Globocation

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Although this post isn’t really travel related I thought this photograph was worth sharing with you all. I got married back in June at the stunning Nefyn Golf Club on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales. As we eased into the evening festivities the time arrived for my new wife to throw the traditional wedding bouquet back into the masses who had gathered on the 18th green, on doing so the wedding photographer snapped my good pal Harry and his girlfriend blatantly dodging the prize! Clearly no wedding bells there any time soon but it made for an amusing photo all the same! Click to expand:

Dodging the wedding bouquet at Nefyn Golf Club, North Wales.

I’ve heard a lot of hype about this video so I thought I’d check it out. I was intrigued by the concept and looked forward to footage of some guy with mass blisters, a cool beard in full flow and a knackered pair of boots. However, despite the excellent array of photoshop and multimedia skills this guy did not walk across america at all! In fact the producer states clearly that 6 guys used an RV to travel across the USA, my romanticism of the whole situation drained immediately.
Also I’d love someone to confirm if this was or wasn’t a Levi’s video viral ad, as the little red tab is very much in focus at the end of the video.

Here are the two videos -- I’d be interesting in anyone’s thoughts!

Guy walks across America or does he?!

The 1.7m youtube views of this video clearly inspired the production crew to add a behind the scenes video, which you can see here:

Behind the Scenes of Walk America

I have to say that I’m not overly impressed with this video because I was expecting a real life hiker not a pretty boy in a pair of converse boots clearly flogging a pair of Levi’s 501′s. If someone gives me the cash to support my efforts I’ll walk across America and I’ll take photo’s everyday….and I won’t use an RV!!!

I have to say though, the music in the video is mesmeric, apparently its called ‘home’ by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s.

Grumble over.

People to some wacky things to promote their businesses but this particular campaign is possibly the weirdest way to advertise your holiday resort

These days you can pretty much arrange your whole holiday trip via the internet with a click of a button. Great news for those that are constantly on the go, tied up with work or just simply looking for the most timely and convenient way to plan their perfect getaway.

However, most of the time it is not as easy as simply booking flights and accommodation and away you go, what about those all important holiday extras such as travel insurance, car hire and airport parking?

Essential whilst travelling both around or outside of your home country, most of us wouldn’t think twice about jetting abroad without having some kind of travel insurance cover in place or arriving at your destination with no mode of transport arranged to take you to your hotel or resort, so it seems a shame not to apply the same principles to your airport parking.

Pre-book your airport parking online and save cash!

So many people overlook the benefits of pre-booking airport parking before they travel that often people are left feeling stung at the prices of gate rates and the cost of paying for a space on the day.

Research suggests that by booking a space in advance, holidaymakers can save up to 60% on the price they would pay on the day, and most companies not only offer online discounts or advanced rates on bookings but a number of other options to suit customer needs as well.

Take Gatwick parking for example, there are several options to choose from when it comes to leaving the car behind, some starting from £4.00 per day. These include on and offsite spaces, with a transfer bus to take you straight to the terminal, or meet and greet parking where a representative from the company will take the car to it’s designated space for your convenience. If you’re thinking of booking an on-airport car park, it’s important to make sure that you book one that is situated at your required terminal if there is more than one, as some do not provide transfers, so make sure you double check before you book.

Specify your flight times and allow yourselves ample time to cover any delays on your return. Its worth paying a little bit more for an extra hours parking than to get charged for an additional day and night if you are late arriving back to the car.

To ensure you choose the most suitable option, shop around first. Again, the magic of the web provides travellers with a wealth of comparison sites proposing a whole host of options, prices and discounts so make sure you do your research. That way, what you save by pre-booking in advance, you can spend enjoying your trip.

Part 5 – the little man suffers with his belly and his lack of spanish lingo:

(full transcript)

Backpacking in South America is a challenge without speaking Spanish!

Hi

Just a quick post to let off some steam about the world cup in South Africa. I dont mean from an English perspective because the team was purely terrible but rather the traditional minnows of world football who have exceeded themselves in this world cup such as New Zealand who are usually more comfortable with an oblong shaped ball, Uruguay who showed solidarity as a team and perhaps most impressively Ghana who carried the flag for South Africa right into the quarter finals. The handball on the line by Suarez was dispicable and if the resulting penalty had been scored who knows what would have happened in the next round should Ghana have gone through. But alas, as extra time proved fruitless Ghana then put forward John Mensah for one of the penalty kicks who didnt really do himself or the team justice. Nevertheless I think its safe to say that an African team will (or to cover my back ‘can’) win the world cup in the next 20 years as the African teams are now an equal match for the South American and European teams.

