I have my bronze DofE expedition tomorrow?

ZigZagZoom

Firstly, how many questions will the assessor ask?
Secondly, I have a pretty basic summer sleeping bag. Should I try and get another one or will this not matter too much?
Also, how do you pass? Is it easy or hard to do? Do I have to get all the questions right? And I have pasta you can make in a mug, you don't have to cook it, just boil water and mix them together. Is this allowed, or do I have to cook anything?
Thanks for your helpâ¥

Answer
You will get 12 questions you can answer and ten you can't so swot up on wild countryside stuff or just smile ever so nice.
Attitude is the big winner on the DoE. You have to be happy and helpful and not ever do any moaning.
The weather can't be trusted at this time of year but if you take a fleece blanket with you it will help the sleeping bag a bit You can get them from around £6.
Use it as a liner for the sleeping bag, not outside it.
They are very light but they are a bit bulky to pack.
A new sleeping bag will be around £25 cheapest from Millets on special offer for a decent thick one for autumn and winter.

For clothes don't wear cotton. Cotton is a killer in cold wet weather and in UK you get a lot of that don't you?
Cotton undies are OK but any cotton that gets wet in the pouring rain will make you freeze cos cotton is very cold when it's wet so no cotton T-shirts or you'll look like you don't know anything about being outdoors in wild wet and woolly mountains and moorland and stuff.
Wear wool in cold wet places. Wool stays warmer when it's wet. Get good thick woollen walking socks, not cotton ones.

Get cooking.
All the best explorers are expert camping cooks. They know hundreds of brilliant recipes like deep frozen worm sandwiches on a bleak windy mountain,haha.
Honest, if you cook something it's a lot better than instant stuff.
You get a lot more pasta if you buy a 50p bag of it and cook it than you get for 50p as instant trash and you get a proper meal not a trash meal.
A 50p bag of pasta makes five meals if you eat a lot, or about seven if you like smaller meals.
You can make pasta bakes or just add things to the cooked pasta and eat well more cheaply than buying instant stuff.
You can carry enough food for a few days easy but you'll only be out camping for one night for the Bronze so you want enough food for two days.
It all looks good for your assessment if you cook some proper food but you do it because it's good for you, not for the exam.
Pasta takes 12 minutes to cook from boiling. 15 if you like it softer.
Plenty of time to lay the table...OK, the rock or log or whatever ..... and wash your hands again.
Just add enough water to the pasta so it all gets used and none gets wasted or use the excess water to make a sauce. Don't waste anything while you're camping...or at home.
Mix grated cheese or cheese cut into little bits and stir it round when the pasta is cooked and the water is used up and you'll get cheesy pasta. You can add a can of stewed steak or anything you like to it but make it look nice and not a dish of slop and then you'll enjoy it more.
You'll get a smile from the instructor too when he or she sees that care about things and not just slop the food into a bowl.
Keep warm, keep smiling....it's very important...and keep everyone else happy.
Try anyway.
How you help others is part of the deal. So is being happy.
If it rains, dance. Sing to the rain and laugh!
Be a star. Help the others to stay happy. You can all sing together.
Don't moan and want to go home.
The guys know what to look for so perfect wonderful little you is all geared for it aren't you and you'll be totally Brill!!

This is about cooking outdoors. You don't need even a tenth of it but you'll get to know that cooking Sunday lunch on a camping stove or two isn't really so hard, so ordinary meat and three veg which you can cook in the same pot if you get it right, or a pasta bake or a paella or making fresh bread on a mountain is OK.
Bread is easy, especially flatbreads that cook in two or three minutes on a hot plate over a stove. Arabs cook them in the desert. Indian people cook them .
You can make pancakes and omelettes, anything.
Americans spell omelette as omelet. The answer in the link is for an American going to a rave. My answer is the long one.
Anything you cook on a camping stove is the same if it's at a rave or in a ravine.
Camp stoves don't know what's all round them so they cook things just the same anywhere.
So have fun cooking something. It's better like that and you can share things if you like and have a talk round the stove while the food is cooking. It's real camping then when you can cook outdoors.
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnpVOlTnYVMgLrlgzGCoix0hBgx.;_ylv=3?qid=20100930034146AAONa0N&show=7#profile-info-aVonjEIFaa . . . . .
Have a load of

Micael...DoE is the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme in UK for young people involving community help, self improvement, and an expedition. There are 3 levels.

