Shopping Centre

Title – Shopping Centre
Date – September 1995
Location - Fiji

It’s amazing what you can buy when you are away travelling. Globalisation is just that, the brands you think you are leaving behind seem to pop up everywhere you go and even the slight changes that used to appear between the same brands in different countries are slowly disappearing.

But not everywhere is it as easy as it is at home, to get exactly what you might be looking for. Ask around and you will normally find someone who knows what you are talking about, but if they direct you to the Shopping Centre, be prepared it might not be quite what you think. Here in Fiji the shopping centre is a little underwhelming when compared with the average mall in the US. Go to the Philippines and you’ll find sprawling shopping centres in the urban areas, but here too there are subtle and not so subtle changes. One mall in Manila I went to had a church right, slap bang, in the middle of it with enough pews for several hundred people; right next door was the local gun shop, where everything you could possibly imagine was on sale and licenses seemed to be optional.

Knowing what equipment to take and what to leave behind can make a huge difference to the enjoyment of your trip and to your budget. Take too much and you’ll have to dump it or send it home and take too little you’ll have to make up the difference when you are away. Beyond The Blue run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops to help you prepare properly for your trip. During the workshop we examine what you should take with you and what is best left behind. We also look at what is available to buy at your destination which might be substantially cheaper then at home and what items you might struggle to find at your destination.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Koala Bear

Title – Koala Bear
Date – August 1995
Location - Noosa – Queensland - Australia

Koala Bears are as Australian as Kylie and almost as tall, they are the epitome of ‘cute and cuddly’ and sit in the top of eucalyptus trees nibbling away at the leaves and bark, their favourite foods. Because of massive over hunting in the early 1900’s and more recently destruction of habitat, their numbers have dwindled somewhat, but go to the right parts of the Australia, such as here at Noosa National Park and you stand a great chance of spotting one.

But is it all a charade? Koalas aren’t even real bears, they are marsupials, like many of Australia’s bigger land animals. As for ‘cute and cuddly’ that too is also a preconception, they are well known for their overly aggressive mating habits and if you come into contact with their teeth or large claws, there is no doubt that you’ll come off worst.

Beyond The Blue run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop for anyone planning to travel the world and realise their dreams. We teach those attending how to act responsibly and safely throughout their trips, learning simple rules such as not to jump to conclusions and assessing risk based on good information and not just first impressions.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Peeping whale

Title – Peeping whale
Date – August 1995
Location - Harvey Bay – Queensland - Australia

Whale watching is likely not only to be one of the highlights of a trip, but can actually be one of the highlights of your life. If you are lucky enough to have one of these close encounters, it will leave you spellbound and with a smile across your face that that will last for days.

This peeping activity of the humpback whales off the eastern Australian coast is believed to be as simple an activity as them having a good look around at the outside world, which is so intent on looking in at it.

Beyond The Blue can not provide you with the tools to prepare you for the shock that will hit you when a Humpback breaches or pops it head out of the water only meters from you boat, no one can. However our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop can help you get there safely and with the tools to enjoy your experience with more confidence.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Wabby Lake

Title – Wabby Lake
Date – August 1995
Location - Fraser Island – Queensland - Australia

Wabby Lake is famous for the fine sand dunes that lead down to the iridescent blue lakes in the middle of Fraser Island, the world largest sand island off the east coast of Australia. Despite the warning signs, a favourite activity is running and rolling down the dunes into the refreshing water.

The warning signs are there for a reason, the water may look deep and refreshing but it is actually deceptively shallow and this activity has resulted in several people breaking their necks on impact with the shallows.

Warning signs can be obvious, as in this case and simple common sense goes a long way, but many warning signs are not so straight forward. The Beyond The Blue, Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop examines warning signs in many forms and helps candidates attending learn how to behave and react to these warning signs, once they have learnt to identify them.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew