Highlighting hazards
There are opportunities for writers when travel goes wrong, says Patrick Forsyth
Patrick Forsyth
W henit comes to flying, I am a nervous passenger but a confident drinker and Valium-swallower. This was said by the novelist Martin Amis, and though many people fear flying it is, in fact, statistically one of the safest ways to travel. All travelling, by whatever means, is not without its dangers. Hazards can be many and various and range from the need to avoid drinking the water in some countries to keeping your valuables safe in hotels, to avoiding being scammed by everything from time share salespeople in Spain to tuk-tuk drivers in Thailand. The consequences of falling foul of some danger may range from mild upset (literally in terms of eating the wrong thing) to taxing your travel insurance to the limit by taking an emergency flight home with a serious injury.