“It is easy to be brave when far away from danger.” – Aesop
Taman Negara - Primary Rainforest
I edited the above video just this month, it’s from a trip to Taman Negara, Malaysia, that I took a couple of years ago. As a kid my father took the family on walks through the jungle in Malaysia, we bathed in crocodile infested reservoirs in Sri-Lanka and we even became ship wrecked off the coast of Indonesia – (to be more accurate, adrift, the boat sank and we floated for 5 hours with no radio, flares or anything useful apart from life jackets and fresh water. I think Dad was more concerned than he let on!)
So, I like taking risks but even when I watch this video back, and despite not being far from ‘civilisation’ I was still very stupid to take the risks I took – the snake, the spider, the track disappearing, being alone, having to swim across the river… I was really starting to consider what was best sleeping up a tree or on the ground – not a good set of options!!
So, having taken a few risks not worth taking, here are the top 10:
1. Stupidity
We’re all prone to bouts of stupidity but remember that sometimes the simplest things become stupid when you’re traveling, especially when you’re alone, so think before you act, dumb.
Obviously it’s great to experience living but you need to be living to experience life!
If no one is with you will you be missed? If you get lost who will come looking for you? Who knows where you are? Did you take your phone, do you have water, do you have a map? Are you carrying all of you valuables – how much of a target does that make you? What’s the true value of your passport on the black market? (Find out more here…) Have fun but don’t be foolish.
For more on stupidity check out the Darwin Awards but please don’t ever win one! The Darwin Awards
photo credit: the mad LOLscientist
2. Travel Insurance
In reality we all have time to read the small print – before you get to where ever you’re going…it’s a pain I know but it could save you a fortune – especially if you’ve bought the wrong plan and you plan on skiing, diving, riding a motorbike, hitch-hiking, or doing other ‘extreme sports’.
It’s simple, if you can’t afford travel insurance you can’t afford to travel.
Also, if you’re going any where in the 3rd world you’ll want private medical care not the local hospital and in America you might as well be dead rather than face the bill for any treatment,. Mind you even if you are dead I think they’ll turn to your family to settle the bill.
Lastly, you might want to check if the ‘interesting’ country you are visiting is on you foreign embassy black list as this could render your travel insurance invalid.
Check the FCO’s latest advice (0845 850 2829, www.fco.gov.uk/travel). As well as listing travel safety advice on every country, it has a useful Know Before You Go section (www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo),
3. Ignorance
There is a risk these days of assuming you know something just because you’ve read a few reviews from the internet. Remember, you will be reading someones opinion not reality – our experiences and the people we meet make us bias.
So, don’t enter a country or home with fixed ideas – listen to people and question you view point, don’t assume that all will be as you expect, no questions asked!
If you’ve heard a place is dangerous, by all means be prudent but don’t really believe that everyone is looking at you with malicious intent! People are naturally curious and they have a right to think – who’s this and why are they here?
Also, be aware of your countries foreign policy as yourare an ambassador whether you like it or not. Do they like ‘you’ or your country!? Consider the people you are with – you will all have your passports so there’s no use pretending to be someone else!
photo credit: Haynes Photography
4. Bare feet
I sound like a parent with this one but really it’s best in some places if you don’t walk around barefoot. I do it a lot and love to feel I’m getting back to my roots but when abroad there are risks.
The truth is for a lot of people their feet don’t touch the ground, literally, for months on end. So treat you feet with care.
Cuts from glass on the beach, infections or Hookworm (though the sole of the foot) can be real dangers. Cuts on your feet don’t happen often which is why you may not know what a pain it can be but, seriously, they just don’t heal. They get dirty, easily infected and can keep you off your feet for ages. You have been warned…
photo credit: trazomfreak
5. Buying illegal Drugs or getting High
Sorry to sound like a party pooper but it’s really not a good idea to be buying drugs in some places. Mainly because you’ve no idea who you’re buying from – a policeman, an informant, a thief or someone who’s selling dodgy goods. Dodgy good are more than just tea leaves or an aspirin – it could be a mix of harder drugs such as crystal meths and you loose total control of what’s going on and start self harming. Seriously, it serious stuff!
