Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Jan 29

Michel Thomas Language Series – The 8 Part Course For Beginners.

Format: 8 CDs

Style: This course is completly reliant on you listening to his voice and the efforts of his 2 students. He basis his teaching on ‘No Books, No Writing – Just Confidence In Hours’, so just sit back and listen your way to a new language.

Language: Latin/Roman Script – (My Language: Same)
Have I Tried This Language Before? – Yes, but I have only learnt basic phases – Michel promises to teach you how to use the language rather than just repeat it.

General Comments:
I love it! Seriously – it wasn’t the same old things as all the other language courses.

There was no ‘Hello my name is….’ or ‘I am from….’ or even ‘Where is the tourist office/train station/chemist’, infact we hardly learned any nouns at all.

So how can you learn a language without pages and pages of fruits, vegetables and furniture? With ease! These can all come later as Michel Thomas teaches you how to use verbs to express yourself.

Once you know a verb – you can use it to mean dozens of different things; and use these verbs alongside ‘it’, ‘that’ and ‘this’ and add in a ‘here’, ‘there’ and ‘tomorrow’ and you can say what ever you want.

If you only learn the nouns you can only ask the same question or state the same thing to use any number of nouns (for example ‘I like dogs/cats/cheese’ or ‘I want a sandwich/coffee/room’) whereas I can easily now say plenty of more interesting things like ‘I don’t like that’, ‘I don’t want to go there today’ and ‘Will you buy that for me tomorrow as I can’t buy it myself today’.

It really immerses you in the very heart of the language rather than skirting you around the edges. And although every single thing he said hasn’t stayed stuck in my mind and I get some of the verbs mixed up – I feel so much more confident about the language.

And it’s great to listen to other people trying to learn at the same time as you on the CD – almost like you are in a classroom. That way you can feel that you are doing as well as or even better than the students in the recording – or huff at yourself when you can’t remember the verbs and they say it for you! The number of times I said to myself ‘oh I knew it!’.

There were times when a whole section went over my head the first time, but then I just went back over that section again a second time and more of it slipped into place!

I have learnt so much more than I expected on this course as it is so different from the other approaches that I have reviewed on this site. You really have to try it for yourself.

So if you are bored of the ‘standard’ approach of ordering food and taking directions at the start of every language course; then maybe it is time you tried the Michel Thomas way!

Ease Of Use: 5/5

Result: Finished And Confident

Reason: Perfect Layout For Me

posted by Catherine on Dec 31

When booking your vaccinations – make sure you turn up on time!

Everyone needs to have their vaccinations for foreign travel – as it prevents expensive treatments and days or months or illness.  And of course, if you don’t catch these viruses or diseases – then you can’t pass them on to others at greater risk than yourself.

However, you will be amazed how many people don’t bother to turn up for their appointments – creating a delay in others receiving their boosters and protection.

Vaccinations:

Many vaccinations for travel need a certain amount of time to work in the body before you are 100% protected – so ideally you need to get these in advance of your travel – however, sometimes you just don’t get that much notice.

But what if when you went to book your appointment – they didn’t have any spaces?

Many appointments are left to run empty by people who fail to call ahead to cancel.  It only takes a second to do it – but multiplies up into a huge delay for all those people waiting afterwards.

I know my surgery only offer travel vaccinations 1 afternoon a week with only a handful of appointments each time – so around 15 in total for the month.

Your Jabs:

Now say you were travelling in a few weeks and were told that you had to wait 3 weeks for a space – even though unbeknown to you the first appointment tomorrow is going to be missed on purpose because the person had changed their mind and didn’t think it was important to call as they weren’t going to be charged for it anyway.

photo credit: Daniel Paquet

Of course the surgery can’t be expected to call you at a moments notice and offer the appointment to you instead – so you will have to wait until your appointment even though the nurse won’t be doing anything for that 15 minutes.

There is, unfortunately, no way that the receptionist on the day you called, leave all your details out for the different receptionist working tomorrow morning with a note to say that if anyone doesn’t turn up to call you immediately as you are only working around the corner.

Needless to say, even if you were available at short notice there is no way that ‘notes’ can be left around the surgery ‘just incase’ something happens. 

