Safety or security tips for the Business Professional Traveling Abroad.

Before You Go Familiarize yourself with local laws and customs in the areas you plan to travel. You are expected to obey their laws, which may include dress standards, photography restrictions, telecommunication restrictions, curfews, etc. Obtain specific pre-travel country risk assessments for the country(s) you plan to visit from your security officer, the State Department, and/or the FBI. There may be specific issues you should be aware of and prepare for that will ensure your safety and peace of mind. Below are some points to remember before you go abroad:

• Stay especially alert and watch your bags and laptop computer carefully at all times.
• Don’t let anyone but uniformed airline personnel handle your bags.
• Watch out for staged mishaps, like someone bumping into you or spilling a drink. Often it’s a ploy to divert your attention.
• Carry your purse close to your body, or your wallet in an inside front pocket. Better yet, wear a money pouch under your clothes.
• Keep a separate record of the contents of checked luggage. And keep anything of value in a carry-on that stays with you.
• Avoid displaying expensive cameras, jewelry, and luggage that might draw attention. Your aim should be to blend in with the crowd.
• Keep hotel doors and windows locked at all times. When you arrive, and any time you leave and return to the room, check to confirm the locks are working.
• If you brought any valuables, be certain to leave them in the hotel safe.
• Confirm that your room has a working peephole and use it to verify the identity of anyone who knocks on the door. If an unexpected visitor claims to be a hotel employee, call the front desk to confirm.
• Learn the location of the nearest fire exits, elevators and phones.
• If connecting to the hotel wifi, do not agree to any updates that may pop up on your screen.
• Along with prescription drugs, pack over-the-counter medications so you can start treatment at the first sign of illness.
• Don’t pack your passport in luggage that you plan to check in — your bags could be lost or stolen.
• Keep your cell phone with you at all times, with its batteries charged.
• As much as possible, plan to stay in larger hotels that have more elaborate security.
• Safety experts recommend booking a room from the second to seventh floors above ground level – high enough to deter easy entry from outside, but low enough for fire equipment to reach.
• When there is a choice of airport or airline, ask your travel agent about comparative safety records.
• Only take taxis clearly identified with official markings. Beware of unmarked cabs.
• The same type of criminal activity found on trains can be found on public buses on popular tourist routes. For example, tourists have been drugged and robbed while sleeping on buses or in bus stations. In some countries, whole busloads of passengers have been held up and robbed by gangs of bandits.
• If you see your way being blocked by a stranger and another person is very close to you from behind, move away. This can happen in the corridor of the train platform or station.
• Do not accept food or drink from strangers. Criminals have been known to drug food or drink offered to passengers. Criminals may also spray sleeping gas in train compartments.
• Where possible, lock your compartment. If it cannot be locked securely, take turns sleeping in shifts with your traveling companions. If that is not possible, stay awake. If you must sleep unprotected, tie down your luggage and secure your valuables to the extent possible.
• In many countries you can be detained for photographing security-related institutions, such things as police and military installations, government buildings, border areas and transportation facilities. If you are in doubt, ask permission before taking photographs.
  

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