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When possible, avoid taxis. Ask your hotel's concierge to recommend
a driver or car service.
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If you must take a taxi or limo, don't volunteer information about
your trip, its duration or its purpose to your driver. It's nobody's
business but your own.
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Put your luggage into the trunk of a taxi or car by yourself after
the driver gets out and opens the trunk for you.
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Request a room on a lower, but not the ground, floor in your hotel.
Ground floor rooms are less secure while rooms above floor six
are too high for most conventional fire equipment to reach.
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Most hotel locks are not secure. Purchase small, inexpensive door
and window locks and use them when traveling.
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If you have arranged for transportation at the airport, have a
mutually agreed-upon object or password that is known only to
you and the driver/company picking you up instead of having your
name on a placard.
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Bring a small flashlight with you on your trip. Having a flashlight
will make you feel more secure if the power goes off.
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Always have the "do not disturb" sign on your door,
and don't let anyone who is unidentified into your room (confirm
through view-hole if possible).
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If
you are a woman traveling alone, bring a package of men's boxer
shorts with you. Before answering the door to your hotel room
put the package on your bed, turn on the shower and close the
bathroom door -- your visitor will think you're not alone.
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When leaving your hotel room, leave the "do not disturb"
sign on your door and turn your TV onto the local language station.
Any unwelcome guests will assume you are in, and are a local.
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Buy plastic connectors that you can place on your luggage when
leaving your room. It won't prevent someone from opening your
bags, but it will tell you if someone has opened them and taken
something or placed contraband items such as drugs in them.
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Never stay in a hotel with hard keys. Hotels with security cards
are safer. Keys have a way of being passed around.
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Dress comfortably and try to fit in. Wearing clothes that are
the height of fashion tells potential muggers or scam artists
that you're foreign and well off.
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Don't advertise your nationality. Wearing a "hip" tee
shirt that announces your nationality often attracts the wrong
kind of attention. Try to look like everyone else.
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Don't use business cards as luggage tags, or any of the prestigious
credit card or designer tags that provide more information than
is absolutely necessary -- thieves look for tags they recognize.
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Don't allow yourself to be distracted when sightseeing. Scams
on unsuspecting travelers often begin with someone trying to distract
their attention. Be aware that scam artists often work in pairs
or groups and use distractions to give them time to rip off tourists.
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Consider purchasing a traveling insurance policy or join a travel
assistance program such as International SOS. For as little as
$55 for two weeks, you are never more than a toll-free call away
from medical, security or travel-related assistance.
