Everything You Need To Know About Travel Safety From An FBI Defense Tactics Instructor #TravelSafety

Steve Kardian is a 30-year law enforcement veteran, FBI defense tactics instructor and author of The New Superpower for Women.

 Everything you need to know about summer travel safety

1. Don’t Drop Your Guard

When we go on vacation, we can fall into the trap of getting too comfortable and relaxed in a new environment surrounded by people we don’t know or trust.  We need to travel making smart choices and employing a few safety practices, especially when going from point to point. Practicing situational awareness will keep you safe on a daily basis, and is even more important when you are on vacation.  You should know who is around you, what they are doing, and how that could affect you.  Then you can take preemptive action to stay out of harms way, whether this means keeping an eye on someone or putting a distance between yourself and them or even leaving the premises.  An attack can happen suddenly and quickly.  When you are alert to your surroundings and anticipating behavior, a predator has lost the advantage of a surprise assault.

2. Trust Your Gut

Respect what your intuition is telling you.  Studies have shown that intuition is an incredibly rapid cognitive process.  While you are actively registering your surroundings with your eyes and ears, subconsciously your brain is working in the background, picking up additional information and details.  If you ever had the feeling you were being followed, it is possible that your subconscious picked up a sound that was out of the ordinary behind you, such as rapid footsteps.  Maybe the person trailing you was hurrying because they were late for something, but an accelerated gait also matches the sound of someone attempting to catch up to you.  It is noticed by your subconscious mind first, which sends an alert to your conscious brain.

3. Road Trip

If you’re going on an extended drive, always start out with a full tank of gas, check the spare tire, and make sure your car is in good shape.  Never leave keys in ignition, not even to zip out to run an errand or make a quick stop at a convenience store.  Plan your fuel stops and map out well traveled rest areas where you know you can get to.  Develop the habit of filling up when you have a quarter of a tank left of gas left.  If you’re driving on a trip that will require an overnight stay, pick two hotels, one just short of your intended stop and another between 150 to 275 miles beyond, in the event you feel like you can travel further .  Use websites to plan out youre stops in advance.

4. Road Rage

If you drive on our nation’s roadways on a regular basis, your chances of being involved in a road rage incident are very high.  Road rage can be triggered through a gesture, such as being flipped off, by being cut off or through tailgating.  It can lead to serious physical injury and even death. Most of the minor events go unreported.

Drivers see their car and the roadway surrounding it as their personal space.  When that space is invaded, or violated, they become territorial. Mixing one or more aggravating factors, like sleep deprivation, a bad day at the office, a short temper or the consumption of alcohol, with someone cutting you off, not using their turn signal or tailgating and you have a toxic mix.

With the start of summer and July 4th fast approaching, we can expect to see an increase in instances of road rage. Most of us don’t consider ourselves to be the cause of road rage but drivers make mistakes all the time.  Carelessness, recklessness, absentmindedness and inconsiderate driving can all provoke an extreme reaction in other drivers.

Here are some things you can do to reduce your chances of being involved in a road rage incident by more than 50%.

• Be courteous and treat other drivers the way you would like to be treated. Use a hands-free device for your phone. Remember: texting and driving is deadly.

• Plan ahead and leave yourself extra time for traffic. Use Google Maps or Waze to check your route in anticipation of any traffic hazards or congestion. They can also afford you alternative routes if you run into trouble.

• If you happen to make a driving mistake, a great de-escalation technique is to keep your eyes on the roadway, nod your head affirming, yes, it’s my fault and give a friendly wave.

• If your find yourself of the receiving end of road rage, take a deep breath and ask yourself if it’s worth ruining your day, or worse. Don’t let the other driver’s problem become your problem, you will likely regret it!

5. Beach Safety Tips Every Parent Needs to Know

According to the Center for Disease Control, each year about 4,000 people drown in the United States.  Drowning kills more children 1–4 years of age than anything else, except birth defects.  Being aware of the risks and learning some life saving techniques will keep you safe at the beach.

Your Span of Control is Limited: In the perfect world, every child would have a designated adult supervising them at the beach or pool, but two children is a comfortable number for one adult to supervise.

Drowning Doesn’t Look like You Think it Does:  In the movies, when someone is acting out a drowning scene, they wave their arms and scream for help. In real life, drowning is, for the most part, a silent act. Once a person goes into distress mode, they are fighting for two things: air and keeping their mouth above water.

