Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Jun 9

You might be dying to climb a mountain – but you don’t actually want to die!

Altitude sickness can be avoided by a number of simple steps – but sometimes the desire to take part in a high-altitude event or to achieve certain goals can make us overlook the dangers of trekking or climbing in high altitudes.

Anything over 10,000ft can be considered ‘high’ and so trekking in the Andes, Himalaya and certain African peaks could cause potential problems.

So make sure that you are aware of what to look out for when trekking or climbing for fun or in competitions, to make sure that you stay healthy and actually enjoy your vacation.

Signs Of Mild Mountain Sickness:
The most obvous things to look out for in yourself and colleagues is a headache and loss of appetite.

These can also be signs of dehydration or other abdominal illnesses – but it is always worth assuming that it is the altitude as you are at a great height. By all means treat for the other symptoms (more water/simpler food) but stop climbing for a while, slow your rate of ascent to your slowest walker, or descend at least 500m and break for the day to be sure.

If you ignore these signs and continue walking, keep an eye on that person and look out for nausea, vomiting, chest discomfort and a general slowing down of their walking. If they get any of these and still have the headache – STOP, and ideally descend as far a you can and don’t ascend anymore until the headache has gone completely.

If you have missed all these symptoms in yourself or a colleague – then you are about to enter the really dangerous part. At least 1 in 10 mountain climbers die every year through mountain sickness – so this is no joke. And hiding your symptoms from your friends may have got you this far – but it is now up to your friends to save your life.

Do you trust them?

Signs Of Serious Mountain Sickness:
Sometimes you may have overlooked or not even got any of the above symptoms – but the signs listed now are unmistakeable and cannot be anything else.

Action must be taken immediately if you recognise one or more of these symptoms in yourself or a climbing friend – and the only action that can save you is to get to lower altitudes – and fast!

First thing will be that headache again – it will be really bad and just won’t shift! It won’t go away as it is the pain of your brain swelling up inside your skull. And the swelling won’t stop until you are lower.

The effect of lower oxygen levels affects the internal workings of your body no matter how fit or young you are – and the fitter you are, the faster you may ascend and so are more likely to suffer from these symptoms!

These bodily changes could also cause fluid to build up in your lungs which can lead to breathlessness, coughing and frothing up blood – and you could drown from this build-up.

Other less specific symptoms will result in a change in character of the person and include mood changes, decreasing speed or ‘fitness’, increased nausea and vomiting, disorientation or ‘drunk’ behaviour, drowsiness and even hallucinations.

But these symptoms can cause the victim to think that they are ‘fine’ and they may tell you to stop worrying about them, they may even get quite angry that you are fussing over them – but you must persist in getting them to a lower altitude if you want them to survive.

And this means as soon as possible. So if it is dark and/or dangerous to do so yourself – then call for help, don’t wait until morning as this could be too late.

Altitude sickness only goes away if you get lower down the mountain – so get down the mountain!

posted by Travel Cat on Jun 4

If you are travelling to a high-altitude location – you should read up on its possible effects.

There are different atmostpheric conditions the higher up you are from sea level – and sometimes your body just decides that it can’t cope with the extra pressures put on it but the thinner along with your extreme physical activities.

Some people show no symptoms at all, others get really ill and some may even die – so it is essential that you can spot the varying and not always obvious symptoms – or know how to avoid then in the first place.

There are many guidelines for climbers or people travelling to the world’s mountain ranges for vacations – so if you ignore them – you really should expect trouble.

And annoyingly – you may be fine at altitude for one trip – but get very ill on the next!

photo credit: Lee Coursey

How To Avoid Mountain Sickness:
Firstly read up about what causes it – then you can put all the advice into perspective.

It’s ok to think that ascending too fast can cause it – but if you don’t know what the recommended ‘fast’ is, you won’t know whether you are still ok. And sometimes, the weather conditions can make you think that you need to ‘keep going’ to reach a suitable camping location rather than thinking of the possible effects on your body.

When you add this to the fact that altitude sickness can cause a change in character and confusion – you can see why avoiding it in the first place is essential – otherwise you will over-rule all common sense and walk to your death!