I mean if they took a note for you – they would have to do it for everyone – and as you can imagine, if everyone thinks that they are a priority the reception would be covered in notes and they would need a whole other receptionist just to be in charge of sorting out all these notes and then calling them all up as and when!

Best Prevention:

Obviously, keeping you jabs up to date in the first place is a great way to prevent these last minute worries – but please be considerate when you are the one unable to get to your appointment.

Just because you are in no hurry to get things done yourself – it doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone else working to a tight schedule at the same time and who could really appreciate you making a decision either way.

Think about when someone who isn’t in a rush to get home stops right in the middle of the shop doorway to check their receipt – even though you are rushing about on your lunch break and haven’t got a moment to spare!

You might not think that all your everyday decisions can be so important to other people you don’t even know – but they are.

So think ahead, and you are helping out a lot of other people without even trying!

posted by Catherine on Dec 20

You can get so much more out of your travels if you are learning along the way!

Say you are volunteering at an animal sanctuary in Brazil, and wetland habitat in India or underwater in Fiji – what could be a better use of your evening than learning more about it all online?

I’m sure that you will get plenty of on-the-job training once you arrive – but you could make that 10 times more effective by studying a related course at the same time – in your own language – and possibly with a qualification at the end of it.

So not only would you come home with 3 or 6 months hands-on active experience under your belt, but also a certificate, a diploma or even a foundation degree under there too!

Why Study?
Many people have their ‘career’ qualifications and experience on the one side to pay the bills - but they often don’t get qualifications or certified experience in their passion.  That’s where short course and diplomas, etc, come in – they boost up your ‘hobby’ into an active skill.

I mean, if you love wildlife – and spend many hours reading about it and wandering through woodlands, mountains and open countryside with your binoculars - this doesn’t translate into any quantifiable experience or application of that passion.

So, if you were to apply for a job in this field - you couldn’t really use “20 years of walking outside looking at wildlife” as a qualification could you?

This is where these short courses online could come in really handy for you.  You could get an actual certificate to prove that you have the knowledge and experience in the field – which could hopefully open up a whole new window of opportunity for you.

Add this new qualification to a few months active volunteering in the field with a well-known college, institute or tour company and you could well have found yourself a new vocational path.

Extra Curricular Activity:
Many courses can also require a certain amount of practical experience and may even have many units based purely on hands-on activities like animal care, people skills or habitat management.  And no doubt you will have plenty of things to use a mini projects if you are actively working in the field.

Rather than the usual things like reporting on a local cat rescue centre, or new supermarket near you, your project could be ‘how building a school in a remote village empowers women and children’ or ‘discovering new species of reptile in the pristine forests of Papua’.

Rather than thinking of ways to add extra information to bulk your projects up to 5000 words of whatever – with all the action around you – you may have a hard job deciding what to cut out instead!

posted by Catherine on Dec 4

Walk your way into the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

We all have many pairs of shoes – but are we thinking about their eco impact? We buy Fairtrade clothes, eco friendly materials, organic cottons and the like – but what about our footwear?

Do you own any shoes that you could call eco friendly shoes?

Probably not. But now there are some on the market that you could buy – and they are by a well-known footwear specialist!

Timberland Shoes:
This outdoor shoe and boot specialist – with a high street name – have come up with the perfect eco friendly shoe and boot which could possibly be a first for mainstream footwear.

And it’s not only the shoe that is eco friendly – the box is too!

Plus – the sole of these shoes is totally natural and reusable – something that isn’t always the case in other eco friendly footwear (where the ‘upper’ is usually holding all the eco credentials!).

Yes – leather is technically ‘natural’ in all leather shoes – but with artificial and damaging dyes, glues and solvents used – they aren’t so good for recycling!

The sole of these shoes is a solid mass of natural latex rather than multiple layers or man-made materials glued together, and is filled with a spongy layer made of coconut husks to act as a natural shock absorber!

And as all 3 component parts are minimally treated – they will all decompose naturally into the environment if they are not recycled into new products.

Their Afterlife:
Not only are they great ecological shoes in the first place – but they have a very eco friendly after life too.

They have been designed to be taken apart into their basic parts very easily so that the individual bits can be used again if possible – for example to make new shoes!

By grating down the latex sole – new soles can be created and the leather can be reused for other products.

