Safety on the Street

• Don't use short cuts, narrow alleys or poorly lit streets.
  
  
• Try not to travel alone at night.
  
  
• Avoid public demonstrations and other civil disturbances.
  
  
• Keep a low profile and avoid loud conversations or arguments.
  
  
• Do not discuss travel plans or other personal matters with strangers.
  
  
• Avoid scam artists by being wary of strangers who approach you and offer t be your guide or sell you something at bargain prices.
  
  
• Beware of pickpockets. They often have an accomplice who will:
  
  
  • jostle you,
    
    
  • ask you for directions or the time,
    
    
  • point to something spilled on your clothing,
    
    
  • or distract you by creating a disturbance.
    
    
• Beware of groups of vagrant children who create a distraction while picking your pocket.
  
  
• Wear the shoulder strap of your bag across your chest and walk with the bag away from the curb to avoid drive-by purse-snatchers.
  
  
• Try to seem purposeful when you move about. Even if you are lost, act as if you know where you are going. Try to ask for directions only from individuals in authority.
  
  
• Know how to use a pay telephone and have the proper change or token on hand.
  
  
• Learn a few phrases in the local language or have them handy in written form so that you can signal your need for police or medical help.
  
  
• Make a note of emergency telephone numbers you may need: police, fire, your hotel, and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
  
  
• If you are confronted, don't fight back -- give up your valuables.
  
  

Safety in Your Hotel

• Keep your hotel door locked at all times. Meet visitors in the lobby.
  
  
• Do not leave money and other valuables in your hotel room while you are out. Use the hotel safe.
  
  
• If you are out late at night, let someone know when you expect to return.
  
  
• If you are alone, do not get on an elevator if there is a suspicious-looking person inside.
  
  
• Read the fire safety instructions in your hotel room. Know how to report a fire, and be sure you know where the nearest fire exits and alternate exits are located. (Count the doors between your room and the nearest exit; this could be a lifesaver if you have to crawl through a smoke-filled corridor.)
  
  

Safety on Public Transportation

• If a country has a pattern of tourists being targeted by criminals on public transport, that information is mentioned in the Consular Information Sheets in the section about crime.
  
  
• Taxis. Only take taxis clearly identified with official markings. Beware of unmarked cabs.
  
  
• Trains. Well-organized, systematic robbery of passengers on trains along popular tourists routes is a problem. It is more common at night and especially on overnight trains. If you see your way being blocked by a stranger and another person is very close to you from behind, move away. This can happen in the corridor of the train or on the platform or station.
  
  
• Do not accept food or drink from strangers. Criminals have been known to drug food or drink offered to passengers. Criminals may also spray sleeping gas in train compartments. Where possible, lock your compartment. If it cannot be locked securely, take turns sleeping in shifts with your traveling companions. If that is not possible, stay awake. If you must sleep unprotected, tie down your luggage and secure your valuables to the extent possible.
  
  
• Do not be afraid to alert authorities if you feel threatened in any way. Extra police are often assigned to ride trains on routes where crime is a serious problem.
  
  
• Buses. The same type of criminal activity found on trains can be found on public buses on popular tourist routes. For example, tourists have been drugged and robbed while sleeping on buses or in bus stations. In some countries, whole busloads of passengers have been held up and robbed by gangs of bandits.
  
  

Safety When You Drive

• Keep car doors locked at all times. Wear seat belts.
  
  
• As much as possible, avoid driving at night.
  
  
• Don't leave valuables in the car. If you must carry things with you, keep them out of sight locked in the trunk, and then take them with you when you leave the car.
  
  
• Don't park your car on the street overnight. If the hotel or municipality does not have a parking garage or other secure area, select a well-lit area.
  
  
• Never pick up hitchhikers.
  
  
• Don't get out of the car if there are suspicious looking individuals nearby. Drive away.