Lessons

Lesson Info

Staying Safe

Before we talked about getting inspired for your trip and getting like in the right mind set and then talked about how to save money and get the right bank card and credit card and if anything, just no fees, you can remember no fees and the back up here ninety percent in the way there this time, we're going to talk about staying safe funding campaigns and dealing with being alone, and all of a sudden it comes with traveling alone. So who plans on traveling along? All right, awesome and with somebody okay, great, great with my wife. All right, perfectly alright, eso you know, as you sort of get into ok, we've inspired to go. I get the money to go, then there's probably going to be a lot of things sort of racing through your head things like how do I stay safe overseas? How I avoid getting scanned? I'm not gonna be able to make friends while I'm there. I don't deal done supportive friends, family and highlight just avoid feeling overwhelmed. I remember when I started traveling and I star...

ted planning for my first trip and I still feel this way sometimes planning my trips it's easy to just get anxious because you're making a big life change, right? You're you're going away for a long time and even so you're not going away for a year or six months you're just going right for a couple of weeks you know, there's still like people are nervous about doing new things and you know, even if you're going to paris it's like to be print this out do we do this we do that you you kind of overthink it so we're going to deal with aa lot of this stuff uh today starting off with highest a safe overseas who worries about safety okay, what do you worry about when it comes to safety overseas them uh not losing any of my valuables. Ok, perfect that's a great one. I've heard a few stories about people just getting pickpocketed in europe. Yeah. Anyone else think it's all the fear of being so called stranded you know, somebody may speak the language you may not be up to communicate what's happened to you in just that horrible feeling of isolation if you are injured or hurt okay uh josh anything calling names? You're like a classic uh like you were saying earlier when you put your card and the atm machine and it was duplicated and someone needs your money or like I'm worried till it's sign and by on my baking and see that like all the money's gone yeah, and you know, speaking of sounding it's all I'm making how do you make sure you know he's looking at your passcodes while you do that is why we have dave coming on with tackling to tell us how to keep your data safe cannot just share the the audience the students every single thing you've mentioned has happened to me at least once it has never put me off traveling no, it happens that's life yes it's actually something I didn't worry about and I probably should have and it actually had happened me and has put me off traveling but I was one time grabbed from behind why walking the streets of barcelona great place to go screaming really helps especially disagreement such a high pitch they don't understand that it scares the person but yeah that's that's something I guess people should be worried about yeah so I mean we got candidate coming on talking about the safety of the city is important to you you don't want your stuff to get fill in your bank cars duplicated what has happened to me both things have happened me you don't want to get robbed scan kidnapped uh you know I mean safety and is a big concern that's why those two girls wanted a tour and answer them because you know they were afraid it was going on and the place will be taken right people still think hostiles air crazy places and in part because here in america at least I'm doug is that you only ever hear about the bad stuff right? So um for example bill o'reilly I had like a multi multi part segment on amsterdam and how is like assess pool of you know decay and drawing all these commentators like yeah legalize drugs and so these amsterdammers may all these videos about like hey we just on bikes here and in the canals um or I'll be going in thailand this weekend and they're having some political issues over the ruling parties and everyone's like they have a state of emergency state department warnings is going to be okay I can't go there anymore and sometimes it becomes a little extreme would be like saying like you know if you should goto new york like I heard there were riots over in chicago right? I mean we forget that because there's a really big and because bad thing happens in one city doesn't mean it's universal throughout the country um but you sort of have this sort of climate of fear and that creates perceptions in people's minds in america because all you ever hear about the fat stuff and it's always the negative uh and and part of it I think and my people controversial but here here in the states a lot of time we don't have easy access to foreign cultures as like you know she lived in paris right going to be meeting a lot of people or if you live maybe you live in new york and you like whatever I know like thirty five thousand type people right? But if you live in a small town it's harder and so this sort of perception becomes reality for people but the world is no more or less safe then anywhere else um you know I live in new york no, not the safest place in the world but something most un safest so I got this great little peace index map right? And so if it's blue it's the most peaceful if it's uh orange it's the most dangerous right looking where the united states ranks right in the middle right but look you have argentina chile is very peaceful in the video is a nice peaceful country australia, new zealand definitely if you peaceful japan I mean super peaceful japan they if you lose your wallet in japan they will hunt you down to give it back to you. You know, with with all the money europe is very safe. So I mean, I remember uh you know, having conversations to my parents or friends like me while you go into that place like it's kind of dangerous uh I don't know harper my parents like throughout, you know, this whole presentation has just feeling like close minded they did travel my dad asked me often like well, if you you know, when I back back to europe you can just sleep in fields like why don't you do that? You know, I've been to recommend that it's not the seventies anymore times have the howard changing but you know, here in the states we just have this mentality that you in the united states really safe and everywhere else is kind of ginger except for candidate because you know they can but as you can see from this map it there are many safe parts of the world and there are many parts safer than the united states and as