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June 26, 2003

If you're traveling abroad, here's some advice

Heading out of the country this summer? If so, you need to be aware of safety and security issues, travel regulations and restrictions, health concerns and country-specific laws. But experts say, above all: Use your common sense.

“What has been lost in international travel, I think, in recent years and especially post-9/11, is the carefree adventurous spirit that world travelers used to have,” said Annagene Yucas, director of Pitt’s Study Abroad Office. “Regrettably that’s gone in today’s world. You need to be aware, to be in tune to your surroundings. You have to take personal responsibility. Don’t get carried away or have a sense of complacency that all will go smoothly.”

Obviously, where you’re going influences how you should prepare.

For example, William Brustein, director of Pitt’s University Center for International Studies (UCIS), said, “As a frequent traveler to the most popular destinations in Europe for nearly 40 years, I feel safer traveling in Europe than in the U.S., particularly in regard to personal safety. My advice when traveling abroad is the same as when you are traveling anywhere from home: Remain vigilant; let family and friends know your itinerary; pay careful attention to your surroundings, and enjoy yourself.”

Following is a composite of general tips for traveling outside the United States garnered from international travel experts at UCIS and Pitt’s Semester at Sea program, and from publications and web sites with information for international travelers, such as the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of State and the Bureau of Consular Affairs.

This is not intended as an all-encompassing guide, however. There is no substitute for informing yourself about the places you will visit, the experts said. For sources of country-specific information, see box.

Things to do before you depart

• Consult sources about your destinations, such as the U.S. State Department and the CDC, to learn about current political and health issues and U.S. government recommendations.

• Make sure you have adequate supplies of prescription medications for the entire trip.

• See a physician and ensure that you have all the required immunizations.

• Purchase and maintain a travel/accident/repatriation insurance policy, as well as a general hospitalization policy. Foreign countries do not always honor the terms of U.S. insurance policies.

• Bring originals and have duplicates of all necessary documents, including a valid passport and visa. Visa rules vary by country. Some visas stipulate that the bearer has to leave the country by a specific date.

• Become familiar with U.S. customs regulations and contact the American embassy in the destination country for their customs requirements. Customs declaration forms ordinarily are distributed on ships and planes to be filled out for presentation to the host country and to United States officials upon return.

• Take a surgical mask and wear it while traveling. Plane and ship air vents are breeding grounds for viruses.

What to be aware of while in another country

• Monitor the local environment, including watching the news and reading the local newspapers, especially in a politically volatile country.

• Keep an I.D. and emergency information, including phone numbers, with you at all times; keep duplicates of important documents in another safe place.

• Let as many people as possible know your daily itinerary.

• Never engage in dangerous or illegal activity.

• Be sensitive to the cultural, social and religious differences.

• Maintain a low profile.

E. Maxine Bruhns, director of the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs at Pitt and a world-traveler herself, points out that American embassies are reliable sources of information about the stability of a country, where travel is discouraged and what problems to look out for.

“Embassies can brief you on a country’s protocols and customs,” Bruhns said. “So register at the nearest embassy or consulate, but then leave quickly, because they are popular terrorist targets.”

Other tips Bruhns offers:

• Don’t wear American flag pins.

• Take a small short-wave radio to listen to Voice of America and the BBC for crisis updates.

• If you hear an explosion, run away from it. There is often a second bomb on the site designed to injure on-lookers or those wanting to help.

• Keep your passport, money, airline tickets and other important papers under your shirt or waist band. A fanny pack or backpack are easily slit open and advertise where valuables are.

• Keep abreast of travel advisory warnings.

Yucas, of Pitt’s Study Abroad, adds:

• Consider renting a cell phone to keep in touch with home. “We recommend that people rent cell phones once they get to the country they’re visiting, because there is often an incompatibility with American cell phones,” she said.

All travelers should take the following safety precautions, no matter the destination:

• Wash hands often with soap and water.

• Because motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of injury among travelers, walk and drive defensively. Avoid travel at night if possible and always use seat belts.

• Use latex condoms, which are not available in every country, to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases.

• Don’t eat or drink dairy products unless you know they have been pasteurized.

• Don’t share needles with anyone.

• Never eat undercooked ground beef and poultry or raw eggs. Raw shellfish is particularly dangerous to persons who have liver disease or compromised immune systems.

Travelers to rural or undeveloped areas should take the following precautions:

• Drink only bottled or boiled water, or carbonated drinks in cans or bottles. Drink from the bottle or can in order to avoid unpurified glassware. Avoid tap water, fountain drinks and ice cubes.

If bottled water is unavailable, make water safer by both filtering through an “absolute 1-micron or less” filter and adding iodine tablets to the filtered water. Absolute 1-micron filters are found in camping and outdoor supply stores.

• Eat fruits and vegetables only if you have peeled them yourself. A good rule of thumb is: Boil it, cook it, peel it — or forget it.

• Don’t eat food purchased from street vendors.

• To prevent fungal and parasitic infections, keep feet clean and dry. Never go barefoot.

• Don’t handle animals (especially monkeys, dogs and cats), to avoid bites and serious diseases, including rabies and plague.

• Avoid getting too much sun.

• Get plenty of rest.

• Bring over-the-counter antidiarrheal medicine.

• Steps to protect from mosquito bites include:

— Pay special attention to mosquito protection between dusk and dawn.

— Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants and hats.

— Use insect repellents that contain DEET (diethylmethyltoluamide).

— Apply insect repellent to exposed skin, but not to wounds or broken skin.

— Unless you are staying in air-conditioned or well-screened housing, purchase a bed net impregnated with the insecticide permethrin or deltamethrin. Or, spray the bed net with one of these insecticides if you are unable to find a pretreated bed net.

Personal safety tips

According to Julian Ansenjo, of Pitt’s Semester at Sea program, international visitors should:

• Keep a low profile. Don’t engage in conspicuous behavior.

• Avoid traveling alone and at night.

• Avoid isolated streets and empty rail or subway cars.

• Do not accept invitations off the beaten track.

• Watch out for thieves and hustlers.1

• Walk briskly and confidently, and be alert to what is going on around you.

• Never carry large amounts of cash or valuables. Keep cameras concealed.

• If you rent a car, be aware of a country’s traffic laws and conditions. Some countries do not have enforceable laws and traffic may include cart peddlers and livestock-driven vehicles.

• Be aware of the location of the nearest or best hospital in the area and find out where English-speaking physicians are available.

Be prepared to pay for hospital services upfront. Many places will insist on cash or credit card payment in advance for treatment.

• Don’t assume something is legal because it is in the United States. A U.S. citizen is subject to the laws and judicial processes of the host country.

• Learn the policies and cultural differences in the country you’re visiting. In some countries there are severe restrictions on possessing certain Western documents and religious literature.

• Females in particular need to be knowledgeable about acceptable dress customs in the destination country.

—Peter Hart


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