| Safety Considerations |
Fanny packs appear to be a safe and secure place to store valuable items when travelling if you have the sense to wear the bag so that the pouch is in front of your stomach and NOT behind you. But I have noticed that many of the travel fanny packs sold in travel shops and at airports are very small and are also very expensive. Having taken up mountain biking last year, I am aware that mountain bike/cycle shops often sell a large variety of different sized fanny packs for a fraction of the price of travel shops. I now use a California mountain bike made fanny pack which is large enough to carry my wallet, mobile phone, camera, and passport - plus it has both zippers and then straps covering the zippers - well worth investing in if you are a frequent traveller.
When staying in hotels, be sure to bring your own rubber doorstopper. Lodge the doorstopper from the inside, for added security.
Do not drive behind flatbed tractor trailers. Their loads could be too high for bridges. These things are regulated and checked, but sometimes one will get through.
Use disposable cameras when travelling to high-crime countries.
As a defensive weapon, place a padlock inside of a dress sock. Wrap the sock around your least-used hand and carry it this way. When you need to use it, keep your grip on the loose end of the sock and swing it. Although heavier, you could also carry a nail-puller or miniature hammer under your belt.
Only carry as much cash as you need for the day, as automatic teller machines are found every few blocks in many cities.
Wear a "money necklace" over your neck and under your undershirt, to hold your cash/passport. Similar to a money belt, I bought one at a travel shop in the USA. Using your front pocket for wallet/valuables is simply not safe; Kids will notice it, grab it from behind, and run away. Sure, you will feel it, but you wont be able to catch them.
No matter what others tell you, DO NOT wear fanny packs, belt bags, or anything of the sort! If you are travelling out of country, locals will usually be able to spot you for a tourist; such bags are a dead giveaway. A quick snip of that belt and your bag is gone. Especially be aware on subways and public buses. Backpacks are also a bad idea - many a thief has gotten away with slitting a hole in the bottom of a backpack belonging to an unsuspecting tourist; the smaller contents of your bag could spill out and you would never know. This has happened to people I have travelled with. Be aware of your surroundings!
Before your trip, plan out just how far your destination is. For businesswomen, you may already have funds - but younger ladies are usually on a tight budget and dont need any surprises, like: its a forty-minute drive from the airport, and a cab will be over $50 and you end up taking a bus with three bags of luggage. The price is good at $2 but they drop you off two blocks from your hotel and it could be 1 a.m. in the morning. Believe it, because it happened to me. So be confident. If it happens dont show your fear because dogs can smell it. Carry some mace with you. Get a cab quick. And dont let it happen again!
When out sightseeing or walking after dark, keep a wad of $1 bills wrapped in a $10 bill. If confronted by a person seeking to rob you, pull it out slowly and quickly throw it far away from you. Run in the opposite direction that you throw the money. Hopefully, if the robber sees that $10, he will think its a lot more money than it is and he will go after it. You can run to safety, and you wont be out a huge amount of money.
Place Christmas type bells on your carry on, and when someone tries to move it, you will hear. Always, when standing around or sitting drinking coffee, keep your foot through the strap. If someone drops something, or something happens, look at your backpack. This may be a diversion to steal your backpack.
Andy Graham Hotel Webmaster Traveling the World, internet pages designed in exchange for a free room.
When traveling abroad, purchase a passport and money belt. Wear this around your waist, under your clothes, especially if you are travelling in a sleeper train with other passengers and want these items to be safe while you are sleeping.
First, attach a brightly-colored piece of fabric to the handle of your luggage. This will prevent anyone for mistaking it for their own. Secondly, when using a public washroom, never EVER leave anything of value on the inside hooks of the door or on the floor. Put them on your lap.
Do not wear or carry ANY external carrying devices - purses or fanny packs, - in any city. Purses are snatchable targets and fanny (or belly) packs are openable in crowded trains and buses. Wear clothing with front pockets for casual necessities, or use black nylon hideaway pouches attached to your belt and worn under your clothing for important items. Pouches worn on a string around your neck are grotesque, to say the least.
In hopes that your luggage never gets lost, a precautionary measure: Print clearly your name, but instead of your residence, put the address of your local police station. This way if someone is searching for a perfect burglary, they will be deterred when they realize it is the police station. Be sure that you have an unlisted phone number.
To help people help you during an emergency in a foreign land, type (and preferably laminate) a small card, on which you mention your age, blood group and other relevant medical details. Most important, a number to contact - a global cell phone or the number of the hotel you are staying at. Carry this at all times in your wallet. Mothers can write details of children with them on the same card.
Be sure to pack a supply of MouthPeaces (disposable telephone mouthpiece covers) to protect yourself from the previous 100 users of that hotel or public phone.
Never carry a handbag. Always use a fannypak, and always wear it with the zipper side in front of you.
Luggage tags should not have your home address on them. Instead fill in with your business address.
Try not to look like a tourist. Wear plain clothes that wont give the impression you are carrying money or valuables. Leave jewelry at home - including rings and watches. Buy a cheap watch just for travel - you only need to have the correct time while on a trip!
When travelling abroad with a large group of people, keeping track of airline tickets and passports can be rather difficult. A good tip for group leaders is to sew a pocket into a tanktop, place important documents inside, and pin shut. Not only are all the items together and accounted for, they are safe from thieves. |
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