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Home » Travel Safety in a Hostile World

Travel Safety in a Hostile World

May 3, 2019 By Bob Bales 21 Comments

It seems every month something is in the news regarding an attack on civilians and people are worried about their travel safety. Whether it is a bomb going off in Tunisia, an attack in a restaurant or in a crowded tourist location there seems to be something constantly in the news.

Demonstration

Do you stop traveling or visiting iconic tourist locations? Some do and of course that is their choice. I prefer to keep traveling and just implement some travel safety tips so I don’t become a target.

It may seem as if the world is a dangerous and scary place for people traveling today but the truth is that there have been attacks occurring on tourists and in general for years. Cruise ship attacks, Airline hijackings, bombings have all occurred in the past and yet we still travel.

You can never be 100% safe but there are things you can do to help keep yourself safe while traveling.

Before you go:

• Let someone know your itinerary and how to get in touch with you
• Check your country’s Embassy at the location you’re traveling to and know the location and phone number so you can get in touch with them if necessary. Most Embassy’s will have information regarding safety or any concerns in the area
• You can register with your Embassy so they know you are in country in case something happens.
• Make sure you have extra copies of your passport and passport photos
• Scan other important documents such as credit cards, driver license and important phone numbers.
• Get a good travel insurance policy. If you get injured or really sick a good travel insurance policy can get you to medical care quick or even get you back home. Travel Insurance can also offer; Trip Cancellation protection, Trip Interruption Protection, Emergency Medical Transportation, Emergency Medical / Dental Coverage, Lost / Stolen / Delayed Baggage Coverage, Travel Delay Coverage, Missed Connection Coverage and Rental Car Damage Protection.
• Get an ATM card that allows you to withdraw money internationally, there are some that even have no fees for this.
• Notify your bank what countries you will be in so they don’t flag your credit card for possible fraud use.

At the Hotel:

• Opt for a hotel room between the 3rd and 5th floor. Rooms on the first floor are more likely to attract burglars and rooms on the upper levels could be hard to evacuate should something such as a fire happen.
• Keep your luggage locked when not in your room.
• This one is controversial. Use the room safe. I know people that say they don’t trust the safes because hotel employees might access them. Most of the room safes allow you to input a code and while there is always someone at the hotel that might be able to override the code and gain access I have never had that problem.
• Make sure sliding doors and windows stay locked.
• Pick a room away from the elevator or stairwell. While it is convenient to be close to the elevator, room thieves will usually target rooms close to an exit.
• Familiarize yourself with the exits and fire extinguishers. It might come in handy.
• Take a couple of the hotel business cards with you so you will always know the address if you forget and need to get back to your room.

Stay Connected:

• While it is easy to tune out and forget the outside world it is best to stay informed of what is going on. By watching the news or checking online news sites you can stay informed of everything from bad weather to political uprisings. Unless you stay connected you might not hear about the political demonstration, bomb attack, typhoon or volcano eruption.
• Have Skype installed on your laptop so you can get in touch with someone if something should happen.
• Get a local phone and SIM card. Program in important numbers such as the hotel and Embassy.

When out seeing the sights:

• Don’t look too conspicuous. Wearing a T-Shirt that says “I heart ____” or unfolding a big tourist map on the street corner just makes you a target for pickpockets or worse.
• Try to stay away from really crowded places. Visit the big tourist locations during off times if possible.
• Stay away from demonstrations and political rallies. Resist the urge to photograph such things, you might be perceived as someone from the opposition.
• Don’t take photos of Government buildings unless you ask permission. You might find your brand new camera confiscated or even be invited to spend time in the local jail.
• When visiting tourist sights be aware your surroundings. Backpacks or packages left unattended, someone that appears out of place, acting nervously or taking notes.
• Dress conservatively, not only to blend in but in some countries where modest dress is normal you don’t want to stick out.
• Don’t be the ugly tourist. You know, the one that complains about everything and talks about how much better it is where you live. All you are doing is bringing attention to yourself and not in a good way.
• Carry your money in your front pocket, avoid carrying a wallet if possible.
• Don’t wear lots of jewelry. There is no one to impress and you are just making yourself a target.

