Sep 09 2008
New York City: Keeping Safe on your Vacation to the Big Apple
For all the crime related stories we hear about NYC in the media and on TV shows, it’s more than possible to have a safe vacation there and not even encounter any of the small criminals that are famous for preying on tourists. You do however have to be pro-active in how you act in the Big Apple and take a few precautions in order not to become a target. Use the following tips and some common sense and you should leave New York City with some great memories and all the stuff you took (plus anything extra you couldn’t put down at Macy’s!).
1. When is a tourist not a tourist? When they don’t look and act like a tourist! The worst thing you can do in NYC is walk around as if you’re lost. Yes, you might very well have no idea where you are and how you get from there to Central Park, but looking lost is going to put cracks in your personal security armor. Always walk with intent as if you know exactly where you’re going – even if it’s to the nearest policeman to ask them directions! It’s important to know where you’re going after dark especially if you’re in an area where there are not a lot of other tourists.
2. Buy a good guide book and a small map. Read the book in your hotel room and take the map with you. Mark the location of your hotel on it so you always know where you are in relation to your hotel. The map should fit in your pocket and only be referred to when you’re having a meal or wandering around a museum. Leave one place with a good general idea of how to get to the next place without having to consult the map again.
3. Leave your valuables at home. If you must take them because you’re going to the opera or attending an evening function make sure that your hotel room has a safety deposit box, or at the very least the hotel has a safe where you can leave jewelry etc. If you’ve got a laptop then you might want to consider putting this in your room safe anytime you leave the room unattended. Only take credit cards that you absolutely need with you each day, others should be left with your other valuable. This also applies to your passport if you have it with you.
4. If you do take out anything valuable, remember it’s just a thing. As expensive as it might be, if someone tries to take it, be very cautious about fighting back. Valuable as your item is, it’s probably not worth risking your life over so use common sense if you end up in a bad situation especially at night.
If you’re using an expensive looking camera, don’t keep this hanging around your neck when you’re walking around. It might require more effort to keep putting it in an inside pocket (not your back pocked or jacket outer pocket where it can be easily taken), but at least you will have less chance of it being stolen. Keep a note of the serial numbers on such things as cameras, video cameras, cell phones, PDAs etc so that if you lose any of these you can give the numbers to the police. Chances are that New York’s finest aren’t going to find them, but at least you’ll be able to show the report to your insurance company and they’ll see that you did make the effort to record the numbers!
One Response to “New York City: Keeping Safe on your Vacation to the Big Apple”
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Sound advice that applies not only to New York, but to many large cities. Moscow, Dublin, Miami and Warsaw spring to mind as places where there are a lot of people ready to prey on tourists.
There are places in many cities where you can get away with looking like a tourist: around St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Palace in London, or in Cologne city center, but there are also places where you can’t. I would give the same advice about looking like you know where you are going to people going off the beaten track anywhere.