Many people are still afraid to travel for various reasons… the fear of taking the plane, to leave far, the diseases, of the unknown… Here we try to expose some of these reasons to show that actually, these fears are not always justified...

Afraid from plane

The plane remains the surest means of transport by far. Of all the modes of locomotion, the car is most dangerous; the risks to die of an accident are there 30 times superiors at those of the bus, 45 times at those of the train and 90 times at those of the plane. Nothing can convince you better than the figures. Do you know that the rate of accident stagnates since nearly 20 years and the number of the flights continues to increase? This rate is established on average in the world with 1 accident per million hours of flight (that is to say 2 accidents per million flights) with strong disparities (0,7 accident per million hours of flight in Europe, 0,4 in the United States, more than 13 in Africa). Also, the manufacturers of planes must meet requirements of safety imposed by the international organizations. On a modern aircraft, the probability of a catastrophic scenario (the kind of scenario leading to the crash landing) should not be worse than 1 chance out of 1 billion. Moreover, one simple breakdown should not lead to a catastrophic scenario. If a plane does not obey these rules, it cannot be certified, and will not be able to thus accomplish commercial flights. By supposing that the time of average flight of a plane between two points is 5 hours, the probability of being victim of an accident during a flight is, on average, of 1 on 2 million. All these figures show well that there is no reason to be afraid to take the plane…

Afraid from the unknown

Many are afraid of the idea to go alone to an unknown country. This idea is natural but is not justified. We are in 2007, and to travel became of an incomparable facility comparing to past. The golden rule is to remember that our world is similar everywhere, it is enough to touch the ground of any country and all the prejudices fall to water. The dangers in any country in the world are always known in advance, it is enough to consult the headings dangers included in all the guides of voyages. The traveller will have only to comply with these basic rules (districts to avoid the night in certain cities, precautions to be taken, advised means of transport, traps with the tourists, etc). All these rules are often simple and clear. On the spot, there are always other travellers with whom you can share information and tips to be safe, or exchange ideas and advices. Whatever is your destination, you should know that you are not the first traveller (unfortunately for you) and that others passed by before you… finishing there, imagine simply that there is somebody as you in another country hesitating to come to your country because for him it is dangerous and unknown for him… And you have to know also that in this moment thousands of Western young women (18-20 years) travel alone in the world for months without fear nor hesitation

Afraid from deseases and accidents

We can’t deny that you could fall sick into a long trip (even at home it is also possible to get diseases). On the other hand, a traveller who takes the necessary precautions before and during his trip may very much leave and return in good health. It is enough to check the health information of the countries you plan to visit and make all the vaccines recommended. In the case of malaria and another diseases transmitted by the mosquitoes, it is necessary to envisage a small budget for repulsive and the drugs used for prevention. Follow the recommendations (to drink water of bottle, to avoid eating believed, etc), they are easy to find in the specialized health web sites and in the travel guides books. It is necessary simply to give them the importance that they deserve, to respect theses recommendations from first to last day of the voyage and all will right. Of course, it is essential to remember that a golden rule is already to leave in good health (to eat balanced, to make sport before the trip, to sleep well,…)

Afraid to travel alone

It is so much wrong to think that you will be alone if you leave on a journey by yourself. The hotels, airports, trains, buses, tourist areas, museums, beaches, etc all are occasions of meetings between travellers. Thousands of young travellers travel around the world in solo and seek all for partners with whom they can share some days of backpacking. The hostels remain the favourite places of meeting. Thus, going alone can be restricted at the first hours of the voyage or be limited to a few days. For anybody who is open he will easily find partners and make friends throughout his circuit. The best means to guarantee a good company is to choose good the hostel (use the travel guides books to find the addresses and descriptions)