There’s no right or wrong answer when deciding what to do. Only you know what you want to do (if you’ve read my piece – Where to go – you’re probably in stitches about now). If I can be serious for a moment, I’m not going to tell you what to do on your trip. You will have far better ideas for how you want to spend your time, what activities you want to do, and how full or relaxed your schedule is. Your itinerary is best planned by you. If you would like to know what I get up to, you can find that all over this website. If you need some tips or advice on an upcoming trip of yours, feel free to contact me directly.

Instead, I’m going to use this page as a general guide on what not to do.

Common sense

A lot of the time, it means not to being an idiot. There are loads of things that should be glaringly obvious things to avoid when travelling. It won’t be limited to what I discuss here, either.

Making mistakes – and learning from them

We all make mistakes. I’ve done it while travelling, as in life. And there are things I’ve learnt from them. My first road trip in Australia was alone, and I ran out of petrol the first night. And water. Realising my predicament when I passed a village which I thought had a petrol station – but didn’t – I lessened the danger by driving slowly for about two hours towards the next town. That time went by very slowly, when worrying about my diminishing petrol and water supply. Fortunately, I ended up just 5 miles from town – although I did have to park up at the side of the road and hitchhike to buy a canister and petrol. It could’ve been a lot worse if I was careless further into the outback.

The point is this; you will get yourself into difficult situations. Sometimes through your fault, somebody else’s, or just bad luck. The most important thing is using your initiative to get out of it and learning from it next time round. Don’t expect everything to go to plan, because it rarely does.

Don’t annoy the locals

Be respectful of local customs and culture. If you’re in someone else’s country, and self-preservation is important to you, I would be mindful of how you behave. Especially if the country you’re in has different values to your home country. This isn’t a debate on ethics. This is a guide to staying safe. With that in mind, while you may get blind drunk on the weekend back home, and feel safe stumbling home, be weary of doing that in a new and unknown location. It’s worth looking up local laws beforehand, too.

Be prepared

Nothing will prepare you for everything you come across. But a little research can help avoid the most common problems you might encounter. If you’re travelling to an exotic destination, be weary of health advice, including any vaccines that are recommended (if you believe in vaccines, of course). Sadly, some cities aren’t safe for tourists to wander with their suitcase in tow – you might as well paint yourself as a bullseye. Taxis are a safer bet in the capital cities of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, for example (not to pick on those guys).

Clean up after yourself

Disheartening is a mild term for stumbling across rubbish left in the wild, in an otherwise pristine environment. Aside from spoiling the view, it can disrupt and harm the plants and animals, while creating a culture that it’s acceptable to do so.

I’ll walk past litter in the city because there’s human development all around – houses, offices, sewers, and, often, a lot more litter. Admittedly, if I cared more about rubbish in cities, I would do more. I will, however, pick up loose rubbish I come across in nature. I don’t see myself as saviour, but it’s a small effort for what is hopefully a big reward. And I expect, by keeping an area clean, it gives the impression to others that it should stay that way.

I don’t expect everyone to pick up others’ rubbish. But, at the very least, don’t leave something behind that you brought in. It’s disrespectful, it’s damaging, and it’s unnecessary. I can honestly say I have never had the urge to throw a drink can out of the window while driving. If anyone reading this has, please let me know how satisfying it is.

So – clean up after yourself. That’s food, drinks, toiletries – anything you bring with you should be taken back out. It’s not that difficult to carry it back to a place you can at least dispose of it or, even better, recycle. If you’re on a road trip, just keep waste and recycling bags in the car.

Wildlife

Don’t get too close too wildlife. For their safety and yours. This probably means no selfies. I’ve been to a national park in Thailand where they were warning against selfies with a crocodile because of a recent biting incident involving a toursit (yeah, extraordinary – not a massive one, but enough for a hospital visit).

The distance to keep away varies on the species (and their size!). To illustrate, I’ve heard 100 metres for a bison. I didn’t want to get closer than that. And even then, I don’t think it’d take long for one to catch up, if you were out in the open plains. There is different guidance depending on the animal. The general rule is stay calm and don’t run. Easier said than done if you’re facing a snarling grizzly.

Always be cautious around animals, even if they appear unfazed or, in your mind, cuddly. And don’t feed them. Animals that associate humans with food may became over reliant and unable to survive alone, or dangerous. Food from humans won’t be part of their natural diet and can be unhealthy.

Finding your way

Don’t go off route, unless you’re an experienced trekker and know the area and terrain well. Try to stick to a path. It’s not always possible, if you find a blanket of snow has made the path invisible. Or mud, floods, or even animals in your way mean you need to find a different route. But on well beaten paths, it makes sense for you to follow the trail, as it’ll often lead to your destination, while avoiding getting lost. Plus, it will be easier to navigate. A dense forest and undergrowth can slow you down considerably and possibly cause cuts or injuries. Very importantly, sticking to a used path prevents further disturbance to the surroundings and important habitat. You may lose some illusion of traipsing through the wilderness. On the other hand, it’ll mean you’re contributing to minimal interference with nature.

Risk-taking

Avoid unnecessary risks and take reasonable care. It’s not uncommon to face potentially life-threatening situations in the world. If you’re in a foreign country, you might not be used to the type of conditions they experience. It’s important to remember weather conditions can change quickly, particularly at altitude. The higher up you are, the more aware you must be – and be willing to change your plans. Pack for all weather if you plan to be out for hours or days. Take enough water and food than you expect to need, in case of detours, delays or misadventures.

One useful tip I have picked up is for driving in floods – it’s worth getting out and trying to measure the depth before driving through – and potentially flooding your vehicle.

Into the Wild

A common example of travellers taking risks was inspired by popular culture, namely, the book and film ‘Into the Wild’. Before it was removed, the ‘Magic Bus’ was a popular attraction for hikers. Found in Alaska, along the Stampede Trail, it had been attempted by many people taking a pilgrimage of sorts to Christopher McCandless’ final resting place. These followers were apparently undeterred by the fact a river on the trail had prevented Chris himself from the leaving the bus, and he eventually starved to death. The flow of the river was much lower when he first went out on the trail, as it was early spring, and the thaw of ice and snow was in its early stages. On his return toward the end of the summer, the river was at its highest and most powerful, preventing him from recrossing. Sadly, there had been several reported casualties from people attempting to cross the river – despite many warnings. The bus was removed to put off people attempting it, as well as the search and rescue missions necessitated by them. I find it difficult to disagree with the decision to do so. It’s now on display in nearby Fairbanks.