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Best way to get around Europe?

cheap camping tables uk image

Peter

I'm aware of the pass called the euro rail pass or globe euro pass something like that..anyways anyone travels to Europe and had the experience with the train systems there and pass? How is it? And is it worth it? My plans are going from Sweden west towards Ireland and hitting countries in between. Any advice?

Answer
It can be worth the money to buy an Eurail Global pass, buy you need to do a lot of train travel to make it work out cheaper to get one over early bought train tickets, or even train tickets bought on the day.

When travelling alone a car will be more expensive, due to rental costs, fuel cost, parking fees and often also road tolls and insurance.
If you can sleep in the car or camp wild you will save on hotel costs and can make up some of the extra cost for the rental.

As I do not have a driving license I do use trains, I might still travel by train as I love it, but once you own a car you will pay the lot on the regular costs and just the petrol/gas will not be that much more than train travel and at times will be less.

Sweden is huge, how much of it you want to see makes a huge impact on your travel plans.
I would try to see at least a bit of countryside and one city there.
Cross over to Denmark, from Malmo there is a bridge, from several other cities there are ferries.
Copenhagen is a fun city, if in a quiet way. Denmark as a country is quite flat but has its own beauty. I just love those long bridges they have between different islands. But there are ferries in other places.
There is even a ferry to England from Denmark.

Otherwise south to Germany. There you have the choice of a whole country, or you can get out pretty soon and turn into the Netherlands, Belgium and France, depending on which connection to the England you take, or whether you want to take the ferry between France and Ireland, bypassing the UK.

The UK is not on the Eurail pass. Train travel is not cheap if you buy tickets on the day. If you can buy your train tickets early you can get good prices, but you do need to plan ahead to get that deal.

Across England and Wales, or up north and maybe even through Scotland and across from there, options enough to cross over.

Hostels are good when you travel alone, as you meet with others who also travel alone. If you do not want to share dorms, they often do private rooms.
But the advantage of a hostel is that you really meet with other guests whereas in hotels you just sit at the next table. Campsites (especially when you travel by car) can be good but it is up to you to make sure you have contacts.
Wild camping, while cheaper, is most likely less social.
Camping and trains to not mix well as you will need a lot of gear and will not have a safe place to store things.

More information on the Eurail pass, and other travel options: http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm If you doubt about the cost compared to point to point tickets, read the third item in the listing in the main text on the page.
If you want to plan train travels, the German planner is a good one, easy to use and knows most of Europe: http://www.bahn.de/i/view/DEU/en/index.shtml
In the UK this one works as well or better, as it also does do coach and buses: http://www.transportdirect.info
I am sure Ireland also has a travel planner, but I do not have it handy.

For car planning Google maps can do the rough work, http://www.viamichelin.com/ will also do road tolls, and has options to work out fuel cost.

If you do have the time, go to the Irish west coast, around Galway for instance, not just stay in Dublin

Working while traveling the UK?

sarah G

I would like to go to the UK as a general visitor or a tourist. I hold a valid Canadian passport and i understand I can be there for 6 months without a visa. I also know I cant work or do a bunch of other things and what not, but I'm wondering if at some point I'm allowed to do like under the table work. Like, I'm a really good server so if a bar is busy and needs a hand for the weekend and agreed to let me stay there, would I be allowed to bargain work for room and board? Or are the british soldiers going to deport me? I think I'll only be in the UK for 4 or 5 months but if I can save money by trading (non-sexual) work or favors that would be epic. thanks for any help or answers :)

Answer
: )

Yes, im afraid the soldiers *will* catch & deport you :( 

Ha, no. In reality its unlikely youd be caught; its just unlikely youll find any cash in hand work. As we have a recession on there are likely to be a que of locals there before you who could do casual work. A room for working? Maybe but id think thatd be rare.  

