Travel Safety
The Safe Traveler
Every traveler should become security conscious or they may ge contributing to their own eventual victimization. Personal safety while traveling, like other areas of crime prevention, is mostly common sense.
- Travel only with travelers checks and leave unnecessary valuables at home.
- Try not to look like a tourist. Thieves are attracted to tourists.
- Don't wear name tags when leaving the site of a convention, or carry tote bags that identify you as being from out of town.
Use "Street Smart" Techniques
- Stick to main well lit streets after dark.
- Don't cut through isolated parks or alleys out of view of passing traffic.
- Watch for and avoid suspicious looking individuals or activity.
- Steer clear of dilapidated, graffiti-stricken areas.
City Crime
Theft from autos is the most common crime in central business districts. All baggage and goods, such as computers, should be stowed out of sight in the cars trunk! Don't invite a smash and grab!
Terrorism
Indiscriminate Terrorism - Is the kind of terrorism travelers are the most likely to become victims of. These victims may be casual shoppers, on a plane, train or bus with other travelers. They may be visitors to a monument, or employees and visitors of a government building.
Six Tactics That Comprise 95% of All Terrorist Attacks:
- Bombings
- Assassinations
- Armed Assaults
- Kidnapping
- Hostage Situations
- Hijacking
Terrorist Targets:
- Public transportation facilities because of the crowds they draw.
- Government buildings or any places symbolically linked to a hated government.
- Large public gatherings linked to various nations, such as the Olympic Games.
Before traveling to other countries check for travel warnings and other information issued by the State Department at:
Safety Tips
- Always book the most direct routes to your destination, avoiding unnecessary stopovers and transfers.
- Spend the least amount of time possible at airports, especially foreign airports.
- Avoid Executive type lounges. Always keep a low profile.
- Never get in a taxi with another passenger already inside.
- Arrange for rental cars with air conditioning so you can drive with the windows up and the doors locked.
- Arrange for hotels in a safe district with direct access to public transportation.
- Make sure hotels use basic security standards such as card key access, dead bolts and peepholes (the card key should not identify the room number).
- Request a room at a reasonable distance from the elevator so you don't have to walk down long corridors.
- Request a room between the third and tenth floors. These are above what could reasonably be accessed by an intruder from street level, yet is within range of rescue equipment in case of fire or other disaster.