Safety Precautions

Air travel poses a number of potential threats that put your personal safety at risk. Here are a few tips to follow to ensure your personal safety during air travel:

• Dress inconspicuously. Do not attract attention to your self by flashy clothing or excessive jewelry. Be comfortable and wear clothing that will not cause any inconvenience at the security check.

• Always carry your passport on your person. Do not keep it in your wallet, purse or luggage in case they get stolen or lost. Keep a copy of your passport in your purse to facilitate easy replacement.

• Do not carry large quantities of cash on you. Carry small change in your wallet and an ATM card. If you do go to an ATM, do not withdraw large amounts of cash at a time. If you do need to carry cash with you during travel, spread it around in your luggage. Also, consider using traveler’s checks.

• Do not carry any financial information like investment details, tax records, etc. unless absolutely necessary. If you do have to carry them, ensure they are deep within your check-in luggage.

• Carry your identification papers, wallet, cash and other valuables like camera, phone, iPod, etc. in your handbag that you can carry on board along with your carry-on luggage. In the event that you need to part with your carry-on luggage at any time, you need not risk losing the most important valuables.

• Before leaving for the airport, ensure that there are no delays in your flight. Try and minimize the time you need to spend at the airport.

• While choosing a seat, choose one that is closest to the any one of the emergency exits on the plane. Also be aware of evacuation procedure in case of an emergency landing. Pay attention to and follow the safety instructions provided on the airplane carefully.

• While traveling, it is fine to strike up a conversation with a fellow passengers, but do not reveal too much information about yourself, your company or your associations and beliefs. Do not get drawn into long conversations with anyone, especially about politics, religion or other personal beliefs.

Safety Tips

Even though millions of people travel by air annually without any problems whatsoever, but there are a number of potential threats involved in process of traveling. Your personal safety is of prime importance, and here are some safety precautions to consider before your travel:

Have a detailed itinerary. Know where you are going to be when and make your reservations beforehand. Do not make your itinerary common knowledge to colleagues or friends. But, let family members and some superiors at work know all the details so that they know how to contact you in case of an emergency.

Traveling to some countries requires you to take immunization shots. Ensure that you have had all your immunization shots, if any are required for the country you are visiting.

Make a copy of your passport and keep the passport and the copy separately. If you do happen to lose your passport, the copy will be helpful in replacing your original passport at your country’s Consulate or Embassy.

Prepare a sheet of medical information about yourself. List down the medication you are currently on, any chronic illnesses, any allergies and your blood type clearly on this sheet. In case of any accident or medical emergency, this sheet may prove very useful in saving your life.

Do not put any large identification marks on your luggage. Avoid using luggage or name tags with company logos.

Distribute all your credit cards and cash if different parts of the luggage. If any part of your luggage gets stolen or lost, you will not lose all your money, and it will be easier to replace a small amount of cash and replace a single card.

Make copies of all your credit cards and keep these documents separately. Also write down all the contact details of credit card companies and banks. In case you lose your credit card or ATM card, all necessary information will be handy and will facilitate the process of card cancellation.

Carry an extra pair of glasses, if you wear them and enough extra daily medication in case you are detained for any reason during your trip.

Traveling When Pregnant

Life has become much too hectic for women to be able to take a break during pregnancy. Unless there is a case of medical complication, most women carry on with their regular lives during pregnancy, including travel.

We have heard a number of horror stories related to traveling pregnant women, but not all of them are true. If you follow some basic precaution, there is no reason why your travel during pregnancy cannot be as safe as traveling normally is.

Here are some tips for you to follow:

• The safest period to travel during pregnancy is during the second trimester. The chances of miscarriage are high during the first trimester and any excessive physical exertion should be avoided. Most airlines do not allow women who are more than 36 weeks pregnant to fly for the fear that they may deliver on board. For international travel, the limit is usually 32 weeks. Check the rules and regulations of the airline you plan to fly with to avoid last minute cancellations.

• Choose a seat in the aisle so that you are able to take short walks during the flight and ease muscle cramps, if any. If possible, take an aisle seat near the toilet so that frequent toilets breaks become possible. If your size during pregnancy is too large, you may have trouble finding comfortable seats. Travel by first class if you can afford it or reconsider your travel plans.

• The low-humidity atmosphere in the airplane can leave you dehydrated. Carry bottled water with you and sip regularly.

• Take the safety precautions on the airline seriously. Always wear your seat belt when you are seated, but ensure that the belt is across your lap and never across your stomach.

• Finally, always ensure that you are traveling with major airlines that have pressurized cabins and not in small unpressurized planes. If you cannot help traveling in small unpressurized planes, always ensure that you do not travel more than 7,000 feet in altitude.

• Finally, avoid excessive travel. Air travel does have an impact on pregnancy and it is better to avoid complications than to deal with the consequences.

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