Protecting yourself from crime when traveling

[dmoore19]

HOW could it ever be personal? We never met or ever will. Just a view on how the rest of the globe sees the US. ( Not just me, but europe in general) There is a whole world beyond the US borders.



You are just one of the real lucky ones. Home town of 200. On the other hand, there are some other beyond the borders of ypur town

Actually the world is pretty uninformed about the rest of the world. A few seem to make the majority look pretty awful. Besides the media always loves a good "bad" news story, it makes for an increased viewing audience. And politicians, Does anybody in this world believe anything those guys say? I am not a experienced world traveler but using common sense, and using the parts of Cave Divers list you are willing to do can make for a safe and un-eventful (in a bad sense) trip. Still there are places I just don't think I want to see right now.

 

[dmoore19]

Some of the recent threads about crime when traveling have yielded some good tips for helping to protect you and your valuables. To help ensure everyone has the best trip possible, I've gone through and tried to pull all those individual tips out and put them in one place for quick and easy reference.

Feel free to add your own, but please keep the chat out of it for easy reading.

Before you travel:

• Get travelers insurance
• Photocopy passports
• Scan passport and email to yourself as a PDF.
• Email yourself copies of dive certs, insurance cards and DAN insurance, trip insurance etc.
• Leave copy of passport with dive shop or friends/family that can fax it if needed.
• Call/email resorts/condos about security measures prior to booking
• Request rooms on second floor or higher.
• Ask for rooms close to the office, not far away.
• Ask if resort has deadbolts on door, bars or any other methods of securing rooms.
• Research areas you want to visit and those you want to avoid before your trip.
• Rental homes may be more isolated/less secure than resorts or condos
• Insure any property you carry with you.
• Don't take anything you can't afford to lose or replace.
• Check insurance policies for limits, exclusions, circumstances and locales.
• Vacation insurance can cover canceled flights, lost luggage, emergency medical attention, etc.
• Ask if the parking area of the resort is secure or patrolled by security guards.
• What sort of compensation does a resort offer for thefts/break ins, etc.
• Make a list of any valuables you bring, including serial numbers.
• Ask if the resort provides any additional security for sliding doors and other vulnerable points.
• Find out if travelers checks are accepted and under what conditions and limitations
  
  Travel documents
• Put passports in hotel safe
• Keep copies of passports and documents in a separate place
  
  
  Valuables
• Remove memory cards or tape from cameras. You may lose the property but not the memories.
• Put valuables in a small pelican case used for sunglasses and leave in toilet tank in room if safe is not available.
  
  Vehicles
• Don't leave anything in a vehicle you can't afford to lose.
• Place any valuables in the trunk or under the seats out of sight if you must leave them.
• Leave windows down and doors unlocked to prevent needless damage.
• Check insurance coverages ahead of time if vehicle is vandalized or stolen.
• Pay attention to surroundings before leaving a vehicle or anywhere you find yourself.
• Park in well lit areas
• If something doesn't feel right, leave.
  
  General
• Travel in groups especially at night.
• Don't flaunt expensive equipment or electronics
• Don't get drunk in public and bring trouble "home" with you
• You are responsible for your own safety.
• keeping your gear in the designated areas recommended by the resort (not on a table or balcony) when not in use.
• Lock your doors and windows when you leave your villa and at night when sleeping
• Just like any vacation spot, don't leave valuables, money or any expensive items out in the open
• Another deterrent is to add those travel alarms for doors and windows to your vacation spot.
• If traveling with a larger group, split up into two groups when possible to watch out for each other.
• Keep cell phones with you or secure them if they arent being used
• Consider installing lo-jack tracking program on laptops or internet devices.
• Notify bank and credit card companies of travel plans. Some cards may be flagged or deactivated. Transaction fees may apply.
• Have contact numbers for credit cards handy.
• If you notice suspicious activity, report it to local police or security
• Make notes of descriptions or get pictures if possible
• Carry numbers for local police with you
• Make sure any phones you carry dont have unsecured email or financial access
• Pay for big items by credit card
• Get limited spending money from ATM's every few days.
• Split your cash/credit cards up between what you carry and leave in room in case of theft.
• Look into a travelers debit card, like a pre-paid visa, etc.
  

Thanks CD. I think it was a valiant effort to summarize things we have learned from others experience. I appreciate it!!!!

