Here at i-to-i we’ve recently forged an exciting new partnership with a travel safety company in London. They run 1 day courses to help people prepare for their adventures and we thought it was only right that we tested the course out before we could recommend it to our volunteers, so earlier this month my colleague Jane and I headed down to The Big Smoke to participate in the course!

The day started at 9.30am in the famous Troubadour café in Earl’s Court. After a cup of tea and a chat with the other attendees we headed upstairs to get going! The course was run by Charlie and Heather, both of who have travelled extensively.

The morning flew by in a whirl of useful tips and interesting stories. The course is very interactive and everyone was involved throughout. We covered everything from how to prepare for your trip, what to take, cultural differences and how to protect yourself from crime and what to do if you’re targeted. There were even some fun role plays, which had everyone giggling!

Lunch was included and we were served a delicious pasta with salad and soft drinks, and chatted with the other attendees about their travel plans which made Jane and I very jealous and eager to book our next trip as soon as possible!

After our break it was back to it, and the afternoon’s lesson started with some survival skills – how to tell the time with a stick and coin, how to find your way using the sun, and more! We also had a really useful first aid lesson which – like the rest of the course – was really interactive. Then it was girls’ time! Charlie took the boys to the café and left the female attendees with Heather, who talked us though everything us ladies need to be aware of when travelling overseas. I won’t go into details here to save the blushes of any guys reading, but it was really useful to cover female specific subjects that we may not have thought about before.

After an all-important cake break it was the final question and answer session, and our chance to buy any of the useful kit items that are on sale. Everyone left the course feeling really positive and much more confident about their trips, and we finished the day off with a team drink at the bar!
Both Jane and I really enjoyed the course and, even though we’ve both travelled before, found it very useful. I’d really recommend it to anyone who’s heading overseas, especially if it’s your first trip or you’re travelling solo.

If you’d like any more information or to book up for a course drop me a message or give me a call on 0113 205 0070 and I’ll happily talk you through it :)

• travel
• safety
• first aid
• survival
• culture
• packing
• preparation