So, aiming not to climb to fast or too high in one day is essential; aiming to settle for a shorter distance or a less-than-perfect campsite rather than just keeping going in times of trouble is advised; and never trekking above 10,000ft alone would really make sense too.

And be ready to change your plans at a moments notice to descend as far as you can before the symptoms get worse. Always plan for emergencies – reaching your destination in ‘record time’ isn’t worth a friends life.

1 in 10 mountain climbers die each year from altitude sickness.

The Height Barrier:
You need to be over 10,000ft (3000m) really for any signs of altitude sickness to kick in – and you need to be active. So if you arrive at anywhere near these altitudes by anything other than walking you need to take it really easy for at least the first 24 hours.

So if you are travelling by train or plane to anywhere over 10,000ft – like Cuzco, La Paz, Mt Kenya, Kilamanjaro and anywhere in the Himalayas you should be thinking of the potential problems. Even flying into Denver at just over 5000ft can make people unwell – so plan ahead.

Add an extra day into you trip for this acclimatization period – maybe 2 to be sure. There is no point starting out if you aren’t going to be able to complete your trek or climb. If you take a ‘sick’ person with you, it could mean that the trip is ruined for everyone – not just them.

So read all the literature – no matter whether you have been to another mountain range before. Refresh yourself of the problems and symptoms and make sure your climbing friends know them too – as you might need them to save your life!

posted by Travel Cat on May 17

Indiana Jones went there – and so did Sinbad; so why not you?

This city is like no other city in the world! There are many great Italian cities, Greek Cities, monumental buildings and other abandoned cities across the globe – but Petra is something else entirely!

Petra literally means ‘rock’ and that is so apt for this city which is carved into the bedrock of the cliffs. Rather than cut the cliff in pieces and make ‘bricks’ to build a city elsewhere, they just hacked away at the cliff faces to make their homes and buildings right there in the rock!

Some of them have very elaborate fronts and others were very simple dwellings, right in the crevices of this gully between higher land – for added protection from the weather and marauding horsemen. Well you couldn’t see the city unless you walked right past it!

photo credit: guillenperez

The City Of Petra:
Known to be in existance in an early form around 1550BC – this city has grown and changed along with the Rulers that came and went in this area of the World – I mean it is even thought that Moses passed through here during Exodus!

The Greeks, Syrians, Egyptians and the Romans all came and went – leaving their mark somewhere in it’s very essence. But it was the very Earth itself which ruined the city – after an earthquake.

The city was at a great way-mark along some of the better trade routes – and its ability to catch fresh water from flash floods made it sustainable – but the earthquake broke the channels, dams and storage areas – making the city what it really is – a desert!

Places To See:
Well, after the long journey there – you had better plan your route – otherwise you could end up missing out on some of the buildings.

I know it would be lovely to just wander about aimlessly seeing where you found next – but there is so much to see that you don’t really want to waste time if you are only visiting for the day.

And sometimes that is all you leave time for as you think it is quite small – yet there are over 50 buildings, temples, theatres and monuments to see – and explore!

And if you want to learn more while you are there – you need to factor in the all the reading you will be doing in the visitor centre and guide books!

Other Facts:
The site has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985 and is working towards becoming more sustainable as a tourist destination.

In 2006, it had just under 60,000 visitors in just 2 months (!) but since then local organisations have been trying to reduce the numbers visiting at one time to reduce the pressure on the site of 12,000 feet walking all over it in such a short time! And you won’t be able to see much with all those other people in the way anyway!

Within the site there are also 2 full musuems showing finds from the site and recreating a lot of the scenes from times gone by. Well worth popping in to as well – for a thorough overview of the site.

And, once inside you can hire a camel to walk you around the massive site so you can get from one side to the other in style – well, as much style as a grumpy and wonky camel can offer!

photo credit: happyjed1

The Rose-Red City is one of the New Wonders of the World.

posted by Travel Cat on Apr 27

There is nothing more worrying than finding an injured person – and you can’t help!

Would you know what to do if you came across an unconscious person? Or if one of your party suffered a serious injury? What if a colleague started having an asthma attack – what would you do?

If you see someone close by on the ground unconscious, is it best to go and call the emergency services straight away? Don’t know the answer or said ‘yes’ – then you could have just made the situation worse!

