Image by Manoj Vasanth used under creative commons license
The Paris Terror attacks were a stark reminder that the world is a dangerous place. It is now and has always been but this should prevent you from exploring this great big beautiful world of ours.
There are tips to stay safe, of course, and one of those is to “Be Prepared”. In my previous blog post, Travel tips when travelling alone, I talk about doing your homework but it’s important enough for me to re-mention it here again.
Many government websites list travel advisories but also provide important information about the countries you will be visiting. As an example some Asian countries have this nasty tradition of convincing young male travellers to visit certain bars where they end up paying 10–20 times normal prices for drinks (and these are pay up or else type shady places).
If you are American, you want to consult all the information the state department has for your destination. In addition to that site, visit the US embassy webpage for that location (if it exists).
Regardless of your country of citizenship, it is also a good idea to checkout the foreign ministry information pages produces by other countries such as: - UK Foreign and CommonWealth Office
"Chance favours the prepared."