Situational awareness: can you detect danger before it strikes?

by Sean McLachlan on

The global intelligence firm Stratfor has published an interesting primer on situational awareness, which is a fancy way of saying that you should pay attention.

The article is based on the obvious premise that most crimes such as kidnapping, robberies and terrorist attacks take several steps to complete, and that if someone is sufficiently aware of their surroundings they can spot the crime unfolding and react. The sharp-eyed street vendor who stopped the Times Square bomb is a perfect example.

Stratfor says that travelers and others who may be in harm’s way must get into the mindset of situational awareness. You should trust your gut instincts because often your subconscious has picked up on something your conscious mind hasn’t had time to process. People should practice being in a state of relaxed awareness similar to defensive driving. Enjoy life, but study your surroundings. Is that protest in front of the government building attracting some angry cops? Is that group of young men staring at you out of more than just curiosity? Who is standing near the ATM you want to use?

Relaxed awareness doesn’t mean being paranoid, it simply means that you should keep your eyes open and your mind active. Enjoy your vacation, but don’t leave your brain at home.

Stratfor has a free weekly newsletter with informative, level-headed articles on topics of interest to travelers and general news junkies, ranging from why we should worry about Al-Shabaab to why the fears over a radioactive “dirty bomb” are mostly hype. More articles and analysis are available through a paid subscription.

Unlike certain news organizations, Stratfor doesn’t exaggerate threats to grab readers. Their articles are meant to make you safer, not make you scared. As they say in the primer, “The world is a wonderful place, but it can also be a dangerous one.”

Words to travel by.

Photo of 2007 Bastille protests courtesy David.Monniaux via Wikimedia Commons.

Phony IRS agent gets probation for lying to live in hotel

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Eventually, the law will catch up with you. Sherry Lynn Vertoch just got probation and was ordered to repay $55,000 to the people she affected. What did Vertoch do? Well, she accumulated that monstrous tab while posing as an IRS agent and stiffing the Inn Marin hotel in Novato, California. The five-year probation sentence was sent down largely because of her illnesses, including diabetes and high blood pressure.

At first, Vertoch’s stays weren’t long. After 2008, she effectively moved in, staying for two years without paying her bill. Her home, room 121, cost $79 a night … well, it should have. To keep the hotel staff off her back, Vertoch told them she was an IRS agent working on an investigation. The story wore thin, however, and a co-owner of the hotel, Robert Marshall, reached out to the IRS to verify her story. It didn’t check out, and Vertoch ultimately wound up in cuffs.

Robert Marshall noted, “The real crime is, we’re a local family business. We don’t have deep pockets, and basically she’s taken money from our children and the families of all our employees. It’s tough times right now.”

Women try to smuggle dead relative onto flight

by Sean McLachlan on

We talk a lot here at Gadling about annoying airline passengers, from the guy who smashes our knees by reclining his seat back as far as it can go, to the self-righteous fellow who simply must convert us before the plane lands.

Two women in England have them all beat–they tried to smuggle a dead body on board. The unnamed women were stopped at Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport on Saturday as they wheeled their “sleeping” relative up to the gate for a flight to Germany. Airport officials became suspicious and when they began to ask questions about the 91 year-old man, the duo’s story quickly unraveled.

By covering the man with a blanket and putting sunglasses on him, they apparently thought they could slip by security. Perhaps they were inspired by the Australian who got a bag labeled “bomb” past security or the United flight that had a stowaway scorpion.

The two suspects, who the police have identified only as women aged 41 and 66 from Oldham in Greater Manchester, have been charged with failing to report on death and have been released on bail pending an investigation and, most likely, a trial.

Hiding valuables in your hotel room

by Sean McLachlan on

Every hotel tells you not to leave valuables in your room. They suggest using the hotel safe, and for the most part that’s a good plan. But what if the hotel safe isn’t safe? What if the “safe” is merely an unlocked drawer at the reception desk? This is too often the case with hotels in the developing world.

