Atlantic Star Safety

Travel

It is that time of the year again when many of us are feverishly preparing for the impending holidays. We are rushing off to holiday parties and trying to cram in all of our shopping before the malls get too swamped. Most of us are stuck in places where the thermometers have dropped considerably and the snow is falling as the ground is freezing. And what is really on everyone's mind? Why it's the travel that will be dome by many of us during and after this storm passes. But, too many of us throw caution to the wind when we travel and forget about some of the dangers that are present.

When in Rome...

Most of us do not get the chance to travel to foreign countries very often, so when we do it is often preceded by a flurry of preparations. We go out and buy the latest travel on the country in question and try to find out as much as we can about all the places that we should not miss while we are there. After all, we might only be there once in our life and the last thing we want to do is come back with the feeling that we missed out on something that we will be sorry about later. So most of the preparation is spent on things like what to see, where to go, and what to wear.

Seldom do we take the time to consider the safety issues that may be present in the country that we are going to or the general dangers that many tourists face when they have let down their guard as they take in the sights. Instead we charge ahead with a blind eye, anything can happen anywhere, right? The fact is that we are not protected by our own laws when we are in another country. We will be held accountable for infringing upon the laws of any other country while we are within their borders. It may seem like small potatoes at first, but many people have ended up in the judicial system (or lack thereof) in a foreign country before they realized that stating, "I'm an American" does not always hold that much weight.

Before you travel, check on your governments website and see what they have to say about being a tourist in another country and if there are any special warnings that have been issued there. It will also give you the address and contact information of the embassies in that country. It is a good idea to register with your embassy when you arrive, especially if you are on an extended stay, that way they will have your contact information and the knowledge that you are in that country.