Whilst I haven’t travelled to the most dangerous corners of the World, I am very cautious of the people around me whilst I am travelling. Don’t get me wrong I have met some very nice people on my travels, but you have to be weary of the people around you.

Cartoon created by the talented James True

When I am visiting a new country, I search the internet for travel forums, and guides to help me get a picture of where I am visiting. I recently visited Prague, and read on a Prague online guide, that pickpocketing is rife on the Metro and in public places – so I held my wallet, and passport with my life. Whilst hotels provide safes, I never feel comfortable that it’s secure, so I always take my passport around with me, at least I know where it is and it’s in my control, silly as it sounds.

In 2005 I visited Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and again visited various travel forums, and read travel guides on the city. The guides said that it was a very safe city (and it was!) but some of the guides mentioned that you shouldn’t accept invitations from strangers for coffee and chat.

Literally, within minutes of walking out of the hotel, a very polite and friendly Malaysian man came up to me and invited me for coffee to talk about England and where he would give me some guide on the best places to visit in Kuala Lumpur – he could of been very genuine, but I wasn’t going to take the risk.

Now would I have accepted his invitation if I had not read that guide – probably not, but I seriously suggest that you educate yourself on the destination before visiting and here are my top 5 tips to travelling safe:

- Read guides and visit travel forums to discuss your destination with other travellers

- If your lost go into the nearest cafe and get out the map and plan your route back to more familiar surroundings

- Try and mingle in with the locals – appear confident, although difficult in some Countries, I always get asked for directions because they think I’m a local.

- Protect your passport and money – these are more important items to loose than the iPod or mp3 player which can be easily replaced.

- If you see a crowd of people around you, navigate your away from them, many pickpocketers work in groups to put you off track.

Please don’t let this put you off visiting new Countries or travelling alone – my best travels have been alone, and I love meeting new and interesting people, whilst getting away from family, friends and work in the UK.

• Learning from your travel experiences
• Worst cities for pickpockets
• My Prague City Guide – Part 2
• Know Before You go – Passport and Visa Advice
• Researching Your Chosen Holiday Destination

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