Safe (and smart) Traveling

Travelers can become victims of crime and violence or experience unexpected difficulties when abroad. Luckily, most problems can be solved or better yet, avoided if you are well-prepared for your travels!  We have prepared the following travel tips to help you avoid difficulties during your time abroad whether with Comfort Tour or on your own. We wish you a safe and wonderful journey!

Be Street Smart

1. Use the same common sense traveling overseas that you would at home. Be especially cautious in areas where you may be more easily victimized such as in crowded train stations, elevators, touristic sites, markets, concerts, etc.
2. Do not roam unfamiliar streets or use short cuts, narrow alleys or poorly lit streets at night.
3. Avoid public demonstrations and other civil disturbances (riots, strikes, protests).
4. Avoid scam artists by being wary of strangers who approach you and offer to guide or sell something at bargain prices.
5. Beware of pickpockets by holding on closely to your belongings. Sometime groups of vagrant children can create a distraction while picking your pocket.
6. Wear the shoulder strap of your bag across your chest and walk with the bag away from the curb to avoid drive-by purse-snatchers.
7. Try to remain confident when you move about the foreign city. Even if you are lost, act as if you know where you are going.
8. Know how to use a local payphone.
9. Learn a few phrases in the local language or have them handy in written form so that you can signal your need for police or medical help if required.
10. Make a note of emergency telephone numbers that you may need. These include police, fire, your hotel, and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

Hotel Safety Precautions

1. Keep your hotel door locked at all times. Plan to meet visitors in the lobby.
2. Do not leave money or other valuables in your hotel room while you are out. Use the hotel safe.
3. Do not get on an elevator if there is a suspicious person already inside.
4. Read the fire safety instructions in your hotel room.

Safety on Public Transportation

Taxis

Only take taxis clearly identified with official, licensed taxi-cab markings. Beware of unmarked cabs.

Trains

Well-organized, systematic robberies of passengers on trains are a major problem. They are more common during evening hours and especially on overnight trains. Be aware of suspicious faces and keep valuable belongings closely at hand. Where possible, lock your compartments with your belongings. If it cannot be locked securely, take turns sleeping in shifts with your traveling companions. Do not be afraid to alert authorities if you feel threatened in any way.

This may seem like common sense, but do not accept food or drink from strangers! It is common that criminals pretend to be friendly and talkative, while actually planning to trick you or offer you food or drinks that are drugged or poisonous.

Buses

The same type of criminal activity found on trains can be found on public buses on popular tourist routes. For example, tourists have been drugged and robbed while sleeping on buses or in bus stations. In some countries, whole busloads of passengers have been held up and robbed by gangs of bandits. Just keep an eye out for suspicious faces and/or series of events.

Keep your Money Safe

1. To avoid carrying large amounts of cash, exchange your travelers’ checks only as you need currency. Countersign travelers’ checks only in front of the person who is cashing them.
2. Do not flash large amounts of money when paying a bill. Make sure your credit card is returned to you after each transaction.
3. Deal only with authorized agents when you exchange money, buy airline tickets and/or purchase souvenirs. Do not change money at the black market.
4. If your possessions are lost or stolen, report the loss immediately to the local police. Keep a copy of the police report for insurance claims and as an explanation of what happened.

Although many of the above tips seem to be quite common sense, you would be surprised that how people get distracted or forget to follows these simple rules while traveling! The most important thing to remember is to be aware and stay calm in any situation you find yourself in.

Where ever your travels take you, we wish you a safe and wonderful journey!