New York Times op-ed Columnist Nicholas Kristof spends alot of time in war zones. He’s filed must-read dispatches from Sudan and Uganda, where he’s written about crime, poverty, war, and genocide. In a May 31, 2009 column, he takes a step back from reportage and offers travel advice to both young and old who are traveling to dicey regions. ” First of all, carry a decoy wallet so you can give the bandit that with expired credit cards and some cash. Kristof keeps his real wallet “in a pouch that loops onto my belt and tucks under my trousers.”
Another safety tip: “ At night, set a chair against your hotel door so that it will tip over and crash if someone slips in at 4 a.m. And lift the sheet to look for bloodstains on the mattress — meaning bed bugs.”
He also recomments that you should “be wary of accepting drinks from anyone. Robbers sometimes use a date rape drug to knock out their victims — in bars, in trains, in homes. If presented with pre-poured drinks, switch them with your host, cheerfully explaining: ‘This is an American good luck ritual!’”
Another good one: “buy a secondhand local cell phone for $20, outfit it with a local SIM card and keep it in your pocket.”
There are 15 tips to choose from, including looking out for crooked cops and bad drivers.” Remember that the scariest people aren’t warlords, but drivers. In buses I sometimes use my pack as an airbag; after one crash I was the only passenger not hospitalized.”