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FamilyTripster.com's Safety Tips
I (LTB) was coming through DFW airport on my way home to Colorado last month when I saw a family of five, all dressed in matching tie-dyed purple t-shirts, with matching sweatshirts. Along the concourse I passed two couples in matching gold windbreakers, and a foursome in cruise-ship hats—logo right across the brim.
While dressing in such a way might make it easier to spot your compatriots in a crowd, if I were a con artist looking for an easy mark, these people would have been first on my list. It got me thinking about how we can protect ourselves while traveling by doing simple things. In Europe, for example, the people wear a lot of gray and black. The more you dress in dark colors (and the less you wear new white sneakers), the more you’ll blend in (and therefore, the less you’ll be a likely target). My husband went to Italy with a largely dark wardrobe and new, artsy glasses, and everyone took him for a German. This created linguistic challenges, but we were never mugged!
Be street savvy and watch out for street scams. Some things to be aware of:
Have a safe trip!
Have a security/safety tip you want to share? Please email us at Tips@FamilyTripster.com and put “Safety Tip” in the subject line.
FamilyTripster.com's Safety Tips
I (LTB) was coming through DFW airport on my way home to Colorado last month when I saw a family of five, all dressed in matching tie-dyed purple t-shirts, with matching sweatshirts. Along the concourse I passed two couples in matching gold windbreakers, and a foursome in cruise-ship hats—logo right across the brim.
While dressing in such a way might make it easier to spot your compatriots in a crowd, if I were a con artist looking for an easy mark, these people would have been first on my list. It got me thinking about how we can protect ourselves while traveling by doing simple things. In Europe, for example, the people wear a lot of gray and black. The more you dress in dark colors (and the less you wear new white sneakers), the more you’ll blend in (and therefore, the less you’ll be a likely target). My husband went to Italy with a largely dark wardrobe and new, artsy glasses, and everyone took him for a German. This created linguistic challenges, but we were never mugged!
Be street savvy and watch out for street scams. Some things to be aware of:
| General Safety • 
Instead of matching t-shirts, get everyone in your group a whistle to wear
around their neck, under their shirt. They can blow it to call for help
or find you again in a crowded place. You can find whistles with a compass
on them too—great for helping you find your way out of a winding city street
maze (and not spend time gazing at a map, making you again, a good target).
Choose a neck whistle with a soft, comfortable cord. If a family all started
blowing their whistles, most thieves would run.• Get the phone number for roadside assistance in any area you are touring—before you go—and place in your files. • See if the car rental company has any cars without stickers or license plates that identify it as a rental—thieves look for rental company cars first.1 • Hide any maps/guides when you park. You don’t want anyone peeking in and immediately spotting a tourist. • Study maps in busy parking lots. Do not pull over to the side of the road. • Buy two local newspapers when you first arrive. Place one on the dashboard of your rental any time you park.1 • Tuck the other local newspaper under your arm while you wander through tourist sites. 1 Even if you have a camera around your neck, you’ll be a less likely target. • Wear a cheap watch abroad. A fancy watch will make you a more eligible victim. • Go “minimalist” with other jewelry for the same reason. Besides, you don’t want to be fretting about it in your hotel room or in your checked bag anyway. You may even want to wear a plain gold wedding band and leave the big rock/irreplaceable ring at home. (But then, leave it someplace secure there!) • Slashed/flat tire? Immediately suspect foul play, even if it happens on the highway in transit, and watch your belongings. Don’t accept help in changing the tire and keep your trunk/belongings locked in the trunk. I (LTB) met a couple of older women in France who were bird-watching and returned to find their tire slashed. A “nice young man” offered to help them change the tire, then tried to make off with their purses. They actually tried to fight him off and one had a cut on her face and hand. They spent two days of their vacation unraveling the mess—lost passports, lost rental car keys, police reports. Ugh. If someone offers to help you, firmly say no and get out your whistle or cell phone until they leave. • Never accept unsolicited help from anyone but a uniformed police officer. If someone approaches your car, crack open the window to talk. Have cell phone at your ear, even if you’re pretending to be on the phone with roadside assistance or the police. • Establish a group airport security plan. Never place your valuables on an x-ray belt until the person in front of you has passed through the machine or someone in your group is on the other side, waiting and watching. If you are held up, your bags can disappear fast. • If you get pelted with something—liquid or material—immediately suspect foul play. It’s common for a team to work together. One spills on you and helps you clean up; the other makes off with your belongings.1 Think: Commotion/ Distraction Means Danger! Have everyone in your group be aware of this and be on hyper-alert in case something like it happens. We believe even children should be warned of such things. Consider that you are preparing them to be self-sufficient, safe adults. • In some cases, women will even throw you a doll or hand you a baby to hold while others in the group take your belongings. 1 Always keep a hand on your bag or purse. Smile and place that whistle in your mouth if approached by anyone out of the ordinary. Refuse to hold a baby with a quick “sorry” and move away. • Is your ATM card “stuck” in a machine? ATM machine could be rigged. Never give your PIN to anyone. 1 Extract money during the day, and preferably from an actual bank’s ATM (vs. stand alone machine), so you can get a bank employee to help if something goes wrong. • Street fight? Even among kids? Someone approaching you in tears, asking for money?1 Remember, Commotion/Distraction Means Danger! Do not pull out your wallet to give them a few bucks. Mention local word for police, place whistle in mouth and point to busy street corner if you feel compelled to help. • Don’t place money or valuables in a fanny pack—just water bottle, snack and things you don’t mind losing. • Keep small bills in various pockets so you never have to pull out your wallet. 1 Especially in crowded trains or busses, watch out for pickpockets—children can often be culprits. If you touch your wallet to make sure it’s still there, pickpockets will now know exactly where it is.  •