Set Up by a Lifeguard — No lifeguard, No lifeline: Set up your stuff near a lifeguard station so that if you venture into the water with your children there is an extra set of eyes to watch over you and your child.  Don’t allow this to replace your diligence but rather supplement it. Your child is your first responsibility.

Don’t Get Lost in Conversation: Going to the beach or pool is a social event. If you’re caught up in a conversation, keep your face and your eyes on your child. Keep your hands glued to your babies or toddlers at all times. Outfit your child with bright colored beach wear.

Learn CPR and Rescue Breathing:  Your local fire, police, recreation department or gym and health club often sponsor certified CPR courses. You will not realize its value until you need it!

6. Airport Safety

Thieves love the chaos of an airport, subway, bus terminal or busy resort.

• Travel as light as you possibly can, lots of luggage can be distracting and will make you a target for theft.

• Don’t keep all your credit cards and cash in one place. 

• Make sure travel to-and-from the airport is pre-arranged.  It is easy to get overwhelmed by legitimate and illegitimate drivers at the airport. 

• When using a service such as Uber or Lyft, confirm that driver’s name, license plate number, car description and photo on your phone when you request a ride. 

• Also make sure they have your name when they pick you up.  When walking through heavily traveled transportation hubs, stay alert and scan your surroundings while on the go. 

7. Travel Abroad

Check in With the State Department

The State Department provides updated safety information for every country in the world.  You can search their website and get trustworthy details about wherever you're visiting. Find out everything, from which vaccinations you need to the local laws to any travel warnings (including crime and security warnings).  While you're on the website, head over to the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) page, where you can register your travel plans.  In the event of an emergency (whether it's a natural disaster, an emergency back home or civil unrest), they will be able to contact you.

Leave an Itinerary and Emergency Contact Information

Try not to fly under the radar, especially if you're traveling alone. Leave your itinerary with a trusted friend or family member, and try to check in with him or her every day. That way, if something happens, they can alert authorities on your behalf.

Scan a Copy of All Your Documents

Before you leave, scan a copy of your passport, airline tickets, driver’s license and all reservations including hotel and car rental and e-mail it to yourself and take a photo of it to save on your cell phone. That way, if you need your passport while out (but it's locked up in your hotel safe), you'll have access to all your details. Plus, if it gets stolen, getting a replacement will be that much easier.

8. Keep the Green and Gold Out of Sight

Keep your cash and jewelry out of sight.  Keep your spending money separate from the cash you’re traveling with.  Less is better and don’t keep your important documents and valuables on your person in a backpack or bag your will have with you at all times. Don’t pack valuables into your checked air luggage or on a transportation luggage rack.  Have a hiding place for your emergency cash just in case something bad happens.

9. Be Prepared for the Worst Case Scenario

Carry a non-lethal weapon with you for self-defense and to be your own first line of defense.  As a pepper spray instructor for twenty years, I am a big advocate of the Defense Alert Device (D.A.D) by Tigerlight.  Not only is it a police-grade pepper spray, it offers a superior GPS alert system, a flashlight with strobe activation and, it wraps around your hand so if you are surprised or scared, it won’t fail.  Recently, the D.A.D saved Kortney Blatter, a 17 year Utah resident traveling in Italy.

Tips For Scoring Last-Minute Fares From GoLastMinute.Com

GoLastMinute.com shares top tips for scoring last-minute fares

We’re all well acquainted with the dangers of procrastination, that pesky thief of time. When it comes to planning travel, though, sometimes waiting until the last second, due to a limited budget, a busy schedule or just lack of inspiration, can actually be an advantage. So how does a spontaneous wanderluster avoid overpaying for that flight departing in just a week? Use GoLastMinute.com’s insider tricks for scoring last-minute fares so good you’ll be bragging about them.

Be flexible

Being open-minded about your travel dates, times and maybe even your destination will definitely work in your favor when hunting for cheap last-minute flights. We advise starting your search with just a general scope of the region you want to visit or the type of trip you’re craving.

Dreaming of a Europe trip, maybe to Paris, Milan or London? Fares to the continent have come down dramatically thanks to budget airlines like Norwegian Air Shuttle and WOW Air. But be aware that these airlines don’t service every major European bucket-list city, and they depart from a limited list of U.S. gateways, on a limited schedule. Plus, extras like baggage and meals are typically not included in the base fare. If you’re not too picky about your destination and can pack light, those jaw-dropping savings across the pond can be yours.

