Travel News

Airport Kidnapping
Airport Kidnapping 634 357 Greg Ellifritz

Take a look at this article/video of a foreign tourist being kidnapped in a Bangkok airport.  The kidnappers used a five-man team and had ten more airport and immigration officials on the payroll to make sure things went smoothly.

Snatched at the airport

This is certainly a unique and rare crime.  It might still be worth the mental effort to figure out how to avoid/escape such a well-coordinated attack.

 

If you saw this, would you recognize a kidnapping was taking place?

Crime Rates in Mexico
Crime Rates in Mexico 777 437 Greg Ellifritz

I’ve vacationed in Mexico almost two dozen  times. I’m going back down there in a few weeks as it is one of the few places that is open unimpeded to American travelers.  Whenever I go, everyone asks me “is it safe?”

 

The answer always depends on where you are staying and what activities you are participating in.

 

Here is a nice interactive crime map that shows which Mexican states have higher than average crime rates and how those rates have changed over time

Useful Site to Research Crime Statistics for Mexico

 

The post is from the Two Expats Mexico website.  I find the site exceptionally useful for information about traveling or living in Mexico from a couple of Americans who moved there.  They also put out additional content on Patreon.

 

I am one of their Patreon supporters and I’d encourage you to check them out.

Assessing Neighborhood Safety When Traveling
Assessing Neighborhood Safety When Traveling 660 880 Greg Ellifritz

I occasionally am asked how I assess the relative safety of the areas I inhabit when I travel to third world countries.  Different customs and language change societal norms, but these factors remain relatively constant no matter where you are in the world.  Take a look at this article and learn how to assess the baseline.

The Collective Mood and You

 

It will help you make a good decision.  The techniques are mentioned by the authors of Left of Bang, an excellent book to check out if you want to learn more about baseline behavior profiling.

 

In addition to the article’s advice, I would also suggest that you might take a look at a couple additional factors.  These guidelines may be pretty basic, but using them will give you a quick assessment of your relative safety in any neighborhood in the world:

  1. Are there lots of armed guards?
  2. Do the properties seem to be run down or not cared for?
  3.  Are people in the area walking in pairs or small groups rather than walking alone?
  4.  Is there a lot of graffiti present on the walls?
  5.  Are there obvious security measures (like broken glass embedded atop walls, electric fences, barbed wire, etc.) present?
  6.  Are there lots of people are aimlessly “hanging out” in the street?

If you answer “yes” to most of these questions, you may not be in the world’s safest place.  It’s time to move on.

 

For a more detailed explanation of these concepts, read my book Choose Adventure- Safe Travel in Dangerous Places.

 

How would you assess the safety of this neighborhood?
The world famous “Black Market” in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay

Pandemic Flight Precautions
Pandemic Flight Precautions 283 178 Greg Ellifritz

I just flew out to Phoenix, Arizona to take a training class.  It was my first flight since early February.  Flying in a mask was strange.  Both legs of my flight were completely full.  The planes and airports seemed exceptionally clean.  I guess it remains to be seen if all of these precautions worked, but I am not ill yet.

 

The rules are constantly changing.  We really don’t know what works best.  Most of us are guessing and trying to establish best practices for keeping healthy.

 

I’ve found the articles below to be helpful.  Read them and get some ideas as to what tactics other travelers are employing.  Take Bruce Lee’s advice.  “Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own.”

 

Flying Isn’t Just a Big Coronavirus Risk

 

If You Have To Fly in a Pandemic, Here’s Where to Sit on the Plane

 

How Rules Have Changed at TSA Checkpoints

 

CORONAVIRUS AND TRAVEL: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (PLUS RESOURCES)

 

I flew on the 4 biggest US airlines during the pandemic to see which is handling it best

 

“Street Meat”
“Street Meat” 750 499 Greg Ellifritz

Most guidebooks will instruct you to “never eat street food.”

 

That’s bullshit.  Street food is often the safest option for travelers.  It’s prepared fresh and is still hot.  It hasn’t sat overnight on a rat and cockroach infested counter in a restaurant kitchen waiting to be rewarmed in a microwave.  Besides that.  It’s delicious.  Just look at all of these amazing street foods at the link below:

 

Best Street Food Around the World: 50 Favorite Street Food Dishes

 

I’ve eaten most of the foods listed for the countries I’ve visited and have not yet gotten sick from any “street meat.”.