One option is to always keep your valuables with you. This isn’t always convenient or wise, such as if you’re going out on a pub crawl where you might be bum-rolled or attending a religious service where it would be inappropriate to bring a camera. So if you must stash stuff in your room, here are some ideas.

Under the mattress: This old trick is surprisingly effective for small items if you take a few precautions. First, make sure to stash your passport/money in the middle of the mattress, where it can’t be found by simply pulling up one corner. Also, spread out some clothes or a book on top. The cleaning staff will be less tempted to disturb the bed. Finally, make sure to do this after the bed has already been made for the day.

Hiding in plain sight: In the Edgar Allan Poe story “The Purloined Letter”, a clever thief baffles police by hiding a stolen letter in plain sight by refolding it and adding a different address. People make assumptions about what they’re seeing, and thus are easily fooled. A pile of worthless papers can easily hide a passport. A few dollars left carelessly in plain view keeps the thief from looking further.These are two of my favorites, and in twenty years and 28 countries of travel I’ve never been robbed. (Well, I got my pocket picked the first hour I was in Pakistan, but that wasn’t in a hotel room). Looking for fresh ideas, I decided to ask a creative group of people–authors. Here’s what they came up with.

Lock your suitcase: Brenna Lyons says, “have a locked suitcase. Someone could steal the entire suitcase, but that’s extreme. Or they could get lock cutters and cut the lock off…also extreme.”

Hide stuff in other stuff: Brenna Lyons again, “One thing I’ve done before is get a dark-colored plastic bottle and place something small and valuable, wrapped in tissue and/or plastic, inside it. If it looks like shampoo or something, people don’t tend to look twice. If you have one of those little clear toiletry cases with a bunch inside, and one or two have valuables in them, they really don’t look. If you’re really inventive, you can put something like shampoo or lotion in the container over or around the valuables (either using a plastic bag or a smaller bottle).” Jean Hart Stewart has a hollowed out paperback she uses to hide stuff, and she puts it with a bunch of real paperbacks. She better not have destroyed one of my titles!

Taping an envelope in a hidden place: I do this too, but Bob Nailor describes it best.
“Bring a spare envelope and tape. 1) Tape to bottom of trashcan and DON’T USE IT! Housekeeping won’t move it.

2) Tape to bottom of desk, table, or inside of drawer.
3) Tape it to the inside of bi-fold doors, on a solid section, if available. As the doors are opened, the doors close on themselves, hiding the envelope.”

Where do you stash your stuff? Share your secrets in the comments section!

How not to be a traveling target

by Laurel Miller on

If you’re a novice traveler, allow me to let you in on a little secret. That little Canadian flag some Americans like to stitch onto their backpacks? Not fooling anyone. Your attempts to “go native” and wear Thai fisherman’s pants, or drink maté, or flaunt a bindi? Nope. They still know. Know you’re a foreigner, despite your best efforts to hide it.

Don’t get me wrong- it’s commendable to try and learn the local culture, and adopt some customs and habits, as long as they don’t inadvertently cause offense. But don’t let your immersion lull you into thinking you’re not a target for crime.

The color of your skin or hair, your accent despite fluency in the native language, even the way you walk- all are signs of your innate “foreignness.” Even if you’ve lived in a country for years, it’s hard to fully assimilate, and as such, that can make you more susceptible to anything from petty thievery to more serious crimes.

That isn’t to say you’re bound to get jacked on your holiday- odds are, you won’t. It’s just as easy to be mugged or assaulted at home as it is overseas, but one of the reasons travelers are easy targets is because they let their guard down on vacation.In the interest of keeping your trip as trouble-free-and fun- as possible, here are some tips to help you avoid looking like a walking advertisement for “Have money, will travel.”

