Tips & Tricks for Travel Safety

By: Paul Hein, Risk Management Consultant & Senior Instructor

A quick Internet search may provide helpful safety tips for first-time travelers, business travelers or college students, but none of them address all-encompassing travel alertness.

Before joining 88 Tactical as a Risk Management Consultant and Senior Instructor, I was in the U.S. Army Special Operations. After retiring from the Army, I spent several years in Corporate America managing security and risk management programs. There are many aspects of personal safety to keep in mind while traveling, but here are some simple tips:

Tips & Tricks for Travel Safety

Do a little research

  • Google the location and check out chat sites. You can find cool places to visit, fun activities, good restaurants, and even places to avoid.

Be mindful when out and about

  • Put your mobile device away, enjoy the sights, and watch for people who are watching you.

Let people know where you are going, and keep in mind: G.O.T.W.A.

  • G – Where you are going
  • O – Others who are going with you or people you meet (posting selfies is a great way to keep an electronic diary)
  • T – The time you expect to be back home, or back to the dorm, hotel, etc., or when people can find you on social media channels
  • W – What others can do if they haven’t heard from you in, say, 48 hours (your travel plans will dictate contact times with loved ones and friends).
  • A – Actions you need to take if something happens – For example, you lost your passport, your phone and computer are missing, you need new medication, your wallet is missing with all your credit cards and money…

Back-up all your electronic data

  • Constantly scan for viruses, and be mindful that free WiFi is a haven for hackers.

If you or your loved ones are planning a trip, consider attending 88 Tactical’s new Travel Safety workshop. It’s a specialty program geared towards vacationers, students, and businessmen. The Travel Safety workshops focus on topics and situations that any student in the U.S. or abroad, or any business or leisure traveler needs to be aware of.

88 Tactical’s Travel Safety training

Teaches people to recognize threats early, and to prepare for the unexpected. This includes understanding how the dynamics of culture might impact your exposure to risk. The course also incorporates hands-on, real-world exercises to reinforce how to overcome fear and stress in order to prevail.

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