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.

Advice you can actually use about clubbing alone on a trip

by Annie Scott on

Going out to the clubs at night is an important part of experiencing a new city. For many of us, mingling with the locals over drinks is one of our favorite travel activities. There’s a lot of finger-shaking, old-fashioned advice for staying safe out there, but here are some real tips you can actually use, even if you’re alone, which can actually increase your fun-times.

Make and take a buddy – if you can.

A buddy is not always possible. I travel alone a lot, but it doesn’t preclude me from going out at night. Always ask your hotel reception (and your taxi driver, and anyone who will listen to you) if there are areas you should avoid at night alone, and how late is really too late to be out. Make a friend during the day if you can, as you can meet up with them at night, but if it doesn’t happen? It’s okay. Stick close to your hotel and/or call taxis (don’t just wander around outside trying to flag a cab).

Careful who you befriend.

If you’re the kind of person who wants to get laid in every city you travel to … I don’t know how to help you. That is some dangerous business, even if you’re in your own state and trolling the suburbs. I would advise travelers to consider “hooking up” a big risk, and not a wise one to take on a night out in a strange city. If you’re going to make new friends, it’s safest to meet them during the day, then meet up with them at night. Added bonus: they’ll be able to recommend a cool place to go and keep you from wasting your evening somewhere that sucks.

Now, if you befriend Dr. Jekyll during the day, and at night they turn into Mr. Hyde, remember that you don’t owe them anything, and get the heck out of the situation.

If you’re out on your own and trying to meet new friends at the bar, don’t be looking to hook up with the hottest thing you see. You’re just setting yourself up for disappointment or even danger. Look for people in your age group, who dress like you and are laughing and having a good time. It may be tempting (or less intimidating) to approach someone who’s all alone, but it’s much safer to go talk to a group of people; serial killers don’t usually travel in groups of friends who are laughing their heads off and having fun.If they don’t speak any English and you don’t speak any [language], be careful.

If you’re in a country where you don’t speak the language and they don’t speak any English, you probably shouldn’t go out without a bilingual buddy. Fortunately, most countries where one would go clubbing have a fairly developed English-speaking population. Just be careful, and listen to your gut. If you think the people with whom you’re speaking English are muttering bad things about you to each other in their own language, they may well be — and if they’re not, it’s rude of them to behave that way. Move on.

Plan the end of your night in advance.

Enjoying the thrill of the evening and letting the night take you wherever it may is a romantic idea, but it can be dangerous. Decide in advance which part of town you’re going to end up in and how you can get a cab from there. Furthermore, decide what time you’re going to turn in — lest you should stay out too late, spend all your money and ruin your sightseeing the next day. Going out with no plan is like wandering down a dark alley with no idea whether it has an outlet at the other end. Don’t do it — it’s not just dangerous, it’s also likely to be way less fun.

Put these numbers in your phone.

Even if you don’t want the roaming charges, etc., put these numbers in your phone in case of emergency:
1. Your hotel — and put the address in there, too.
2. Local taxi service.
3. Police.
4. 202-501-4444 (country code 01), the US Department of State Emergency Assistance to Americans in Foreign Countries line.

Now have fun, and click here for Five sexy ways to carry your valuables safely.

Travel insurance a must for adventure travelers

by Kraig Becker on

For most travelers, the thought of purchasing travel insurance is usually an after thought, at best. For many, it is seen as an unnecessary expense, when they’re already paying a lot for a vacation, with no tangible benefits most of the time. Travel insurance is one of those things you don’t really need, until you do.

But adventure travelers are not like other travelers. They often visit remote places that are sometimes dangerous, and are located far from urban centers, making it difficult to get medical aid should it be required. Additionally, they are often carrying highly specialized, and expensive, gear, that makes the loss of their baggage potentially far more devastating that when a typical traveler has their bags lost in transit. For these reasons, and more, travel insurance isn’t just recommended for adventure travelers, it is generally a necessity.