Though it seems to be common knowledge nowadays, it bears reminding that the cheapest last-minute fares are typically reserved for weekday trips and those departing early in the morning or late at night. Also, most longer-haul journeys will require a layover. If inconveniences like these don’t deter you, a much broader list of flight options will be up for grabs. The key point is, keep your needs (and expectations) limber to score the best bargains.

Consider nearby airports

Travelers from highly populated regions, such as the East Coast and Midwest, should be aware of the many airports at their disposal, and consider flying out from a hub other than their standard home airport.

Live in Milwaukee? Check fares from Chicago, home to two major international airports that are both easy to reach from the Cream City via Amtrak or Greyhound bus service. Usually fly out of Miami? You’re missing out on all the budget fares offered by low-cost airlines such as JetBlue, Spirit and Southwest that only operate in nearby Fort Lauderdale.

In fact, Lucas Peterson, author of the Frugal Traveler column in The New York Times, recently identified several urban areas in the U.S. (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, for example) for which smaller regional airports offer better fares.

Search these alternate departure points and you may well be surprised to find a better selection of last-minute flight deals than from your main gateway.

Sniff out sales

Delta regularly runs last-minute weekend sales, and airlines such as American and United occasionally sneak in short-lived sales, too. JetBlue and Southwest are known for their gone-in-a-flash nationwide offers, often providing fares as low as $40 one-way for flights departing in the following few weeks.

When airlines add new routes, they often run promotions with rock-bottom rates. For example, Southwest Airlines recently added new routes from Ft. Lauderdale to the Turks & Caicos, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, promoting the debuts with one-way fares as low as $69.

These sales are a lot to keep up with, so we help you at GoLastMinute.com by keeping our finger on the pulse of the airline world, publishing daily updates on promotions from a variety of sources. These include major and budget airlines (United Airlines, Air Canada, British Airways, JetBlue, Norwegian Air Shuttle, etc.), online travel agencies (CheapOair, Liberty Travel, Flight Centre, etc.), and travel aggregators (Fly.com, Kayak, Orbitz, etc.).

Travel to off-season destinations

That jam-packed jetliner bound for a sunny Caribbean island in February? It will be dotted with open seats come the fall months, when the higher chance of rainy weather and humidity scares off pickier travelers. And tourists tend to avoid big city jaunts when the weather is frigid, making snow-dusted cities like NYC and Chicago ripe for the picking for budget and last-minute travelers.

New Orleans, too, is a perennial favorite — in fact, Travel + Leisure calls it one of the best places to visit in 2018. But don’t venture down to the Crescent City during Mardi Gras, when tourists flood the streets. Go instead in fall, the slowest season for travel, and revel in the still-warm temperatures and more laid-back vibe.

An extra benefit to off-season travel is that accommodations are typically much more affordable compared to high-season rates.

Book ASAP

Here’s a piece of advice you can take to the bank: If you find a good rate, don’t wait. While it can seem risky to hit the “book” button on a flight when there’s always the chance fares could drop further, the truth is, there’s very little risk at all. If a cheaper rate comes along, simply cancel the flight you booked within a 24-hour period and re-book the new, cheaper flight — a law for U.S.-based bookings of domestic or international flights gives you a full day to cancel without penalty. But beware of this caveat for the 24-hour no-penalty cancellation window: It’s valid only for flights departing a week or more after your booking date.

Keep tabs with last-minute fare alerts

Rates can rise or drop at a moment’s notice. Stay ahead of the curve with our fare alerts, specifically designed to help you find the best dates to fly in just a few days or weeks. Do a search on GoLastMinute.com in the “Compare Flight Deals” box by entering your departure city, destination and dates, and then check “add to fare alerts.” Then, simply let notifications come to your inbox so you can track last-minute fares to your preferred destinations (you can create alerts for up to 5 routes).

We’ve delivered more than 40 million fare alerts since we launched the feature in February 2017, helping thousands of travelers find the lowest fares.

About GoLastMinute.com

GoLastMinute.com helps travelers search and compare prices on airfares, hotels, vacation packages and cruises via web and mobile sites, email newsletters and social media channels. Over 5 million travelers have signed up for GoLastMinute.com’s emails.

GoLastMinute.com is published by GraphicBomb, which was named to Inc. 5000's list of the fastest-growing companies in America for 2016 and 2017. GraphicBomb also publishes BeachDeals.com and Bamgo.com.

