Zone editors Mary Malyon - Overlanding Zone EditorMy name’s Mary and I’ve recently returned from two years living in Tanzania where I worked for a safari company and a newspaper. In October, I’m starting an MA in journalism - I’ve told my parents that this will further my career, but actually I want to be a student for just one more year... then I’ll grow-up, promise! I like marmite, music, my boyfriend, Moorish idols, developing my own pictures, sleeping and New Zealand. I don’t like corned-beef hash, dog-poo, finding myself next to the fattest person in the plane on long-haul flights, painful shoes or being in a hurry. Countries visited Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey and USA Unusual experiences 1. A group of hill tribe children singing The Macarena Song to us in deepest Thailand... so wrong! 2. Surfing in the morning then snowboarding in the afternoon in Kaikoura, New Zealand... if I didn’t live here, I’d live there. 3. Very public loo-stops in Mozambique... privacy pails in significance when the verge is riddled with landmines. 4. Realising that my credit cards had been stolen 10 storeys up a suburban council-block in Sarajevo whilst being shouted at in Serbo-Croat by a man after his cash... I don’t recommend trying this one out. 5. Realising later that central Sarajevo is in fact a beautiful, tourist-free city. 6. Missing my flight from Pisa and having to find a room. On foot, as the buses had finished for the night, I turned a corner and was greeted by the Garden of Miracles - which included the leaning tower of Pisa shrouded in mist and tourist-free. Top five tips 1. As a good Scout once said, be prepared. 2. Don’t try and pack everything in, ticking destinations of your list then moving on. Best to stay for a while and delve below the surface. 3. That said, there’s nothing like the anonymity of being in a place for the first time. No one has any preconceptions of you; you can be anonymous and observe from the background, or meet a hundred new people and show them a side to you that no-one’s seen before. The choice is yours; enjoy it. 4. Be instinctive. There’s few times in your life that your completely free from commitments, so if you see a bus heading to an exciting location - run after it and go. 5. Keep in contact with home. A) They all miss you, you don’t have to gloat but let them know your OK, especially your parents. B) You may be too busy to miss them now, but when you are home-sick messages from friends and family will keep you going; if you don’t write in the beginning though, your inbox will be empty. |     |
Dave Lowe - Sports Zone EditorMe: As a self confessed ’fusspot’ my only real ambition is to not have too much to worry about, so you could say I am fairly easily pleased. Biggest dislike is rude people especially when you don’t even know them because it is so much easier not to be. When it comes to sport I am pretty competitive, like the majority of you guys I imagine, always have been and hope I always will be. Most likely it comes from being part of a group of mates with the same mindset so when we play anything against one other it is rarely just for a laugh. Nothing wrong with healthy competition! Countries visited Austria, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Spain Adventure sports Not exactly an adrenalin junky myself but here goes (all this is from my gap year)........ Sand-boarding, Scuba Diving, jumping off high cliffs/rocks into water.... It had some name (think kloofing) but that is basically what it was, also really enjoyed going on rivers in canoes but there was no white water. Unusual experiences 1. Shark cage diving (although I was really unlucky and only one, small great white turned up). 2. Have ridden an ostrich. Top five tips 1. Take one fat book that you will otherwise never have the time to read. 2. Keep some form of diary, not in a corny sense but I didn’t and now wish I had. 3. Don’t hold back on taking photos because when you are old and grey with a bad memory I reckon they will be useful. 4. If you get the chance to buy something unusual that you like, do so because you might not see it again.....there is a big metal chameleon I wish I’d bought. 5. Spend some reasonable period of time in one place, it is the best way to get the feel of a place/community rather than rushing through. Sports tale If you take a football or anything similar, do not expect to hang on to it for too long, in the end you may be glad to give it away especially if it brings you some peace. When in the Transkei of South Africa my football became the fascination of these two boys who every morning would come into my hut to ask if they could take it to school that day. Every day I said yes but every morning being the polite young boys they were, I was awoken. By the fifth day being lazy and deprived of sleep I gave them the ball just to get myself a lie-in! |
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 Richard Sheane - Expeditions EditorAt the age of 18 I did my first expedition to Kenya and it profoundly altered the direction of my life - before then I had only spent one night under canvas ... and that was in my back garden! I have a degree in biochemistry and a postgraduate in journalism and spent two years after university working as a sub editor for Teletext News. Since that first trip to East Africa in 1997 I have been on a number of adventures to places such as Alaska and New Guinea. In the summer I work as an expedition leader in Kenya looking after gappers, and during the rest of the year I manage a handful of travel-related websites from home. Countries visited Australia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Fiji, France, Guam, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tahiti, USA. Unusual experiences 1. Hitched a ride in an Indonesian Air Force helicopter over tropical rainforests. 2. Dived with Great White Sharks in South Africa (from the safety of a steel cage!). 3. Had an archery competition with 'Stone Age' tribes in Papua New Guinea. 4. Talked my way through the world's largest open cast gold mine. 5. Eaten goat’s testicles (tastes like chicken fat!). 6. Pulled a Japanese mountain climber out of a crevasse. 7. Maintained the news section of the Prince of Wales’ official website! Top five tips 1. You can never have too many baby wipes ... or rolls of gaffer tape! 2. Stash a pot of 400mg ibuprofen in your first aid kit for pain emergencies. 3. Take a luxury item with you for those days when you feel a bit low. 4. They say an army marches on its stomach - well so does an expedition team, so makes sure you have good food! 5. Expect delays & setbacks - try not to get frustrated. 6. Keep a diary - it can be a chore at times, but they’re great to read months/years later. 7. Try and speak the local language a little - people always warm to you if you try (even if you pronounce everything wrong!). |
