What is Safe Travel Guide?
September 25, 2008 - Posted in Travel
Unfamiliar locations, when we are on vacation for instance, seem to be the most likely times when things will start to go wrong. Often these problems can leave a bitter taste in the mouth and leave you with a dislike of the destination, its people and cost a great deal of money. Things can even get to the point where you can feel like a prisoner as you become reluctant to leave your room. Common sense is still the single most important tool for traveling safely when you’re in a foreign land, meeting new people, walking down strange roads, eating and drinking new things.
Whatever it is you are doing or wherever you are, when you get that feeling that something doesn’t feel right, that is your instinct; learn to listen to it. If you are heading out on the town to discover new bars or taking photos at the local fish market, do you really need to carry your passport, traveler’s checks, extra cash, credit cards and plane tickets? Expensive and necessary items like identification tickets for example should be left at the hotel in their safe or the room safe if you have one; it is much easier to recover your vacation if you only lose a few important belongings instead of all of them. One suggestion that can help reduce the risk of losing everything is placing cash and credit cards in different locations like pockets, wallets and bags; a pickpocket who is trying to steal from you will only get a small amount, leaving you with means to get back to the hotel.
Unfortunately, the convenience of having two credit cards on the same account in your own country can be a problem in a foreign land so another travel safely tip is to use two completely separate accounts; this provides a back-up should one be lost or stolen. One simple trick to stop a bag thief is to place the strap over the head and across the chest as opposed to on the shoulder where it is easy to grab. Some of the easiest crimes involve snatch thieves that may actually work in teams; they locate unsuspecting victims who have a bag on their shoulder for instance that can be easily grabbed by a passing cycle or scooter. The reason most people fall for these tricks is because we are more relaxed on vacation and the people that carry out these crimes are very good at it.
It is often our arrogance that lets us become victims of theft and other deceptions because we do not believe that anyone will pull the wool over our eyes but this is how the criminals earn their living. One way to help reduce the chances of things being stolen is by using a back pack with a padlock, this makes it more difficult to get into and therefore acts as a deterrent.