There is a legal way, though. Youd have to do abit more work & im never sure if its slave labour or not.. its working on small holdings or organic farms for food & a bed. You can also join time bank & do the same thing though with a little more complexity, as youd be 'banking' time for one person then taking the 'reward' or 'payment' - in your case a room for the night, from usually another. 
http://www.wwoof.org.uk/visas_and_immigration however, if you arrange wwoofing (as its known) after entering the country i dont see how theyd find out. I dislike illegal workers bt this is not taking money from anyone so go for it. Its a good thing! Timebank is a bit trickier as there are only a handful of rooms to stay in but its still worth a look. 
If you use the forums of sofa surfing &wooff, & also google them to see where theyre mentioned, youll come up with more suggestions. 

Ive stayed at campsites for £3-4 a might often, so thats a cheap option. Obviously this is balanced by the hassle of carrying & buying kit, & unless theres a heateave, probably not worth the hassle overall. Rain kind of kills it after a week!

If you stayed for a week in a farming community youd possibly be able to ask around &find work for a bed. Its my impression that would be easier than in towns ( i grew up in the country) tho i could be wrong. Money is tight so it might be more viable, esp as people tend to be a bit more trusting & open than in towns. 

Good for you having the balls to be so adventurous, though!! I hitchhike & camp alone &the way some people react youd think i was planning to sunbathe by a crocodile infested river in cannibal country!!
Hitching would cut your costs but its not possible in all areas. The rural area i grew up in was fine for it & still is now, tho im almost the only one (i get a lot of lifts from nostalgic ex hitchers) but i tried it once when stuck somewhere else & eventually found out its never been done there- god knows why. For short local trips i find easier to the shops and back than the bus, but i dont reccomend

Best way to get around Europe?

cheap camping tables uk image

Peter

I'm aware of the pass called the euro rail pass or globe euro pass something like that..anyways anyone travels to Europe and had the experience with the train systems there and pass? How is it? And is it worth it? My plans are going from Sweden west towards Ireland and hitting countries in between. Any advice?

Answer
It can be worth the money to buy an Eurail Global pass, buy you need to do a lot of train travel to make it work out cheaper to get one over early bought train tickets, or even train tickets bought on the day.

When travelling alone a car will be more expensive, due to rental costs, fuel cost, parking fees and often also road tolls and insurance.
If you can sleep in the car or camp wild you will save on hotel costs and can make up some of the extra cost for the rental.

As I do not have a driving license I do use trains, I might still travel by train as I love it, but once you own a car you will pay the lot on the regular costs and just the petrol/gas will not be that much more than train travel and at times will be less.

Sweden is huge, how much of it you want to see makes a huge impact on your travel plans.
I would try to see at least a bit of countryside and one city there.
Cross over to Denmark, from Malmo there is a bridge, from several other cities there are ferries.
Copenhagen is a fun city, if in a quiet way. Denmark as a country is quite flat but has its own beauty. I just love those long bridges they have between different islands. But there are ferries in other places.
There is even a ferry to England from Denmark.

Otherwise south to Germany. There you have the choice of a whole country, or you can get out pretty soon and turn into the Netherlands, Belgium and France, depending on which connection to the England you take, or whether you want to take the ferry between France and Ireland, bypassing the UK.

The UK is not on the Eurail pass. Train travel is not cheap if you buy tickets on the day. If you can buy your train tickets early you can get good prices, but you do need to plan ahead to get that deal.

Across England and Wales, or up north and maybe even through Scotland and across from there, options enough to cross over.

Hostels are good when you travel alone, as you meet with others who also travel alone. If you do not want to share dorms, they often do private rooms.
But the advantage of a hostel is that you really meet with other guests whereas in hotels you just sit at the next table. Campsites (especially when you travel by car) can be good but it is up to you to make sure you have contacts.
Wild camping, while cheaper, is most likely less social.
Camping and trains to not mix well as you will need a lot of gear and will not have a safe place to store things.

More information on the Eurail pass, and other travel options: http://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm If you doubt about the cost compared to point to point tickets, read the third item in the listing in the main text on the page.
If you want to plan train travels, the German planner is a good one, easy to use and knows most of Europe: http://www.bahn.de/i/view/DEU/en/index.shtml
In the UK this one works as well or better, as it also does do coach and buses: http://www.transportdirect.info
I am sure Ireland also has a travel planner, but I do not have it handy.

For car planning Google maps can do the rough work, http://www.viamichelin.com/ will also do road tolls, and has options to work out fuel cost.

