Travel Safe

Theft in Zipolite, lessons on how to prevent theft when traveling ZIPOLITE, Mexico- “Everybody steals in Zipolite,” the guesthouse owner informed me almost immediately upon my entering her establishment. “So be very careful with any computers or electronics if you have them, don’t use your computer in the street or at the restaurants. The people [...]

Solve Travel Problems – Walk Away Tip What do you do when you have difficulty with someone when traveling? Do you fight it out, yell, give in, try to come to some sort of conclusion that makes everybody happy? Do you stand in the streets pleading and begging a stranger to comply with logic and [...]

A Deal is a Deal Travel Tip, Warning Signs for Bad Travel Business This is a travel tip about the warning signs that can show up when entering into a bad business deal when traveling, and also a parable of how I nearly entered into a questionable deal with a hotel. If everything is not [...]

FINCA TATIN, Guatemala- Two young English girls were dropped off at the dock of the Finca Tatin by a public boat that ran outside of scheduled times. I became interested: why did a boat from Livingston drop two passengers off after 5 PM when the last run usually comes in around two? I questioned the [...]

SUCHITOTO, El Salvador- After nearly 11 years of buying airline tickets, I was nearly tricked by an online flight comparison website. Their initially stated prices in the search results said that fees were included, and I did not care to investigate much further than this: I took the prices that I saw on the list [...]

FINCA TATIN, Rio Dulce jungle, Guatemala- The below photo is of an unattended money belt left sitting out in the common area of a hotel. Its owner is on the other side of the room, playing ping pong in a place where she does not have a clear view of her valuable possessions.

I stood there looking at the unattended money belt, and had no idea what its owner was thinking. No, I know exactly what she was thinking: nothing.

FINCA TATIN, Rio Dulce, Guatemala- A flashlight or headlamp does you little good when traveling if you don’t know exactly where it is when the lights go out. It is far rarer in my travels that I have planned to use my headlamp than when I unexpectedly needed it. 95% of my days I do not use a flashlight — there is no need for it — but every once in a while I wake up and night and the lights don’t turn on, I am in the dark in a strange place with no electricity.

LIVINGSTON, Guatemala- At 7:30 AM I was awoken to a young American girl standing out in front of my hotel room door complaining about being robbed. “I just want to get out of here, my money belt was stolen,” she spoke with strong emotion. Her money belt was stolen from the dorm room she was [...]

PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic– Two Ways to Argue when Traveling, A lesson in conflict resolution

When I don’t get my way when traveling, when tossed through the rounds of some kind of costumer service system, my reaction is to become a little irate. This usually works reasonably well.

But this is not the only way to flounder through a situation in travel where you are stand on the precipice of being ripped off or those times when you try to assuage an error of your own judgment.