Travel safety concerns all of us, no matter your gender, where you’re from or where you go – you’re just the potentially gawky little tourist some sneaky fellas are waiting for. Unless you’re Dwayne Johnson, of course, in which case I candidly pity all the tricksters bein’ up to no good. I can already hear their bones cracking.
No panic - Travelling is safe
As a matter of fact traveling is relatively safe for the average traveler compared with their average daily life. The tiny little problem is that we all tend to behave differently while travelling than we behave at home. Some of us become pretty bold, some careless and some just too overwhelmed by new impressions to comprehend all the potential factors influencing their decisions. Use your brain and act smart. If you can’t ride a horse at home, you can’t suddenly ride the wild mustang just because you’re in Nevada and think it’s your natural purpose to be a cowgirl. Trust me, it’s not.
Common Sense
You’ve heard about it before, I guess. Like in every second travel guide, on every single blog and even aunty Janice tells you in front of every departure: “Use common sense!”
Well, here we are. You know what’s next. Yet another annoying weisenheimer is telling you about using common sense. Is it necessary? No. But I’m doing it anyway because, you know, going with the flow.
The rule for travelling abroad is to take our common sense with us, and leave our prejudices behind us. – William Hazlitt
So, just use it. Use common sense. Embrace it. Listen to it. Be rational. If something sounds risky it probably is. That doesn’t mean you should stay away from all risky stuff. Risky can be adventurous – and we all like adventures. That’s what traveling is about at least partially.
Balance the pros and cons. If it is your dearest dream, the most important thing of your life, to stick your head into an alligator’s mouth, then do it. No matter if aunty Janice would drag you over the coals if she knew. Take your chances. But if you just wanna do it because you’re full of epinephrine and serotonin after seeing a gator for the first time and are eager to impress your SO, listen to your last standing rebellious brain cell, take a step back and eat some chocolate instead. It’s better to get some fatty fingers than ending up headless. I’d like to advise you to ask them who have had experienced it already, but I’m afraid they won’t answer.
Basic travel safety tips
I am pretty sure that you have at least some basic smartness and I don’t need to tell you that it’s not very wise to participate in foreign demonstrations just for fun, poke a bear, run with a cheetah, tickle a mobster or walk a parapet after the fiftieth tequila. So let’s stick with some other recommendations.
1. Traffic
Not criminals, not perfidious sweet animals, not deserts and dehydration, not drowning, not even falling coconuts are responsible for the most tourists turning up dead. It’s the traffic, plain and simple. Of course not everywhere but overall.
Extremly secret tip: Learn the traffic rules of your destination. It’s not that hard and it can prevent you from getting into dangerous situations completely unaware of doing so. Follow the rules even if no one else does.
Besides that, be more cautious than you’re at home if you’re traveling countries with a very loose approach on enforcing traffic rules. When all people there are driving like crazy, you don’t have to follow suit. It’s as simple as that.
If you’re hitchhiking take a closer look at the vehicle of your driver. And at the driver themself. I know, sometimes you have to take what you get. But sometimes it’s better to wait for the next, a better opportunity.
Same for buses and taxis. Just because it is common practice to be pressed into an already completely jammed bus it doesn’t mean that it’s safe or that you have to be part of its last ride. Look out for alternatives, if possible.
2. Strangers at the hotel
You can assume that people who claim working for the hotel you’re staying at, are actually part of the staff. Unless you can’t that is. Sure, usually they are. But sometimes they are not and all they want is to get a glimpse into your room. For example to see if there are any valuables or if you’re staying alone. Or to manipulate the door lock to sneak in when you’re away.
If you didn’t call for the room service, the person who just claims to bring you champagne should make you cautious. Unless you’re staying at a 5 star hotel and your wig didn’t really help preventing the staff from recognizing you, Dwayne. But in any other case, maybe just give the desk a short call and ask if they have sent someone.
3. Scam in general
Rats follow people, cats follow rats. People and cats became friends, but neither did rats and people, nor cats and rats. Scammers follow tourists – and no one follows scammers. I think you see the trouble we’re in. The more attractive a city or a place is for tourists, the more attractive it becomes for shady people. And none of us can change it. Before hoping that there will come a countervailing force to keep the balance, better be prepared.
Scams evolve and sometimes it’s hard to detect the bad intention a kind person has. If something seems shady, it very likely is. Don’t fall pray to temptations because you think you could maybe miss something or get a huge bang for the buck. Use your brain. Find here a list of 40 tourist scams.
