"Be Safe!"

If  had a dollar for every time we've heard this before we left, we'd be taking you all with us on this trip.

Traveling to me is sort of like riding a crowded bus during rush hour - there's a lot going on, but I'm prepared for it.  I know pretty well how to shuffle around people including seeing eye dogs and loud cell phone talkers,  I balance to make sure not to fall when we slow down.  I know how to set my bag on the floor between my feet so it doesn't fall and so that I know that my wallet is safe.  And I make sure to pull the cord to get my stop, and I usually do it while solving a sudoku puzzle.  Once you do it a time or two, it sort of becomes second nature, and if you go to another city and can't figure out how much to pay or how to use their fare machine (DC's metro always gets me with needing to swipe your fare card to exit), you watch someone else so you know how to follow suit.  

Much of traveling for me falls into one of these two categories:
   a) I've done it already and I'm set to do it again or
   b) I've done something similar and I'll follow suit to get it right

Kyle and I collectively have spent almost 2 years out of the country and have both stayed everywhere from far flung remote beaches and lived in busy metropolitan cities (heck, I landed in London on 9-11-01).  We've learned a lot of techniques about being safe over the years, and here are some of our rules of the road we live by.  Most of it is commonsense, so it's a matter of following our rules and our gut instincts.

We appreciate the commands of being safe and having fun.  It was actually fun hearing "we rather you be miserable and safe than not safe," and we agree.  All this talk about safety led me to thinking that a lot of the stuff that Kyle and I do to keep safe while traveling is sort of second nature to us and that we should share some of the arsenal of tips and habits we've picked up.  

1. Don't have valuables in public.  We're traveling with a computer and some cool techy stuff, but most of the time it will be locked safely in our bags only to come out in our room.  Our camera will be the exception to this, and I'm sure we'll make other exceptions, but we'll be discreet.  Our wedding rings are stored safely with my dad, and we're wearing plain Jane cheap-o silver bands from a mall kiosk.

2. Always look like you know where you're going & don't look like a dumb tourist.  I try not to carry guide books or maps in public (I know my route ahead of time and if I need to check a map, I'll slip into a store or somewhere else to be discreet).  I'm minimal with my camera.  I am sure to be confident if I ever need to ask a bus driver or someone for directions.  I try to fit in the best way I can, and although my features often give me away, I think there's a lot of value of looking the look and walking the walk of the locals.  I also speak the local language as much as I can, even if it's just basic hello, goodbye, and thank you.  All this helps me at least pass for an expat that knows what they're doing or someone with a mean cousin Paco that lives down that street.  Look like you deserve respect, and you're more likely to get it and not get messed with.  Word.

3. If it's not boiled, peeled or cooked, don't eat it.  The only time while traveling I picked up a stomach bug (now I'm doomed) was when I was craving mexican food in Costa Rica and I got travelers poops from Taco Bell.  After I ate those tacos, I knew I shouldn't have had the lettuce or tomato, but at the time the slogan "Yo quiero Taco Bell" was in my head.  I paid for it though.  Along these lines, a friend also studying in Costa Rica picked up a terrible parasite while we were staying in remote Monteverde.  They warn you not to consume the water unless it's boiled, and the one time she accidentally put her toothbrush under the running water she picked up a bug.  As much as I hate all the plastic waste, if I can't boil water before I drink it, it's bottled water all the way, even while brushing my teeth.

4. If the locals aren't there or warn against it, don't go.  I'm just as reliant on local information as I am a guide book while I travel.  Lonely Planet guidebooks are fantastic about warning about what streets not to visit after dark and areas in countries or entire countries have higher crime or violence.  Outside of this, I talk to trustworthy locals, a friendly hotel employee, shop owner, fellow travelers, etc. about how they like something and chat them up to get any local information about strange weather or political goings-on.  If I want more information, I read local newspapers or hop online to cnn, bbc, etc.  I take this information as really valuable, and I'm really not out to prove them wrong.  It might mean skipping a trip to a nice beach or waiting a day to travel, but it's worth it.

5. Trust your gut.  I'm quick to hop in a cab if it's dark or I don't like the surroundings.  I've let a cab pass if I got a bad vibe from a driver.  I stop to "look in a window" if I don't like someone walking behind me.  I've even fake waved in parks or places if I want to make it seem like I'm meeting other people - this was especially helpful in bars back in my single days when I'd walk up to other Americans if local men were pestering me and my friends.  Basically, if I think something doesn't seem quite right, I'm not going to doubt it.

6. Be prepared.  Maybe it's the Girl Scout in me or that my mom raised me with some hardcore street sense, but I'm always on guard.  I always know who's behind me.  I always walk with my head up listening for and making eye contact with passerbys.  I always make small talk with cab drivers.  I go for practicality over vanity, so my shoes are made for running and my clothes don't draw attention.   My mom sewed security pocket into every pair of our pants so that we can always securely store our passports and money under our clothes, and Kyle and I are carrying a fake decoy wallet so that if someone mugs us, or goes through our stuff, they can take the fake one with a few dollars and fake cards in it instead of the real deal.   We also have these cool belts that look like an ordinary belt, but have a long narrow zipper compartment to store cash.  I wonder sometimes if people think I'm some sort of hyper-aware caveman protection safety nut sometimes.  I don't think I'm too crazy, and I just grunt or throw a bone at them.  

Even with all this though, I still expect that at some point Kyle or I will get pick-pocketed or run into some kind of trouble.  I see the risk level on par with walking the streets in New York or visiting a small town in Texas, and we'll be really smart about our decisions and surroundings.

So obviously not everyone does all this while they're traveling, but it keeps me safe, and I'd suggest it to everyone I care about.  It sometimes means a little extra work, a few extra dollars, or a little extra effort, but it's so worth it.  I look at it as things that actually really enhance my travel experience, because I'm more aware of my surroundings and engaged in the local culture.  Most of all though, it keeps me healthy and safe, and enjoying the bike ride or walk on the beach (picture me in the last prescription medicine commercial you've seen, smiling and enjoying the sun).