Traveling by Air

Because of acts of terrorism and accidents, national and international airports and airlines have implemented new safety features. Because of this, air travel is safer. Even so, you can take a few precautions as well.

• Nonstop Travel – Most airline accidents occur during takeoff, descent, climb, and landing. Therefore, to reduce the risk of being involved in an air-related accident, decrease the number of flights. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is with direct travel. 

• Larger Aircrafts – Something else to consider is that the strictest regulations apply to aircrafts that accommodate 30 or more people. Because of this, there is less risk of an accident in a larger plane than a smaller one.

• Preflight Briefing – Especially when traveling often, preflight instructions provided by a flight attendant are often ignored. However, to stay safe while flying, you need to know exactly what to do in the event of an emergency.

• Obey the Rules – While flight attendants serve food and beverages and hand out pillows and blankets, their number one job is to keep everyone onboard the aircraft safe. When flying, not only pay attention to what the flight attendant is saying but follow the rules. In other words, if you are advised to buckle up, there is a reason. 

Traveling by Land 

There are also things you can do to stay safe while traveling by car.

• Vehicle Maintenance – If you have a trip planned using your own vehicle, make sure to have it checked by a qualified mechanic first. That way, any potential problems can be identified and repaired. 

• Emergency Kit – You should always have an emergency kit with you as well. This consists of items like food, water, flashlight, rope, blankets, boots for walking, jumper cables, car charger, first-aid kit, and so on.

• Itinerary – Whether you plan to drive your personal vehicle, rent a car, or hire a driver, always leave an itinerary with a trusted individual. In addition, have check-in times so if the other person does not hear from you as scheduled, a red flag is raised. 

• Limousine Service – If you have a long trip, are tired, are taking certain medications, have some type of medical condition, or anything else is preventing you from driving, hiring a limousine company is a perfect solution. Of course, a limo driver is also great if simply prefer to relax while someone else drives.

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Download an App

Believe it or not, there are smartphone applications specifically designed to identify “sketch.” These applications, available for iPhone and Android OS, will let you know which locations have highly reported instances of danger. The information here is crowd-sourced, so what you end up with is a very reliable reporting of the area based on its own inhabitants rather than something that might be more biased, such as economic polling or even crime rates (since property crime occurs in more affluent areas quite often).

Look for Business Reviews

Before you head out, don’t just look for the business reviews of the place that you’re going to — look for reviews of the places around the place that you’re going to. Many a traveler has been caught unaware by going to a place with a fantastic rating that happens to be in an area that is extremely dangerous. This matters not only for restaurants but also for hotels. Learn to keep a critical eye for fake reviews, too, as they can happen; some companies even hire people to review them! The negative reviews are usually the most illuminating.

Use Google Earth to Take a Tour

If you haven’t visited Google Earth recently you may not realize just how detailed it is. With Google Street View and Google Earth you can quickly review the current status of almost any neighborhood that you want to visit. Your boss might have fine recollections of the area around the Convention Center… from ten years ago… but in the mean time, it may have become a very sketchy location. Using Google will let you walk through the neighborhood virtually and get a feel for whether or not it is truly sketch free.

Don’t forget that you can also avoid the sketch by setting up your own plans far in advance. One of the beauties of chauffeured transportation is that you get from your origin to your destination without having to go through anything in between!

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