Category Archives: Safety Tips

Safety Tips for Traveling

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In our previous article we covered how to keep your home safe when you are away.  In this article we will cover how to keep you safe.  It is fun to visit different places and experience new things, but it is also great to return safely, with all our possessions intact.
Traveling is exciting and informative, but it can be taxing as well, what with the demands of scheduling, transfers and security lines.  In this article we will discuss ways you can stay safe whether you are traveling by plane, train or automobile.
Beside stopping the newspaper and mail, which was discussed in the earlier article.  It is a good idea that someone is given a copy  of your itinerary .  That person could be a family member, close friend or neighbor.  If something should happen to you, and you don’t arrive when expected, there will be someone who can notify the police.  These people should know where you are going, how you are traveling and where you are staying.  In the unlikely event that you disappear, the police have a place to start looking.
Always double check the plane departure time. Check to see if it is on time or delayed.  The same with trains and buses.
When on public transportation, sit near other people for safety.  There is usually safety in numbers.  When possible sit near the doors and locate the emergency exits.  Remember the nearest exit may be behind you.
Stay awake and alert when traveling on public transportation. But if you do nap, have your traveling companion keep watch while you get some sleep.
There are many manufacturers that offer products designed to hide your valuables, such as passports, money, credit cards, traveler’s checks and tickets.  It is a good idea to keep a good portion of your money in traveler’s checks and hidden in separate compartments.  When walking around, keep your money separate from your credit cards and passports.  If you are robbed, then they get the money, but not the harder to replace passport and credit cards.
Always keep your luggage close at hand and in sight.  Not only is it the safest way keep control, but in airports, the luggage could be confiscated by security.  It takes just a second for someone to walk off with your bags. Continue reading →

Safety Tips for Home While You Are Away

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By Gregory Colvin

So, planning a trip?  Here are a few simple tips that will go a long way in keeping your home safe while you are away.  Are they guaranteed to keep anyone from breaking into your home while you are gone?  No, but it will greatly increase the odds in your favor.

First and foremost, information is knowledge. Information has value.  Information must be kept under lock and key.  Whether the information is about where you are at any moment.  Whether it is if your home is vacant or your daily schedule, it has value to someone. Keeping that in mind, I realize that you are excited about your trip and want to share all the information about your exotic destination. You can’t wait to brag to your friends about where you are going and what you are going to be doing. Most important  how long you are going to stay.  The temptation is to post it on Facebook or Twitter or the vast array of social sites out there.  Should that information fall into the wrong hands, the criminals now know your house is vacant and how long they have to burglarize your home.  It is best to wait until you get back and then brag to your heart’s content.

Next.  Want a large flag waving in front of your home with words “We Are Not Home!”?  Just don’t notify the newspaper delivery person and the flag is unfurled. Nothing says vacant home like having newspapers, packages or mail stacking up outside the house. Simply having a neighbor or friend come by and pick up the newspapers and flyers  will make it appear that things are normal at home, while you are sunning in the south of France.

Prior to leaving for the airport, walk through the house and double check to be sure that all the doors and windows are locked.  Intruders usually take the path of least resistance.  A home with unlocked door or window is preferable to a locked door.  They may leave your house alone and look for an easier target.

Light timers are inexpensive. Timers attached to interior and exterior lights give the appearance of an occupied dwelling.  By replicating the times that you are usually in the different rooms, it will give a appearance that someone is home.

Have a friend stop by the house to check it periodically.  While they are there, have them open closed blinds and curtains and close open ones so that it appears that someone in home.

If you are going to be away for an extended period of time you may want to consider having a friend stay at the house or hire a house sitter to stay in the house. Unless the house sitter is someone that you know personally, ask for references. Call the references, unless you want to return to your house and find it looking like a rock band stayed the weekend. Continue reading →

Curiosity-As A Safety Tip

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By Gregory Colvin

Ever heard: “Curiosity Killed the Cat”?   I don’t know about cats, but curiosity could save your life.