4. Don't show your Bling Bling
Shopping at the 5th Avenue? Go ahead, wear your diamond ring, your golden Rolex and the 500 Euros shades. It’s fine, that’s the spirit. But if you’re the typical lost in translation Rome tourist, wandering around while the newest gemstone studded phone is flashing out of your Prada bag, you’re just a magnet for every pickpocket within a 10 km radius. You’re the fat, bacon fed rat in our analogy, bagging for a cat coming its way.
5. Protect your valuables
If possible, don’t use the back pockets of your trousers. It’s not only very visible what’s inside, it’s also very easy to steal whatever it is. You won’t even notice. And if you do, it’s already too late. Your front pockets are way more secure. You can also consider using a money belt or a hidden pocket. But that can be cumbersome and annoying.
So, you like taking pictures and your camera was damn expensive? I know, you can’t put it back into your bag after every snap – you could miss some great shots. Just hold it tight. Use a wrist strap or anything else, so no one can suddenly grab your camera and run away. If you’re alone, don’t bring you’re camera to bad neighborhoods. Well, preferably don’t even go there. But if it’s on your bucket list and you can’t resist, keep a low profile. Strolling around and taking tons of pictures isn’t exactly what a prolific thug wants to see in their territory. Losing all your pictures, the beloved camera, seven teeth and two fingers is for sure a holistic experience – but probably not one you were looking for when you told aunty Janice that you wanna see the good and the bad in the world.
6. Secure your rucksack
Imagine walking down a typical shopping street. It’s very crowded and someone bumps into you every few steps. You’ve just bought some bottled water and a bunch of gorgeous fruits for your cheap eat at the hostel. You have no free hand for taking nice pictures so your camera is safely stowed away in your backpack. You’re very attentive regarding physical contact with other pedestrians and you’re trying to detect if someone is fumbling with your backpack. After arriving in your dormitory you want to check the results of your recent photo safari. You open your backpack and – your camera is still there. Lucky you.
Even an inexperienced thief needs just a few seconds to open your backpack and pull out whatever is in it. You won’t notice anything. But you can prevent it. For example with a tiny padlock or some annoying knots. Yeah, I know, if someone is particularly aiming for your backpack, the tiny padlock won’t last forever. But most thieves don’t want to draw attention, hence they have to act quickly. If a job seems to be complicated, they will disregard it. So don’t make it too easy. Give them a challenge.
7. Get a travel health insurance
We could argue now if this is actually part of travel safety, but for sure it is a part of (financial) travel survival. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a horrible accident, a snake bite or a bar fight (because someone insulted aunty Janice) – even minor, temporary health issues like an allergic reaction or toothache can drain your travel budget immediately. In some countries you won’t even get much needed medical help (except your life is in danger) to continue your adventure, if you don’t pay upfront or provide a valid health insurance certificate. So better be prepared. A good travel health insurance costs only a fraction of the potential expenses you have to face if you need medical assistance abroad. It’s not worth saving money on the wrong things.
8. Have some backups
Your passport, money, credit cards – everything can get lost, destroyed or stolen. Admittedly, there’s probably no one in the world who would accept a copy of your credit card to rent an expensive car and there’s no security check where producing a copy of your passport will allow you boarding the plane. But in case of loss it can be easier to suspend your cards if you know their numbers. And having at least a copy of your documents can make the process of getting a replacement easier.
Making backups nowadays doesn’t mean you have to carry folders full of papers with you. Just make some (focused) pictures and store them somewhere safe, i. e. as encrypted zip files on Dropbox or OneDrive. You will very likely find a place almost everywhere to access your online storage.
As for the money, keep some nest eggs well hidden and stored separately from your other cash. If you happen to lose your wallet, it should be enough to get a taxi to the next police station, buy something to drink and stay alive for at least 24 hours. And please, don’t listen to the horrible secret places to store valuables every third blogger is recommending, like the bottom of your tampon box. Since everyone is recommending this, every crook knows it – and will look there at first. Be creative and think, well, outside the box.
9. Don't try to be Dwayne
If you get mugged don’t try to resist and just follow their instructions. If you’re not an experienced street fighter chances are high you will get hurt. Giving up your money or other valuables may feel like a huge loss and defeat, but it’s nothing compared to ending up in the hospital or being the matter of the next funeral. If you are an experienced fighter you may still lose against a bullet. Don’t take chances – play it safe.
10. Have some emergency tools with you
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