Monday, November 17, 2008

Vacation Safety Tips.

By Henry P. Jones

There's nothing worse than having problems occur while you're on holiday, especially in a foreign land where a lot of things are unfamiliar. The annoying thing is that a couple of bad situations can spoil a whole week or two weeks vacation. Or worse still, a situation that sees you locking yourself in your hotel room, afraid to go out, or even spending time at the local police station.

It doesn't matter if you are visiting a local market or out for an evening meal, traveling safely is about the application of common sense when you are in an unfamiliar location. Nature gave us all a very effective means for survival in unknown circumstances; it's called instinct and you must learn to trust it.

Always be careful about traveling with all your documents and money if you are just going to town to see the sights or have a meal. Take just what you need for the day and leave the rest in the hotel safe as it is better to lose a little, rather then everything.

A handy tip is to place a small amount of money in a number of locations like bags or pockets then if you happen to lose a bag, visa card or money, you will still have something there to keep you going until it can be resolved. As an added safety measure, when traveling, carry credit cards from different accounts then should one be lost or stolen there is a second to fall back on.

Some people just make it easy for snatch thieves who specialize in grabbing bags and cameras for unsuspecting tourists who have them hanging from their shoulder so to prevent this make sure the strap is over the head as well. If you are the person carrying the camera or bag, then walk away from the edge of the road where it is easy for motorcycle thieves to grab something and make a quick getaway.

From a criminal's point of view, large groups of tourists are just treated as easy targets and because they do this sort of thing all the time, they are extremely good at it. We can become complacent believing it will not happen or we are cleverer than them but this is how they make their living and in many cases the way that they feed their family every day.

Carrying a small backpack can be a good idea as it can be secured with a small padlock which although will not deter the determined thief will slow down and prevent the majority from trying their luck. Some people are always losing their keys which isn't a good idea when you are on vacation so a quick remedy is to buy a D-shackle or similar and attach it your belt or backpack with the keys attached.

Both men and women lose their wallets and purses because men have wallets in their back pockets and women have their open handbags; so the easiest thing is for men to change the place they keep their wallet and for women to make sure their handbag is closed properly.

The only reason these types of events happen on vacation is most people are not traveling safely so by maintaining your guard, many awkward situations can be avoidable.

About the Author:

No comments: