When we are in our home environment, we tend to be quite relaxed about what is going on around us, we become comfortable with our surroundings and take many things for granted. Even though there are dangers in our community, they seem to be on a smaller scale to big cities and other countries around the world. So in our own small community it is normal to be reasonably complacent about your safety.
However, when travelling away from home, many still employ the same complacency in areas that are foreign to them. This is where problems can arise
Travel to anywhere in the world is becoming accessible to all, with more flights and more destinations making it onto the travellers' radar. There are not many places left undiscovered by the intrepid explorer.
With that travel, however, comes a lot more responsibility on behalf of the individual. A trip away should be as simple as going to the travel agent and booking and paying for your journey, hotel etc. But it has to be much more than that.
PREPARATION
If you want to travel you must do your homework. Preparation before perspiration. When you have decided on a destination, obtain as much information about it as possible. This can start with a travel agent's brochure but try and find out as much as you can, by purchasing from a shop or acquiring from the Library, books on the country or countries you wish to visit and the areas that the holiday will take you to.
Also, if you know someone who has undertaken the same type of trip that you are considering ASK questions about everything. They will, through their own experiences, be able to tell you what worked for them and the pitfalls to look out for and avoid.
Make sure that you have adequate TRAVEL INSURANCE to cover your holiday and any other activities that might be considered under “extreme sport liability”. These are often extras not included on the main policy like parascending; rock climbing, abseiling, bungee jumping etc.
I have come across many people who think that they can save money by not bothering with TRAVEL INSURANCE and have been left with heavy bills either to replace equipment and clothing that had been lost or stolen or to pay for unexpected hospital stays. Most travel agents now will not accept a booking without some proof of current travel insurance.
CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT
If you are visiting a country where you may need specialist clothing and equipment to make your trip go smoothly then research it beforehand. Do not leave everything to the last minute. Remember, if you plan a trip to a hot country while our hemisphere is in the middle of winter, do not expect to find many places still selling summer clothing on the high street. You may also require medical goods to help prevent ailments while you are away. Check with your Doctor about any likely inoculations required for the country you are going to and any other needs, such as mosquito repellents and nets etc.
If your trip entails a trek into rough and inhospitable country, like mountains, gorges, forests etc. ask the company organising the journey to provide you with a “kit list” so that you acquire the correct clothing and equipment. Keep every itemised receipt or a copy of it in case you need to make an insurance claim.
DOCUMENTS
Make sure that your Passport is up to date (and does not expire inside six months before you travel) and research the requirements to enter the country or countries that you are visiting. The travel agent will be able to tell you if you require an Entry Visa (but do your own research as well). If one is needed, apply as early as possible so you do not have to worry about it at the last minute.
Photocopy all relevant travel documents including Passport, flight tickets, travel itinerary, hotel and travel company details, receipts, any doctor's letters/ inoculation certificates etc. If, for example, you needed an emergency replacement Passport, a photocopy of your passport details would make it less stressful to obtain one from the British Embassy than it would without one. If you are allergic to a particular medication, make sure you have those details on you (in a wallet, on a medic-alert or Zaptag) so that you will get the correct medical treatment should the situation arise.
CUSTOMS OF THE COUNTRY
Hopefully you have been interested enough in the country that you are visiting to have read about their history and customs etc. A simple bit of research on these subjects can avoid some potentially embarrassing situations.
People from the host countries are usually appreciative of a visitor who has taken the time to either learn a little of their language (even just please, thank you, good morning/day/evening, how are you etc.) and who knows and respects their customs and good manners. There are too many countries and their customs to even start listing things but a check on the dos and don'ts in a country would be a start.
I will give one example from personal experience:
Before travelling to Malaysia I read about the area I was to visit and noted that the State of Johor was a Muslim state. As such, alcohol should not be openly drunk in public; one should never point with their finger, always with their thumb; visits to holy sites should be observed in the correct clothing (long trousers for men and trousers or long skirts for women, long sleeved shirts; no shoes etc.). Giving gifts requires some nifty hand-work, by shaking hands with your right hand and passing the gift to your right hand to deliver it to your host. Giving a gift with the left hand in Muslim culture can be seen as an insult.
More recent was the story in Africa where a man from the UK was kicked to death and left hanging in the bush because a girl he spoke to in English, which she did not understand, believed she was being propositioned and her family members killed him thinking that he was asking for sexual favours when he was in fact more likely to have been asking for directions.
AWARENESS AND SAFETY IN A FOREIGN LAND
As I previously alluded to, many of us use the same relaxed radar that we employ in our familiar surroundings when in a foreign land. Because we are on holiday and enjoying ourselves we somehow forget that this foreign country is different to ours and the dangers can still be there but clouded by the euphoria of a lack of mundane work-home-sleep-work routine.
When you first arrive in a destination, take some time to plan you next move, usually from the privacy of your hotel or hostel room. Use a map regularly but try not to use it often in public. Some locals will see this and try to take advantage of your lack of knowledge and offer to “show you around”. However well meaning they may appear, never take them up on the offer. Politely decline as you do not know these people. Employ the children's “Stranger Danger” alerts and do not go with strangers under any circumstances. Locals who are up to no good can smell a naïve visitor a mile off so do not make it easy for them. Just because they may seem alright and smile a lot does not mean that they are your new best friend.
TRUST NO-ONE UNTIL YOU KNOW OTHERWISE and always stick to official guides organised by your agents.
Try not to carry large amounts of money on your person. If the hotel or hostel has a secure safe system, use it, and only take the amount of money or travellers cheques required for the day's outing. Try and distribute the money evenly about your person. Belts with interior zip compartments are good for concealing large denomination notes and I have been known to put some notes in my shoe, only having small notes in my wallet. Unless I am likely to use my credit cards on the day, I would leave them in the hotel safe.
If you are mugged for your money, it is better to give up what you are carrying rather than become a statistic on a hospital chart or worse, on a coroner's death certificate. If you decide to fight back you have to be sure and decisive about what you are doing.
Always tell someone at home in your own country your travel itinerary and any contact telephone numbers or e-mails in case of an emergency. Ring home to check in on a regular basis. If possible take your mobile telephone with you. Before leaving make sure you check with your service provider whether they have a “roaming” agreement with that country. If they have then your contract mobile should work. Make sure your contact is made aware of any changes to your itinerary. If they have not heard from you for several days it will make it easier to pinpoint your last known position and your next likely destination.
On these holidays we tend to make many contacts; some may become friends. However it is important, that as much as some may like to tell people everything about themselves ie. their work; hobbies; personal situation etc., it is important that we do not give too much away to strangers in bars, coffee shops, retail outlets, restaurants or any other public place. A cunning thief or conman maybe gaining your confidence and, depending on the personal pen picture that you have so happily provided for him, he may decide that you are worth mugging.
When you are walking around towns and villages, especially in places that show signs of poverty, try to dress down and do not wear jewellery on open show or at all if possible. Remember, these people may be starving and the reasons for taking your possessions might have more to do with desperation and a need to feed and cloth their families rather than purely a necessity to steal. But do not forget - there are criminals in every country in the world. Be aware.
On many streets in poorer areas you will always find beggars. It is a difficult moral issue that you might face. Do I give the beggar in front of me some money? Do I give him some of the food I have on me? These beggars are often a pitiful sight and I leave it up to your conscience as to what you will do. Circumstances may dictate that you can throw some coins in his or her bowl, but be careful who might be watching.
Example:
In Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, I was walking in the streets of the city in some of the poorer areas and I used to see the same beggars in the same spot each day; one had no arms and stumps for legs. I asked the head of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Nairobi Police, who was our guide, what happens to these men and women. He informed me that an organised gang takes these beggars and places them out on the street to earn money for the gang. They in turn provide the beggars with food and a place to sleep when they collect them later in the day. The beggar gets none of the cash but some might say that they are being fed and housed and probably kept alive but others will say it is total exploitation. Who is to say, in these circumstances, who is right?
The subject of Travel Safety is vast and I could write a book on it but I have set out some of the important factors to consider. I leave you with a couple of thoughts:
TRUST NO-ONE UNTIL YOU CAN PROVE OTHERWISE
ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN “B”
And above all, ……………..ENJOY YOURSELVES.
More information on the Trek Plus website.
Gwen Buchan