equally as sort of dangerous I don't, you know want to fight this perception that you know, the world is a scary place it's not a scary place it's you know, using common sense in using the general safety tips no place is really more or less dangerous on every day to day life warzones excluded. You know, there are parts of the world having wars right now that are probably a little unsafe to go to, but generally speaking, your average places not more or less safe anywhere else you could get robbed, you could get mugged and millions of cities and small towns around the world uh so a couple of my safety tips and these are my safety tips this is what I use please make sure you use your own you know intuition in common sense uh you common sense uh it doesn't seem right if it doesn't feel right you don't do it don't be flashy um when I travel I don't wear well I don't wear a watch in general but where watches I don't sort of like bring out my iphone and you know places where petty crime is prevalent I'm not like you know carrying expensive stuff don't don't make yourself a target your you know walking around with a nice watch and you're playing on your iphone and get sunglasses on are you look like you're wearing a lot of nice clothing you're kind of making yourself a easy target for pickpockets and you know skin mars because you're like that guy we might have a little extra cash on him let's go over there and so being conspicuous don't don't stand out from the crowd have a healthy dose be helpfully suspicious yeah helping those with suspicion like the world is not to get you but yeah I always kind of like step back and think like whether is that the intention here what's the situation especially if like money is exchanging hands you know like they're getting used to pay for something like how noble of a being mean don't think I'm going about to steal from you but just be a little bit you know be cautious be cautious ah avoid walking junk especially at night this is one I see all the time especially in southeast asia where there's tons of drinking worry like party towns around there barcelona is a big one for penny step petty theft that happens later tonight even out of the bar here in city you don't know you're stumbling around you are a prime target especially if you're walking down sheets for there's not a lot of people you're in a touristy area they kind of these locals we're going to know you know what kind of sections people are going to be in where there's not a lot of people and what time tio I kind of feel from them you know don't walk around john clayton night primetime watch over scams psycho scams who has fallen for a scam I have yeah yeah I knew you were going to raise your hand because you had said everything that happens here when I first went overseas I went to thailand with my friend uh and we want to go to the grand palace and it's a big building we got a big walls and we walk and this guy was like, hey, you're going to the palace and he's like like like it's closed for lunch, I was like, ok, we're like it doesn't really make any sense, but you know I could see a lunch breaks I mean many places in europe a close for lunch uh they like their siesta didn't seem out of the ordinary so we kind of walk and we looked at both of the big gates and they were closed we're like oh this must be must be closure line so we went on this temple tour it also ends up going to a sushi shop uh jewelry shop and like a souvenir saw shut shop because you know they get kickbacks um actually ended up buying a suit my friend who knew suits like we're getting a good deal and I still actually have the suit all these years later so not too bad but we get back and he drops us off in front of the third gate which is the palace is miraculously open and it turns out we're at the wrong entrance so and the palace has been open the whole time we were just coming from the back so of course it looked like it was closed so he got it on being not you I was recently leading a tour and paris and I was telling everybody to watch over all these scams you know they have we try to get you to sign papers and donate stuff and they ask you for money because they're practical thing english bring scam so it would be like oh look I found this ring is it yours? No well it's gold so like bite for may write all these scams everyone like ok, ok, ok one guy fell first game I had like a run over like slow motion like no and like save him from giving you scared marcel has money um so watch out for scams you could find ah really good list of scams online if you just type in your destination and then scams and then you'll find forms of people like listing all these scams died books the chlorine planet list have a small section of scams and asking fellow travelers but you know if someone's coming up to you and it seems like there's often you're a gold ring where they're telling you know that's closed right now and it's like the biggest tourist attraction in bangkok it's closed you think you have that healthy doth of be suspicious you have that sort of seems a little too good to be true so so don't and that's certainly like watch over con iris um well comply your stuff uh it's amazing how many people don't travel with locks always carry a lot because you're taking an overnight train in overnight bus or you're staying in a hostel locking your stuff up it's just it's just smart because if you're asleep you can't you know you know it can be looking at it I see so many people in hospitals leave stuff open computers you know passports on and maybe no one's going to take it but who else is walking through the hospital hospital pre open you never know who's kind of wandering through you know you kind of want to keep keep track of your stuff you worry about pickpockets right um you know I don't carry a lot of cash on you don't take out like your passport with you uh you know keep it all locked up and just take out what you need for the day so if somebody pick his pocket two for twenty bucks you know like hot and got my whole entire wallet um they got everything also you can keep your dummy wallet if you want like with like five bucks and expired credit cards and they think they've scored you know everything from ewing they got nothing uh another trick friend just told me about keep a piece of paper with three not like random pin codes and like right pin codes right because the card will eat it uh like a machine will eat your card after three false tries all right so this thief is like hey well that guy wasn't any left all his pin codes but I don't know which one is wet so let me child three about the time they get to the third one the machinery in your card and no money has been stolen so that's a nice little cool tip ask