What You Need To Know If Traveling To Or From The United States With A Mobile Phone

Are you traveling to the United States, are you leaving the U.S. and are you carrying a mobile phone? Forget privacy when visiting the United States.

The US Customs and Border Protection agency may be interested in mobile phones by anyone entering or leaving the United States of America.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, US border authorities searched a record number of cellphones and other devices at U.S. points of entry last year. What they are looking for according to the agency: National-security threats and smugglers.

30,200 phones searched, 19,051 were leaving the U.S. More than 80% of the devices belonged to foreigners or legal permanent residents, with less than one in five owned by a U.S. citizen.

A new written policy outlining procedures for searching and seizing electronic devices at the border makes clear that agents can only examine information stored on the device, not additional data in “the cloud” that can be accessed.

The policy makes clear that while agents can ask for passwords to access a device, the passwords aren’t to be retained in any way.

And the policy sets forth standards for agents to do an “advanced search,” which involves connecting the device to a computer to retrieve and copy information. Under the rules, advanced searches are allowed only if there is “reasonable suspicion” and “articulable facts” to support it, and with the approval of a supervisor. The standards for more in-depth searches hadn’t been spelled out before. No such standard exists for basic searches.

The new policy requires border agents to notify a traveler when his or her device is to be searched unless telling the traveler would harm “national security, law enforcement, officer safety, or other operational interests.”

Privacy advocates including the American Civil Liberty Union wanted more protections for travelers.

Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, who left the agency last year to become Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, said during a June Senate hearing that such searches aren’t routine and conducted only when necessary.

The Trump administration has promised to step up vetting of foreigners asking for permission to come into the U.S. and to change security at U.S. borders, including airports. Mr. Kelly suggested last year that border agents may even ask travelers for their social-media passwords and access to their internet browsers.

Hotel Best Rates Guarantee Promise Is Often A Hoax

Trump SoHo New York hotel

Hotel companies want you to stop shopping around. So why bother going to trivago.com, to agoda.com, to booking.com, to hotels.com, to expedia.com, to orbitz.com, to otel.com, to priceline.com, or to americanexpress.com and the many more available channels? Hotels don’t want you to compare rates, especially if you are a loyal member of their hotel group loyalty program, such as the World of Hyatt, Marriott Rewards, Hilton Honors, Starwood Preferred Guest, and IHG Rewards Club, among others.

As a matter of fact, hotel companies will threaten you NOT to book through what they say are “third party channels,” because if you do, your stay will mean zero points and zero status nights in the hotel loyalty programs. In order to reach an elite status with a hotel or airline, one needs to be loyal. Don’t make the mistake of being loyal to a brand and then booking through your travel agent, your meeting organizer, or one of the many known booking channels. You will never earn any status points that way, because your nights won’t count. So again, we ask, why bother even signing up for a hotel loyalty program?

Here is what hotel companies are advertising on their websites.

• The Lowest Rates Are on Hyatt.com
• Get Our Lowest Price, All The Time, When You Book on Marriott.com
• IHG – Choose from our great brands. Best Price Guarantee. Book direct now!
• We guarantee you always get the lowest price when you reserve a room through an official Hiltonbooking channel
• Best Rate Guarantee* If you find a lower qualified rate** within 24 hours of booking, we’ll match it – and give you a 20% discount or 2,000 Starpoints®

Sounds good, right? But not really. Here is the catch.

The following is a typical response you will get when shopping on a third-party website and find a sometimes significantly better rate.

First, the hotel doesn’t want you to book anything on the third-party website. What the hotel wants you to do is to fill out a lengthy form and ask for the “best rate guarantee.”

After you submit this form, it takes 24 hours for a response. If you’re at an airport trying to book a hotel for the same night, obviously, this “guarantee” will never work.

For a future stay, you most likely will get this response:

HYATT: “I am excited to hear of your desire to stay with us and your interest in our Best Rate Guarantee program. After researching, I was unable to validate your submission based on the Expedia screenshot that represents a “Private Sale Price of 59%, including a $100 Resort credit” which is a membership-only price package thus making it an invalid for the Hyatt Best Rate Guarantee. As indicated, the guest went to expedia.com and signed into the site, thus opening up the member pricing options.”

This means if you use a booking website, you are always asked to establish a sign-in. There is no cost to do so and no membership – it’s simply a username and a password. BUT, once you do this, then hotel companies consider you to be a “member” of that travel booking club, and there goes the option to use the hotel’s best rate guarantee.

