Traveling the world can be the most exciting time of your life. To keep your trips safe and smooth, and whether your trips are short or long, it will be worth reviewing the suggestions on offer. Perhaps just one piece of advice, applied at the right time on one of your trips, could possibly save your life.
Regardless of where you plan to go on your next vacation or business trip, whether by car, boat, train, or air, not all countries are the same when it comes to safety. I have traveled for many years and I am always careful as to where I go anywhere within a foreign country. Even today, I often travel to the Caribbean and still keep my eyes open for anything unusual that may suddenly crop up when I’m driving a car or touring towns and cities.
There are some basic but important rules to follow when traveling that will help you avoid the following list of possibilities: robberies; beggars who come to you late at night asking for money; local people abruptly stop him and ask for directions; being invited by strangers to accompany them; street vendors get too close to be comfortable with their products; “fortune tellers” who approach you to tell your fortune, and many other strange actions.
Another common trick that I would like you to know is that the taxi driver uses the “change of name” trick to get you to pay them more for the fare. For example, you give them a $ 20 bill for the trip and they trade it for a $ 10 bill and they tell you that you are short or that you made a mistake. Always count your money well before handing it over to any taxi driver; And the same goes for restaurant waiters when you’re ready to pay the bill. Remember, with foreign currencies like the Mexican peso, Venezuelan bolivar, Japanese yen, and others, you need to be even more vigilant when paying for anything, because familiarity with the currency is required at first.
The following tips will help you stay on the “safer side of life” during your travels; And they should also be a reminder that your life is worth everything! You may have heard some of my advice before, and hopefully others are new to you. However, all the tips are good suggestions for “the sake of conscience.”
1) Leave all your fine jewelry at home if you can, otherwise put it in the safe in your room or at the hotel of your destination. Avoid going out on the street advertising your “value.” Wear fake jewelry on your travels, if possible. Whenever you order room service of any kind, or when the maid is cleaning your room, put away all your valuables, for example: purses, wallets, watches, cash, real jewelry, cameras, etc. Hide these items from view.
2) This is the advice I would give my daughter. If you are a woman traveling alone or in the company of other friends and you just got on your flight, act normally as if you were coming home. For whatever reason, single women attract attention, especially at airports. Pretend you know what you are doing and try not to ‘feel or look lost’. Once you’ve cleared immigration and customs, and have your luggage, walk straight to your transportation. If you get disoriented (as I have been many times) go to the information desk for help. If they are closed, ask someone in uniform and a plaque with your photo for directions. Police officers who patrol airports are also good at calling for help.
3) As soon as you leave Customs at your final destination airport, try to avoid contact with strangers who will come up to you to offer you something, especially a trip to the city in your car. They may even be fellow travelers who would like to share the fare, but are unknown to you. Always take a taxi or bus from a reputable agency to your hotel alone or with friends traveling with you, unless the hotel where you are staying provides transportation, which will be best. The cost can be high if you need to take an agency taxi, but your life is worth much more than the fare, always! If you need to buy some local currency, it is best to do it right there at the airport with an agency or a bank, and not with strangers lurking in airports.
4) When you go out on a tour, carry only the cash you need to eat and pay for the trinkets. Keep most of it in a safe place in your hotel. Try to refrain from using credit cards on the street, unless you are shopping or eating at reputable establishments. My point is, be discreet when using cash or credit cards in public. You are only drawing attention to yourself; that is, you should make a demonstration of it.
5) When renting a car, tell the agency at the airport that you need to know exactly how to get to your hotel, or maybe you need directions to another city. Tourists have left the road in the Miami, Florida area shortly after leaving the airport, only to find themselves lost and in a dangerous neighborhood. A few years ago, a young European couple on their honeymoon got off the main highway in the city of Miami to get gas for their rental car. They were attacked at the gas station and the husband died in the process. They were on their way to Orlando, Florida, which is about a four-hour drive from Miami International Airport. They never made it.
Always make sure with the rental agency that the car you are taking has enough gas to get you away from the airport and far enough on the highway to your destination. Check the gas gauge on your rental car to make sure it’s full to the top, or at least showing three-quarters of a tank, before you leave the airport parking lot.
6) Ladies, when walking the streets of any foreign city, carry your bag on the side facing the wall of the closest building and not facing the street or avenue. I once witnessed how a motorcyclist in a Latin American country searched for a woman’s bag, while the tourist was not aware of the problem. This is how they do it. The rider will come up to you, slow down the bike, balance for a moment, then come over and grab your bag. You will probably try to hold on to it, but the thieves are stronger and faster and will just drag you to the ground. For some people in the world, hurting people is common because for them life has no value.
7) As a tourist on vacation or on business, when walking through a new city, keep up with the flow of foot traffic and keep an eye out for ‘locals’ who approach you asking for money or directions on how to get there. somewhere, or some other strange thing. Avoid “fortune tellers” like the plague, because they will take your jewelry “right in front of your eyes.” Never reach for your purse or wallet to hand out money to homeless people on the street. Say no! and keep walking. If they persist, just go to a store and ask for help. If you don’t feel safe in a neighborhood, take a taxi immediately and get out of there to a safer place. I have done it many times in my travels.
8) In nightclubs or discos, watch your drinks when you go to the bathroom or when you step on the dance floor. If you’re alone, finish your drink instead of leaving the full glass on the bar or table. You don’t want anyone to put a “foreign substance” in your drink. This advice applies to both men and women.
9) If you are accompanied by travel companions, always try to go out together and come back together, when you go out to dinner, to dance, to the theater, etc., at least until you get to your hotel. Men don’t normally have this problem, but single women have disappeared from bars and clubs with strangers, and not so strangers, never to be seen or found again. It happens in the US and also in foreign countries.
10) Carry a hand sanitizer with you (small bottle or wipes) or in your purse (talking to women). Otherwise, wash your hands frequently with soap and water. During your trip you will be shaking hands with many people and would prefer not to catch a bad cold or a sore throat. Worse still is catching some “exotic” flu virus while on vacation. There is nothing sadder than being sick in bed with a fever while the sun is out, and all your friends have gone on tour, or better yet, they are sunbathing by the pool or on the beach having fun and drinking piña coladas. Wash your hands often – that’s the advice!
11) When venturing into local restaurants, I’ve always found that avoiding salads or anything with mayonnaise saves me from ‘stomachaches’. Eating grilled chicken and boiled vegetables, for example, has been the best way to avoid indigestion or “bug” problems. At least he is with me when I travel. A little reminder for your benefit, try not to drink anything with ice in restaurants or bars. Mixed drinks have ice, and the ice is most likely made from tap water. Beef is fine to eat too, but again I recommend that it be grilled and ordered well done. Almost anything on the grill, including fish, is fine when cooked on the grill or in the oven. The main hotels around the world have excellent cuisine and take good care of food and water, in general. Bottled drinks like beer, wine, soda, and water are fine.
I feel like the most important thing when traveling is not to take anything for granted. Being aware of your surroundings is important so that you can have a safe and enjoyable trip. You want to come home happy to have gone out into the world and to have brought great memories with you for a lifetime. It is a wonderful world after all, and I hope this article provides you with enough guidance to keep you safe and happy on all your travels.