Safety

Dec 13
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Self Defense

Safety While Traveling Abroad – Self Defense

Posted by | Safety, Traveling Tips | 8 Comments

This post is a continuation of our Safety Abroad series, which started with Monday’s Situational Awareness, and continued with Wednesday’s Physical Demeanor. 

Almost every single travel guide or website related to traveling abroad has one, unified theme they talk about in great detail: if you are ever assaulted you are recommended to simply hand over all of your things and let the assailants take all of your hard-earned money, clothing, backpacks, cameras, cell phones, gear and other sundries.

Lay down. Play dead. Tuck tail and run.

This is the most ridiculous, cowardly, idiotic thing you could ever do. You have a human right to defend what is yours, and unless the person(s) attempting to mug you has a gun pointed at your head, you should be doing everything in your power to keep your possessions where they belong: with you.

Self defense is the ultimate weapon, not just when traveling abroad, but also for your general safety and well-being. It can help you from being mugged, raped, assaulted and taken advantage of. It can help you go from being a victim to a survivor. Read More

Dec 11
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Destination Freedom group in San Cristobal de las Casas

Safety While Traveling Abroad – Physical Demeanor

Posted by | Safety, Traveling Tips | 14 Comments

This post is a continuation of our Safety Abroad series, which started with Monday’s Situational Awareness.

Your physical demeanor is also an important aspect of avoiding issues in any city around the world. If you are constantly pulling a guidebook out of your backpack, glancing in all directions, trying to get your bearings, looking like a tourist and acting nervous and staring over your shoulder ever five seconds expecting something bad to happen…you stand out like a sore thumb. You don’t look like a local. You look like a lost, nervous tourist trying to figure out your way to a destination.

And chances are, something bad will happen to you because you are making yourself look like a lost little tourist just ripe for the picking. Read More

Dec 09
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Mugging

Safety While Traveling Abroad – Situational Awareness

Posted by | Safety, Traveling Tips | 14 Comments

I was recently doing some light reading and came across several stories from travelers who had been robbed or mugged during their travels to specific countries. I found myself going through the stories and shaking my head in chagrin at the fact that each of the individuals in question had suffered some sort of robbery or mugging and rather than analyze what they had done wrong were instead pointing fingers at the people of a given country and blaming it on the country and its people rather than their own lack of awareness and common sense. Read More