Animals in the wild are very curious.  It is that curiosity that keeps them alive.  At the slightest sound their ears perk up and the head turns toward the source of the sound.  They prepare to flee or defend themselves.

Many of you are saying, but the hero and heroine or the extra in the movies are always following their curiosity and walking into a horrible death.  The curiosity I am talking about doesn’t involve walking into a trap, but away from it.  The information in this article relates back to my article on “Observation”.

In unfamiliar surroundings,  for example,  parking garages, parking lots, subways and subway exits, bus stops and, well you get the idea, make it a habit to be curious about activity around you. This is especially important in those areas that are familiar, because you tend to drop your guard.  Be aware and ask, does something appear a little outside the normal?  Listen.  The sound of footsteps that stop when you stop. A car or van that is pacing you  when walking down the street.

Curiosity.  In a foreign country, a strange city or the forest, monitor what is going on around you and ask yourself,  is that normal?    Too many times,  I have seen people who walk around in a daze.  They may be reading emails or text messages or unaware about their surroundings.  These people are easy marks for predators.  Not to mention, they may never find their way back to their hotel rooms.

Curiosity can keep you out of dangerous situations.  For example, why is that guy wearing an full length coat on a 90 degree day and walking into my bank?  Is he making a fashion statement or hiding something under the coat.  You may want to reconsider your deposit to avoid being a hostage in a bank robbery.  You can be the one to call 911.


A few examples that come to mind.   That strange guy at the bar, you know, the one that keeps eyeing you and gets up to leave when you do.  OOOH that’s right, you were busy texting your BBF about your great night.  In the meantime,  you have a tail.  Someone you are about to meet up close and personal either at your car or before you get that far.  Wait to text until you are securely seated in your car and speeding down the highway, better to die in a fiery accident than to be raped and cut into a dozen pieces, then buried in a shallow grave.  Or better yet,  wait to get home and then text.

I usually fight to get the seat facing the door, wherever I am.  I know that I will pay more attention than my tablemates about what is going on around us than they will, and I am usually right. If I’m not facing the door,  I feel like a sitting duck.  If you are sitting facing the door, just check from time to time who comes through the door.  The world has changed.  More nuts have guns than ever before.  The gun is a very impersonal weapon.  You don’t have to get close to your victim, you can kill them from across the room.  An early warning may give you time to escape.  Run, stay close to the floor.  If there are too many people blocking the exit,  throw a chair or heavy object through a window and jump out.  This only works if you are on the first floor.  Just get out of the range of the assailant.   Regardless of what you have seen in the movies or television, the only effective weapon against a gun is another or bigger gun.

Unless you have a very powerful guardian angel.  And in that situation, it is not a good idea  to test him or her.  They may be on vacation.  Even angels need a break.  Especially with someone like me.   The list is endless.  Curiosity is your friend.  Just as long as it doesn’t lead down to the darkened  basement.

Remember:     Your Survival Is Up To You.

Gregory Colvin is a former police officer and author who has noticed how few people observe their surroundings.    He writes personal security and safety articles on the web.

Keep Kids Safe

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It seems like almost every other day there are reports of children being abducted. The problem has reached the point that most states have introduced Amber Alerts systems. These systems activate billboards along the highway with descriptions of the missing child.

One company’s answer to the problem is the creation of the iSAFE backpack. Backpacks have become a staple, not just for children, but adults as well. When traveling, I always have a backpack. I wonder how anyone got along without one.

Hidden in the strap of this backpack is a device, that when the wearer feels threatened and pulls the pin, it activates a siren, instantly drawing attention.  This will usually be sufficient to chase away the attacker and summon help.

This website is about personal safety and I am always looking for products that fulfill that purpose. I am proud to offer this product. I not only recommend it for families with children, but for adults as well.  It is the perfect for traveling.

I found the following video featuring the iSAFE backpacks.


iSafe Backpacks & Bags give you Mobile Personal Security
everywhere you go. You’ll have Peace of Mind knowing that you’re protected with the World’s Loudest Personal Alarm System . It’s Like Having a Bodyguard with You All the Time.

Remember: Your Safety Is Up To You!