Remember, medication can be an illegal ‘drug’ in many countries – know the laws BEFORE you arrive.
I ended up in Hospital in Kenya from smoking something dodgy – I got a pollen infection and was unable to expand my diaphragm (breathe) without feeling as though I was being stabbed. The 5 days in hospital were a waste of time and I ended up losing a stone in weight and being off work for a month. (Sensibly I went to France to recuperate!). Luckily I was financially ok thanks to point 2.
Added to the above risks, drugs are viewed very differently in many countries so be careful, a little bit of ganga can carry life changing consequences. Drugs – the hard facts.
6. Getting Wasted
Now believe me, I know how much fun it is to get wasted and to wake up sleeping on an ants nest covered in bites! These are the stories that make growing up so memorable. However, as with everything there’s a time and a place. Feel free to get wrecked with friends in a place you know but be selective about where you drink and who you drink with when you’re new in town. As a foreigner, in many countries, you represent money – either money you’re carrying, money you can access (ATM / Hotel), money you can be held hostage for, political money or money as parts, yes physical parts, your kidneys for start, no I’m not joking.
It’s horrific to think that a slave trade still exists and that people can also be kidnapped and have their vital organs removed and sold on the internet.
For more shocking tales read this…but be warned, it’s pretty harrowing stuff. People make the case that Organ Theft is an urban legend but to me, sadly, it makes perfect sense. There are a lot of unscrupulous people out there who want to make money any way they can.
7. Have the local currency – it works!
Ok, it sounds stupid but believe me people, including myself, arrive in a country without the local currency and sometime without any money at all! I did it in Indonesia and found that I couldn’t pay for the Visa to get into the country – I had not cash and had lost my Visa card…after much difficulty I managed to cash a Travelers Cheque thanks to an armed escort!
Have money but DON’T be flash with your cash!!
Also, just last week I arrived in Spain, jumped into the hire car and off I set only to realise I was on the toll road with no cash…Doh!! So, whilst Visa is all well and good nothing works like cash. Imagine the ATM is out of action at the airport or it’s late at night and you can’t find an ATM to pay for the taxi or the Hotel…what do you do!?
8. Don’t stand in the street with a Map – muppet!
Map = Tourist = Trouble magnet…
Its easy enough to spot a tourist but if you have a map in the street then you’re broadcasting that fact that you’re lost, that you’re a tourist and susceptible to help! Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of helpful people but there are also lots of unscrupulous characters. What better opportunity to show you the way and give you a real tourists view of the city… also being lost with a map may highlight that you’re alone.
photo credit: halighalie
9. Don’t Trust Tourist Touts
You’re the pay and this is their job! Only the best survive - they’re good at:
persuasion, answers, guilt, bargains, master of languages, threats, reasons why it has to be NOW but most of all persistence! These factors make vulnerable to being taken for a ride or worse. Be warned, they are often SO plausible it’s terrifying!
Don’t be rude you don’t want things to turn nasty. You’re in their country and they’re doing their ‘job’. Be aware, informed, patient, polite and don’t commit to anything unless you really know what you’re getting for your money or what you’re getting yourself into.
A good measure of the man is how quickly you become a ‘friend’ – sooner is not better!
10. Not taking Malaria Tablets, Riding Motorbikes, Gambling, Hookers, Tight Connections, Not Using a Condom, Not having a back-up plan for when things go wrong when you lose everything…
You decide!
photo credit: Jay Dugger
Originally posted 2008-12-13 02:27:38. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent tips, too many people head off to foreign countries like it’s all just a game, not realizing the real dangers right in front of them. Vacation may be about care free fun, but that doesn’t mean you can be careless.
Excellent tips, too many people head off to foreign countries like it’s all just a game, not realizing the real dangers right in front of them. Vacation may be about care free fun, but that doesn’t mean you can be careless.