The coconut husks are also used for creating their unique ‘shoe-box’ unit that is a sturdy carrier for the shoes – as well as totally biodegradable if left in the right conditions. Being made of 60% husk and 40% latex – these boxes can be used for plant or vegetable trays which when planted out into the ground will naturally break down allowing the produce to root into the soil naturally.

Yes, the traditional cardboard will sort of do the same thing – but cardboard involves cutting down the whole tree – whereas both coconut husk and latex can be harvested while leaving the tree itself still alive and well!

Conclusion:
Well, you can now feel totally at ‘eco ease’ when buying and wearing shoes like this – not only will you eco adventure itself be eco friendly – but your shoes will have had virtually no impact on the environment at all!

Oh, and one last thing – by using the design of their shoes to it’s full potential – you can have shoes and boots in the same package!

Imagine the traditional loafer design with the threaded edge around the opening – now imagine ‘sewing’ on a high top that will instantly transform your shoes into a pair of boots! 

2 eco pairs for the price of 1!

For this new range, Timberland have joined forced with Po Zu – a well established ecological footwear specialist with a whole range of indoor, outdoor and convertible shoes, slippers, sandals and boots!

posted by Catherine on Nov 19

Rather than investing in gold or oil – why not invest in the planet?

When you have some ‘spare’ money – you tend to run to the bank with the best APR or whatever – planning for your future obviously.

But aren’t you forgetting about what ‘investment’ actually means?

If the money at the end of your pension is all you want to invest in – then I hope you don’t mind giving up a few things along the way; like rainforests, rural communities, biodiversity and everything else that we are trying to save at the moment!

What sort of holiday do you think you will be spending all your savings on when you retire in 30 years if the sea levels have risen, all the coral has died, countries are at war over resources and people in the developing world can’t afford to eat?

The Baddies?
Well, that would be you wouldn’t it?  Big ‘Bad’ businesses still need to go on - I mean we still need oil and coal to run just about everything we own at the moment (just think of everything you need that doesn’t need or run on electricity or petrol/diesel)!  So at the minute they are not baddies through choice – but you are.

You can make a decision to spend your money on green and eco investments and technologies – and by doing so you are helping to make the alternatives the new mainstream.  If people want change then businesses will make changes.

We take care to only buy things that we approve of, and check whether it’s sustainable, fair trade or organic – but we seem to forget this all when we use banks! 

Think Ahead:
By asking your bank or financial advisor where your money will be invested – or actually seeking out an eco investment in the first place – you could actually be making your future a whole lot better.

Like with timber schemes.  By using your ‘spare’ money to grow hectares and hectares of young trees for timber you will not only be making a nice return on your investment – you will also be preserving that woodland and the animals and plants that live there and creating a carbon sink (where the growing trees absorb and store CO2 from the environment).  It will also be creating a sustainable and natural supply of building materials as well as a whole host of employment opportunities.

And of course, if you are using this land for wood production – then you don’t need to raid wood from actual forests.  By growing a variety of soft and hardwoods from scratch – you can divert attention away from illegally logging ancient woodlands and raiding pristine forests.

Kerr-ching!

posted by Catherine on Oct 22

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Spring is in the air – and you might not ever have to be again!

One of the largest and most comprehensive adventure travel shows is back on the schedule – and gives you plenty of time to start your own research into your next eco adventure!

If you are thinking about a volunteer Gap Year, a few months independent green travel, starting a career in travel writing or just trying something totally different – then the Outdoor Adventure Travel Show 2011 in London is the place you should really be planning for.

Not only are there travel companies galore to visit, but there are also writing and photography seminars, travel clinics and discount clothing and equipment all waiting in 1 place for you.

Who Can You Ask?
If you are thinking about trying something a little bit ‘new’ or stepping out into the wide world for the first time, then you should really get several opinions on locations, projects and transport from experts.

Not just a travel agent – as they tend to sell package deals and flights only – if you want a real eco adventure or to try out some green travel packages, then you need to speak to the people who specialise in that.

In the same way that a car salesman can’t give you the best advice to drive around the world and an estate agent can only give you a few general tips on how to spot an eco home - a high street travel agent can’t really offer green advice based on experience.

You need to weed out the ‘generalists’ and look for the specialists.

The Plan:
Needless to say – if you just turn up to this event on a whim you will still have a great time and gets lots of great information – but you won’t really be gleaming the best of the best.

