Travel Safe Travel Tips

Sure it is fun to go for travels, I like travelling too. But it sure pays to have a few safeguards to avoid situations that will spoil your splendid vacation. I still recall an incident in Paris, France where my wife backpack was almost pick pocketed by a bunch of happy friendly kids in a deserted Metro underground. Fortunately, she felt the backpack straps were being unfasten and she quickly moved and turned around, foiling the would be thieves. I thank God that they didn't managed to get her purse buried deep in the backpack thus making it very difficult for them to reach in. Otherwise it would have really spoilt our trip. We could still laugh about it when we tell our friend and family about the incident.

And of course scam artist are will just that, they try to fleece you of your tourist money, but if the loss is not so big, just shrug it off and let it be a lesson. Don't go thinking about it too much and spoil the mood of your trip. I had experienced it too, when my wife, her sister and I went to Bangkok for a vacation. The taxi driver would introduce us a package for a Bangkok Klong tour that we had to pay more than if we were to purchase it from a normal counter. It was a mixed reaction though, as the Klong Tour was really enjoyable, but well we had to pay more for his commission and tour operator. Still he and the tour operator did give us good service.

Anyway, here are some tips and precaution that will help you out on your vacation.

Jan.

Visit and travel Cameron Highlands Malaysia

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Travel Safe - 11 Travel Tips!
by Adam Hurley
28-July-2006

When traveling many things can and do go wrong. Following a few simple rules could help prevent many of those problems fellow travelers encounter on the road.

Problems that could mean you spend time:

· At the police station filling reports.

· Locked in your hotel room, scared it will happen again.

· Leaving with bad memories and a dislike of the local people.

· Replacing items lost, that can cost you lots of money.

· Or just totally annoyed, ruining your holiday.

So what can you do? Here are a few tips for staying safe and still enjoying your holiday!

Common Sense

The single most important tool for traveling safe! You're in foreign land, meeting new people, walking down strange roads, eating and drinking new things. Use your common sense, if it doesn't feel right - do something about it.

Carry Only What You Need

If you are heading out on the town to discover new bars or taking photos at the local fish market, do you really need to carry your passport, travelers cheques, excess cash, visa card, American express card, plane tickets etc? Take what YOU need and leave the rest in the hotel safe. Better to lose a little, rather then everything.

Spread It All Out

A good tip is to place a small amount of money in a few different bags/pockets. By doing this, if you happen to lose a bag, visa card or money, you will still have something there to keep you going until it can be resolved.

Two Credit Cards

Many couples traveling will have 2 credit cards, both accessing the same account. The problem here is if one is lost, you have to cancel the account, meaning the 2nd card is no longer valid. So think about getting two cards, each accessing separate accounts. If hubby loses his, the wife will still have a fully functioning credit card so you can continue traveling.

Hold Your Bags and Cameras

A big thing now is bag/camera snatching. To prevent this happening to you, make sure you wear the backpack on your back. Sling your camera over your head and shoulder. Walk on the pavement; motorbikes and cars can't drive here! If you leave your bag/camera dangling of one shoulder, someone WILL grab it!

Empty Your Back Pockets

Most guys (and some girls) will place their wallets in the back pocket of their jeans or shorts making them an easy target for pick pockets. Change your habit, place money/wallets in the front pockets or perhaps buy a bum bag (bags that strap around your waist). Out of sight, out of mind!

Scams and Scams

We have all read about the different scams that people have fallen for. Truth is, people continue to fall for them! Why? Because the scammers are professionals, it's their job and their good at it. In most countries, the local people will be kind, courteous and helpful. Use your common sense. If unsure, leave. Or try asking other travelers, locals or hotel staff for advice.

Their Smarter

One of the problems people have when traveling, is that they think they are smarter than the scammers, robbers and pick pockets. The sad reality is; your wrong, THEY ARE SMARTER! Remember, these people do it for a living. This is how many of them feed themselves and their families. They are pro's and very good at their craft.

Lock it

If you use a small backpack or day bag when wondering the streets or local markets, buy a small padlock and use it. Instantly, would be pickpockets will be put of. If you are like me and continually lose the keys, trying using a small D-Shackle, like they use in rock climbing. It doesn't lock; rather it acts as a deterrent for unwanted hands getting into your bag. D-Shackles can be brought at most sport shops or large supermarkets for just a few dollars

Opportunity Knocks

Many of the problems outlined above happen only when travelers let their guard down. The basic rule of thumb is - you give them the opportunity, they will grab it with both hands!

Enjoy

The most important aspect for any traveler, ENJOY your travels! Being paranoid will have you locked in a hotel room. Prepare, use your common sense and then get out there, meet the locals, try the food and have fun.


About the Author

Adam Hurley has lived and worked in South East Asia for more than 5 years. Visit him at http://vietnaminfocus.info or http://snapperphotography.com

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White Water Rafting

Rafting For One
By ANDREW SIA

Fancy riding the river on your personal white water raft? StarWeekend gets on and becomes a wet human pinball.

Sunbeams poke through the vault of leafy branches high above our rocky, frothy venue. We lower our posteriors into the cold, sparkling water completing our act of submission. Welcome to the sport of river tubing.

Why would anyone drive to Kuala Kubu Baru (KKB), Selangor on a Sunday and pay RM80 to sit in an old tyre and float down Sungai Selangor? Well, why would anyone do the same thing and pay double to sit in a much larger rubber tube called a white water raft?

Why not have your own little craft doing the same adrenaline-laced activity? Wouldn’t personal control of one’s whirling path downriver be more fun than obeying orders from a slave-driver on a large raft shouting: “Paddle forward!”, or sitting next to guys who paddle like they are playing masak-masak?