Always look like you know where you’re going- even if you’re hopelessly lost.
Whipping out a map in plain sight and poring over the details; hesitant steps and head swiveling- these are almost guaranteed to invite a “helpful” stranger to assist you. More often than not, it’s someone who honestly wants to be of service, and I’ve had to rely on this kindness many times. But the point is, if I need help, I’ll select my source of information. If you absolutely must rely upon someone who has picked you out of the crowd, keep your distance, try not to walk near alleys or doorways, and make sure other people can see you.

Don’t flaunt your cash or cards at the ATM
This seems painfully obvious, but you’d be surprised by how many travelers blithely stroll up to a cash machine, extract their bills, and then stand there in plain sight, counting their money. Besides making you look like a bit of an a-hole in Third World countries where the average daily pay is a dollar, it’s like a flashing neon sign to would-be muggers. If you can’t go inside a bank, just be as surreptitious as possible. I keep my travel wallet and passport clipped into the interior of my day pack, so even if someone does try to snatch it, it will require a bit more effort. I also turn my day pack around to my front, and leave
my wallet down inside the pack as I pull out my cards, and insert my money.

Don’t dress to impress; honor the local dress code
You don’t need to don a burqa if you’re visiting Dubai, but some countries do have very specific rules about how much flesh (men and women) should show. In Marrakesh, you can wear a tank top if you’re female, but make sure it covers your torso, isn’t too skimpy/cleavagey/nippley, and cover your shoulders in places not dominated by tourists. Shorts should at the very least reach your knees. Following these rules is not just a matter of respect, but it also helps you to not stand out and attract unwanted attention. Men, your attire can also make you a target, so if loud colors and open collars aren’t what the locals wear, neither should you. Leave the Ed Hardy to Jon Gosselin (and you know don’t want to be him).

On a similar note: for the love of god, if you are newlyweds/a couple- do NOT wear matching clothes. Not only does it look asinine, but it’s like begging to be a victim.

Keep your wits about you
I’ll be the first to admit there have been times when I’ve gone a little overboard, and not been as responsible for myself as I should have after a few too many drinks. But overall, I try to keep it dialed down when I’m abroad. As for illicit drugs- while they may be a tourism draw in certain areas, just don’t. Not only do you contribute to the corruption of local culture, but is getting caught with that opium really worth a lifetime in a Thai prison? Whether you’re solo or with friends, the only person looking out for you is you. This logic also applies at home, but drunken escapades in Duluth don’t usually end with you being frisked, felt up, handcuffed, thrown in a police car, driven to a remote location, threatened, extorted, and dumped out on a deserted road. Not that that happened to me.

Keep your voice down
Americans are gregarious, enthusiastic folk, which has garnered us something of a worldwide reputation for being “loud,” and “obnoxious.” Please remember that you are in a foreign country, and as such, a guest. Take the time to learn a few phrases and local customs, remember that the people are not there to be your personal servants, and for god’s sake, pipe down. Don’t advertise your tourist status.

Keep your valuables at home, or out of sight
Overseas travel isn’t the time to wear your one-carat wedding ring, or your Cartier watch. Leave the bling at home, and keep your camera tucked away in your day bag of choice. Even if it’s in your pocket, it’s easy pickings. It goes without saying that your passport, money, credit cards, essential medications, etc. should be kept somewhere secure. Personally, I like to keep them on me in my day pack (see, “The empty bladder: why hydration packs make great travel companions”).

Respect local custom, and avoid potentially inflammatory topics
Foreign politics are a conversation best left at home, along with your opinions about religion/race/sexual orientation/women’s rights/child labor/animal abuse, as they apply to wherever you happen to be. This doesn’t mean you should turn into a Stepford Tourist, but there’s a difference between having a civil discussion or coming to the defense of a person or animal in danger, and putting yourself at serious risk. I’ve had to practically wire my jaw shut at times to avoid an ugly confrontation. It’s frustrating, and sometimes heartbreaking, but a big part of travel is learning to appreciate the things we usually take for granted.