 

Look for a vendor who is cooking the food in front of you and a long line of locals.  If you do that, you’ll likely be fine.

 

If you want some more information on street dining, pick up a copy of my book or check out the links below.

 

How to Eat Street Food Anywhere in the World Without Getting Sick

THE ULTIMATE STREET FOOD SAFETY CHECKLIST: HOW TO EAT LIKE A CAUTIOUS LOCAL

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the above links (from Amazon.com) are affiliate links.   As an Amazon associate I earn a small percentage of the sale price from qualifying purchases.

If you would like to further support my work, head over to my Patreon page.

 

Using Your Smart Phone Internationally
Using Your Smart Phone Internationally 675 405 Greg Ellifritz

This is a great website to bookmark if you are interested in communications issues.  It’s the best site  on the internet for comparing international SIM cards and data plans.  Read this article in particular:

International SIM Card Comparison: Which Is Best?

 

For those of you who have never used your phone in another country, there are basically three ways to do it.  You can use your own phone/data plan, but it’s often absurdly expensive.  You could also buy a local SIM card.  You get a local phone number and it’s really cheaply.  The downside is that it’s a pain in the ass to buy a SIM card and get it recharged in some countries.

 

A third option is to buy an international SIM card.  These are more expensive than the local options but work in multiple countries.  This article compares the features of the best international SIM cards available.  Recognize that your phone needs to be unlocked to use this strategy.  If you are on a contract with many US cell companies and haven’t paid off your phone, it is likely still locked.

 

ATM Card “Skimmers” in Foreign Countries
ATM Card “Skimmers” in Foreign Countries 580 487 Greg Ellifritz

As far as travel questions go, one of the most common inquiries I get is regarding how to safely make currency withdrawals from the bank and how to convert American dollars into the local currency.  I wrote an entire chapter on this topic in my book.

Needing local currency is not as important as it was 20 years ago.  Even in the developing world, grocery stores and restaurants almost always accept credit cards.

To summarize, I recommend that if the traveler needs local currency that he or she should simply withdraw local currency from a nearby bank ATM machine.  Exchange rates will be better than you get at the border money changers and ATMs are common in most cities.

The one thing you have to be aware of is the installation of a card “skimmer” on the ATM machine.  The articles below detail how card skimmers work and how they are used in Mexico.  The author’s advice holds true in most of the other world as well.  Read these three articles to get a comprehensive understanding of the issues involved:

Tracking a Bluetooth Skimmer Gang in Mexico

Tracking Bluetooth Skimmers in Mexico, Part II

Who’s Behind Bluetooth Skimming in Mexico?

 

ATM skimmers used to be pretty rare.  They were large contraptions that fit over the outside of the card reader on the ATM.  They were most commonly seen in tourist areas on “stand alone” ATMs that weren’t regularly serviced.

Now it seems that the ATM technicians are installing small bluetooth compatible skimmers to steal your data inside the machines themselves, at least in Mexico.  My best advice is to avoid ATMs in obvious tourist areas and to use the ATMs that are inside a bank.  Although not a foolproof strategy, doing this will at least limit your chances of having your card data stolen.

 

One other thing.  For foreign travel, you want a traditional ATM card, NOT an ATM debit card.  The traditional cards have daily withdrawal limits so the crooks can’t clean you out.  With the debit card, they can take out more money and charge things to your account.  The traditional ATM card will help limit the damages if your data or card is stolen.

 

 

Drinking Alcohol Safely in Foreign Countries
Drinking Alcohol Safely in Foreign Countries 540 720 Greg Ellifritz

Have you heard news reports about tourists being served tainted, poisoned, or adulterated alcohol in foreign countries?

It’s relatively rare, but it certainly happens.  There have been a couple recent articles written that provide tips to avoid being poisoned.  If you want some background info, check out:

How to Drink Safely On Vacation

Know the Risks When Drinking Spirit-Based Alcohol Away From Home

 

All of that is great advice, but I’ll share some additional experiences from nearly two decades of consuming homemade and locally made alcohol in third world countries.  To establish my drunken bona fides, here is some photographic evidence of my taste for third world hooch.

