Things I Wish I’d known before I went Travelling at the Adventure Travel Show – Part 4
Ex Overlander and founder of adventure travel company with a difference 'Tour de Force Adventure Logistics, Duncan Milligan talks about the stupid rule plus Guns and Uniforms & Common Sense when travelling
The Stupid Rule, avoid doing anything you’d feel really stupid explaining to someone afterwards. Remember this and it will serve you well.
Guns and uniforms, don’t forget, it’s just a game, especially when dealing with officialdom and police. Borders are weird places, like bus stations and airports. There are dodgy guys looking for the numpty who doesn’t know what they are doing.
Common sense is the most important skill you have. Trust it! Use it!
http://www.careerbreak360.com/
THE STUPID RULE
The stupid rule. The stupid rule has stood me in very very good stead. This is the minefield between Morocco and Mauritania. It’s unmarked and you stick to the tracks for obvious reasons. The stupid rule I came up with when I travelled through Cambodia in 1996. [Cambodia was ] amazing, just as it was opening up, we back packed through, and we tried to go to Angkor Wat and in those days there was no infrastructure, there was no-where you could buy tickets, there were just basically some dodgy guards on the road to try and stop you going through and then they would try and fleece you for loads and loads of money, and there was about 10 of us and we hired mopeds and we shot out there and half of the group got through and we got stopped by these guards. Now you know I am all for making sure that you pay to go into places if you pay the right people and you know that money is going to go towards the upkeep of Angkor Wat or wherever it is. But at this stage there was none of that and they were just trying to fleece us. So we regrouped back and I was sent forward to negotiate and they wanted $100 each or something like that, and I negotiated, I got it down to like $15 or something like that. Went back and told the group “OK we can go in for $15”. Now a couple in the group said “no no no, a guy at the hostel was saying if you take that track off there and go around the side you can bypass it and you can get in for free and that will work”. And we were like “OK, that will be brilliant, let’s do that”. And then he goes “ah, but they did say something about a minefield I think”. And I had this moment of “what am I going to do” and I fast forwarded to imagine myself in hospital with no legs and some friends, family coming round and going “my god what happened?” and me going “well I drove through a minefield to save myself $15” and thinking actually when I say that, that sounds a bit stupid. So the stupid rule for me is don’t do anything that if it goes wrong you’re going to feel really stupid explaining to someone afterwards. And that has stood me in very good stead whenever I have to make a decision.
The Stupid Rule, avoid doing anything you’d feel really stupid explaining to someone afterwards. Remember this and it will serve you well.
Guns and uniforms, don’t forget, it’s just a game, especially when dealing with officialdom and police. Borders are weird places, like bus stations and airports. There are dodgy guys looking for the numpty who doesn’t know what they are doing.
Common sense is the most important skill you have. Trust it! Use it!
http://www.careerbreak360.com/
THE STUPID RULE
The stupid rule. The stupid rule has stood me in very very good stead. This is the minefield between Morocco and Mauritania. It’s unmarked and you stick to the tracks for obvious reasons. The stupid rule I came up with when I travelled through Cambodia in 1996. [Cambodia was ] amazing, just as it was opening up, we back packed through, and we tried to go to Angkor Wat and in those days there was no infrastructure, there was no-where you could buy tickets, there were just basically some dodgy guards on the road to try and stop you going through and then they would try and fleece you for loads and loads of money, and there was about 10 of us and we hired mopeds and we shot out there and half of the group got through and we got stopped by these guards. Now you know I am all for making sure that you pay to go into places if you pay the right people and you know that money is going to go towards the upkeep of Angkor Wat or wherever it is. But at this stage there was none of that and they were just trying to fleece us. So we regrouped back and I was sent forward to negotiate and they wanted $100 each or something like that, and I negotiated, I got it down to like $15 or something like that. Went back and told the group “OK we can go in for $15”. Now a couple in the group said “no no no, a guy at the hostel was saying if you take that track off there and go around the side you can bypass it and you can get in for free and that will work”. And we were like “OK, that will be brilliant, let’s do that”. And then he goes “ah, but they did say something about a minefield I think”. And I had this moment of “what am I going to do” and I fast forwarded to imagine myself in hospital with no legs and some friends, family coming round and going “my god what happened?” and me going “well I drove through a minefield to save myself $15” and thinking actually when I say that, that sounds a bit stupid. So the stupid rule for me is don’t do anything that if it goes wrong you’re going to feel really stupid explaining to someone afterwards. And that has stood me in very good stead whenever I have to make a decision.
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