At The Airport:

• Don’t let your bags out of your sight. Not only could someone steal them but someone could put something in them without your knowledge.
• In some places you will notice a very helpful person wanting to take your bags and help you check in. In a lot of cases these are just hustlers. While some may walk you to the front of the line, and are be helpful in getting you checked in fast, they will want money and in some cases might just take off with your belongings.

Have an Exit Plan:

• Know how to get out of your hotel room if something occurs such as a fire or earthquake.
• The same applies to visiting tourist locations. I’m not saying do a full on reconnaissance like you were Seal Team 6, just take notice of things like various exits and such.
• Know how to get help in case of emergency. If something like a Natural disaster, Political coup or terrorist attack occurs, have a plan to get somewhere safe or even out of the country by means other than the airport if necessary.

While there are many more things you can do to keep yourself safe these are the basics and by following them you can have a safer and less problematic trip.

What are some of the things you do to keep yourself safe that we can add to the list?

photo credit: riot police via photopin (license)

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Filed Under: SLIDER, Travel, Travel Tips Tagged With: Safety tips, travel emergencies, travel safety

About Bob Bales

Bob aka: The Traveling Fool is a History buff, cigar lover and enthusiast of different cultures and places. He has had the privilege of living, working and traveling all over the world. A proponent of getting off the "tourist path" and experiencing all that the culture and people have to offer. Happiest on a white sand beach in SE Asia or anywhere Tropical. Follow on Twitter @thetravelfool

Comments

  1. Josie says

    May 25, 2015 at 7:17 pm

    Hi Bob,
    A useful list for anyone traveling. Here’s what we do:

    American citizens can register with the State Department. You input your travel plans and contact info, then you are contacted via email with any weather or social unrest conditions. It was very helpful when we traveled to Paris in 2010 when a major terrorist attack was looming and the city went on Orange Alert. Military presence was heavy and if we had ever gone missing, the State Department had our itinerary.

    Wishing you safe and happy travels,
    Josie

    Reply
    • thetravellingfool says

      May 26, 2015 at 10:09 am

      Hi Josie, Always a great idea to register with the embassy. Should an emergency of any kind happen, such as a natural disaster like we saw recently in Nepal, having the embassy know you are in country and your general whereabouts can be a life saver.

      Reply
  2. April Yap says

    June 23, 2016 at 2:11 am

    Having a safety travel in any place can make me feel good and comfortable, hopefully all countries has a safety place to travel for.

    Reply
  3. anna says

    July 30, 2016 at 10:50 am

    Great tips! I’ve never thought of thinking of an exit plan ahead of time. Thanks for making me aware of that.

    Reply
  4. Fiona Maclean says

    July 30, 2016 at 12:38 pm

    I guess we should all be thinking this way now. Rather sad though isn’t it

    Reply
  5. Sia says

    July 30, 2016 at 5:16 pm

    Some very good tips especially the first one and the extra passport copies. Some fo them I haven’t thought of but you know we always thing that it won’t happen to us. It is always good to be reasonable and stay safe.

    Reply
    • thetravellingfool says

      July 31, 2016 at 1:05 am

      Glad you found them useful.

      Reply
  6. LeAnna Brown says

    July 31, 2016 at 4:09 am

    I’m living in Germany right now and with all the recent events, this is a very real issue for me. I absolutely won’t let terror win by being scared to live my life and travel but that doesn’t mean I won’t take some extra precautions just in case

    Reply
  7. Melody PIttman says

    July 31, 2016 at 10:07 am

    These are great suggestions and I’m so glad to see them in print. Many things on this list are ones I had never given any consideration to. I do not even own a suitcase lock but I think I may invest in one now. I also like the idea of staying between the 3-5th floors.

