Travel Safely

Plan for Your Safety

By Scott Charnick

With recent events highlighted by the Mumbai atrocities, a sad fact has arisen that whether we are travelling for business or pleasure, security and safety will now and forever more be a huge factor in where we decide to do business and spend vacation time.

With the spread of terrorism and a rise in crime rates in cities across the globe, individuals, families, and organizations must take extra precautions when travelling outside of their home nation.

With more and more business opportunities opening up in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Latin America, and an ever growing number of tourists being attracted to the cheaper airfares and more exotic and far flung places, we are placing ourselves ever more into the "firing line."

The days of just the wealthy executive being targeted by criminal elements are also gone. There is a steady rise in "express kidnappings" against the every day traveler in places such as Mexico, Brazil, and parts of Africa, all popular destinations for a great sunshine break.

One of the easiest ways to protect yourself from becoming a victim of crime or terrorism is taking the time to choose a suitable hotel, and then carrying out a little research on the hotel, its location, and its security measures. After all, this is where you are going to be "based" for the duration of your stay!

These simple steps will go a long way in making your trip safer and more secure.

Before arriving, call your desired hotel and check that:

• Hotel staff have had security background checks.
• The hotel has an emergency evacuation plan in place.
• The hotel has security staff who has had security training.
• Basics such as a sprinkler system (in case of fire) is in place; you’d be surprised how many don’t when staying in the more ‘exotic’ places
• The hotel is NOT next to any government buildings, embassies, national landmarks, or religious centers.
• Electronic key card access and elevator key cards are used, especially in cities such as Rio and Mexico City, which have a very high crime rate.

When checking in:

• Avoid rooms facing busy streets or rooms with ground floor windows.
• Avoid rooms directly above the lobby. Try and stay between the third and seventh floor (away from street access but with access to fire ladders).
• Avoid rooms by stairwells and elevators (if you are a lone female, ask for an escort to your room in the evenings).
• Make sure the receptionist doesn’t "announce" your stay; a well-trained member of the staff will simply pass you the key with your room number on it. If they do "broadcast" your room to others, wait for the reception area to clear and simply ask for another.
• Request a map of the hotel floor plan and remember the evacuation routes.
• When you are shown to your room, count the number of doors between your room and the fire exit as power and lighting is generally the first thing to be lost during a crisis.

During your stay:

• Don’t indicate to anyone that you are a solo traveler.
• Never show or give your I.D. to anyone, even when you check in. If you fill out a reservation card, put down scant and even false details. I have done it plenty of times and the information is only for the hotel. Outside of the passport agents when you land, absolutely no one you meet during your stay needs to know these details.
• Don’t announce your whereabouts within the hotel and leave the "Please make up my room" sign off the door, calling housekeeping before you leave your room. Do the same for breakfast room service if you have it; call and order your breakfast before sleeping and leave the sign off the door.
• Always use the valet parking, especially if the hotels garage is badly lit.
• Ask the concierge about the general safety of the area and ensure the information is up to date.

In an emergency:

• Avoid windows at all costs. When the Mumbai attacks happened, many people were injured by broken glass when they rushed to the windows to see what was going on!
• Double lock your door and barricade it with heavy furniture.
• Drag the mattress to the center of the room and get under it.
• In case of a fire and smoke - stuff wet towels under the door.
• Don’t broadcast your whereabouts. In the Mumbai attacks many victims were located by the terrorists because they were shouting into their mobile phones to relatives back home the whereabouts in the hotel they were hiding!

The list for a secure stay could go on and on, but it’s important not to lose the point of your trip or family vacation; that is, of course, to unwind. Don’t allow yourself to start acting in a paranoid state. This will ruin your trip and will attract more attention to you. One of the most important elements to a safe trip is to blend in as much as possible and remain as ‘grey’ as can be, albeit with a bit of a tan!

Scott Charnick is the Chief Operations for Sion Resources, the specialist security and intelligence consultancy based in LA and London. A former British Special Forces operator, Scott now provides high risk consultancy to industry leaders around the world and on-screen security and military technical advice to the movie industry. He can be contacted through scott@sionresources.com or at 877.515.7466