So its Spain vs Holland in the final and as Spain are the holders of the European Championships I wish Holland the best of luck in Sunday and hope they take the trophy home, its certainly long overdue as the Cruyff influenced Total Dutch Football of the 1970′s never resulted in a World Cup triumph and the consequent Dutch teams ever since have played at times, miraculous football, thoroughly deserving of the World Cup trophy…mind you with Iniesta and Xavi bossing the midfield and David Villa popping the goals in upfront they will have their work cut out. Whoever wins, it will be watched by an English team dispersed across Europe on their summer holidays who should be red faced and embarrassed over their performances in South Africa 2010.

Exams done. Presentations delivered. Dissertations handed in. Three consecutive nights out amidst too much sambuca celebrating the end of university life – survived. But now what? As a follow up from an earlier globocation post concerning that minefield of choice students face when they graduate, I thought I’d write another piece, specifically about teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) and why it’s such a cool thing to do when you’re abroad.

Let’s not stop at post-grad students as the only bunch that would benefit from the whole TEFL experience. Undertaking a teaching job overseas is also a cool thing to do if you’re stuck in a soul destroying job, yearning for a change of scene and desperate for cultural exchange with a different race of people who will be as intrigued by your presence as you will be with their whole country.

Jetting off overseas (whether post uni or after dumping that horrific 9-5 job) and mixing a spot of independent travel with a CV enhancing stint as a TEFL  teacher can reward you with increased levels of self-confidence and character building skills in abundance. Unlike the backpacker who visits a place for 2 or 3 days, ‘does the sights’ before trotting off to the next place on the tourist trail, a TEFL teacher is based in a place for months or even years, giving them an excellent insight into local culture. Some TEFL placements are in schools so far away from the tourist hotspots it’s likely you could be the only English speaker (until you educate the masses!), allowing you the opportunity to forge some amazing friendships with the people of real China, remote Ecuador or perhaps rural Japan.

Not only would embarking on a TEFL course develop your own resume it would also accelerate your pupils learning’s and open up potential career opportunities in their own lives. In fact, the British Council estimates that there are approximately 1 billion people trying to learn English today, 75% of which are in countries where English isn’t even a second or third language. Even within the closed communist borders of North Korea, TEFL teachers are in huge demand because people are so keen to learn English to boost their own career prospects given the international acceptance of English, predominantly in the western world.

It makes a lot of sense to teach English abroad, especially if you’re hoping to become a teacher back in the UK once your wanderlust has subsided. TEFL teaching is solid, practical, classroom experience that future employers can’t ignore. However, even if teaching isn’t a long term career goal a TEFL position will undoubtedly give you key strengths that all employers seek such as communication skills, confidence in public speaking, thinking on your feet, and perhaps most importantly of all, the tenacity to solve problems when you’re literally thousands of miles out of your comfort zone!

Due to the global demand for TEFL teachers there are financial benefits to getting a teaching post in most countries across the world whether rich or poor. For example, it’s not uncommon to earn £1,000 per month in South Korea which usually includes free accommodation, a million miles better than a dull temping job in the UK. Likewise, in Japan earnings can be up to £1,750 per month and even at the other end of the economic spectrum, Indonesian TEFL vacancies are offering £500 per month, ample wages to live very comfortably. It gets better, depending on which company organises your TEFL placement, you’ll have your flights reimbursed and receive a cash bonus for completing full terms. In the example of Japan, it is such an expensive country to travel around that a paid teaching post will allow you to have an extended stay for months on end without burning a hole in your traveller’s wallet.

There are travel companies such as i-to-i.com,  skilled in handling the practicalities of organising TEFL placements abroad, from weekend teacher training courses to the logistics of getting to your school which could be well off the beaten track. For more information try diving into this rather comprehensive guide on all things TEFL related: Graduate’s Guide to Teaching and Travelling Abroad.

Choosing the right TEFL course is important and as the guide suggests, some countries have varying qualification requirements so decide where you’d like to go and make sure you’re in the best position possible to apply for a post in your chosen country. Most schools recruit from May to July for the following September so what are you waiting for? Go and globocate yourself!

Part 4 – Apparently landed in South America, taxi drivers are speaking to me in a strange language and my neck is stuck at 45 degrees!

(Full transcript of the Globo Man’s writing here)

Globo Man lands with a crooked neck in South America

Part 3 sees the little cartoon character restless and bloody uncomfortable on his flight to South America.

(as usual for the transcript of the wording in ‘normal’ font please click here for the South American Snippets homepage)

Travelling isn't always fun, sometimes sitting on planes can be hellish!