    Reply
  8. Veronika says

    July 31, 2016 at 1:39 pm

    Thanks for this artcile. Seems many people are scared to travel nowadays. July was extremely full with all the attacks. I do belive we shold not stop visiting places. You listed some safety advices that I think can reduce the risk. Being informed is indeed essential.

    Reply
    • thetravellingfool says

      July 31, 2016 at 3:06 pm

      Thanks Veronika, glad you found it useful

      Reply
  9. Meg Jerrard says

    July 31, 2016 at 10:42 pm

    Some fantastic safety tips here Bob – I stand my decision to keep traveling in spite of a growing number of attacks and dangers around the world. It’s not travel that;s dangerous – it’s LIFE! And I think if anything, these attacks in the Western world have proved that it could happen right here at home too. So we may as well live!

    I’ve always believed that travel safety will always largely come down to common sense, and being aware of your surroundings. Sometimes you’re going to get unlucky and be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but that’s largely what it is. I’m heading to Istanbul in a couple of weeks and I’m genuinely looking forward to experiencing Turkey even though every other tourist seems to have fled. XX

    Reply
    • thetravellingfool says

      July 31, 2016 at 11:57 pm

      Agree Meg. the biggest thing you can do is use some common sense and be aware of your surroundings.

      Reply
  10. Mar Pages says

    July 31, 2016 at 11:01 pm

    I never skimp on travel insurance, I know some who think its alright to skip it if they are careful but sometimes its out of your control! Good point on the hotel levels, I always thought higher was better but I didn’t consider the ease of evacuation if a fire occurred. Great list!

    Reply
    • thetravellingfool says

      July 31, 2016 at 11:58 pm

      Travel insurance is a biggee that a lot of people don’t consider or think is too expensive. Anyone that has been in a foreign country when disaster or illness struck wishes they had it.

      Reply
  11. Carly Moore says

    August 2, 2016 at 5:26 am

    Interesting tips – a lot of those are just using some common sense. I’ve never really thought about registering with my embassy before, definitely something to consider for countries experiencing a bit more unrest than others.

    Reply
  12. Ted says

    September 30, 2016 at 5:37 pm

    Those are some really good tips and recommendations, many of which I use. Something I have done, for many years, is stop when I arrive somewhere. I sit down and “sense” the place. It takes a few moments, but so far has kept me out of trouble. If you’re a guy traveling with a woman ask her – if she feels a bit iffy (maybe starts to squirm a little), STOP!. They have this fantastic intuition that’s spot on 95% of the time, while us guys have trouble getting it half right (so pay attention), that just might be a bad street to walk down.

    Reply
    • thetravellingfool says

      September 30, 2016 at 5:43 pm

      Good advice.

      Reply
  13. Kevin Pringle says

    March 6, 2017 at 2:59 am

    Hey! Thankyou for such profound post. All the points mentioned here are worth considering. One more point I would like to add- when you travel, it is natural to carry all of the valuable things with you. You cannot carry your valuables all the time and have to store these in the hotel. To ensure complete safety and protection of your belongings it is necessary to choose a hotel having hotel room safes so that you can keep your belongings over there. This ensures complete peace of mind.

    Reply
    • thetravellingfool says

      March 6, 2017 at 3:04 am

      Although room safes are not completely secure. There have been cases of belongings stolen from “secure” room safes.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Safe Travels: 7 Tips for Staying Safe while Traveling | Casual Travelers says:
    January 29, 2016 at 1:12 pm

    […] but not least, read “#Travel Safety in a Hostile World” by Bob from The Traveling […]

    Reply

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Profile Flipped Hi and welcome to The Traveling Fool. Born with a passion of learning about the history of different cultures, Bob Bales (aka The Traveling Fool) enjoys discovering people and places he finds off the beaten path that most tourists don’t know about. Often found with a cigar in one hand and a good whiskey in the other, Bob likes to write about what makes those people and places he visits special. Being retired military and having lived, worked and traveled from Europe to Asia and North America there is always a history and story to be told. To learn more about The Traveling Fool check out my About Me page.

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