easy. “Packing is critical,” writes Tom Nabarro, a wheelchair user. “The number of places you can purchase specialist equipment and supplies is limited. I always have two or more people compile independent lists (or use a previous list) and cross-reference to ensure I don’t forget anything vital.”

But even when you do prepare, very little can be done about differing cultural attitudes in your destination of choice. “I find that in countries where independent living for people with high-level disabilities is an unknown concept, disabled people tend to draw a lot of attention,” says Nabarro. “Occasionally the attention has a negative taint, but usually it’s blatant curiosity, which doesn’t bother me most of the time.”

Admittedly, cultural perceptions are difficult to prepare for, but with some good forward planning you can ensure that your time away is definitely worth the wait!

A recent report by consultancy firm nfpSynergy showed that 44% of 11-16 year olds had been inspired to volunteer through the positive work of the Olympics Games Makers last year. However, there is also evidence to show that this inspiration has not since come to fruition. After the Games, there appears to have been a slight decrease in volunteering across the country, which is perhaps unsurprising after the huge surge of good will over the summer. Once the new academic year started again, it was always going to be difficult to maintain such impressive figures.

Even so, amongst the 2031 adults surveyed by nfpSynergy, a meagre 17% had expressed an interest in volunteering thanks to the Olympics, and only 1 in 50 people were inspired to get out there and volunteer in their community because of it. A disappointing 70% of people had gone so far as to say that the Games had not sparked any interest in volunteering at all. Joe Saxton, who ran the survey, was similarly disillusioned by the underwhelming consequences of the Olympics: “The time to act was right away to build on the momentum of the games and it looks like the government and the Olympic legacy organisations have either tried and failed, or missed the opportunity completely.”

The Government begs to differ, and claims that the results of the nfpSynergy report conflict with those of its own Community Life Survey. The government also plans to contribute £36m to the Centre for Social Action and the National Citizen Service program, which they hope will inspire those who watched the Games and admired the work of its volunteers. The NCS is a new scheme for 16-17 year olds which is officially recognised by the Government. But with nfpSynergy’s survey revealing that volunteering has remained at a steady 22% since 2003 despite the Games, does this mean that they’re doing enough to promote volunteering?

A sizeable 44% of those surveyed said that they would like to find out more about volunteering, which suggests that there is a lack of information on the subject. Public ignorance is once again at the same level as it was before the Olympics – so really, was the impact of the Games Makers as successful as we hoped and expected it to be? Unfortunately, it seems that the answer is no.

The overall message of the Olympics was to ‘inspire a generation’, but these newly released statistics would suggest otherwise. Of course, many charities and organisations took full advantage of the situation, and the figures are not universally bad news. But it is clear that some feel that the Government’s efforts to promote volunteering have left a lot to be desired.

If you are interested in volunteering, why not check out your local volunteering centre or see what opportunities Lattitude offers for volunteering abroad?

A few years ago, actress Emma Thompson announced that her 10 year old daughter Gaia would be taking a gap year before she started secondary school. Somewhat inevitably, this provoked a lot of criticism from education authorities. The National Association of Headteachers claimed that “it [was] difficult to see how the situation can be anything but detrimental to [her] education”, but Emma stood firm despite the frosty reception of her decision.

As education campaigner Margaret Morrissey said at the time, “She might see the world and have a fantastic experience, but she’ll miss an awful lot in a year and will be way behind her peers. A child might not ever properly catch up after a break that long.” Comments about Emma’s wealth also assured the public that this sort of gap year might only be feasible through financial advantage, whereas a typical household would probably be unable to afford such an option.

Gaia eventually completed her gap year but “scaled back” on her original plans of travelling the world for an entire year, instead deciding to spend some quality time with her family and only visiting a few countries.

So, is 10 years old really too early? Ultimately, a gap year serves the same purpose regardless of age. Research has proven that gap years really are hugely beneficial to personal development, and seeing the world at such an early age can indeed shape you more than it will at 18, as your mind is likely to be more impressionable. Also, gap years are not just for 18 year olds anymore, as the increasing popularity of the post-uni and post-career gap year has demonstrated.