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 Stefan Watts - Study Options EditorAs a very naïve 19 year old I spent ten (fantastic) weeks travelling around South East Asia en route to Australia were I started an international business degree. Saw more of world during the Oz to UK trips. Lived in Australia for a few years...couldn’t find anyone to marry me so returned to Blighty and now run Study Options which helps students wanting to study overseas. Love travelling, meeting new people and like to think of myself as a bit of a karaoke king! My ambition? To set up a charity providing help and support to the homeless. Countries visited America, Andorra, Australia, Bahrain, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Wales. Unusual experiences 1. Seeing a four foot shark when I was snorkelling in the Perhentian Islands, Malaysia and deciding that I would follow it! (Luckily it was too fast and got away!) 2. Being told by the Australian Immigration Department, 'leave the country and return on a different visa or go home,' I was 19 and had only been in Oz for a week! I went to Malaysia for ten days and returned on a working visa. 3. Did volunteer work for ‘Missionbeat’ in Sydney. This involved driving around the City picking up alcohol and drug abusers and taking them to a hostel or hospital. A massive eye opener and an experience I will never forget. 4. Persuaded a shopkeeper to drive us from the East Coast of Malaysia to the West overnight because the coaches didn’t leave for two days, he turned up in a car smaller than the old mini...somehow four people were able to squeeze in! Top five tips 1. Make an effort to speak to anyone and everyone you meet on your journey - traveling is a fantastic learning experience and one which will remain with you for the rest of your life, you may visit the most amazing places but it’s the people that make the experience complete. 2. Spend time on your own and get to know yourself properly, you are your best traveling companion! 3. Make sure you keep in touch with family and friends back home; an email here and a phone call there goes a long way... you know how mum worries! 4. Have a rough idea of where you are going but try not be stick to a rigid plan, be prepared for that itinerary to completely change as you step foot in a new place which you had not even considered going to! (or maybe hadn’t even heard of) 5. Enjoy! Live life and love life. |
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 Livi Ruffle - Book Zone EditorIt is a universally acknowledged fact that I am an oddball, and it's a talent I've perfected. My ultimate aim is to die and go to Heaven, but in the meantime I mess with computers, find any excuse to jump on a plane, think deeply about sentence structure and tell mathematical jokes that naturally, no-one else gets! Annoying things include illogical reasoning, people not doing the washing-up, and temperatures below -30C... My motto is "having the right to do something does not mean you are right in doing it." Wise words indeed, from GK Chesterton. Countries visited Austria, Andorra, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Malaysia Malta, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore Spain, USA, Vatican City, Wales. Unusual experiences 1. I’ve lived in a convent. 2. I’ve skated on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa. 3. I’ve gathered a collection of Missals in different languages. 4. I’ve been offered a "modelling contract" (read - a door into child prostitution) when I was 5. Top five tips 1. Always take a book! 2. Make the effort to speak the language - it gives you a real insight into the culture. 3. Don't be afraid to be alone. 4. Think outside the box and poo-poo the hoardes - use your gap to do something worthwhile, something that YOU really want to do. 5. Did I mention you should take a book? |
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 Miles Jackson - Diving zone EditorHi I’m Miles, 22 years old and currently extremely bored in my delivery job. I’ve been told I’m so laid back I could fall over, but I guess that’s what you get after living on a beach with Fijians for 2 months on what they call ‘Fiji-time.’ I have always been open to new challenges and experiences and after learning to dive, I found myself studying Oceanography, but Southampton was a far cry from the beautiful waters of Fiji. Now all that’s over, I can’t wait until my bank account starts being positive again, then hopefully I’ll be able to start my adventures again! Countries visited Australia, Europe, Fiji, Hong Kong, New Zealand and USA. Unusual experiences 1. Taking part in a shark dive (not a cage dive), we weren’t really expecting to see much and ended up with loads of reef sharks everywhere. All of a sudden though, there appeared huge bull sharks - five of them! Unfortunately I’ve heard the place has since been closed as someone was killed by one of the bull sharks. 2. Rafting down the biggest commercially rafted waterfall in the world. I thought it’d be a laugh until heard 'hold on and get down' as we plummeted over 9m into the pool. It was absolutely awesome. 3. Getting wasted on Fiji’s narcotic drink ‘Kava’. Many of the locals don’t drink alcohol, but instead this kava which tastes as good as muddy water! It certainly chill’s you out, a very relaxing experience. 4. Taking a flight over the Southern Alps in New Zealand. I managed to gain a seat on a tiny plane for virtually nothing and the views and time we had in the air were spectacular. 5. Having a drink with some random guy in Sydney, and still drinking with him by the time we got to Cairns. Hugo was his name and he soon became our travelling companion. We’re still good mates to this day. Top five tips 1. Travelling obviously requires some planning, but allow yourself to be free! You don’t have to stick to your plans, in fact its often more fun doing what you fancy at the time. 2. Keep some form of travel journal or diary. I adore reading mine and rekindling so many memories. 3. Take some books, I managed to read 'The Beach' whilst living on a beach for 10 weeks. 4. Always remember which airport you’re flying from! I nearly missed my flight as I though it was from Alice Springs, but it was at Ayres Rock four hours away! 5. Go diving! It’s an absolute must. |
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