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Do I Need Travel Insurance?
Who doesn't dream of going on a cruise or an exotic location for an extended period of time. The world is a big place, and new vacation spots are opening every month. Countries that used to be offlimits are now booming ports of call. For some,...
Inexpensive Travel
Inexpensive travel can be accomplished in two basic ways. First, get the best deals on the specific things you want. This approach is very limited though. For example, if you find the lowest price on the best hotel in Honolulu at the height of the...
Travel Essentials
There are numerous travel essentials you should consider packing when vacationing in America or elsewhere. These often-forgotten travel accessories will help make the trip a smoother and more enjoyable experience for everyone. ...
Travel With a Reliable Partner
Question of trust was always critical on the web and as generally known web today is one of the weakest place in regard to protection of someone’s privacy or rights. It affects almost all industries on the web and hotel reservation as...
Travelers Checks Versus Debit Cards
My first time overseas, I had to exchange cash in $200 of travelers checks to pay a mountaineering guide who hadn't heard of American Express. The bank charged me $8. During the same trip, I used my debit card at an ATM to get $200 from my checking...
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Travel Saftey - Using Intuition
"We've been robbed," I told Ana. "All of it." I grabbed the
thief, who was no longer acting drunk at all. It was a lesson in
travel safety.
It started when both my wife and I had a strong feeling we
shouldn't get on that bus in Cuenca. Neither of us said
anything, because a taxi was two dollars, and the bus cost only
twenty-five cents. It seems a bit TOO frugal now.
Ana found a seat, but there was no seat for me. I was packed in
with the other commuters standing up. I noticed the drunk
pushing his way through the crowd, randomly going this way and
that, and I knew somethimg was up. I instinctively reached into
my pockets to check on my money. I had just visited the ATM. The
$170 in my pocket was the most cash we had carried during the
entire trip. Still there. The old guy pushed against me like he
was trying to find a place to stand comfortably. I checked my
again.
Five minutes later some space opened up near Ana, and I moved
over to her. When I reached into my pocket again, it was empty,
and the other pocket was empty too. I never felt a thing. I told
Ana, and saw that the old drunk was still on the bus.
We got off at the next stop, dragging the thief with us. An
officer appeared, and a crowd formed. The thief was sober now,
pulling his pockets out and insisting again that he was inocent.
Search him, he said, and I did, but I understood now that his
associate was long gone with the money, probably off the bus at
a previous stop. His role had just been to distract me and push
me into the right place on the bus.
He begged to be let go, and we knew we couldn't get
the money
back. Nonetheless, we had the officer take him to the police
station on his motorcycle while we followed in a taxi, paying
with a twenty from under the sole of my shoe. Filing a complaint
at least meant he would spend the night in jail, and though he
would be released in the morning for a lack of evidence, his
finger prints are on file now.
Travel Safety Lessons
Most likely, a money belt probably would have prevented the
robbery. Closing pockets help too, although I had a wallet
stolen from a zipered pocket once, and I didn't notice until
forty minutes later. Fortunately it was a decoy-wallet, put
there for just such an occasion - another little travel safety
trick.
Other travel safety tricks? Put your money in at least three
different places, like under the sole of your shoe, in a pocket
you pin inside your clothes, and in your shaving kit. Carry two
credit or debit cards in separate and secure places. Carry a
list of "lost or stolen" phone numbers in another place. In
areas with much crime, leave expensive watches and jewelry
behind.
Learn a few tricks and you can travel more safely. Our
experience also shows the importance of learning to trust your
intuition. That was our lesson in travel safety.
About the author:
Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U.S. and
Mexico alone at 17. Now 40, he travels with his wife Ana, whom
he met in Ecuador. For more on travel safety,
plus travel stories, tips and a free e-book, visit:
http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com
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