Travel Tip Tuesday

Feel like going abroad for a lovely holiday with your significant other? Ready to see the sights, set the mood, show off your debonair flair for your woman? Besides midnight walks on moonlit beaches, and candlelit dinners on French balconies, you can show off your suave side by simply not acting the fool in a public place in a foreign land and earn brownie points by not getting robbed and made a sham. There are many ways to be smooth on foreign shores without seeming like the odd man out of the pack by following some basic traveling guidelines.

Travel as light as possible when you're out in public. Fanny-packs and backpacks are generally a dead give away to most would be robbers. Depending on where you are, it is best to have your passport on your person or to keep it in a safe in your hotel room. Passports go for big bucks on the international black market and can cause all sorts of problems for you if you happen to lose it. Avoid carrying your camera around your neck like a lone bird watcher in the woods during spring. Keep it in your pocket or in one of those side bags. Don't lose line of sight with your camera if at all possible. I have lost two cameras in the process of traveling to Europe and both times I had let my camera out of my sight for a fairly short about of time. I love Europe and apparently it loved my cameras too. If you can, be familiar with some basic laws of the country or place you are visiting. If you are uncertain about crossing a street or doing something you would normally do back at home, I would strongly advise against it and if you must take a longer route to get somewhere, then do it. Most foreign law enforcement are understanding of travelers but you never know when you may come across the one who had a bad day and in turn wishes to release his authority on you. If you happen to see political demonstrations or rally's it best to steer clear of the area. Do research beforehand and ask around for safer places to visit. You don't want to accidentally find yourself in an unsafe area with no way of finding your way out. Never, and I repeat never flash your money around in public. Unless of course that is you have a strong desire to make your trip a disaster then by all means, you have your own right to do so.

Hopefully this doesn't paint a completely grim picture of having the need to travel with a straight-jacket during your journey. I simply encourage and advise you to use common sense on your trip and to be able to get the most brownie points possible from the person you are trying to impress. And if that happens to be no one at the moment, you can at least impress yourself with keeping all your belongings intact and in your possession. Good luck and happy jaunting to you.

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson