A Peter Greenberg Travel Safety Tip

Posted on April 30, 2010
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Be Prepared

Whether it’s a natural disaster, pandemic or civil unrest, travel catastrophes happen and it’s important to be prepared before you hit the road. Your first step is to get out the laminator: that’s right, bring laminated copies of your travel itinerary, the photo page of your passport, all your  emergency contacts, and medical prescriptions (include generic as well as brand names). It’s also important to leave that information behind with a friend or family, and if you purchase travel insurance or medical evacuation coverage, [such as Medjet] share that information with friends and family as well.

It’s also important to prepare by brushing up on the political and social climate of your destination. Don’t just read the U.S. State Department’s warnings. Read government travel alerts from UK (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country), Canada (http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/menu-eng.asp) and Australia (http://www.smartraveller.gov.au),  and read the local newspapers online. (This is a great resource for English-language papers around the world: http://www.thebigproject.co.uk/news).

For all electronic devices, don’t just pack an additional battery – make sure it’s charged. Pack a small flashlight. And lastly, check with your phone company to make sure you have international coverage, or rent a local phone in your destination. Make sure that includes a text messaging plan, as text messages usually go through when phone calls can’t. Last but not least (and I’m not kidding) pack duct tape. It’s been my experience that when all else fails, duct tape tends to fix anything.

A Peter Greenberg Travel Safety Tip

Posted on February 26, 2010
Filed Under Peter Greenberg Travel Safety Tips, Safety, Travel | 1 Comment

Hotel Safety

No doubt about it, the thought of a terrorist attack on a hotel on U.S. soil is a terrifying one. Hotels are considered a “soft target” because their business model relies on a constant flow of people to generate revenue. Multiple entrances and exits, unattended bags and lack of crash barriers around perimeters also heighten the risk.

In foreign countries where terrorists have targeted hotels, it’s not unusual to see armed guards, metal detectors, X-ray machines and explosive vapor detectors. Hotels can even utilize materials such as blast-proof wallpaper and shockproof double security walls.

The fact is, hotels in the U.S. are not currently considered a high terrorist threat, which mean that few hotel owners are willing to spend money on ramping up security with high-ticket—and potentially invasive—items.

But as a guest, there are certain things to be aware of to help protect yourself. If you see an unattended bag in a hotel, report it, just as you would in any airport. Report if you see a vehicle parked in front of the lobby for any extended period of time.

And, while honeymooning couples can be excluded, take note if you see a Do Not Disturb sign on a room door for more than a few hours— in Jakarta, suicide bombers checked into the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton as paying guests days before, and used their room as a command post to assemble bombs.

In a foreign country that’s prone to terrorist attacks, stay at locally owned and operated hotels, and avoid hotels on major thoroughfares or next to embassies or major tourist spots.