CITY SAFETY: 5 TIPS FOR STAYING SAFE

Photo by Emily Levine

Originally Posted On: https://www.tbotech.com/city-safety.htm

If you live in a more rural area, a trip to a big city provides an exciting opportunity to see a different way of life.

In addition, there’s the possibility of experiencing all different kinds of cultural outposts such as museums, theaters, and famous landmarks.

However, if you’re visiting a big city it’s important to remember to keep your wits about you. Crime rates are often higher in cities and it’s important to integrate a few simple things to help ensure you and your family stay safe.

What are some of the most important elements of city safety? Read on and we’ll walk you through everything that you need to know.

When you hit the streets of the city that you’re visiting, you’ll want to leave most of your belongings back in the safety of the hotel you’re staying in. The last thing you want to do is to be lugging all kinds of bags and belongings up the block with you.

What should you bring? A little bit of cash. Your ID. Some water and snacks.

Everything else? Leave it in your bag, locked in your room. It’s a good idea to not bring all of your credit cards with you either, maybe just one that you plan to use.

A good rule of thumb? If it would ruin your trip to lose the item, it might be better to leave that item in the hotel. Traveling light won’t just make your day to day travels easier, it’ll ensure that your trip can go on as planned even if the worst were to occur.

Maybe you have no plans to split your group up once in the city. Your family or those you came with are going to stick together no matter what. However, you’d be much better off if you decided on a go-to meeting spot anyway, just in case you get sent separate ways on accident.

Your hotel lobby will work as a suitable meeting spot for the area of town in which you’re staying. However, each time you head to a new part of the city, you should assign a new landmark or location to be a meeting spot should you and your party end up heading separate ways.

This way, there’s always a location to head to should someone get sequestered off on their own. Just make sure that the meeting spot you select is in and of itself safe and reasonable.

Getting that strange feeling in your gut that something isn’t right? Trust it.

As you move through the city, keep a hand on your own street smarts. If there is an area where people or places seem to be behaving oddly, avoid it. If you feel uncomfortable in a certain setting, leave it. At the end of the day, your gut will likely not lead you astray.

If you stick to traveling during the daytime hours and keep on the main roads, you shouldn’t run into too much trouble. While there might be certain short cuts or more adventurous areas to explore, these might also provoke some unwanted danger.

Make sure you have some self-defense tools on your body should you choose to move through these off the beaten path areas.

What’s the best way to make yourself into a potential target for a thief or a criminal? Flaunt cash or valuables around in public. This is something to avoid doing when you’re traveling through a new city, though many people do it without thinking.

It can be easy to dig through and count cash on a busy street corner if you’re planning on heading inside to purchase tickets or something like that. However, flaunting this kind of behavior on the street is sure to catch the eye of those who’s attention you might not want to attract.

After all, pickpocketing is on the rise in many major US cities.

The same goes for jewelry or even expensive electronics. If you have all the brand new Apple products, you might want to step into a storefront to use them as opposed to brandishing them up and down the street.

The more discreet you are (i.e. the less like an obvious tourist) the more you’re likely to be unbothered as you explore the city you’re visiting.

One of the best things you can do before visiting a new city for the first time is to do a bit of research about it. You’ll learn a lot and may get a sense of where you want to spend your time once your feet are on the ground in that area.

Then, you can actually do a bit of planning and organizing ahead of time. You can familiarize yourself with transport options, where to eat, and how much you should budget to get from place to place.

Engaging in these kinds of thoughts ahead of time will ensure you don’t end up high and dry on a sidewalk at some point. If you plan ahead, you can keep yourself out of situations that might become dangerous.

The above are just a few key city safety tips that help to ensure that your trip to your favorite sprawling metropolis goes as planned. Keeping these tips in mind as you navigate the city will help you and your family to stay safe and sound.

Have more questions about staying safe in a big city? Drop us a line anytime.