But at 10 years old it’s highly unlikely that you know what you want to do with your life, and after all, you are still a child. Emma Thompson described her daughter’s gap year as “a break from education and show[ing] her the world a bit and take a break myself”, so it wasn’t so much a life-changing adventure as a small pause in between a significant life transition. Furthermore, in order to have official permission to leave school, local councils must be reassured that a child will have sufficient education during their absence, so Thompson’s daughter was not missing out on an education whilst on her gap year.

Which, in a way, contradicts the idea that a gap year is an opportunity to take a break from traditional education and to experience life outside of a classroom. Also you cannot ignore the fact that education is compulsory up until 16 so unless there are exceptional circumstances, it would be very difficult for a child of 10 to embark on a gap year. Fundamentally you have to question what a 10 year old would gain from a year out, and whether the same could be achieved from a traditional summer holidays.

So, perhaps, all things considered, 10 years old is too early for a gap year. But when it comes to planning your year out, it’s never too early to start!

It’ll be one of the best experiences of your life, without doubt, but the question is: do you do it all on your own or do you take a friend along with you for the ride?

Go it alone!

For: Aside from the reassuring fact that most volunteers opt for solo adventuring, the wonderful thing about being on your own has to be the independence. This means you can do pretty much what you want to do, and you don’t have to make compromises. Because of this, there’s also a phenomenal potential for self discovery, where you can learn all about your skills and limits as well as getting a clearer picture about your life path. It’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll make friends along the way anyway – if you’re in a volunteering placement then it’s inevitable!

Against: There are some negatives though. Safety is a key aspect; if you’re volunteering with an organisation then this needn’t be a worry, but if you’re travelling on your own then you must stay as safe as possible at all times and keep in regular contact with someone in case of an emergency. Being on your own also makes it difficult in times of emotional need; for example, if you’re pining for home and your loved ones, it’s hard to say this to someone that you barely know. There’s a lot of support out there, of course. But it might be nicer to have a friendly face in this case.

Go with a friend!

For: Friends make everything better. Having an adventure together will allow you to become better friends as well as allowing you to have a constant source of entertainment and conversation. It would be hard to get lonely if you had a friend around and if you are feeling homesick then you’ve got someone’s shoulder to cry on. Financially it may well be a wise idea to have a friend with you as it shares the burden of money managing and overall makes the trip cheaper for you, as well as having an extra pair of hands to do any chores!

Against: The downsides to this, however, are obvious: human beings fall out. Even if you considered each other best friends, it’s still perfectly natural to fall out once in a while and annoy each other. People work through issues like this every day, but it may well start to interfere with your overall experience at some point. Fundamentally, though, a gap year is all about learning new things and with someone from home with you, it might feel as though they’re dragging you down and you can’t experience as much freedom as you could otherwise.

At the end of the day, there are many reasons for both and there’s no obvious answer. It’s entirely up to you who goes (or doesn’t go) with you, but ultimately you have to question what you want out of your gap year and how you’re going to achieve that.

Okay – you’ve got a great deal with your flights and your various hotels, but when you actually go abroad, it’s easy to fall into every tourist trap going and spend your money left, right and centre. It’s no secret that we’re all still trying to cope with the credit crunch, so here are a few tips to save you some precious cash whilst you’re on your travels.

1) The customer is always right…

…but they don’t always read the small print. If your flight is delayed, your hotel has let you down or even if the airline’s lost your luggage, you’re entitled to transfers, alternative accommodation and sometimes compensation. So instead of forking out your own money for others’ mistakes, make sure that the airline or hotel company goes out of their way to give you the best customer service possible.

2) Book in advance as much as possible

For instance, booking a hostel weeks in advance will not only give you peace of mind and save you a lot of wandering about, but will most likely save you a heap of cash. It’s plain common sense to book your flight as early as possible too, but also check advance bookings for trains. Unfortunately only the UK offers the 16-25 railcard scheme, but most countries will provide discounted tickets for young adults (typically under 26’s) and some even do group discounts, which means you can save even more.