As the show isn’t until January 2011 – you have 3 months to get researching yourself.  Find out what possible dates are for travel; which countries or regions you are hoping to travel to – and how you plan to get there.

That way you have a rough plan in mind before you come face to face with the experts!  What if there is a great deal on a trip to Asia – but you hadn’t looked into opportunities in that area before – you might go away feeling like you have to start all over again.

What if you had been thinking about travelling from A to B to C – but then find out that you had the seasons all wrong and it will be the rainy season in the tropics - or the dry season when you arrive at fjords or great waterfalls!

If you have your plan already set out in your head, then you can bend and twist that plan once you have discussed a few things.  If you have no plan at all when you arrive then you could be quite overwhelmed – maybe even coming away from the show with 15 years worth of travel ideas rather than the 6-month trip you were hoping for!

The Dates:
Well, the show isn’t until the end of January, so you have plenty of time to get some of your basics together.

Whether it’s toying with a new language, thinking about a route across the globe or worrying about your carbon footprint – start putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and get some sort of structure to your plan.

Check on the Adventure Show website and see what’s on offer and which lectures or workshops might be of use to you in advance and start to give your eco holiday a backbone.  Maybe even set out a budget in advance and plan to buy the things you need at bargain show prices!

posted by Catherine on Oct 7

Nobody likes paying for a car park – but you aren’t paying for the parking bay!

We seem to get so annoyed about paying a few pounds for a parking space – particularly if we aren’t going to be a long time there – but we should turn this thing on it’s head if we want to be eco about it!

Don’t forget – there is a car park right where you are becasue there is a reason you want to be right where you are – and usually so do a whole load of other people.

It is usually a beauty spot, close to a historic building, the coast, a river, a church, museum, or some other natural or man-made feature which you want to visit.

However, why is that feature still there and so beautiful and clean – and why is that car park there and litter-free?

The Car Park:
Needless to say the car park is there because of the nearby feature – having possibly evolved over time from a grass verge, to a layby, to a proper carpark – and no doubt has been ‘taken over’ by a local group or national company or charity.

So, why do you think it is still there today?

Because someone has been looking after it!  Most likely somebody or some group have been keeping it tidy and litter-free, mowing the grass, removing trees or large hedges to keep this space clear for cars. 

They may well have altered the road-side entrance to prevent car damage on high kerbs or to eliminate congestion or to reduce the risk of dangerous parking on the road or near junctions, etc.

Now, don’t you think that they should be paid for their efforts?  They have made sure that you can easily park close to the castle you want to visit; they have helped keep clear land close to the footpath you want to use to get to the beach; they have put up signs to inform you of the local amenities and historic landmarks. 

They may well have made it accessible for wheelchairs and prams for example – or put in raised walkways, sign posts and even something as basic as footpaths.

Sometimes they are only asking for 50p or a £1 for their efforts.  But for some of the larger sites this could be £2 or more for the whole day as there is more to do there.

The Thing You Went To See:
Now, say that these people didn’t bother to create you a nearby parking space.  You would have to park some distance away from that church or castle, or there is nowhere close by to park at all and so you will not be able to visit where ever you are hoping to go without enduring a really long walk or bus ride instead!

And, some of these beauty spots don’t even need to be open to the public at all!  They may well be on private land where the landowners have granted permission for visitors to park there on the premise that they pay a small fee for the privilege to help maintain the gardens/house/landmark etc.

Basically the reason you want to park here is because there is something close by that interests you and makes you drive all the way to the car park in the first place.

So what harm is there is paying for your experience?  If you want this beauty spot to be here every time you come here – then surely someone has got to pay for it to be maintained and staffed as necessary.

You can’t afford to pay for the whole thing yourself – or look after it yourself – so why not pay a small contribution towards a company or charity that can.

That way – everytime you come here – you get to see something beautiful.

It Was Free Before!
I know we seem to have to pay for everything these days – but that is because we now realise the damage we were doing before by NOT doing anything.

Erosion of land by inappropriate or non-existant footpaths; plant damage by over-grazing – or not grazing at all; damage to buildings or structures where no guidelines or safety information were in place; and all manner of things that were ‘fine’ 20 years ago are no longer deemed so.

