Sun is shining, weather is sweet, makes you wanna move your dancing feet....
Spring Break has sprung and in preparation for your warm weather adventures, we've put together a few general safety tips to ensure that your days are filled with sun and fun. Whether, going on a staycation, traveling out of town or abroad your safety is the top priority.
The following are a few general safety tips to put into practice:
Before You Leave:
- Secure your dorm, apartment, or house
- Unplug appliances and loose cords
- Close and lock windows and doors
- Give a copy of your travel itinerary to a friend or family member
Traveling:
- Keep track of your luggage and personal belonging at all times. Make sure that your name and address are not highly visible to strangers.
- Pack sunscreen and sunglasses that provide UV protection. Take your cell phone, first aid kit and any safety or maintenance materials for your vehicle.
- Keep those with whom you are traveling with and somebody from home informed of any changes to your itinerary.
- If you are traveling outside of the USA (including Mexico or Canada), make sure you have a current passport, proper visa and are aware of the laws, rules and regulation for transporting perfume, food, and animals across borders.
- If traveling outside of the USA avoid carrying large amounts of cash; instead use traveler's checks. Put any credit or ATM cards in a secure place.
- Have a list of locations and contact information for the police and other emergency contacts where you are traveling.
Checking In:
- When you check in at the front desk, use discretion in saying your room number out loud for anybody in the lobby to hear. Nobody outside of your group of friends should have your exact location.
- Make your room reservation for a room that’s above the 1st floor but below the 5th floor. First floor rooms are easier to break into, and rooms above the fifth floor are sometimes out of reach for fire ladders.
- Make a mental note of where the nearest fire exits and stairwells are located in case of evacuation.
- Check over your room and make sure that all of the windows and door locks are secure.
- Keep your room door closed and locked when entering or leaving your room.
Night Out:
- Be responsible. Decide before you go out what your limits should be. When you are sober and making clear-headed decisions is the best time to consider what you feel your personal boundaries should be.
- On your way out of your hotel, take a card from the front desk with the name of the hotel, phone number, and address, just in case you need help returning. Also, put this information in your phone to be extra sure you have it.
- Follow the golden rule: Come with your friends. Leave with your friends. Friends need to look out for each other; if you see a friend not in your group or in a potentially bad situation, call for help.
- Never allow yourself to be taken to an isolated location.
- Ignore people who approach you offering rides. All genuine taxis will have some sort of ID or badge. Check for this before accepting a ride.
- Stay alert during any taxi, Uber, Lyft, etc. rides. Follow along on Google maps or a navigation service, if you can, to ensure they are taking you the right direction.
- Keep your belongings together during a ride to ensure you don’t leave anything behind.
- If you ever feel unsafe, it is completely within your rights to abandon a taxi or any other ride service at a safe stop. Leave money behind on the seat and get out of there if you don’t feel safe.
- When using Uber or Lyft, you will see the driver’s name, license plate number, and photo on your phone when you request the ride. Check for a match when your ride arrives to be sure you are getting into the right car.
- Never get in a car with someone you suspect is intoxicated.
- If you do decide to drink, know the laws of wherever you're traveling.
- Keep an eye on your drink at all times. If you go the bathroom, take your drink with you! Date rape drugs can be put into any drink, including non-alcoholic drinks. It is also important to remember that while drugs being slipped into drinks is something you should be aware of and guard against, alcohol itself is the most common date rape drug.
- Never drink from an open beverage source like punch bowls, pitchers or tubs.
- If you or any of your friends feel extreme wooziness, confusion, difficulty standing, or slurred speech, get to a safe place immediately and if the symptoms are severe, go to a hospital. These are signs of predatory drugs.
- Never drink and drive. Having a designated driver before the night is important.
- Never binge drink. Binge drinking typically occurs after 4 drinks for women and 5 drinks for men within a 2 hour time frame. Binge drinking can lead to irreversible consequences.
- Pace yourself if you choose to drink. If you are new to drinking or have very limited experience, a party setting away from home isn’t the best place to start figuring out your limits.
- Never try to match friends drink for drink. The way alcohol affects your body will be different than everybody else based on the kind of alcohol, your weight, and how much you ate.
- Never bring strangers into your hotel room.
- Don’t believe the hype about our hook-up culture. No, not everybody is hooking up.
- Decide before even going out, what your personal boundaries are. Then set your boundaries early and reinforce them often. Don’t ever let anybody talk you into doing something you’re uncomfortable with.
- Alcohol and drugs interfere with decision making and lead to the lowering of inhibitions.
- Never take shortcuts. Stay on well-traveled and lit streets.
Personal Safety:
- Be confident: walk, talk and sit with confidence.
- Make sure to stay by your friends at all time, there's safety in numbers.
- Enroll in a self defense class with a friend! It's a great form of exercise!
- Carry a whistle around neck, the sound will alert those around you!
Remember if you ever feel in danger leave the situation immediately and call for help. Always trust your instincts!
What safety tips do you use when traveling?
Hugs and Kisses,
Tiffany