3) Converting money

To get the best deal for your money, shop around. Airport bureau de changes are notorious for bad deals, so do your research and get your money sorted in good time. If you want to be really savvy, then insist on currency in low denominations – as “not only are these less susceptible to forgery (if someone is going to make counterfeit currency, they usually aim high, you also avoid the ‘sorry, no change’ argument beloved of taxi drivers and other traders,” writes The Lonely Planet’s Tom Hall.

Being in a new country with new money can be pretty overwhelming, so get clued up on the value of different banknotes before you go too.

4) Go local

In big cities, it’s pretty well known that the cheapest food is going to be found either in local markets or on the back streets. Restaurants can also be very sneaky when it comes to adding extras to your bill without telling you, so if you’re on a budget, go off the tourist route and live like a local. This way you also have the bonus of experiencing the real culture that your destination has to offer as well as saving a few pennies.

5) Budget!

If you’re really watching the purse strings then keep a record of your expenditure, or set aside a daily budget. Online banking can be particularly useful if you’re keeping close track of your money. (Cheap apps such as MyTravel’s Travel Buddy are designed for tasks like this if using pen and paper isn’t your thing.)

Admittedly, there are some costs that you can’t always save on, such as insurance and healthcare. But using your common sense and following a few useful tips will help. Who knows, with all that money you save, you might be off travelling again in no time…

The Wairarapa is a great area with lots to see and do and it’s such a nice area to take pictures!!! Solway college is directly next to the solway show grounds which seams to have a few events happening on it and so far I have been long to the A&P show which was a bit like the Stocksley show i usually go in Yorkshire with lots of cute animals! It was a fun afternoon watching lots of different events and even seeing someone stood on 2 houses while jumping, but Mostly I really did want to steal a piglet or a duck!! Although it is quite difficult to get around without my own transport people are so friendly and offer to take you with them when they go anywhere! There was a centenary celebration on at Castle point beach and we managed to grab a lift of a very kind teacher from solway. We even got coffee and scones when we arrived at the beach. Was a particularly windy day but had a great time, running up The Sand dunes, watching some live music, walking up to the lighthouse and even ended up meeting up with another teacher and getting a full picnic . After a great day at the beach we set off back to Masterton but not before stopping off for a cup of tea on the way back in someone’s house!!

Solway college is a great pace to be and I have been able to do lots of different and great things . Solway had there Founders day which was a swimming sports day, (basically a day sitting enjoying the sun and writing down a few swimming times) and another few similar days since watching athletics too! The food here is great and I have been told I arrived at a perfect time as the caterers just changed and the old food was bad!! Most of the food in NZ is the same as we have back in the UK with only a few differences. Masterton is small but nice, not been for a proper shop yet but managed to get s bargain already and buy jandles for $2 (flip flops).

I enjoyed castlepoint beach so much that when there was another event on (house races on the beach) we went along when a friend came to visit from Marton! The weather was fab and so after enjoying our little picnic and even a win on the house races we went for a walk up to the light house and to castle rock and took some interesting pictures! Back at school It was nice to actually cook and although very odd after hours in the school food tech room, it was fun cooking and we even found some candles to go with our meal before finishing the day off with wine and card games. We managed to fit a lot into the Sunday having access to a car does make thing a lot easier!! we first went along to the Martinbourgh farmers market which was at a wine yard and may have tasted some gin and wine (even enjoyed some red wine). Back in the car we headed to New Zealand’s Stonehenge Aotearoa, was quiet and so being the only people there got to take some fun photos, and even found that our star signs are wrong :s. just over the road is a very interesting old house creatively named the ghost house and you an walk up to it for a look (don’t think i would in the dark).