In many cases, once you go back to the third-party website a day after the hotel has “investigated” and turned your claim down, you won’t be able to get that special deal anymore, because it has already been sold out.

Sometimes it pays, however, to be more firm instead of accepting this unfriendly hotel response. In the case of a Starwood Hotels and Resorts reservation, a claim to bring a nightly rate down from $280 to $89.44 plus receive a 20% additional bonus was honored, only after being threatened with a bad review on trip advisor, a filing with small claims court, and a letter to the editor.

This was the initial response by STARWOOD:

Thank you for your interest in the Starwood’s Hotels & Resorts Best Rate Guarantee program. It is always a pleasure hearing from our Gold members. I hope my email finds you well.

Please be advised that as per my understanding, I have processed the claim for a Premium room as originally booked. However, I request you to please mention the room type on which you want to get your claim processed in the New Starwood Room Type section in the future.

I have reviewed the rates for The Westin Las Vegas Hotel & Spa for the dates of your claim on our website and found a rate of $257.04 USD plus taxes and fees per night which is lower than the rate of $280.78 USD plus taxes and fees per night found on hotels.com. Since the rate is lower on our website, I am not able to approve your claim. To find the complete details of the Best Rate Guarantee program, please refer to our published terms and conditions.

So what happened here? Starwood looked at a higher room category on otel.com, the competing site. The claim was clearly for the lowest category, since the category names did not match on otel.com and westin.com, but this seems to be just another way to deny claims.

Here is the second response to this claim after it was first denied:

Thank you for your email regarding your Best Rate Guarantee claim for The Westin Las Vegas Hotel, Casino & Spa. I appreciate the opportunity to address your email.

After reviewing the claim, I show a room type was not listed on the competing website or our hotel website, and our associate processed the claim for the room type listed on the reservation.

Please know I have processed the claim once again; only this time I have processed it for the standard room at the hotel. Your claim has been processed for the traditional room.

I am pleased to advise your claim is approved. I was unable to locate availability for a Traditional room on our website, though I was able to locate availability on otel.com, which allows me to offer you the approved rate of 89.44 USD, plus tax and amenity fee, per night, and an additional 20% off the rate as requested.

My advice: Cancel the booking altogether and select an independent hotel that doesn’t play games with loyal customers. Travel agencies and tour operators should avoid brand hotels to not upset clients with a loyalty program or put pressure on those hotel companies to treat travel agents, tour operators, and meeting planners fairly.

New Travel Trends Report Shows How Fliers Search, Book Flights

A new travel trends report reveals how travelers search for, and book, their plane tickets. Image: scanrail/Istock.com via AFP Relaxnews

According to a new travel trends report, the most popular way for finding airfare deals is to head straight to an airline’s website versus a meta travel search engine like Kayak, Skyscanner and Expedia.

In a survey of 2,500 travelers across North America by air travel intelligence company OAG (Official Aviation Guide of the Airways), 41 percent said they begin their homework by heading straight to their favorite airline website or app in search of seat sales and airfare deals.

Airline websites hold a healthy lead over online travel agencies or meta search engines which are starting points for 28 percent of travelers.

Only 10 percent said they turn to Google Flights, a relative newcomer in the online booking landscape, and that figure dips even lower for traditional travel agents at four percent.

“The data indicates that despite the prevalence of OTAs (online travel agents) and third-party search options, the majority of travelers still believe their best bet for top fares and offers is direct from the airline,” reads the report.

“There’s also a likely correlation to airlines with strong airport hub strategies,” the report adds. “Travelers know the airlines that regularly offer the most options and best pricing from their home airport, and start their searches accordingly.”

While Google Flights may only hold 10 percent of the travel market share today, analysts predict that Google’s share is poised to grow quickly, given the level of interest in a key demographic: millennials, who are more than twice as likely as the general population to start their search process with Google Flights, an indicator that Google’s popularity will continue to grow as millennials age, the report notes.

When travelers were asked how airlines and travel providers could improve the search process, the most popular answers were increased transparency on price fluctuations over time, and more accurate information on flight connection times.

When presented with airfares equal in price and schedule, 43 percent of travelers said the deciding factor when booking a flight would be on-time performance.

“This is likely due to the proliferation of tech-savvy travelers, who are no longer relying on airlines as much for entertainment and amenities,” the report reads. JB