And installing footpaths, lighting, information, safety wardens, flocks of livestock, car park attendants, information kiosks, litter bins, blah, blah, blah – they cannot possibly be done for free.

So you may well have been ‘coming here for 35 years’ – but now we are improving the site and correcting the damage from people like you who have been using the site for the past 35 years – possibly without a care for the future.

We Are All Individuals!
Now I’m not saying that everyone who goes anywhere is going to deliberately cause damage – but 35 years ago, no-one in their right mind would even think about picking up their dog poop in the countryside!

Infact even today – when people are paying for the honour of parking so close to a natural landscape like a river or steep valley – they still think it is OK to drop litter!

It amazes me that people still drop litter anywhere anyway – let alone drive all the way to a delightful countryside carpark near something amazing to drop it there.

But then I suppose if they brought a ticket – at least they are paying someone to pick it up for them afterwards!

posted by Catherine on Oct 1

Your dad may well have got something right on those old family road trips!

You know the story – waiting for hours while your dad planned out everything, checked the car over and generally (from your side anyway) delayed the whole ‘leaving’ thing.

However, he could actually have been saving you a whole bunch of time and been protecting the environment along the way?

Planning ahead can really make all the difference to a smooth and eco friendly road trip – and avoid unnecessary waste!

So, maybe it’s time to take a leaf out of his book!

The Journey:
Getting yourself a good map of the main roads from your home to the places you hope to visit is the best starting point.

Not only can you see the quickest route between any 2 points on the main roads, but you can also see any beauty spots or trouble spots before you even think about the journey.

Driving during rush hour also needs to be avoided – but not at the cost of country lanes and the associated extra mileage, gear changes and potential hazards.  Maybe plan the time you travel rather than just the route!

photo credit: YayAdrian

Even knowing where the main services are can save resources.  If you know how much fuel you use over a certain distance than plan to find a services in advance.  If you leave it to low and get caught in traffic or have to follow a diversion – you could then have to divert again and stress yourself out looking for a fill-up!

The Vehicle:
Find out your best driving speed in your chosen vehicle to make sure that you reduce the cost of fuel and add stress to your journey by worrying about be overtaken all the time.  By setting yourself a target speed – you can focus on the journey itself rather than the hi-speed politics of the road.

Also, by distributing the weight in and on your vehicle to best suit the car you can reduce friction and drag on the vehicle making your car move more efficiently and safely in adverse weather or high speeds. 

Find out whether a roof rack is better or worse for bikes than a rear-mounted fixture, or whether luggage is better situated inside the car – like an extra person – crammed in the boot, or spread out over the top of the car in an ergonomic rook box.

If you only have a small vehicle and a long journey ahead of you – then hiring larger equipment when you arrive may actually be more eco friendly than carrying the extra weight of your own things for miles only to use them once!

The People:
By making sure that everyone has a part to play in the journey can make the whole thing easier on everyone.

If you plan to avoid sitting in traffic (or know alternative routes incase) and plan and tell everyone about regular toilet breaks and food stops – then there is no need for that ‘emergency’ diversion looking for services.

Make sure that younger travellers have plenty of things to keep them occupied – or travel at night to avoid added problems.  Ideally keep and adult in the back too; not only can they help with any kiddie-related problems without the driver having to take their eyes off the road or pull over – but you can keep the kids apart for the ride – reducing squabbles!

Also, make sure that whatever helps the driver to stay awake (regular stops, loud music, sugary food) is planned in to the journey and everyone is accepting of that need.  That way the driver won’t feel guilty about stopping and risk going that bit too far between breaks or driving faster to make up time!

The End!

posted by Catherine on Sep 23

Could eating insects be the best eco friendly move you make this year?

When you see those cooked crickets or giant squidgy bugs for sale at the market next time you are on your holiday – maybe you should try them for the sake of the planet!

We all know that there is a food crisis at the moment – what with climate change, food and energy demands and a growing population, but shouldn’t we all try something new if it could do some good without really putting us out too much.

I mean only the most extreme eco advocates would want to give up all their worldly possessions, electricity, fridge, meat, instant communications and go live in a tent with no running water!

The rest of us want to make a difference – but without to extreme an attitude.  And this new concept regarding food could be one of the things you try.

