Breakaway Destination Guides (International)

When you're in a strange country and would benefit from a cheap, enthusiastic English-speaking guide to show you the hidden gems, go to the local university and find a student who'd like to practice his/her English on you for $10/hour. Students are easy to befriend. Just stand outside the student centre with a map and ask for directions.

When you're in an off-the-beaten-path town in a less-than-sanitary part of the world (eastern Turkey or western China), how do you find a good restaurant where you know the food will be safe? There may be no decent hotel with a restaurant attached or concierge desk where you can ask, and you can not trust your guidebook, since it hasn't been updated for years. If that's the case, ask a successful local businessman where he takes his out-of-town clients. Ask the owner of a large, clean store that sells modern appliances (washing machines) or, if you're walking past city hall, inquire where the mayor takes visiting dignitaries to lunch.

In a foreign country, when you're trying to blend in, carry a local-language newspaper under your arm - especially in situations where tourists are marked as easy prey (e.g., a Turkish bazaar or an Italian train station). Similarly, when leaving a rental car parked in an area where you're worried about theft, place a local-language newspaper on the dashboard.

Flying with a spouse or friend? Pack a couple of changes of clothing in each other's suitcases. That way, if the airline loses one of them - and these days an unprecedented amount of luggage is getting lost - you each avoid the worst-case scenario of arriving at your destination with no clothes.

If you are planning a flight or a foreign holiday, you need to know that the whole journey is accessible before you set out. A problem on one stage of the journey, such as not being able to find help on arrival at the airport, or not knowing where to go because you can not read the information screens, could ruin the whole experience or even stop you from travelling altogether.

Travelling with a disability is now commonplace and there is no reason why this should pose serious problems if good preparations are made. Adapting to unexpected situations is a part of the challenge of travelling but advance knowledge of facilities available, during travel and at your holiday destination, can be very important. Enquiries should be made about facilities available at your hotel although accurate information may be difficult to obtain. Some organizations and tour companies arrange trips for the disabled to hotels that have been visited and it is known that mobility problems are taken into account.

Particularly if you're heading off the beaten track. Here are a few more Successful Tips for getting around

• Check hotel and medical facilities likely to be available before booking trips.
• A medical check-up before booking a holiday and before departure may be important.
• A doctor's letter to take abroad can be helpful if illness occurs - it should include details of current medications.
• Adequate medical insurance cover including repatriation is important and insurance companies must be told of any serious existing health problem.
• Take ample supplies of your own medications. Medical facilities en route and at the travel destination may be of poor or different to those at home. Familiar medications may not be available and trade names may be different. Drug review by your doctor before departure should pay special attention to diuretics, insulin, hypnotics, H2 antagonists, anti-epileptics, corticosteroid's and possible interactions with anti-malaria medication or vaccines.
• Consider vaccination against influenza in addition to others recommended for your destination.
• Airlines are usually helpful and provide assistance at airports and offer special facilities on aircraft if advised in advance. However this may not be the case with some airlines and at small airports especially in African, Asian and South American countries.
• Advise airlines and airport authorities of special medical, dietary and mobility requirements. They can often arrange transport around airports if notified in advance. Consider whether the special form should be completed to advise transport agents of disability before departure. Those with serious respiratory problems should consider asking for supplemental oxygen before undertaking air flights.
• Essential medication should always be carried on the traveller's person or in hand luggage.
• Low dose aspirin should be considered by the elderly and those with mobility problems to reduce the risk of venous thrombosis during air flights. A subcutaneous injection of heparin as 'MiniHep' is probably more effective and should be considered if thought to be very prone to thrombosis - it is effective for about 24 hours.

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