It took me a moment to notice the three bullet holes in the window of the cab. Our driver, call him Ramon, was a white cab, certified to be safe. This was 2002 and on websites Acapulco was touted as experiencing a rebirth. Gone was the extravagance of the 1950’s when stars like Elvis strutted the streets. Now large modern hotels lined the downtown beaches and mega resorts were popping up south of the city. This was not a Mexican backwater where local police had no control. So why were there bullet holes in the windshield?
Ramon paid the unusual embellishments to his cab no heed, distracting us with talk on the city and attractions. Where did we want to go? Would we see the cliff divers and allow him to take us downtown to a couple of stores? Like the lily white tourists we were, we agreed to it all. I was uncomfortable when the store he escorted us to locked the door behind us before bringing out the nice jewelry. That and the ever-present sound of overhead choppers circling. Ramon’s smile never cracked until the way back to the resort when a group of five men dressed in jungle fatigues jumped out of the jungle and ran across the road while carrying AR-15s. It was broad daylight. They didn’t even need to ask traffic to stop. No one would dare cut in front of masked armed men emerging from the jungle with automatic weapons.
It took Ramon a few minutes to say one thing “lucha contra la droga” or counter-drug enforcement. He took us back to the hotel and nothing more was said. But the day opened my eyes to more than the charms of Acapulco. If websites were touting this as a reclaimed tourist destination, what else was I missing? More than that, what else did I need to not be surprised? It was time for a lesson on perceptions and safety while traveling. This is what I’ve learned:
1. Blend In
So you don’t have a tan in a sunny locale. Perhaps you are simply the wrong ethnicity and so there is simply no way to blend in. But there are ways of not looking like a wet behind the ears tourist. Don’t wear pressed shirts in bright colors. Don’t flash your cash at every opportunity, especially while standing in a market yelling “Hey hon, don’t you think Sally would like this?”
Try to speak a little of the local language if it isn’t your native tongue. Phrases like “Thank you,” “Check please,” “Good morning (night, etc)” can go a long way to giving you some local credibility. And that is what you are looking for. You simply don’t want to be seen as a target. Dress down, look a little rough and well traveled and most likely you’ll be left along for easier pickings.
2. Know the Culture
We don’t mean intimately, after all getting to know the local culture is why you are going there in the first place. However, there are aspects that should be apparent and easy to learn before you leave home.
A few years after the trip to Acapulco when we traveled to Morocco, I wore a long travel skirt and a subdued blouse. Raven was in white pants and a respectable shirt. Sounds like advice the opposite of number 1? Well we were visiting a Muslim country and most of the rest of the tourists we saw were wearing shorts and flimsy shirts or worse. We walked through a medina with hardly a hassle. While other people were followed and surrounded by hawkers, a small smile and slight lift of a hand was enough to leave us unencumbered. We didn’t look native, but we looked like we’d been there before. It was enough of a difference to allow us to enjoy the culture and not be seen as simply cash sale.
3. Don’t Just Read the Tourist Websites
Sometimes they gloss over the things they don’t want you to see or worry about. Sometimes the narration of news events or one bad trips can terrify you leaving you awake with nightmares. The reality is inevitably somewhere in between. So yes, read what the tourist bureau advices, check out the local news, and how the place was rated on travel websites. Use the information as advice on what to keep your eyes open for. But remember, the interwebs only give you a glimmer of a place, good and bad. What we are saying is read it all, books to travel ratings to tirades on spoiled vacations and then go with all that in the back of your mind, not the front. Leave room to develop your own opinions and stay alert for anything. There is always the first time for an event, good and bad. One specifically valuable resource is the US office of Diplomatic Security OSAC division.
4. Avoid large groups of other tourists (including tours)
Again, this may sound counter intuitive. Aren’t we often taught that we are most likely to be targeted as individuals or small groups. Perhaps, but for small crimes. The news that makes the headlines the most is when something happens to a large group. A large group of wealthy Western tourists can also reap quite the monetary gain. If you don’t believe us, read these examples including a group of visitors on a shore excursion whose bus was taking hostage in Jamaica
Sometimes it seems like organized tour groups just have the worst luck as in the recent bus accident in Egypt. But it is more than that. When a tour become a routine given day after day with schedules to be met, people can become lax or worse, overtaxed and make errors.
You will get the best tour and most in depth when given by a local excited to show off his or her favorite places. In some countries only licensed guides can give tours. There is still plenty of opportunity to find someone local who will reciprocate your choice with a wealth of information and enthusiasm.
5. Take Precautions (no matter where you go)
We don’t just mean register with your embassy, which isn’t a bad idea depending on what country you are visiting. Instead, be aware of your surroundings, or as it is known, situational awareness. The time to be cocky is not when surrounded by armed guards. And don’t leave your belongings with someone you just met, no matter how nice they seem. More importantly, guard your passport intensely. Self reliance is a great quality while traveling though of course, it cannot be managed by someone at all times. Travel within or near your comfort zone so that you don’t find yourself in a budding conflict zone when you simply wanted to get some good family photos at the beach.
6. Get Local Recommendations (on visits AND guides)
And don’t just ask one person. Check around. Are you the sort of person that always seems to get bad directions from the locals? Well, that can happen while traveling too. Take all advice with a grain of salt and if you get conflicting stories, keep asking! If the recommendations don’t resolve themselves with a clear winner, it may be best to avoid the entire situation. If it is a bucket list place to visit and nothing is working out, take a breath and try asking a few different questions about other areas or places you’ve been. When you find answers that jive with what you’ve experienced, you will know who to trust.
7. Travel Document Copies
So that copy of your passport and driver’s license was in the pack that fell overboard, got lost at the airport, or worse was stolen. Copies are invaluable, but can also be destroyed, lost, or stolen. So, what do you do? There are a few possible alternatives to paper photocopies and all have benefits and risks.
You could purchase an Iron Key. It is password protected and after so many unsuccesful attempts will self destruct the memory (You always wanted to be James Bond, didn’t you?). It will keep scans of photographs of important docuemnts, credit card images, and such safe. Assuming you don’t lose the key or forget the password! Officials may also get suspicious of electronic media as well. Another option is to create a secondary hidden and encrypted file folder on your camera memory cards. It’ll be protected, as well as not draw added suspicion.
With all the on-line storage sites available, you could keep images of documents on-line as well. Of course if something happens, you’ll need to find a computer and hope the server isn’t down or hacked. When it comes down to it, consider memorizing your passport number. If you travel often, it is more important than your driver’s license or in country social security number. Get clever and store the numbers in your cell phone SIM card under a false name if you have to, but nothing is as good as knowing it off the top of your head.
8. Be Nice
Okay, all the above advice could make you walk around hyper alert. If so, you’ve taken us a little too close to heart. When in doubt, a smile and kindness will get you out of more situations than affronted hostility. Smiles are universal and so is stiff suspicion. You will have more fun and find more doors open to you if you keep an eye out with a smile on your face.
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Related articles
- 2 mutilated bodies found in resort city of Acapulco, Mexico (ctv.ca)
- 15 decapitated bodies a grisly sign of Mexico’s raging drug war (globaltvbc.com)
- 27 killed in Acapulco as drug turf wars heighten (independent.co.uk)