It is amazing how much there is to do in the Wairarapa, and considering this is my home for 6 months I want to see as much as possible in my local area!! On a Monday off school one of the teachers took us to Cape palliser, to see the panicles, the lighthouse and the smelly but very cute seals. The pinnacles were fascinating to see and its amazing how they have formed. The walk up was quite steep but really nice and didn’t take too long. 240 steps i think i counted up to the lighthouse (but I may have miss counted :s!), and it was a great view from the top out to sea. We had a picnic by the sea and then climbed the rocks to get really close up to the seals for some good photo opportunities!! The weekend after we were able to go along to Mount Bruce to see lots of amazing native NZ birds! Although $20 to get in, they do have a great selection of birds to see both cadged and out in the wild! Getting to see my first kiwi bird was great and they even have a very rear white kiwi which we saw having a nice time rolling around in the dirt . They do have kiwis in the bush at mount Bruce but on out walk up which takes about an hour we dint see any. We did see lots of kaka birds out and about though and when we went along to a kaka feeding they just came right up to you and one even jumped on my arm to grab some food!!

After not being able to play golf yet since arriving in NZ I went up to the driving range and discovered even with some random clubs I could still just about strike a ball at the Solway driving range. Although public transport is rubbish here there are a few buses on a Saturday to be able to visit the near by towns! And so have been able to visit Grey town which is very popular with Wellington people as it has some really lovely cafes and shops. I especially enjoyed the cobble stones museum and the amazing chocolate factory shop which is most famous for its chilli and lime chocolate. although $10 to buy I did ave to get some after tasting every other flavour available including curry and popadom (which was surprisingly nice).

I think one of my favourite event in the Wairarapa has been the Balloons festival. And i must do if you find yourself in these parts in march time!! The events lasted over a few days and I was able to go along to the very early start at Henley lake to see the splash and dash event. The ballots looked quite cool over the lake and it was a great photo opportunity with the sun rising in the background! I was also able to go along the night glow event which was basically the hot air balloons performing a light show to music and was just amazing to watch!!

Facebook competition winner

We recently ran a competition on Facebook asking entrants where they would most like to go and why. There was some fantastic and very inspirational entries so picking a winner was difficult. However the judges decided that Louise, showed a particular enthusiasm and passion for the Amazon and so awarded her the prizes, her answer is below:

“Ever since first watching a program about the Amazon rainforest when I was around 13 years old, the awe it left me with has meant I’ve always promised myself to travel there some day. The combination of its sheer size, covering about 40% of the South American continent, making it the largest rainforest on Earth, and its assortment of ecosystems, consisting of a range from natural savannah to swamps, has lured me in to establish a huge desire to explore and discover this hidden world for myself! Growing up in a built up town area has only amplified my interest in the wonders of the environment around us. From spending nights camping out in the garden to watch the stars, to spontaneously taking myself off to South Africa to work at a conservation park, my ‘travel bug’ is already growing, and I would love more than anything to take myself off to the Amazon Rainforest, whether that’s in Ecuador, Peru or Brazil, to immerse myself among the vegetation and animals, experience the breath-taking views, glide across the Amazon river, and meet the people who know this awe inspiring haven as home.”

 

Congratulations Louise, your fantastic gap year goodies are winging their way over to you now!

As you no doubt know, European students have been taking gap years for around forty years now, but on the other side of the pond it’s quite different. Americans have really only just discovered the gap year phenomenon and it’s still trying to find its feet. Why?

Although college can be relatively cheap for international students in America thanks to generous scholarships, the same can’t be said for home students. We all know there was uproar when the coalition decided to raise tuition fees, but that’s still a bargain in relation to American universities. A year of college costs around $20,000, and for a four year course, you’re looking at a very hefty price tag.

With such huge costs, gap years don’t really appeal to American parents; they’re already forking out a lot of money so letting their child explore the world for a year incurs even more costs. Gap years don’t have to cost a fortune, and the rewards you gain from travelling are invaluable. But understandably, parents don’t want to think about the mounting costs of their child’s lifestyle.

