Traveling Safely

One person I interviewed about safety in travel said, “my best advice is to just stay home”!! Of course I disagree!! What about those falls at home, or breaking a glass and cutting your hand, or someone running into you on your way to the grocery, or when coming out of the mall, someone runs by you and grabs your purse, jumps in a car and before you can think to move or react, they are gone. And those incidents happen right here in Abilene!!

This quote has been attributed to many folks, probably St. Augustine gets the most credit: “The world is a book and the person who stays at home reads but one page”. Guess who made this one: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all in one's lifetime.” That statement was made by Mark Twain.

Traveling anywhere doesn't mean that you throw all caution to the wind. First you plan and get yourself organized to travel safely, and in doing so reduce much stress related to travel. How do you do that? Well, here's some random suggestions on getting ready to safely go: 

• Leave your itinerary with a relative or neighbor so they know your whereabouts and get a phone number for them to reach you, and be sure and keep their phone number handy. 

• Make a copy of your passport and put it your suitcase. Some folks, in this day and time save it on their cell phone. If it is lost or stolen, having this information handy will make replacement much easier. 

• Keep cash separated and hidden---don't flash wads of money. Remember too, that very limited establishments accept travelers checks anymore.

• Don't show off your valuable jewels; wear nice costume jewelry or just don't wear any.....go jewelry naked. 

• Notify your bank or financial institution that has your credit card account of your travel intentions and the length of your trip. It is a good idea to make a copy of your credit card and keep that copy with your passport copy. 

• Streamline your wallet---you don't need a pocket full of credit cards. 

• Keep an eye out on the weather and thereby being prepared for fair  or storm. 

• Wear and pack comfortable shoes----it's not necessary to do a fashion show with high heels and platforms. 

• Make sure you have your luggage identified. You would be surprised how many people fail to have proper identification tags on their luggage. 

• Pack a small flashlight—hotels or cruise rooms can be real dark at night when you have to get up to use the bathroom in an unfamiliar place. Or take a plug-in (or battery) night light. 

• Pack a dual plug—lots of hotels and cruise rooms have only one plug in your room or bathroom. This is not necessarily a safety tip, but valuable packing information. 

• Don't announce your upcoming trip on Facebook; that's like inviting crooks on the world-wide web to “come on over while I'm gone”. 

• Consider purchasing travel insurance. It might not be a safety issue, on the other hand having it could save your budget if you have to use it.

When you get to your destination there are some other safety tips that might be helpful to remember. 

• Entering you hotel room, what do you do? If you are typical, you'll check out the TV, look a the soap and shampoo in the bathroom, look at the view. The safety tip is to check out the escape route, usually found on the back of the door.
  
  
• Hopefully your room will have a room safe. Keep your valuables in there; that's the best place for them.
  
  
• Stay alert ….be aware of your surroundings at all times.

• Keep your purse in front of you or billfold in a front pocket....be very conscious when in a crowd or on a bus or street car. 

• Take pictures with your phone. Resist the urge to share your pictures all over the universe and make known to everyone watching that you aren't home. Wait until you get home to share your adventures. Really, there is no need to take a real big, digital camera—just something to keep up with and it elicits attention. 

• Don't go out alone, even in the daylight. Have a partner to go explore or shop. If with a group, be sure and let the group leader know of your whereabouts. 

• When going on a driving trip, pack an emergency kit including first aid materials, a flashlight, bottled water, and depending on the weather, a blanket.

 I'm sure this is not an exhaustive list, but there are a few nuggets I'm sure will be able to help you travel safely next time you plan on going. The next best advice is to allow one of the experienced travel agents at The Travel Factory help you take additional stress out of your life by assisting you with your travel plans. We are comfortably located at 4150 Southwest Dr., Ste. 120; where our specialty is being of service for your travel needs.