SAFETY TRAVEL TIPS FOR WOMEN
Back to Top

CLOTHES:

• It can be difficult to know what is considered offensive or suggestive in segregated societies, such as in Orthodox Muslim areas. Take your cues from the local women. Watch them. If they don't make eye-to-eye contact with men, follow their example. Blend in and dress appropriately.
  
• Clothing that is fashionable and appropriate in the U.S. may project a provocative image in another culture. Leave the revealing clothing at home.

BODY LANGUAGE:

• Keep your head up, swing your arms and act confident. Adopt a no nonsense attitude. Walk with purpose and you'll be less of a target for hustlers who prey on disoriented or timid tourists.
   
• If you feel someone is following you, turn around and stare at them. If you let them know that you see them and that you know you are being followed, they are less likely to attack you for fear of identification.
   
• Try to sit or stand next to other women or family groups in restaurants, on trains or buses, and in other public places. It is unlikely that you will be approached or harassed if you're in the company of other people.

    Travel essentials. You might want to pack the following:

1. MOLESKIN
• Band Aids often slip off toes and heels, so pack thin moleskin instead. Buy the soft, self-adhesive sheets at a grocery or drugstore and cut them into small squares. That way, if your shoe starts to rub, you can cover the area right away before it turns into a nasty blister.
2. COPY OF PASSPORT
• Always have a photocopy of your passport if you are traveling internationally, and most importantly, pack it separately from your passport. If your passport is stolen or you lose your passport, you will be issued a passport in half the time if you supply a copy.
3. PEPPER SPRAY
• This is a good idea for men and women. Pepper spray gives you time to run or call for help. Although you are using pepper spray as a weapon, it will only cause temporary pain and discomfort to your attacker.

SAFETY TRAVEL TIPS FOR CHILDREN
Back to Top

• When traveling with your children, always have on hand an index card. Write each child's name, your name, your hotel address and phone number, as well as the phone number of a close friend or relative back home. Always have a recent, clear photo of your child with you. If you do get separated, the authorities will want an up-to-date picture.

HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIPS
Back to Top

Thanksgiving tips

• With flights this week expected to be packed to capacity and security checkpoints understaffed, the TSA
  is urging travelers to do their homework and come to the airport prepared to keep delays to a minimum.
   

• At TSA spokesperson said there are many things individual travelers can do to avoid secondary screening and
  keep passenger traffic moving, including storing all jewelry, coins, pagers, phones, lighters, keys, and other objects containing metal, in carry-on baggage before reaching the checkpoint.
   

• Laptop computers should be labeled with your name and removed from carrying cases before going through the X-ray machine. All coats and jackets need to go through the X-ray machine as well. Shoes are not required to go through the X-ray machine, but it's probably better to play it safe and run them through if you have any doubts about whether they will set off the alarm.
   

• Gifts should be left unwrapped in case they need to be inspected. Undeveloped film should be packed in
  carry-on bags because the equipment used to screen checked bags can damage the film.
   

• These tips are available at www.tsa.gov. Those who want a more exhaustive database of travel tips can
  spend $3.95 to purchase the ''Terrorism Travel Planner," a compendium of information designed for
  handheld computer devices by homeland security strategist W. David Stephenson of Medfield. One of Stephenson's more interesting tips: Carefully clean golf shoes, since the nitrate residues from golf course fertilizers can trigger bomb detectors.

PARKING LOT SAFETY TIPS
Back to Top

• Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!
   

• Something Sandy learned this from a tour guide in New Orleans. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM! Toss it away from you...chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. Then RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION! 
   

• If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back taillights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
   

• Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, taking control of the situation. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
   

• Getting your car in a parking lot or parking garage:
  A.) Be aware: Look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor and in the back seat.
  
  B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

         C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the vehicle
         nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall or your place of work and get a guard/policeman to walk you back
         out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better to be paranoid than dead.)

• ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).
   

• If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times, and even then it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!
   

• As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP. It may get you raped or killed. Serial killer Ted Bundy was a good-looking, well-educated man who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane or a limp and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
   

• Another Safety Point: One story told is a friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night one night, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door."               The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over.                                                                                                                                    
  The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way. Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door."                                   He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear a baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.                                                                                Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby.----This e-mail should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted one Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.

PASSPORT TIPS
Back to Top

• RushMyPassport.com is an official U.S. Passport Expediter that can help U.S. citizens get their passports within 24hours.
  Visit www.rushmypassport.com to have your new passport, lost/stolen passport, child passport or passport renewal taken care of quickly and efficiently. They also give you the ability to track your passport as it's being processed.

Back to Top