Eating insects may not appeal instantly as an alternative to a fresh salad or some fries for example, but it could be the answer to some of the planets current woes.

Land Requirements:
Farming cows is a topic that isn’t very popular with many people across the globe today.  Not only do they require a seemingly endless supply of land to graze and roam about on – which was possibly a dense rain forest 6 months ago – but they also require supplementary feeding by crops grown on yet more land.

Insects can live in tubs – all stacked on top of each other in the same barn.

Food Requirements:
And this is where it gets sticky – that land was growing crops that could have been fed to humans instead.  Rather than feeding nutritious food to cows (which are basically more food) it could be used to lower food prices and feed millions of humans rather than shipped across to American or European restaurants as prime T-Bone steak for the very wealthy.

Insects require only small amounts of food – none at all for eggs and grubs!

Living Standards:
Cows also need specific land in which to thrive – and lots of it.  If they don’t have lots of it, and are farmed intensively – then they need tonnes of supplementary food (grown on the land the cows don’t have); supplementary medicines and vitamins to maintain optimum health; and more farmers to watch over them incase of injury, trampling or other problems associated with bored, stressed, confined large animals!

Eggs and larvae won’t even know they are in a small space – and need no food either!

In Summary:
Obviously there will be some ‘grey’ areas to insect farming that I haven’t covered in this article – but in general: farming grasshoppers does seem to have the eco edge over farming cows.

Whether or not insect farming on a scale to feed all 6.87 million of us will be achieveable on a local or at least national scale is something we can only aim for – but in terms or land use – this could be a huge step forward!

So, next time you see a local farmer when on your eco travels selling his locally sourced and locally grown beetle larvae – then maybe you should support him in his work (and for not farming something illegal or destructive – or from America!).

Enjoy your lunch!

posted by Catherine on Sep 18

Time To Find Out If A Change Really Is As Good As A Break?

Rather than wait until your vacations to have a break, why not try a few little things alongside your everyday life to make things a little less stressful and a bit more down to earth.

We all get a bit absorbed by the ‘every day’ things than we need to and sometimes just a little pause or a small change can give us something else to focus on a give our bodies a chance to relax and ‘catch-up’ with ourselves.

And why not give these little ‘daycations’ an eco twist!

1) Switch Off:
Literally switch off everything that isn’t your fridge!

This means anything connected to work, the internet, the tv or any music and DVD’s – switch off the lights, the radio, the kettle, the oven – the lot.

Give yourself a peaceful day by yourself or with your partner (as long as they are switched off too!)

photo credit: *SJR*

Imagine the home-made picnic in the park with soft drinks rather than coffees; the walk along the beach with a pub lunch; the evening in the garden reading a good book; and finally – the candlelight bath.

If you aren’t at work or on call – make sure that they can’t contact you for a really relaxing day; same with the social networking – do you really need to know that your distant friend has ‘had a great night out’ or has ‘only 3 more days’ until something they don’t tell you about?

2) Take Your Time:
Just because you have the weekend off, doesn’t mean you have to fill up your days with the boring things that you think you must do – find things you have always wanted to do but were always in ‘too much of a hurry’ to do.

For example; you always drive past that lovely farmers market in town, but then worry about the parking and where you have to be next.  Well, if you are taking a daycation – then go to that market, and make sure you have nothing planned afterwards.  Catch the bus or train in so the parking isn’t a worry and plan to make a day of it so you can really explore the place.

Go alone so that you aren’t tempted to go to places you didn’t really want to go, or keep stopping for drinks, or rush around as they have their own plans.  It’s your day – so do your thing.

3) Try Something New:
Take something small that you have always wanted to do or try and see how you can fit it in.

For example, make a point of going to Salsa lessons just once a week or volunteering at a local organisation for just a few hours a week.  If you plan something then it will make it easier to stick to.

Maybe there is a book you always wanted to read, language to learn, special meal to prepare or whatever – make a date real soon for it – and stick to it.  Once you have done it you’ll wonder what was ever stopping you before.

Many people feel that they haven’t got time for something new as they get home from work tired and feel that just crashing in front of the tv with a bar of chocolate or a glass of wine (or both) is the way they can wind down – but many people really do find that something different – even if really lively – can help you to forget work and feel great about yourself.

There is always more time in the day than you think – you just have use it wisely!