Guest Blog Post on Maiden Voyage: 7 Golden Rules of Safe Travel

Posted by Olga at Going Global on January 7, 2010

As travelers and expatriates, we plan for all possibilities that could go wrong on a trip by taking a copy of our passport, having our medical insurance handy, advising our credit card companies of the countries that we are visiting to avoid any freezes and the list goes on and on. The experience itself is engulfing with coordinating the logistics of the trip, the excitement of a new culture and all other aspects of that new experience. But while we are busy planning to take care of our ’stuff’, do we plan to take care of ourselves by following basic safety rules?

As both a seasoned traveler and a former expatriate, I have followed 7 golden rules of safe travel over the past 26 years of my international life. These 7 golden rules were explored further in a guest post at the Maiden Voyage blog. (Maiden Voyage is blog dedicated to exploring the adventures and experiences of travel for 20 somethings.)

While most of these safety rules are intuitive, it is important to know that no matter what kind of traveler you are, a backpacker, a vacationer, an expatriate, a volunteer, being safe remains the same. We have included an excerpt from the guest post here for your quick reference. I hope you will take the time to read it at Maiden Voyage and give us your feedback or share your experiences on being safe!

1. Use your poker face

Lady Gaga has it right. Don’t let anyone read your face while traveling. When you go out during the day, and more importantly at night, make sure that your face doesn’t show the signs of you being a tourist. Keep your posture straight, head up and look forward. Avoid bringing your brows together as if you were confused and lost. Granted, you might be, but while you’re walking about in foreign areas pretend like you belong there. If you need help, stop in a shop and discretely ask for help.

3. Dress like the locals

After all those days of hitting the gym before your trip, the first thing you want to do when you travel is show off. It is important to always look nice, but going overboard is what separates you as a foreigner. Don’t wear outlandish clothing or fancy jewelry. The goal is to not bring too much attention to yourself. That being said, day and night dress attire were not created equally. During the day, dress like you would at home. At night, when party time is in the air, try not to over do it. Before you leave, do some picture research on Flickr or Matador Network to see how people dress where you are visiting.

7. Trust your gut instincts

Sometimes you know certain situations just don’t feel ‘right.’ In the book Blink by Malcom Gladwell, he argues that our subconscious mind works faster than our conscious mind, thereby enabling us to sense danger, fear, and opportunity in a blink of an eye. While you are traveling, make sure to pay attention to those feelings; they may keep you from getting into a sticky situation. Trust me, I have been there!

Comments

2 Responses to “Guest Blog Post on Maiden Voyage: 7 Golden Rules of Safe Travel”

1. eve isk says:

   June 15, 2010 at 05:00

   Very nice!
   Thanks.
2. Olga at Going Global says:

   June 30, 2010 at 00:26

   No worries! Happy to help. Do you have any golden rules that you recommend?