Planning To Travel Safely And Securely

Whenever you travel, “know before you go”.

“When you travel abroad, the odds are you will have a safe and incident-free trip. Travelers can, however, become victims of crime and violence, or experience unexpected difficulties. No one is better able to tell you this than the U.S. consular officers who work in more than 250 U.S. embassies and consulates around the globe. Every day of the year, U.S. embassies and consulates receive calls from American citizens in distress.”

I like Mexico. But Mexico has made the news over and over due to their “Narco Wars”. 10’s of thousands have been murdered and kidnapped in many of the border towns all the way down to Acapulco. So where do I vacation? Mexico. It’s an easy trip, its economically smart, it’s usually warm and sunny, the food’s good, the people are great, and there’s always a good story to tell. I do my homework and understand where the risks are and aren’t.

Despite the Travel Warning from U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Bureau of Consular Affairs, I recently planned a trip to Acapulco. Specifically, Acapulco isn’t considered a high risk destination for Americans; the issues are primarily with Mexican on Mexican violence. And then an email alert came in “27 deaths, including 14 decapitated, rock Acapulco” “The image of this beach mecca has taken a new hit from Mexico’s drug violence, with 27 people killed in less than a day, including 14 men whose bodies were found with their heads chopped off at a shopping center.”

In a panic, I canceled that trip. Thank you for being so cool Delta Airlines! I didn’t cancel because of the threat of being decapitated; I canceled because the “energy” and thought of pure evil within an eyeshot would simply take the fun out of a vacation.

#1 Always visit Bureau of Consular Affairs at Travel.State.Gov. This is one of the best sites on the Internet for travel security awareness.

#2 Register with the US Embassy or Consulate and inform them and relatives of your exact travel plans. If your destination becomes unstable, the embassy will make you aware of the current climate. Know your options for medical care.

#3 Get your shots, including Hepatitis A and B and Tetanus/diphtheria vaccinations. Malaria and other intestinal virus can ruin a trip or even kill you.

#4 Get medical travel insurance. This doesn’t need to be complicated. Call your existing insurance company and see what your options are.

#5 Get trip insurance. With travel being so crazy hectic, manmade and natural disasters and people lives so complicated, there is a good chance you will need to cancel your trip.

#6 Ensure peace of mind when you travel with a home security system that you can monitor remotely.

Video is available through ADT Pulse which provides customers with anywhere, anytime access to their home via smart phones or personal computers, including an iPhone application to:

• Arm and disarm their home security system.

• Get notified of alarms and selected events via email and text messages as well as video clips.

• View their home through cameras and watch secure real-time video or stored video clips of events from monitored areas of the home.

• Access lights and appliances or set schedules to automate them.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing Home Security on NBC Boston.