Worse, somehow, is when you can see plenty but none of it’s fit to drink.

Clean Water & Travel Writing

Tripbase, an online travel research company, has put together a series of books that include work from world famous travel writers like Rolf Potts to, er, rather-less-famous-but-hopefully-mildly-interesting writers such as my good self.

A Range of Free Travel Books

Titles include Worldwide Travel, Travel Tips, Foodie Travel, United States Travel, Italy Travel, Worldwide Beaches Travel and Family Travel and you can download free e-copies right here.

For every book you download, Tripbase contributes $1 to charity:water, a charity devoted to providing clean water for developing countries.

To find out more about the work of charity:water, visit their website here. There’s nothing to lose with this offer, other than a few minutes of your time and bandwidth. Read, enjoy, return!

Clean Water for Developing Nations = A Free Travel Book For You! first appeared on Inside the Travel Lab. Head over there for more juicy fresh travel goodness. Or, you know, something you might like to read...

Broken Chair, Place des Nations

The Broken Chair jolts out of the dreary Place des Nations in Geneva. Surrounded by steady traffic and standing opposite the European UN Headquarters, I found its size, odd rust-green colour and geometrical imbalance surprisingly fascinating.

Broken Chair was commissioned by Handicap International to help persuade governments to ban landmines.

Broken Chair, Outside the European UN Headquarters

Broken Chair first appeared on Inside the Travel Lab. Head over there for more juicy fresh travel goodness. Or, you know, something you might like to read...

I’ve been doing this for years now, on both plastic and real people, but I was half way up Kilimanjaro, lost in ice, rocks and darkness, before the obvious question finally crossed my mind: who would resuscitate me if I got ill?

Through fading torchlight, I surveyed my fellow trekkers and stayed close to the one I knew was a doctor. It’s handy to have qualified friends.

I remembered this slow chill of fear when reviewing the Resuscitation Council’s manual this morning. One phrase, in particular, caught my attention.

That means that if the person you’re travelling with collapses with a cardiac arrest, you can double their chances of survival by performing effective CPR. Or, to look at it another way, if YOU collapse with a cardiac arrest and no-one around you can do CPR then your chances of survival are halved.In other words, it’s not what you know; it’s what the people around you know.

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation – and it’s a combination of chest compressions and ‘mouth-to-mouth’ that can be taught and learnt in only a few hours.

*Only kidding – except for the plastic doll part. Waving electric paddles around equals an instant fail and yelling anything earns you an instant slap in the face.
RESUSCITATION COURSES

The American Heart Association – runs a Class Finder website
St John’s Ambulance in the UK runs First Aid Classes

Note – you need to PRACTICE this. Stay away from online-only courses.

I have no connection to or sponsorship from any of the organisations mentioned. If you know of somewhere reputable that organises this training then please add them as a comment.

Flatline -Flickr account removed by owner

How to Save A Life – Maybe Yours first appeared on Inside the Travel Lab. Head over there for more juicy fresh travel goodness. Or, you know, something you might like to read...