 

Roadside moonshine in El Salvador

 

Local rum with a friend in Cartegena, Colombia

 

I have no idea what the bartender is pouring down my throat. Bogota, Colombia

 

After the shots in Bogota, we set the bar and ceiling on fire with local moonshine.

 

Guifitty, a local rum/herb mixture in Honduras.

 

Home made rice wine on the street in Saigon, Vietnam.

 

With my bartender in Tanzania drinking banana beer

 

Mixing moonshine and Tang to create a beverage that tasted OK despite no refrigeration on an un-named island off the coast of Panama.

 

Buying moonshine straight from the still (in an old Jagermeister bottle) in rural Costa Rica.

 

Despite all of these insane adventures, I’m still here.  And I’m not even blind.  Here’s my personal strategy when evaluating the local stuff.

 

As a person who has enjoyed local brews on five different continents, I can tell you there is a safe way.  You don’t buy this stuff at your resort or at a tourist liquor store.  You ask a local to take you to the person who makes it.  Taxi drivers, hotel concierge staff, and tour guides know where to get the local homemade brew.

 

When you arrive you ask to sample a shot.  Of course, you are polite and offer to buy the seller a shot as well so that he drinks with you.  If he won’t drink his own brew, run away.  If he drinks with you (out of the same bottle) you are probably pretty safe.   I’ve done this a lot of places and I’m not blind yet.

 

It’s safest to buy your own alcohol at the duty free shop in the airport, but where’s the fun in that?  If you want to try something a bit more adventurous, remember my strategy.

Escaping Criminal Restraints
Escaping Criminal Restraints 620 974 Greg Ellifritz

Are you worried about being taken hostage in a foreign country?  You might like to read the article below.  It is a reasonably comprehensive primer on escaping criminal restraints that would be useful to all my friends who travel internationally.

 

How to Escape Handcuffs, Zipties, and Duct Tape

 

One additional escape tool that I have found exceptionally useful is the Advanced Personal Escape Kit from OscarDelta.  This piece of gear masquerades as a necklace that you can wear under your shirt.  It’s barely noticeable when worn.  The “necklace” is really an exceptionally tough cord that can be used as a garrote or as a friction saw for cutting through flex cuffs.  Attached to the cord is a handcuff key, a handcuff shim, a mini glowing light stick, and an exceptionally hard striking disc that will break window and automotive glass.

Having all these items on a cord around your neck in one place is handy, but I would still suggest having a few smaller keys or shims stashed in other locations as well.  You don’t know how thoroughly you will be searched after you are kidnapped.  Losing all of your tools at the same time when your captors find your necklace won’t help your long term survival.  The more items you have, the more likely one or more will be missed on a hurried search of your clothes and body.  That makes your escape chances significantly greater.

Tools are important, but skills and mindset are even more valuable.  Consider purchasing some of these escape tools and carrying them with you.  But like most defensive tools, they require practice to master.  Merely having the tool isn’t enough.  Practice until you can use the tool to quickly escape restraints under any and all possible conditions.  Only then will you truly have options.

 

Anthony Bourdain’s International Dining Tips
Anthony Bourdain’s International Dining Tips 700 350 Greg Ellifritz

Many of my friends who haven’t traveled much are scared to death to eat the local food in another country.  When they travel. they only eat at American-owned restaurants like Pizza Hut, Starbucks, and McDonalds in the misguided attempt to avoid food-borne illness.

Not only are those folks missing out on some amazing local food, they are actually more likely to get sick.

Foreign versions of American chain restaurants catering to tourists have some of the worst food handling practices on the planet. Stay away from them!

In the article below, Anthony Bourdain explains how to find a good local restaurant in another country.

Anthony Bourdain’s Tips For Eating Great When Traveling Abroad

 

 

 

You can read more food safety tips in my book’s chapter “Eating and Drinking Without Dying.”

 

 

 

 

Some of the above links (from Amazon.com) are affiliate links.   As an Amazon associate I earn a small percentage of the sale price from qualifying purchases.

If you would like to further support my work, head over to my Patreon page.