Protect Yourself At All Times

One of the first lessons they teach you when you step into a boxing ring, is to always have your gloves in a frontal position covering your face.

This simple advice is what decides whether you're lying on the ground with saliva gushing out of your mouth or you've avoided a brain busting punch.

Travel is one of the most wonderful things to experience, but it also comes with its problems.

The moment you step onto uncharted grounds, you are a target. You are vulnerable to the sharp claws of predators or individuals with nefarious intentions.

My Top 3 Travel Safety Tips:

1.Never use free public WiFi

You might be tempted to use an open unsecured wireless network but always remember you run the risk of exposing all of your private data. Only use wifi which is locked and requires a password.

When I travel, I prefer to use a Wireless Portable Router which you can stick in your pocket, backpack or handbag. It’s much cheaper than getting a roaming plan and you have the flexibility of using it as a portable modem for all your other devices such as your laptop, iPad etc.

We live in a time of extraordinary technological advancement. With only a few clicks, we are able to get a taxi, purchase round-trip flights, book a hotel and even make a reservation at a restaurant.

Unfortunately there is a price we pay for convenience, it means all our valuable information is stored in a device we carry with us everywhere under the prying eyes of people with evil intentions.

You can never be too careful with your personal information. That includes every personal message or email, login and password, credit card details or funds transfer from your bank account. Data is the new gold, you need to protect it by any means necessary.

All it takes is a few clicks from hackers to access all of this personal information and they are able to take your life savings, exhaust your credit card and cause havoc in your life.

2.Never leave your drink unattended

There are so many horror stories of young travellers who went out for a drink and found themselves in uncompromising situations, after a date-rape drug was slipped in their drink.

The only time you should accept a drink from a stranger is if you have taken it from the bartender and opened it yourself. Trust is earned, you cannot jeopardise your whole life on a whim that somebody is nice. No need to be paranoid, just be careful.

Young woman are especially vulnerable. Always keep an eye on your drink and if you have the slightest suspicion that something looks strange with your drink, throw it away and buy a new drink. There are many sexual predators looking for their next victim.

The second best thing is to go out with a friend who is able to assist you in a dangerous situation.

3.Carry a Joggers belt

This is essential when you are travelling to a new place and you are unfamiliar with the area. It can also be handy when you are in crowded areas with many strangers around you.

While backpacking through South-East Asia I witnessed a few incidents of people getting their handbags snatched by passing motorbikes or pickpockets stealing wallets, purses and other valuable items.

The reason why you need a joggers belt is to put your priceless items such as your passport, phone and wallet. You can put other items in your backpack, handbag or pockets.

Losing your passport and phone is a huge inconvenience while traveling, a joggers belt ensures that even during a robbery they might miss it because you’ve covered it under your shirt and they can take other items which can be easily replaced.

Another trick is purchasing a second wallet which you can use as a decoy, remember to load it with some money (small change) or useless cards which you don’t use anymore.

So when you get robbed you can hand it over to the criminal instead of your real wallet. I use this trick when I explore areas which are notorious for pickpockets and robbers.

In Conclusion

All it takes is one unfortunate incident to ruin your whole holiday, so the trick is to be aware but not paranoid. Because paranoid people are unable to enjoy themselves, and this defeats the purpose of a vacation.

Sometimes there just isn't any way to avoid these smooth criminals, but most of the time the power is in your hands if you practice vigilance, awareness and a dose of street smarts.

Mike Tyson famously said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth," A smart traveller should try to anticipate possible scenarios and remember the simple mantra, "Protect yourself at all times"

Protect Yourself At All Times

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