Basic travel insurance usually covers such things as trip cancellation or interruption. This is, by far, the most common type of travel insurance that people buy, as it will cover you if you’re traveling abroad, and something causes your expensive vacation to go awry. Usually, the insurance company will help arrange alternate accommodations and help schedule flights home, and will often reimburse you for money lost due to the trip being canceled. A lot of travelers invest in this kind of insurance “just in case”.
As mentioned above, the other benefit of travel insurance is that it usually covers loss of baggage. For most tourist, that means they are reimbursed for buying new clothes and other items so that they can continue on their trip with just a minor inconvenience. For adventure travelers however, that inconvenience can turn from minor to major very quickly. Some of their specialized gear, like climbing harnesses, cold weather sleeping bags, and backpacks, can be difficult to find when they’re actually at their destination, and even though you may have the money to replace them, who wants to trek for miles over difficult terrain in a brand new pair of hiking boots?

Many travel insurance plans will also offer coverage for emergency medical treatment and assistance, should you become injured on your trip. Freak accidents can happen anywhere, and your usual normal health insurance plans generally won’t cover you while traveling abroad. Having this kind of medical insurance is another contingency against a completely different kind of “just in case” scenario. But here’s the rub when it comes to medical insurance. It generally doesn’t cover adventure activities, such as mountain climbing, sky diving, or whitewater rafting. You need to read the fine print very closely to find out exactly what is covered, but usually you’ll need supplemental insurance if you intend to take part in those types of activities. Those supplements usually include increased medical coverage and medical evacuation to cover the costs of getting you to a hospital should the need arise. If you’re trekking the Andes in Peru for instance, it can be very expensive to get an airlift back to Lima should an emergency arise.

While buying travel insurance remains optional for the vast majority of travelers, for the adventure crowd it can be a requirement, quite literally. For instance, I have needed to show proof of travel insurance when trekking Kilimanjaro and visiting the Amazon, and I’ll need it again when I travel to the Himalaya in April to make the trek to Everest Base Camp. So far, I have never had to make a single claim, but it has always been nice to know that I am covered should the need arise.

So, all of that begs the question. Do you need travel insurance on your next trip? Well, that depends. If you’re taking a cruise in the Caribbean, you’re probably fairly safe. If you pay for the trip with a credit card, it often offers you a level of security, up to a certain dollar value (check with your card for details), should the trip be canceled, and trip organizers will usually work with you if other problems arise. On the other hand, if you’re thinking about trekking through Chile’s Patagonia region, it might be prudent to consider buying an insurance plan that offers adventure travel coverage. Hopefully you’ll never need it, but “just in case”…

Funny warning signs keep us safe/amused

by Mike Barish on

The world is a dangerous place. Or so the safety signs we encounter on our travels would have us believe. Thankfully, the same people who try to scare us away from sharp objects, deadly animals and steep cliffs also have a fantastic sense of humor. How else could you explain the fascinating amount of truly hysterical warning signs that are displayed all over the world? From my hometown of New York to the Northern Territory of Australia, I’ve seen warning signs for any number of dangerous situations and more often than not, they’ve elicited more laughter than fear.

That’s not to say that these signs don’t have merit. To the contrary, safety signs should always be followed and care should be taken whenever they are present. But, as you walk around the mouth of the active volcano or avoid the snap of the crocodiles teeth, enjoy a hearty belly laugh. Just because you’re defying death doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun doing it.

What situations are the most dangerously hysterical? Let’s take a tour of amusing safety signs from around the globe.

%Gallery-88255%Watch your hands!
Subways can be death traps. If the train doesn’t hit you, its doors will eat your rabbit paws. Stand clear of the closing doors, please!

No diving!
Cliff diving is popular from Mexico to New Zealand. But, unlike the public pool that you went to when you still wore floaties, there are no markers telling you the depth of the water. Sure, that lake at the bottom of the waterfall looks deep enough to safely welcome you after your plunge from 100 feet up, but who’s to say it’s not just shallow and murky? Maybe those rocks aren’t as soft as they look? Perhaps – and I’m just thinking out loud here – diving into a rocky abyss against the advice of a sign that uses simple mathematical symbols and disturbing images is not the best strategy. If you need an adrenaline rush that will also cool you off, try dropping the soap in the communal shower at your hostel.