 

[Doc]

Geez, i think I'll move to the USA.
It seems to be CRIME FREE.
Can you all get real, there's no more crime on the islands, than in your home town.
Please get a life. Just common sence will do.

That, and a concealed carry permit.

My oh my, how people become so very polite.

My solution to crime problems on the island? One motivated 00_ policeman per day, a hill, a rifle, one bullet.

End of problem.

Forever.

"It's the Chicago Way"

 

[Cave Diver]

Excellent list.... I have one comment though:

As far as valuables being left in box in toilet tank ----don't bother.
NEVER take expensive jewelry on vacation with you! Leave the diamonds and such at home. You won't wear it diving, and if you wear it out in public you will only draw attention to yourself and possible theives. Seriously, leave the bling at home!

This could be used for passports, other documents, dive computers, memory cards, whatever. It's not an idea restricted to simply jewelry.

Geez, i think I'll move to the USA.

It seems to be CRIME FREE.

Can you all get real, there's no more crime on the islands, than in your home town.

Please get a life. Just common sence will do.

Evert, the things I listed could apply just as easily to you traveling here to the U.S. as to someone from the U.S. traveling abroad, or even someone traveling to other parts of their own country. No where in there did I make a distinction on a destination and that was done on purpose. Many of these ideas are just as good when at home in our own towns as they are abroad.

 

[vladimir]

Look into a travelers debit card, like a pre-paid visa, etc.

Why bother? By law, your maximum liability for unauthorized use of your American credit card is $50.

Credit, ATM and Debit Cards: What to do if They're Lost or Stolen

Geez, i think I'll move to the USA.

It seems to be CRIME FREE.

Can you all get real, there's no more crime on the islands, than in your home town.

Please get a life. Just common sence will do.

I don't worry about crime. Not on Bonaire, certainly not here in Hong Kong, and not in New York City. NY is the safest large city in the United States (unless the police have completely fudged the statistics), but there are places that you would be well advised to avoid--certainly at night. Having lived there, I know where those places are. Maybe you know a few places like that in Amsterdam. The point being, you probably don't know where those places are at your vacation destination. A little extra care and concern while traveling can offset the ignorance.

 

[vladimir]

Put valuables in a small pelican case used for sunglasses and leave in toilet tank in room if safe is not available.

For me, the risk of leaving them in the toilet tank when I left would far outweigh the risk of having them stolen.

 

[dmoore19]

For me, the risk of leaving them in the toilet tank when I left would far outweigh the risk of having them stolen.

Thanks for that one. It actually sounds like something I would do. Besides the pelican case would probably be more expensive than the sunglasses I was trying to save I have a S&W model 66 that I bought from a guy that used to keep it in a plastic bag in the toilet tank.........just in case.

(just an attempt at humor, hiding something in a case in a toilet tank may be a good idea.)

 

[Cave Diver]

Why bother? By law, your maximum liability for unauthorized use of your American credit card is $50.

Due to the hassle involved from credit card theft. A buddy recently had his visa debit card number stolen and close to $2k charged on it. They were finally reimbursed by Visa for the unauthorized charge, but it took numerous phone calls and a couple of trips to the bank before it was resolved. They also did not have access to that money for the 14 days or so that it took to be reimbursed and almost caused an overdraft when other purchases posted.

His issue didn't occur during travel, but fraudulent charges may not get noticed as quickly if you have a bunch of charges in a foreign locale and if you're away from home or a week or so before you check on it.

It's just one more thing that everyone needs to ascertain their own comfort level on.

 

[DandyDon]

I uh, think hiding things in toilet tank is too well known actually. Carry that pelican box with you or find an office safe.

 

[robint]

Back to the original topic... lock boxes are great for passports in most cases. Some resorts, like Cocoview in Roatan, hold your passport for you in the office safe. When we were in Bonaire, we locked ours up in the room safe, no problems.
When we were in Coz several years ago, we used the hotelroom safe and it didn't open one day, we had to get the front desk to call the company to come fix it. I think it was a scam personally, so I am a bit warry of those things now. They "claimed" the battery was dead in it. I think they just wanted to see how much cash we had inside and maybe grab some. Ron stood behind the guy the whole time and watched while he replaced the battery. The two guys looked very nervous which is another reason we thought it was a scam.