Wear a neck wallet or money belt. Stubborn man who won’t let go of his regular
wallet? Have him wrap a couple rubber bands around it1—it will
be harder to extract from his pocket.• Loop purse or camera bag straps around a chair leg in bars and restaurants and keep them on your lap. • Don’t wear any cash or credit cards on you you’re not prepared to lose. Wear the irreplacables or backup cards close to your chest—as in a neck wallet or money belt that thieves can’t access. • Rick Steves recommends that you mentally prepare to be pick-pocketed. That way, it won’t ruin your vacation if/when it happens. And if you don’t lose everything, it will be easier to deal with. • Have credit card backup documentation in your suitcase. Write down any credit card company info for filing reports in case you lose your cards or they are stolen. Remember, do not write down complete credit card #s, just the last four digits and the contact info to call them in case the worst happens. • Write down local embassy info for obtaining a passport replacement—before you leave home. • Carry a different credit card than your companion/spouse. This is good for back up in case one doesn’t work; it’s also good in case one is lost/stolen. |
| Security with Children • Hold their hands. You both will feel more secure and free to look around. • In crowded tourist areas like museums or churches or plazas, establish a meeting point if separated, before you begin looking around. • Give each child a walkie talkie, if possible. • Parents, clearly assign children to each adult so each knows who they’re responsible for. Consider it being a trip-long assignment. This will avoid the “but I thought you had him!” nightmare. • Place an “IF LOST” card in each child’s pocket (even teenagers!), which includes “Please help me, I am separated from my parents” in the local language, and also includes your name, hotel name, international cell number and contact person back home. • Know the local word for “police” and teach it to everyone in your group. Point out police officers to children as soon as you arrive and make it a game for them to each find the next one so uniforms are cemented in their mind. • Tell them that if they are lost, and have to use their card to seek help, to find a police officer or go to someone behind the front desk of a bank or hotel. • Tell them to stay in a safe place—like hotel or bank or police station—until you come or police come for them. Tell them if they keep moving, it will be harder to find them. • Tell children it’s okay to yell for help if they’re in trouble or feel they’re in danger. Practice at home before you go. Then practice them yelling for help and blowing their whistle. No, you don’t want them to be freaked out and afraid on the road—but consider you’re preparing them to be wise, street-savvy, safe and secure travelers. • Coach children to ignore street vendors and just keep walking. Tell them designer purses are knock-offs and jewelry is often sub-par to reduce interest. • Prepare them to ignore heckling/bargaining vendors, especially if they stop, then walk away. • Younger children should never carry anything but a water bottle/snack. Why set yourself up for the trauma that will ensue if they get robbed? Carry their valuables and passports for them. If you are robbed, you can deal with it better. • Children not old enough to hold/watch over their camera all day should not be carrying one. Or go with a disposable! |
| Bigger Issues • Go to http://travel.state.gov to obtain current US foreign alerts and warnings about terrorist activity and other violence •Write down these hotline phone numbers in your trip planner to get recorded security conditions: 1-202-501-4444 in US or Canada 1-202-647-5225 overseas • Go to that same site, http://travel.state.gov to report lost/stolen US passports (travel with essential passport information: name, address, passport #, and if possible, extra passport photos. Chances are, you won’t need it, but if you do… • US citizens, register your travel plans before you go at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui . We know this will bother the “big brother” worriers, but if an emergency occurs with your loved ones in the US, contacts on your registration can utilize the local consulate to get a hold of you, and conversely, if you are hospitalized, imprisoned or worse, the consulate can contact your loved ones on your behalf. Also, if there is an international crisis, they can find you to warn or evacuate you. A big brother is nice to have, once in a while. — Family members call 1-888-407-4747 — Overseas travelers call 202-501-4444 •Dialing 911 Abroad: All EU Countries: 112, Argentina: 911, Australia: 000, Canada: 911, Hong Kong: 999, Israel: 100, Japan: 119, Mexico: 060, Switzerland: 144, Thailand: 191 (Source: Travel & Leisure, April 2008) • Those numbers above are for true emergencies—really hospitalization, imprisonment or death. For all other situations, wouldn’t it be nice to have an international cell phone? See our link to purchase a $49 phone that works in 150 countries at www.Mobal.com or ask your local cell carrier if you can add international service for a month or two.  1Many of these tips were found in Conde Nast Traveler: Insider Secrets, The Wendy Perrin Report, January 2008. For more from Wendy Perrin (general travel tips too), see her blog at cntraveler.com/perrinpost. Other helpful web sites that focus on security issues: Rick Steves: www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/theft.htm US State Department: www.travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1747.html |
Have a safe trip!
Have a security/safety tip you want to share? Please email us at Tips@FamilyTripster.com and put “Safety Tip” in the subject line.