On last week’s show, I was talking to Michaela in Leigh on Sea who called in to request advice on travel to the Caribbean nation of Haiti. A much-overlooked destination, I told her. But on Tuesday evening LBC broke the news of a massive earthquake, and the bulletins have been covering the unfolding human catastrophe ever since. Very few tourists have been involved, because very few tourists go to Haiti. But there are many other parts of the world with the risk of earthquake, including the Dominican Republic - which shares with Haiti the island of Hispaniola, and suffered an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale two years ago and a strong tremor occurred close to Puerto Plata in 2003. One of Britain's leading survival experts, Charlie McGrath of Objective Travel Safety, said the secret is to stay in the lower floors of a hotel; to take shelter under a table or bed; and then get out fast. You can meet Charlie – whose website is http://www.objectivetravelsafety.com/ at the Adventure Travel Live Show at the Royal Horticultural Halls on Friday evening 29 January and on Saturday and Sunday 30 and 31 January 2010. I’ll be there too, presenting the Travel Clinic live from there on 31 January. More details here: http://www.adventureshow.co.uk/visitor_information_show_features_talks_simon.php
Lots of talk sparked by the email from Alison about her partner’s broken arm – can he fly to Marrakesh? Yes, I said, just get it split and you’ll be fine. That was based on my experience in May when I went over the handlebars and broke arm and wrist. But Janet in Loughton called to heckle: oh no, she was told by easyJet that she HAD to have a letter from a clinic saying she was fit to fly. Miraculously, she managed to get from check in to Torremolinos to clinic and back to airport in time for her flight. And just as I came off air, this arrived from Dominic: With reference to your last caller regarding travelling with a plaster cast, a friend of mine wanted to travel from Geneva to London recently wearing a plaster cast on her arm, unaware she required a letter to travel from her doctor. She acquired a letter stating that she is 'fit to travel'. The airline still refused her to board the plane as the doctors letter did not say she was 'FIT TO FLY'. She had to re-book her flight!
We also had a call about Norway – and as always I strongly recommend the Norwegian coastal ferry, Hurtigruten: http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/