Tubing down Sungai Selangor is fun - even when the water tips you over. - Starpix by SIA HONG KIAU

This is the latest wet whoosh offered by Tracks Outdoor Adventure, a company that offers white water kayaking, rafting and now tubing down rivers in Selangor and Perak.

I have some initial worries about plummeting down rocky mini-waterfalls, but Marjorie Gabriel, 39, the “river goddess” of Tracks assures me it is safe.

“Tubing uses only mild rapids, up to Class 2, or at the maximum Class 2.5. Whereas in rafting, we can go down wild Class 4 rapids,” she says.

However, the pre-dunk safety briefing is quite similar to rafting. Basically, if I am thrown out of a watercraft – tube or raft – I need to float on my lifejacket with my feet facing downriver – and raise my bum!

“In this position, you can see where you’re going and kick away from rocks,” explains Gabriel.

“As for the bum, well, you don’t want to scrape it against any rocks below!”

What I like about the safety briefing is the “dry run” on land where we go through rescue procedures (like how to catch a rope). This is something that all participants in white water sports should get (if not, ask for it!) because simple common sense can get jumbled up in the thrills and spills of riding river rapids.

After that short course, we are ready for White water Veneration. The cold water jolts you out of Sunday morning post-World Cup sluggishness.

As we manoeuvre our posteriors into the doughnut hole of the rubber tube, two guides are on stand-by downstream.

And we are off! Floating placidly along the calm stretches has to be one of the ultimate luxury (or lazyman’s) methods of basking in nature with zero exertion. Surrounded by sun-dappled trees and glittering river surfaces, the only thing missing from this experience is a pina colada with a little umbrella.

But the heartbeat soon quickens as I approach the bubbly rocks and swirling currents. Which way should my hands paddle? Will I be knocked against the rocks?

As it turns out, the flash of anxiety is unfounded.

First off, the guides direct me to the correct entry points among the many rocks. Then as I begin twirling left and right through the rapids, the large rubber tube acts like an amusement park bumper car that bounces me off rocks. Quite a rush!

I have always been in love with this verdant, invigorating stretch of Sungai Selangor (the one between the dam and the Sungai Chiling bridge) filled with gem-green rocks, lush forest canopies, dozens of mini Jacuzzis and that invigorating scent of ionised air and water. The gentle gliding alternating with exhilarating water pinball opens up a whole new avenue for me to luxuriate in this natural wonderland.

Gabriel plans the route in such a way that the rapids – and adventure – gradually grow stronger as we go on. At a largish waterfall, I wonder whether it might be too much to tackle on a tube.

“Don’t worry. Almost everybody gets thrown out of their tubes at this drop. It’s part of the fun!” she grins.

If ejected from my doughnut-hole seat, I am told to just allow the current to carry me forward. Besides, the extra buoyant imported lifejacket will float me right back to the surface.

And so I drift down towards the precipice and splash! I try to bronco ride the current and stay on my tube seat but the water rodeo has other ideas for me. I tumble amidst the waterfall’s fizz before finally emerging . . . exhilarated. Before long, I am walking back up the river for a second and third go at this bubbly buzz!

Safety is a paramount consideration at Tracks Outdoor Adventure.

“The life jacket and helmet must be on at all times. We have surveyed the river beforehand and we have guides waiting at crucial points,” explains Gabriel.

Tubing is only done on milder rapids. So what happens when, after heavy rainfall, some stretches become more strident? In that case, participants will walk on the rocks, past the turbulence and resume tubing on milder water downstream.

Gabriel also organises tubing trips along Sungai Kampar in Perak where the rapids are less intense – which may suit people who don’t want too much excitement.

As for our trip today, we finish off with a sumptuous lunch featuring the best wild boar curry I’ve ever eaten! W

For enquiries, contact Tracks Outdoor Adventure at (03) 6065 1767 or tracks@tm.net.my. The website is at www.tracksadventures.com

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Plan Your Own Vacation

The self-planned holiday
By LEONG SIOK HUI i-July-2006

So you want to trek the Himalayas, pedal around Ireland and kayak Halong Bay in Vietnam, but can’t find a Malaysian operator to help you plan the trip? LEONG SIOK HUI suggests D.I.Y.

After he reached the peak of Mt Kinabalu in 2002, Tan Ay Bing, 49, aspired to climb higher mountains.

He read about Mt Kilimanjaro (5,895m) in Tanzania and bought Lonely Planet’s Trekking in East Africa guidebook. During a travel fair, he stumbled upon a Malaysian travel operator who could plan this climb for him.

“My biggest constraint was time, and I thought it would be a hassle to plan the trip myself,” said the director of an engineering firm.

But when he arrived in Africa, Tan was transferred to three different agents before the actual trekking began. The Malaysian agent’s role was just to hook Tan up with these agents, and they each got a cut from the cost of the trip.

“I realised it would have been easier to plan my own trip, get to Moshi (the town nearest to the mountain base) and arrange for a trekking operator there,” said Tan, who also trekked to the Everest Base Camp (5,300m-plus) in 2004.

Tan forked out a hefty RM11,000-plus for his trip though most Kilimanjaro (self-planned) trips usually cost about RM6,000 to RM7,000, minus the safari excursion.

“What I really learned from the trip is that you can travel alone. Once you’re there, your fellow travellers are your best supporters,” said Tan who wasn’t used to independent travelling before.

“A lot of people want to make that first move (to independent travel), but they just need a push.”

Yes, independent travelling IS the way to go. It allows flexibility, freedom and even brings with it moments of serendipity.

Besides, planning a trip is half the adventure and can be fun.

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