Tightrope: Travel tips for the safety-conscious
— -- Hi, Gladys: I own a clothing store and frequently travel to buy for my store. But the older I get, the more security-conscious I become, and I am not completely comfortable when I travel. Still, it is hard if not impossible to do business without traveling. What do you suggest that business travelers, especially women, do to feel more secure and comfortable while on the road? — Kelly H.
Both male and female travelers should to be security-conscious. As a road warrior myself, here are some security tips that I have found helpful.
• Never put your home address and phone number on your luggage tags. Use you business address and phone. If thieves see your home address, they will know there is a possibility your house is empty. Plus, if your luggage is lost, your home is not exposed.
• Even if you are away overnight, arrange for someone to pick up your mail and newspaper.
• In conversation, too, keep personal information to yourself. I usually use a certain airport transportation company, and after 20 years, I rarely get the same driver twice. A ride to the airport takes us about 45 minutes; during that time the driver usually recites personal information about previous passengers. A couple of months ago, for instance, the driver started talking about the stock market and how depressing it was. I agreed that it was not the best of times. He went on to tell me about a passenger he had taken to the airport the day before. The driver told me how much money the guy had borrowed to keep his kids in school and how much money he had lost in the market. The entire conversation was fine until he told me who the person was — and I happen to know the man. So keep your business to yourself.
• Arrive early. Airport security requires a lot of patience and cooperation from the traveler and of course increases the time needed for check-in. As a general rule, plan to arrive two hours ahead of your scheduled departure, but you should check with the airline or a travel agent for more specific instructions. Sometimes your destination, day of departure or time of day can help you avoid long lines. For example, in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area, Mondays, Fridays and Saturday are extremely heavy travel days due to arrivals or departures of cruise ships.
