How to travel safely
1. Learn common scams
Wherever you go, there will always be people who want to cash in on you. If you're lucky, you'll crack them right away. But there are a bunch of professional scammers that are not so easy to recognize.
2. Write down the emergency numbers
If something bad happens, you may not have time to look up the number of the local police, ambulance, or embassy in your country. Write this information down ahead of time and create an emergency plan. Save all this on your phone, and also write it down on paper in case something happens to the phone.
3. Protect your valuables
It is better not to take valuable things on the road. But there is always something valuable, without which there is no way to travel - for example, an expensive camera. Minimize the risk of theft. Know that most bags are not safe. You might think that a closed bag is enough protection against a thief, and then doze off and wake up with a hole in it. If you do not have a special bag with cut protection, its fabric can be ripped open. Most zippers can be opened with a sharp object such as a pen.
4. Buy insurance
5. Ask locals for advice
If you want to know which area is safe, ask a local. Most of the locals are friendly and will warn you of dangerous areas.
6. Email your itinerary to friends and family
Approve the itinerary and send it to friends and family. Make sure they get it. Then periodically write to them where you are. Be sure to tell them when you return. If several days have passed since the date of the expected return, they should call the police or the embassy to start looking for you.
7. Don't Share Information
Too Much with Strangers If you want to share your itinerary with the general public, such as posting on Facebook, remember that this is a good way to keep track of your movements. Also, don't share travel details too much with people you've just met or where you'll be staying.
8. Dress smart Don't dress like a tourist.
The more authentic you look, the less attention you will attract. Wearing the right clothes is also a sign of respect. In many Islamic countries, there are a number of strict regulations on how to dress. In conservative countries, it is safer to dress more discreetly.
9. Don't skimp on security
If you have little money, you will want to save more on housing, flights, entertainment. But it is important to know that this is not always the safest way to travel. Cheap hostels are not always safe. Some of them do not have locks on the doors. Budget flights often take place in the middle of the night. This is usually not the best time to hail a taxi in a dangerous city.
10. Tie yourself to a bag
Quick thefts usually happen because the thief can do it quickly and easily. Therefore, any obstacles to the theft usually remove the risk that it will happen at all. If you can tie your backpack to something immovable in a way that makes it noticeable, thieves will know better than to mess with you. An effective way is to use a carabiner or ordinary rope around the leg or chair.
11. Don't use back pockets
This is the first place pickpockets check. If you are used to putting money there, get out of the habit. Stealing something from the front pockets is much more difficult. If you're really worried about money or are planning a trip to a city that is infested with pickpockets, you can try the money belt.
12. Travel in company
The more people around you, the more control over valuables and legs ready to chase thieves. The group intimidates scammers - their chances of profiting in this case are small. If you are traveling alone, consider making new friends and traveling together. Staying in hostels is a great way to make friends.
13. Take a first aid kit
Take medicine for cuts, sprains, stomach and burns with you. You can add painkillers, antiallergic tablets, plasters, antibiotics to the first aid kit.
14. Be aware of the risks
If you want to travel, you cannot avoid risks. Risk is an integral part of the adventure. But risks can be controlled. The news often shows countries as far less safe than they really are.
Going on vacation to Greece, we faced a dilemma: should we go to the mainland or choose one of the many islands? I, as a doubting person, decided to study this issue in great detail. Initially, of course, the question of the weather was of interest. It turned out that the islands (I considered Rhodes and Crete) are hotter than on the mainland and the tourist season starts earlier. Rhodes is generally the first in the list of Greek islands in terms of the number of sunny days per year - more than 300. On the other hand, a strong wind blows in Rhodes, which, on the one hand, helps to endure the heat, but on the other hand, interferes with a comfortable stay with children.
ReplyDeleteIn general, throughout Greece, July and August are considered very hot months and our tour operator did not recommend going on vacation with children at this time. But if the rest time is already chosen, they stopped in Greece, then it’s better to go to the mainland in July-August. Due to the dry climate, the heat is more easily tolerated here. In June and September it will be comfortable throughout Greece, but in May and October it is better to go to the islands, because it can be cool on the mainland for a comfortable stay. In addition, shopping lovers should go to the mainland, because there is not much to buy on the islands except for souvenirs.
On the mainland and excursions are more colorful, although on the islands you will always find something to do. After weighing all the pros and cons, we stopped on the island of Crete in September. In general, this island has a mild climate. The winds here are not as pronounced as in Rhodes, there are fewer waves, and the beach is not large pebbles, but sand.
Once, at the beginning of 2014, I succumbed to the adventure of my Greek-loving girlfriend to refuse the services of a tour operator and independently develop a travel route. Since I myself love Greece very much, I did not have to be persuaded for very long. All this was very interesting, unusual and tempting. All I had to pay was airfare and hotel accommodation. All organizational issues were decided by a friend, she also booked a car in advance in order to cover mainland Greece, the Peloponnese, and a couple of the Ionian Islands in a week-long trip. Before the trip, I was entrusted with the task of developing a route, a travel program and buying plane tickets.
ReplyDeleteSince the trip was planned for the end of February, it was possible to count on an inexpensive direct flight only to Thessaloniki. We booked tickets on the website of the Greek tour operator Mouzenidis. The car was provided to us immediately at the airport. Then we were completely independent in our movements.
From the airport, we had to cross mainland Greece from west to east and go to the coast of the Ionian Sea - to Yegoumenitsa. According to the plans, the journey was supposed to take about 4 hours, but it got dark early, and we drove all 5! Once in the port, already in pitch darkness, we missed the ferry, which, while we were buying tickets, safely sailed away from the shore.