Travel Safety Tips
Travel Safety is on top of travelers' minds (or should be) as they go off into the world with much less control and knowledge of the environment and their surroundings. Here are some easy tips on what to pack, hotel safety and what to carry to make your next trip safer and more enjoyable.
What are some basic travel accessories that you should pack to help ensure a safer trip? Whether camping or traveling on Safari; one very basic accessory to carry is a flashlight. Power outages, while rare at home, can be routine in some areas of the world. A small flashlight that is lightweight and packable is a must. A nice tip to remember is to always remember to put the battery in backwards while in transit. This will avoid the flashlight turning itself on and running out of juice before you need it.
Another important item is a radio that can provide news on local conditions, including weather or emergency situations. There are many excellent travel-size radios available with Grundig being the best known and widely available in travel stores. These are available in both battery and hand crank models. With the hank crank models you never have to worry about battery life or bringing spares. Some models even combine a flashlight with a radio. Other important personal safety items to have at all times while traveling are a cell phone and whistle. Be sure to pre-program the local emergency numbers on speed dial.
While you cannot control events during travel, you certainly can prepare yourself in the event that something would happen to you while staying at a hotel. One great habit to learn while traveling is to study the Hotel exit map and physically walk the floor to understand the escape route in the event of a fire or black out during your stay. Taking ten minutes of time to think through a “what if.." situation and generate an escape plan could serve you very well. My father, besides always traveling with 100 feet of nylon line, filled up the bathtub with water just to insure he had a supply of water available for any situation. He was so proud when he found himself in NYC during a blackout and it actually helped him endure the situation. I never heard the end of it.
Besides planning a hotel exit strategy, feeling safe while actually in the hotel room can help relieve some safety concerns. LCI makes a door alarm, which alerts you when someone is attempting to enter your hotel room while you are inside (it also should scare off the intruder). Just an extra security precaution but well worth the warning.
Awareness of the environment and keeping the antennas up during your travel is another way to avoid danger. Unfortunately, some very smart people go brain dead when they leave home for a foreign country. There are good sections and bad sections of every city in the world and a wise traveler finds out quickly where to stay clear. Taking a little walk after dinner can cost you dearly if you do not pay attention. Never walk with your passport and only carry one or two credit cards and enough cash for the day's activity. Leave the rest locked up in your hotel safe.
All this being said, don't be afraid to travel, as it is fun and suppose to be somewhat of an adventure into the unknown. Just do it smart and safely and keep in mind the above mentioned travel safety tips. Remember; with all else aside, just enjoy your vacation as work is waiting for you around the corner.
