Travel - Your Safety & Security

Plan a safe and secure vacation in the country or anywhere else...

Travel is not what it used to be....

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I remember my first commercial air flight experience back in the stone age of 1976. I flew from Jacksonville, Florida to Washington, DC and it all seemed very exciting.

You were expected at the airport 30 minutes or so in advance of the flight, you handed over your checked bags at a counter where there were maybe three people in line, you got your boarding pass, and pretty soon you boarded the plane.

The plane wasn't overly crowded, people were smoking, drinking and eating peanuts, and pretty soon we landed. I was able to immediately disembark. Those waiting to greet me were more or less standing at the gate. We grabbed my bags and were out of the airport in about 30 minutes - having spoken to no one but each other....

I was not scanned or asked to show any ID. I was not poked or prodded in any fashion and I certainly did not have to remove my shoes. I never opened any of my luggage nor did anyone search my purse. I needed my lighter since I then smoked so no one would have thought to take my lighter.

Any readers who weren't even born in 1976 might appreciate this little scenario since air travel today is an entirely different experience.

The good news is that you can do your travel research, plan your entire vacation, and even secure your ticket - all online and as in advance as you can manage. The other good news is that the information you need to ensure a safe and secure vacation is available online as well.

Here are a few common sense tips based on the world we live in today and current travel requirements. Taking time now to get it all organized, as with selecting your luggage and planning to keep your home secure while you are gone, can save you weeks of time and thousands of dollars in future.

• Review the TSA web site. The Transporation Security Administration has literally all the information you need to get you through any checkpoints during your travel. From getting through the lines more quickly to identifying acceptable luggage, locks, and containers in advance, this web site makes your chances of being delayed slim to almost none. There are a few TSA-approved locks already reviewed for you right here.

• Check and re-check your documentation. Do you have your passport or visa? Have you written down all your credit card information and the toll-free numbers you'd need if all or any are lost or stolen? Do you have something with you that would alert authorities on who to contact if you are injured or even worse...lost? do you have travel insurance? This also means insurance - as available - for overbooked flights and rooms? It happens - be prepared.

• Prepare your mode of transportation. If traveling by car, take it in for a checkup prior to your journey. Get the oil changed and the tires checked. Make sure that windshield washer fluid container is full. Get yourself some good maps if you don't have an in-car GPS system. If you have that, program in the details you'll need BEFORE you go - not during your trip - or worse for the rest of us - while you are driving.

• Communicate your travel plans AND your itinerary to someone. This is as simple as choosing to use your signal light when making a turn driving an automobile - a near no-brainer, but many forget the importance.

  Someone who knows you well needs to know where you are going and when, and when you are expected to return. I'm not talking about Twitter here either, but documentation that YOU provide to someone, preferably offline, before you leave for your vacation. Grab a pen and write it down - it won't kill you - or make a copy of your ticket or the itinerary provided by your travel agent if you have one. Keep in touch during your trip. Not reporting in, but touching base. It is preferred you not show up on "Unsolved Mysteries."

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Air travel is probably the most prone to minor disasters. We'll knock on wood and pray that weather, terrorist plots and mechanical failure do not happen in our more perfect world here. But, for very thorough information on the current state of the world prior to your travel, Safe Traveler has a very good web site. You can get current info by destination to help you research and plan a safe vacation.

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More helpful travel info coming up soon - and more good reasons to plan that travel to a country resort location!