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Staying Safe While You Travel

My family travels a lot. Since June of last year they have been to Mexico, Poland, Denmark, England, France, Mexico, Australia, Honduras, and Germany. By June of this month they will be going to Brazil and Italy. Thankfully we've never gotten into too much trouble while traveling but it can never hurt to be too safe. After the attacks in Mumbai, Conde Nast Traveler published an article about being smart when you stay in a hotel and what to do when your embassy can't do anything. I thought I'd publish some of their helpful tips here.

Hotel Security
(These are only a few tips from a longer list which is linked above)

• Avoid rooms facing busy streets or with ground-level windows. Sliding doors that front pools or beach areas should also be avoided. If rooms are directly over the lobby, stay on the fourth floor or higher).


• Reserve a room located between the third and seventh floors—away from prowlers who can gain access from the street and within reach of most fire-department ladders.


• Women traveling alone should avoid staying in rooms by stairwells and elevators. In off-hours, they should not hesitate to request that a hotel employee escort them to their room.


• Don't stay next to government offices, embassies, landmarks, or religious centers, especially in destinations where there's been recent unrest or that have been the subject of a U.S. State Department travel warning or alert.


• Only stay at hotels with electronic key-card access. In high-crime cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City, make sure the property's elevators also require key cards.

At Check-In

• Did the hotel receptionist announce your room number? If so, experts say you should request another room. Properly trained employees will show you your room number—and never broadcast it.


• Request a map of the hotel and your floor. Have the bellboy show you to your room and point out all elevators and emergency exits and evacuation routes. Then, on your own, count the number of doors between your room and the exits, in case you need to escape in smoke or darkness.

During Your Stay

• Don't indicate that you're a solo traveler or are not in your room. Instead of hanging the please make up this room card on the door, call housekeeping to request maid service. Also avoid leaving a room-service breakfast-order card on the doorknob that is clearly for just one person. Instead, phone room service before going to bed.


• Use valet parking, especially if the hotel's garage is dimly lit or the destination has a high crime rate.


• Always ask the concierge about the safety of any area you're setting out to see. Neighborhoods can change and new threats can emerge since the last time you visited or since the guidebook you're using was printed.

In an Emergency
iJet, a risk-management firm, had 40 clients in Mumbai during the attacks, 11 in the two hotels under siege. iJet representatives talked these travelers through the same instructions they use in the event of a hurricane, a tornado, a biological or chemical attack, or, as was the case in Mumbai, being trapped in a building with armed assailants. Here are key points to follow:

• Avoid windows: Many were killed after the initial Islamabad Marriott blast because they rushed to see what happened.


• Double-lock your door and barricade it with heavy furniture.


• Drag the mattress to the center of the room and hunker down under it—the mattress will provide a buffer in case of gunfire.


• If there is smoke, stuff wet towels under the door.


• Don't broadcast your whereabouts. The temptation, of course, will be to call loved ones on your cell phone, but chatter can alert attackers to your presence. While trapped in the basement of the Taj in Mumbai, Judy Hevrdejs, the dining editor of the Chicago Tribune, listened in horror as people screamed into their cell phones to family abroad, "We're in the basement!"

The article, "In Search of Uncle Sam" was particularly frightening. The US embassy was useless for one couple trapped in Mumbai (though the embassy claims it was busy providing emergency) and for Americans stuck in Thailand when Bangkok's airports closed due to civil unrest. While Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office texted registered travelers during the event telling of more flights at open airports, China and ten other countries were busy actually SENDING flights.

They suggest registering your trip with countries like Australia and Canada who offer better services to their citizens in danger abroad (you can at least get information and text messages that can help). They also suggest leaving house and car keys with a trusted friend at home so that they can let you into your hours or car if you happen to lose those things while traveling.

Having the right technology and knowing who to call is equally important as seen in this tech guide.

posted by Bagel @ 7:20 AM