2 May 2019
9 Important Safety Tips for Travelers
Traveling can be exciting and fun but also risky at some times. Whether you’re traveling to another country, overseas or within your country, we have put together the following ten safety tips to ensure you have both an exhilarating and safe journey.
1. Be careful when choosing your ground transportation.
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), car crashes are the leading cause of death for US citizens overseas.
Therefore, whether traveling to another state, country or abroad, it’s important to choose a vehicle that is well maintained and has working seat belts. Before choosing a certain car hire company, research their safety records and if possible, avoid less-safe vehicles such as mopeds and rickshaws.
2. Check in with your State Department
Many don’t know that their State Department has updated safety information for almost every country or state in the world. Therefore, before venturing into your journey, ensure you search their website to get trustworthy information about the place you are visiting. Research everything, including the vaccinations you need to have, the local laws, and travel warnings (including security and crime warnings). The website also has a State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) page, for travelers to register their travel plans. Once you register and experience an emergency in your destination (whether it’s civil unrest or natural disaster), the department will be able to contact you and assist you where possible.
3. Review the emergency exits in the hotel you’ll be staying
Let’s be honest – when you reach your hotel room, you tend to be more focused on finding out the available amenities than checking the map of the hotel. But before you settled in your hotel, it’s recommended that you take a quick look at the available escape routes for an emergency. This will be very helpful in the event an emergency occurs at odd hours like in the middle of the night.
4. Leave an emergency contact and itinerary
While on your vacation, unplugging can be great, but it’s good not to go completely under the radar, especially if you are traveling alone. If possible, leave your itinerary with your family friend or trusted friend back at home which indicates the cities you’ll be traveling, your schedule for each day and when you’re planning to return. As you enjoy your vacation, try to check in with them every day of your vacation. That way, if something bad happens, they will know and alert the authorities on your behalf.
5. Scan your passport
Before you leave for the trip, it’s also a smart idea to scan your passport. save it on your mobile phone and e-mail it to yourself.
That way, if you lose your passport while on your trip, it will be easy to replace it. Plus, if you need it while out but you have left it in your hotel safe, you’ll be able to access all your details.
6. Confirm every visitor with the hotel reception or customer care desk
You’re relaxing or sleeping in your room and you hear a knock at the door from a person claiming to be a housekeeper or from maintenance. Before you open the door, call the customer support desk of your hotel to confirm if they are aware of it. Criminals such as thieves tend to pose as workers of the hotel in order to gain access to hotel rooms.
7. Don’t flash your valuables including cash
While on your trip, it’s good to keep your valuables separate. You can, for example, separate your spending money from the rest and keep it hidden in your safe. That way, you’ll not be showing off a big chunk of money every time you’re paying for something.
Although it’s vital to carry your smartphone out there for looking up directions or taking photos, it’s good to be careful of your neighborhood – thieves are known to love grabbing cell phones from passengers on buses or trains and disappear.
8. Steer clear of domestic and wild animals
Cute stray cats and dogs roaming the city streets may make for good opportunities for photos but ensure you get too close. Animals carry all kinds of diseases like rabies that can ruin your wonderful trip.
9. Carry an emergency kit in your car
Whether driving your own car or a hired one abroad, ensure you carry a fully stocked emergency kit in the car for emergencies. This includes reflective warning signs, backup battery, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, snow shovel, blankets, and non-perishable food.
We hope these helpful tips give you confidence when traveling abroad. Also, be sure to get inspiration by reading some other great travel blogs such as The Discoverer and the Passion Roamer, they’re both full of great articles.
3 Nov 2019
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Choosing the Right Plumber for the Job
There are many plumbers in the world but some of them are more qualified than others. It is important to choose the right plumber for the job unless you want to get stuck with an amateur still trying to figure out what to do. The plumbing world is full of highly qualified individuals so it won’t be hard to choose the right professional for the job. It would a splendid idea to get recommendations from your friends who hired plumbers in the past. If they are true friends, they would tell you all about their experiences with them. Of course, the same can’t be said if you just met them last month. They may ignore your messages because they think you are bothering them. Yes, it would not be right to trust people you recently met.
They may have friends working in a plumbing company and they may do them a favor even if they haven’t hired them yet. The plumbers they recommend may even back out of the last minute when they find a task that would pay them more. Yes, there is nothing more unprofessional than experiencing people who flake. They all have their reasons for doing it but you would be silly if you do business with them again in the past. You are going to feel sorry for yourself if you give them another chance. There is no reason for doing that since there are a lot of other plumbers you can hire. You just need to look at their track record if they have ever backed out at the last minute.
It is really a bummer to experience something like that and you would want to avoid it as much as possible next time. There are people who have not set their priorities in life yet and that is the main reason they cancel at the last minute. Before you know it, they will be ghosting you and you will never hear from them again. It is really sad how people do that because you thought you already talked about something but an event happened that made them change their minds.
The plumber is expected to be in complete uniform. When you let a plumber in your home, you can expect them to stink a lot and be dirty too. It really depends on the number of tasks they have for the day. If you are their first task, they should not smell that bad. Thus, it would be a splendid idea to book an appointment with them first thing in the morning. It is definitely right to check out the reviews of each plumbing company so you will know if they have highly qualified plumbers. Did they have all the needed materials? Did they arrive on time? Did they clean their mess before leaving the area? Yes, you can expect them to make a lot of mess with all the stuff they have been doing in the area. It would be great if they brought the needed cleaning materials to make it look like nothing happened.
If not, you have no choice but to clean it yourself. Even worse, you may even need to hire a cleaning company if you don’t have time to do it yourself. Whatever the case is, you will definitely move in for the kill. Another thing to keep in mind would be the availability of the plumber. Are they available 24/7 (like emergency plumber Las Vegas)? There are some plumbing problems that you can’t put off for another day. You must have it solved immediately or else you will suffer the consequences. There is no excuse for the plumber to arrive late though.
Besides, the plumber has all the time in the world to get to your area so traffic should not be an excuse. Also, better find out whether the plumbers have a license or not. If they don’t have a license, that is a sign that you should move on from them and look for other options. If they do, then that is pretty much a safe bet. You are definitely going to have your problems fixed one way or the other. Yes, their license will give you a peace of mind.