Being the outdoor type – and the adventurous person who likes meeting others and taking part in organised activities – why haven’t you taken a first aid course yet? Wouldn’t you like to know what to do?

photo credit: North West Air Ambulance

First Aid At Work:
Most people wait to be told to take one for work or as part of a new job or volunteering opportunity – but why wait until then?

Do you not want to be able to help your friends and family in an emergency? Do you only want to know how to save the lives of other members of staff or complete strangers who pop into your shop for 5 seconds?

Why don’t we take a first aid course because we know it will save lives rather than because someone else has offered to arrange it all or it is free!

Your Choice:
You can take a first aid course when you are still at school these days – so why are you now in your 20′s, 30′s, 40′s or 50′s and have no idea what to do?

And even if you did learn something at school – it might not apply anymore. Medical advances and the success of current techniques can change how we should react to emergency situations – so it is a great idea to take a refresher at least every 6 months to make sure your knowledge is best applied.

Anyone can join a first aid course – but make sure that it is run by an accreddited body like the Red Cross or St Johns Ambulance. They may cost more – but you know that you will be learning the correct techniques rather than someone just running their own course from personal experience.

I mean, tipping the head back for nosebleeds, laying on your back with feet raised for fainting and putting creams on burns are all out of date techniques and are not recommended anymore.

Things are always changing for the better – so make sure that you are up-to-date with your skills – as 1 thing will never change:

Emergency First Aid Saves Lives!

posted by Travel Cat on Mar 17

If you lost your dog while travelling – what would you do?

Being in a new place is so different for your dog too that the thought of them getting lost or being startled enough to run away doesn’t bear thinking about.

But it happens – and it happens a lot.

So, you need to think ahead, and plan for the fact that it could happen – and then things will run a lot more smoothly if it does.

For example, if you don’t have your dog microchipped then it could take a lot longer to get your dog back than if it just had a collar on. But if your contact details for that microchip only had a home contact number on them – and you are only vacation – then you might never hear that your dog has been found!

This also can be transferred over to different animal collection processes in different countries – as some countries don’t work with microchips – they use tattoes. So your perfectly wonderful chip in your dogs neck won’t even be scanned!

And other countries just round up stray dogs and give you 7 days to find them – otherwise they are rehomed – or worse!

photo credit: pheezy

This Is My Dog!
So, the best thing you can do is clearly mark your dog in the first place. Whether this is with a microchip, or with a securely fitted collar and tag – the more the merrier!

Ideally, you wouldn’t let your dog run off in the first place – but of course we get used to relaxing on vacation and this includes letting the dog run free!

So, make sure that you are super attentive to your dog at all times. Not only could there be new smells and noises where you are, your dog may be a little bit unsettled in new surroundings and after travelling some distance too.

So take it slow and it is better to be safe and have your dog on a leash more than you do back home – as once they run off – they don’t know where they are or where they can go, and to be honest, you might not even know where you are either!

It’s Not Just The Dog Who Is Lost!
If you are in a new neighbourhood or out in the middle of the wilderness – then how can you report your dog missing? You don’t know where they went missing from!

And of course – you don’t know where the people are who can help find him – for example where local vets are, whether there are rescue centres close by – or huge roads!

And how can you give your address as the RV in the free car park outside of town!

Reporting your lost dog become a million times harder now as you are in unknown territory yourself – and you might not cover all the options on your own!

However, there are organisations now who specialise in finding lost pets. Not just pets who have been gone ages – but pets that have just this past hour gone missing.

Rather than you calling everyone you can think of to report your dogs details and all your contact numbers etc – these companies can take your information just once and then instantly distribute it to vets and rescue centres by fax or text.

Within minutes of your first call, all the people you would have had to have found yourself in the telephone listings and then called one at a time would already have your dogs information.

The Solution:
Combined with their knowledge and ongoing relationships with these contacts – they will treat their faxes and texts as urgent rather than routine (resuce centres and vets get several calls every day reporting lost pets).

And you could be reunited with your dog within hours of them running off – rather than the days it could take the old-fashioned way.

Of course – the best way to have your dog with you after a lovely vacation is to not give it the chance to run away in the first place!