travelers and local locals for advice I mean they know sort of the later the lad we know what some of the things you've seen what were the things that I should be suspicious off? And, you know, they're great resource is, you know, you just landed and buzz juana and, you know, what's up, you know what the local norms are? The local cultures are, uh, ask, you know, especially all the travelers who have been travel around. Oh, yeah, you don't want to do this a night here because he's got we'll come out or avoid people come up to you trying to sell you, you know, water because it's really, you know, sewer water, you know, it's gonna make you sick, you know, that things like that? Locals are great. Um and, you know, really stay alert. I mean, that's really, when it comes down to the evil does not look around every corner. Uh, don and alisyn said before, you know, people are really nice and friendly and helpful. People are generally good. He will always get scam artists and bad people around. But, you know, people great. I remember my lesson in this wass when I was in amsterdam playing poker, and there was this guy, greg there, and greg was a local, uh, and, you know, he started chanson and you know you should come to our poker games you should come to our poker games come hang out with us I'm thinking like so I got all his money in front of me and this guys like, come hang out after the fact when you know is I'm gonna have like, all this cash ah but I saw him a couple of times and yeah, I saw it kind of got to know him and people were like no greg's a really good guy well, craig was a great guy and he introduced me to a lot of locals who like the local poker community is because my first impression was he's out to get me but you know, some people are just being friendly um and I'm not me and greg and made great friends through him and unfortunately greg is no longer with us but you know, the lesson he taught me was, you know, locals weren't taught not to talk to strangers and especially here in the states where like really suspicious especially if you live in new york, right? Why does the guy talking to me what's he doing like, what do you want from me? Go away? You probably crazy, but you know, people are generally good as alison and don said and it's important to have common sense it's important to be a little step skeptical but don't be closed off people are generally going to be helpful yeah it's great people really sharing they're actually in the way their horror stories if you like in the chairman's but they're also saying there's this fantastic tip and that they're very simple to follow but they make absolute sense but I will show you one that genuinely saved my life when I was held up at knifepoint I I always find out what is the lowest common denominator note that is available and I'll take like five of them so maybe you'll lose five bucks kind of screwed up into so it looks like it's a lot of money and when they come to you just take it out of your pocket and give it to them all you've lost his five bucks and it may save your life there's little things like that a little were thinking yeah what if you do get mugged rob we're at the end of the day your life is not worth a couple of dollars right I had a friend get rob and rio I mean there's a lot of petty crime in rio way there's a lot of time but they also know where you're going right you know rio there's a lot of petty crime uh in a lot of the trains in europe there's a lot of pick pockets so so know what the crime scene is in the destination or going and that can be found online a state department in guidebooks and they'll sort of give you the lay of the land in asia I am not worried about pickpockets especially the state of south east asia you rarely find someone you know who's like thinking their hand in your pocket most of time you're getting scammed and severe situations you're probably getting rob but only because you're at ah place play tonight drunk and alone and they know they can get away with it um you know I mean there's some parts were away give crime is different everywhere so just know we're going but I like him my friend just had a couple of bucks and he was like sure take it off he's not going to argue with you on twenty guys you know, all right and that's just another reason why don't leave you know I'm worried the most when I'm moving from destinations to destination because then I have all my gear on me but when I'm walking around at night I never don't have much money on me and I have a credit card that you know I could just cancel right away I have the back up so I think that's important but you know people are out there well sometimes that you need to be wary of its monkeys so in costa rica and my husband are taking photos and there's just a gaggle of monkeys that's not the right way to explain it but they were trying to take our cameras away from us that it does happen I have been wronged by a monkey I forty thailand our is famous for all the monkeys there that they have local religious significance and they don't do anything so they're all through the city they're everywhere when you go to the temples and give you a stick to shoo them away with and I was eating I just got all these groceries and the monkey jumped on and still all the food from my hands his little buddy grabbed my other bag groceries and walked off I mean, I had been rod by monkeys while we're there they like one jumped in this girl's hair and like started pulling it off and she's run around screaming watch out for monkeys I love monkeys but there they can be dangerous troop of monkeys true thank you you've been true yeah, yeah I love this call vishal in ukraine the more I child, the more I realize that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends. Um yeah, greg really taught me this. People I've met have have really taught me this. You know, you you're nervous about locals because you're always afraid like where if they're going to try to like scam because I'm a taurus and I have a big bull's eye but really most people are just really just once a high, and they're intrigued by the fact that you're you're in their country and or in their city, or at their home. And they want to know, like, what brought you here, like hodge, end up here? Um, and so those are my tips. The state department also has generally create travel warnings. But remember that state department is always overly cautious because the last thing they want to do is say, well, maybe should go. And then something breaks out, and then, you know, citizens were like, hey, you don't want us, but they're also a good place to look at. But take them with a realize that they're going to be too cautious. But forums and boards and guides are a good place.