Heads up!
Think airports are safe thanks to the TSA? Well, what about outside of the airport? Simply walking near a runway can be dangerous. Remember that airplanes always have the right of way. If you see one coming, best to curl up into a ball, soil yourself and apologize to your friend for the blood splatter that he’s about to get on his shirt.

Crocs aren’t just ugly shoes!

Crocodiles haven’t survived for millions of years by being idiots. They’re intelligent creatures who are as smart as they are powerful. Just because they could kill you with one bite doesn’t mean that they also couldn’t defeat you in a Mathlete competition. So, if someone spent an afternoon frantically scribbling a sign alerting you that there are crocodiles stalking boats and people, you damn well better listen to that warning. Because if a crocodile wants to find you, it will. And by the time you look at the caller ID on your phone and see that the croc is calling from inside the house, it’s too late.

Slippery when wet!
Achtung! Slip and falls are all too common and result in everything from sprained ankles to concussions to permanent death. If a sign tells you to avoid slipping into a swirling black hole that may lead to Hell and/or a netherworld, best to heed its warning.

I could go on and on, but perhaps you should just check out our gallery of warning signs to properly understand the dangers that loom all around. As you travel the world, please do obey all safety signs…and have a blast doing it!

What to do if you’re a tourist in a natural disaster

by Annie Scott on

Natural disasters can strike anywhere at any time. Mother nature doesn’t care who you are, how much money you spent on your vacation, or whether you bought travel insurance. Mother nature is kind of a jerk like that. So, what exactly do you do if you’re lying on a Chilean beach one day and then suddenly you’re in an earthquake?

While I would never advocate living in fear or always preparing for the worst (no way to live, in my humble opinion), a little precaution is more than a good idea; it’s responsible. It’s like packing an umbrella when you know it’s likely to rain. Consider the risks of your destination (Does it get avalanches? Tornadoes? Is it the island from Lost?), and make sure you have a plan in mind in case you get unlucky. Read on for a list of potential disasters and tips on how to stay safe.

But first, everyone should program 202-501-4444 into their phone or keep it in their travel documents. Why? It’s the phone number for emergency assistance to Americans in foreign countries, a’la the US Department of State (they’ll get you help from your nearest US embassy). Additionally, you should register with the US Department of State when you’re going abroad so that they can inform the nearest embassy that you’re coming and keep better track of you if there’s a crisis. Travel registration is a free service for which your taxes pay, and you can do it online here.

If that sounds a little big-brother-ish to you, consider how much passport stuff you go through anytime you travel abroad. It’s okay for your country to know where you are. In fact, it’s a very good thing, as they have an obligation to try and protect you on your travels. Also, there’s a Privacy Act:”The provisions of the Privacy Act are designed to protect the privacy and rights of Americans, but occasionally they complicate our efforts to assist citizens abroad. As a rule, consular officers may not reveal information regarding an individual Americans location, welfare, intentions, or problems to anyone, including family members and Congressional representatives, without the expressed consent of that individual. Although sympathetic to the distress this can cause concerned families, consular officers must comply with the provisions of the Privacy Act.”

Basically, the Department of State can’t tell anyone where you are, even if they know, unless you expressly tell them to. When you register, you can give them an emergency contact who’s not traveling with you. Don’t you want them to be able to tell your mom (or wife, husband, girlfriend, whoever you list) where you are and that you’re okay if all the phone lines and computers are down? You can also allow them to disclose info to the media, your medical representative or your lawyers. Register up. Expats, too. I did.

FEMA lists the following crises as potential disasters:

Click on any one you’re concerned about for FEMA’s advice — they provide great instructions for what to do immediately, like crouch in a corner or get outside.

Additional advice for expats in particular is here.