Tricks of the Tirade

Graham Buckley has been climbing hills ever since he was eight. He books his walking holidays through travel agents. He believes there is plenty of choice when it comes to deciding where to go, with something to match everyone's abilities and aspirations. ‘But matching your ability with what you find in a brochure isn’t easy’ he says. ‘What you find is an attractive description but the brochure won't give you a breakdown of the skills required.’ His advice is to get information about the chosen area from the abundant printed material available before starting off. ‘It should not be forgotten that once you are in a foreign country, you may have trouble finding out information if your command of the language is shaky.’ Graham is convinced that people usually pack last minute and as a result take too much gear. ‘I find it’s virtually impossible to take too little equipment,’ he says, ‘unless you forget to take your boots and passport, of course!’

Tom Farley likes to play safe when he books his walking holidays ever since he found himself struggling up a steep mountain that he was ill-prepared for. ‘What I regret most about it is that I ruined the walking experience for the others because they had to keep waiting for me,’ he says. He now asks the travel agents about the area he'll be covering and gives them details about the type of walking he normally does to allow them to match his ability to a suitable walking holiday. Tom is also very careful when it comes to packing his rucksack. ‘If I am flying, I put the rucksack inside a large bag with a zip,’ he says. ‘The people who handle luggage at airports are often very careless and things could go very wrong if you find your rucksack damaged.’ What Tom likes best about his traveling experiences is the chance to use the languages he has learned. ‘Just a few words of the local language make all the difference to a trip,’ he says. ‘People will help you solve any problems you may have if you try and speak their language.’

Peter Sampson is also a seasoned traveler and believes that in order to enjoy a walking holiday abroad it is important to get the essential things right. ‘Your trip of a lifetime could easily get off to a slow start if you don’t arrive in time for the flight,’ he says. ‘Arriving just in time is risky, I did it once and found that someone else had already taken my seat.’ No less important, he says, is working out a plan to carry your cash safely. ‘It is not a good idea to just stuff it in your pocket,’ he says. Peter usually gets on very well with the local inhabitants and makes an effort to respect their customs. ‘Every country has its unique rules that local people live by,’ he says, ‘and you can appear rude if you, for example, wear the wrong sort of clothes. I don’t speak any foreign languages, but I ask local people who speak English for advice in this respect.’

Gordon Monts goes on a mountain climbing holiday twice a year and has so far never been to the same place twice. In spite of his experience, he admits to feeling uneasy when preparing for a trip. ‘I've never had anything go wrong, but I know things can happen, and do happen.’ Just in case things do go wrong, Gordon thinks it is a good idea to keep a record of his passport number and flight numbers and makes copies of all the holiday papers the travel agent gives him. ‘This is a good idea, particularly if you are as bad as I am at looking after your rucksack and things.’ Once at his destination, he spends a day or two studying the mountain routes he has chosen. ‘Even if you have done a lot of preparation beforehand, you need to look at your plan again. There are usually many other people who have already climbed in the area, so I talk to them and get lots of good tips!’