If you do have the time, go to the Irish west coast, around Galway for instance, not just stay in Dublin

Working while traveling the UK?

sarah G

I would like to go to the UK as a general visitor or a tourist. I hold a valid Canadian passport and i understand I can be there for 6 months without a visa. I also know I cant work or do a bunch of other things and what not, but I'm wondering if at some point I'm allowed to do like under the table work. Like, I'm a really good server so if a bar is busy and needs a hand for the weekend and agreed to let me stay there, would I be allowed to bargain work for room and board? Or are the british soldiers going to deport me? I think I'll only be in the UK for 4 or 5 months but if I can save money by trading (non-sexual) work or favors that would be epic. thanks for any help or answers :)

Answer
: )

Yes, im afraid the soldiers *will* catch & deport you :( 

Ha, no. In reality its unlikely youd be caught; its just unlikely youll find any cash in hand work. As we have a recession on there are likely to be a que of locals there before you who could do casual work. A room for working? Maybe but id think thatd be rare.  

There is a legal way, though. Youd have to do abit more work & im never sure if its slave labour or not.. its working on small holdings or organic farms for food & a bed. You can also join time bank & do the same thing though with a little more complexity, as youd be 'banking' time for one person then taking the 'reward' or 'payment' - in your case a room for the night, from usually another. 
http://www.wwoof.org.uk/visas_and_immigration however, if you arrange wwoofing (as its known) after entering the country i dont see how theyd find out. I dislike illegal workers bt this is not taking money from anyone so go for it. Its a good thing! Timebank is a bit trickier as there are only a handful of rooms to stay in but its still worth a look. 
If you use the forums of sofa surfing &wooff, & also google them to see where theyre mentioned, youll come up with more suggestions. 

Ive stayed at campsites for £3-4 a might often, so thats a cheap option. Obviously this is balanced by the hassle of carrying & buying kit, & unless theres a heateave, probably not worth the hassle overall. Rain kind of kills it after a week!

If you stayed for a week in a farming community youd possibly be able to ask around &find work for a bed. Its my impression that would be easier than in towns ( i grew up in the country) tho i could be wrong. Money is tight so it might be more viable, esp as people tend to be a bit more trusting & open than in towns. 

Good for you having the balls to be so adventurous, though!! I hitchhike & camp alone &the way some people react youd think i was planning to sunbathe by a crocodile infested river in cannibal country!!
Hitching would cut your costs but its not possible in all areas. The rural area i grew up in was fine for it & still is now, tho im almost the only one (i get a lot of lifts from nostalgic ex hitchers) but i tried it once when stuck somewhere else & eventually found out its never been done there- god knows why. For short local trips i find easier to the shops and back than the bus, but i dont reccomend it long distance. If you do decide be very wary &trust your gut. Noones ever laid a finger on me - ive done it literally thousands if times, &still maintain its safer than a saturday night city centre with drunk blokes groping at you, but always play it safe. 
The final option is sofa surfing. 

Obviously when staying in a stranger's house just trust your gut. If you approach women and ask for suggestions of someone who might be able to help thatd probably be safest. Everyone thinks the world is terribly dangerous but in reality crime is reasonably static. The news, however, has exploded & gives far more coverage to bad events than ever before, skewing our perception of crime levels. Ive honestly had far more trouble in pubs & town centres on weekend nights fromdrunk blokes than i ever had from my travels (lots of hitching). Ive had a few suggestions which have been really creepy but never felt in danger. Out at night even in small towns had some horrible experiences from drunk blokes, & most women have been at least groped by a drunken stranger- so i think you will be fine. Just take precautions & take care!

Theres an international womens' network which my mum has used when travelling tho im not sure you could join as youre supposed to offer hospitality in return. She stayed for free in other womens' houses (doubtless also recently divorced &up for international travel) & met nice people. Ive had a quick look bit cant find it. Ive also googled free homestay & there are a few things for that- you could offer a bit of babysitting, but id only agree to a few days in case the kids ate awful!! Theres a forum on lonelyplanet so ask for advice there. 
Seriously- all the best! Hope you have a cool time. Plan any train trips in advance to book cheap tickets- they get more expensive closer to use. Also book trains and coaches on megabus.com which uses normal trainsbut you can get super cheap tickets long in advance for some routes. Get a good uk travel guide then any regions you like but also dont set your plans too much- serendipity is fun! 

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