Over here, an average 7% of UCAS applicants choose to defer their enrolment every year, and usually universities don’t have a problem with candidates taking a year out. You can gain valuable experience and widen your perspective which will ultimately benefit your studies and you as a person. However, it’s a different matter in the States – only 5% of universities offer the deferment system. In 2010, of the 300,000 students applying to university in the US, a mere 1.2% opted to wait a year before attending.

It’s interesting to note that the biggest endorsers of gap years tend to be the most popular universities in America, rather than smaller colleges. “Princeton University has just announced a new program called the ‘bridge year’ that will allow newly admitted students to spend a year performing public service abroad before beginning their freshman year,” says Danielle Wood, Editor in Chief of Education.com. Although not strictly a gap year, the function is the same; to enrich your life and garner as much experience as possible before your studies.

Wood makes the following comparison: “Sending a kid who’s not ready to college is like sending a kid who’s not feeling hungry to an all-you-can-eat buffet.” It’s a good way of looking at it. Not everyone will feel ready to go to university, and this is something we seem to have recognised and embraced here in the UK. But why are they so slow on the uptake?

Perhaps it’s because it’s not the normal route to take, and there’s fear attached to going off-course. Parents may think that because college costs so much, it’s not ideal to volunteer abroad, where you’ll be earning little or no money.

But at the end of the day, can you really put a price on self-discovery, experience and memories? Probably not, and only time will tell if the Americans catch on.

Me and the rest of the Entabeni team decided to something a little for Easter Sunday instead of the normal Sunday activity’s. So we had a good old Sunday roast with a full roast chicken, roast potatoes the works!! So we cleaned the house top to bottom, moved the dinning table into the sun room so had the amazing view of the valley at sun set. It was fantastic, the food was great, except the Yorkshires that were more like scones ahaha!! And it was all topped off by everyone playing some dinner games! It all made for a remember-able Easter!

And the fun doesn’t stop there, on Monday we are all going to St Lucia in eastern SA for a week for staff training and a bit of relaxation.

Till Next Time…

Thinking about travelling abroad but don’t know whether to go now or after uni? You’re not alone. As Lattitude’s Marketing Coordinator, my job partly involves attending careers events and talking to young people about gap years and volunteering abroad. Over the past couple of months I’ve noticed the “before or after” question cropping up more and more frequently. So when is the best time to take a year out? Personally I took my gap year before university, but as a charity we send 17-25 year-olds abroad to volunteer and I know lots of people who have travelled since graduating… so the truth is, that there is no “better” option. However, if you’re still struggling to decide, a good old pros and cons list never goes amiss.

Before uni benefits:

1. Have a break from studying and exams before embarking on another three or four years of academic work.
2. You can get all your travelling urges out the way before it’s time to grow up and get a proper job. After graduating you might feel the pressure to get a job straight away, so could end up abandoning the gap year idea altogether.
3. A well-planned, structured gap year can boost your personal statement and help you get more uni offers. It will also help your CV stand out, which can help you gain other work experience while you’re at uni.
4. Finance: you may think you’re poor now, but who knows how many overdrafts you’ll have accumulated by the time you graduate?
5. If you’re not sure what you want to study or what kind of career you’d like to pursue, a gap year can give you time for reflection and sampling a variety of jobs, such as teaching, care work or medicine.

After uni advantages:

1. You’ll be more mature in three years time, and you’ll probably have more of an idea of what you’d like to do in the future, so you can be more selective when deciding what to do during your year out.
2. You’ve just done your A levels and you’re still in the swing of working academically. After a year in the “real” world you might struggle to get back into life as a student.
3. If you’re savvy, you could get a job through uni and use the leftovers from your student loan to fund your travels.
4. A post-uni gap year will give you more recent experience of living and working abroad, which employers will value.
5. With no degree to study for after your gap year, who knows where you overseas experience will take you?

Still undecided? If in doubt, it is always a good idea to contact the universities and departments you are applying to, to see if their opinion on years out helps you make up your mind.