As a pilot that travels professionally I don’t always get the choice to “not” go. This means that during times of war or unrest, I am at the mercy of those 3rd party companies that support our operation to keep us safe. However, there are still many tactics I have learned to safe travel in an unstable world. Here are my 3 key points that will help you stay safe and still be able to enjoy your travel experience. 

1. Be Vigilant – Not Paranoid 

Paranoia can destroy a traveling experience. That whole “someone is out to get me” mentality is dangerous in my opinion. There are some careers that warrant this type of behavior. For the average traveler this isn’t so. The definition for vigilant is “keeping careful watch for possible danger.” Vigilance is a key aspect to situational awareness. This can easily be accomplished by staying off your phone in public. Having your head down in your phone in public means you aren’t looking for potential bad guys and things that are out of the ordinary. An example of this would be someone wearing thick winter type clothing in the middle of a hot summer. Vigilance is maintaining a higher level of situational awareness around you, which in my opinion should be every time you go out in public. 

2. Enroll in STEP 

Imagine being on a sightseeing tour in Ukraine when the Russians attacked. What if you had been on a trip to Israel when Hamas attacked and the war broke? What would you do if all communications were cut? The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service allowing U.S. citizens to enroll their trip with the nearest Embassy or Consulate. This way, the government knows you are in country and to look for you should something happen. You never know if a war breaks out and you find yourself in a bad situation. For me, regardless of what country I’m going to, I always notify the consulate through STEP. This also adds me to an email list and I will get notified on any travel advisories for that country should something come up. 

3. Trust Your Gut 

There’s an old saying that “if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.” Have you ever been in room and just had this weird feeling someone was looking at you? Maybe you were in a public place and saw a fight about to break out. A lot of times our intuition can guide us out of a bad situation. If something looks bad, it probably is bad. It’s important to listen to that little inner voice you have that might tell you to turn the other way from something. If you see some people that make you feel uncomfortable and potentially could be a bad situation, turn around and leave. Trust your gut. 

Don’t let the events of war, terror, or civil unrest deter you from traveling. There are plenty of places in our little planet to travel to without having to be impacted by these things. Use common sense, be vigilant, enroll in STEP, trust your gut, and everything will be ok.