Safety & Security When Traveling Abroad With Children……

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If your child is at least 5 years old or older, let the child understand that it’s dangerous to wander away on his or her own. Teach the child to repeat his or her name, your name, your phone number and area of residence. Teach children to approach security officers or a group with kids for help.  Make sure your kids don’t chatter with other passengers or tourists and share personal information. I think this goes without saying but, never allow your child to go to the bathroom by their selves, especially in a foreign country.

One of the toughest things about traveling with younger children is observing basic safety rules without being overly protective. There are commonsense ways to protect your kids without staying locked in yourhotel room afraid to let them move about. The “don’t talk to strangers” rule won’t work during your travels because everyone you meet will be a “stranger.” Instead, teach your children to be alert to potentially dangerous or uncomfortable situations by playing the “what if” game. If you get lost, what should you do? If someone offers you food or candy, what should you do? If someone you don’t know takes your hand and starts walking away with you, what should you do? If someone tries to talk to you and you don’t want to, what should you do? Spin as many scenarios as possible and go over them

frequently. If something should happen to your child and you’re not around, at least you will have talked about it and given your child some idea of how to handle it.

Always carry copies of your child’s recent picture with your contact information at the back. Before entering any crowded place, decide a pre-designated spot where your kid will meet you in case of separation. Even a child of two can be taught where to meet; just make them stand in front of the spot and keep repeating ‘meet mommy here’. Pin a copy of your child’s identification papers along with your contact information to your child’s undershirt.

Regarding safety and older kids, it’s important to trust your own instincts and to teach kids to trust theirs. Sometimes you don’t know why, but you just “know” that a specific situation or person doesn’t feel quite right. Our bodies often sense danger before our minds can register what that danger actually is. Teach your kids to trust this feeling and to take action, even if it creates an uncomfortable or awkward situation. Your family may want to have a special code word (ours was “Smurf”) if you’re together and someone gets a “feeling” that something isn’t right. If this word is used, it means everyone gets up to leave wherever you are immediately.no questions, no discussion. Save the discussion for later, when you’re all feeling safe.

These conversations are important when you’re traveling because your kids are going to be encountering a lot of unfamiliar places, people, and situations. Empower your kids with this information instead of scaring them. They may not know what something or someone is supposed to be like and that’s when these “feelings” are usually pretty accurate. Staying safe abroad means educating yourselves & children about your surroundings, taking commonsense precautions, and avoiding unwarranted attention. In other words, leave that American flag sweatshirt in the hotel room until you’re sure it won’t invite jeers or worse.

PRE-TRIP HEALTH CHECKLIST
• See your pediatrician – If you’re going on an international trip, go see your pediatrician for a pre-travel appointment, ideally four to six weeks before your trip.
• Get recommended vaccinations – Your doctor can tell you what kinds of vaccinations you should get.
• Learn about destination – Investigate where you’re going for yourself and learn about your destination, which you can do on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Web site - Check the “yellow book,” a reference guide for travelers based on geographic location and common diseases in those areas. You need to know what’s out there and what you’ll be exposed to. In this study, for example, skin injuries were twice as common after exposure in Latin America and those who went to the Middle East or North Africa had a greater risk of diarrhea.
• Check insurance coverage – See if your health needs abroad will be covered abroad. Think about purchasing additional health insurance for your trip if your health insurance does not cover you while you are traveling.

I know I spoke about this in a previous posting but, if you are a single parent, get written permission from the other parent before taking the kids abroad. If your kids go missing, the authorities will need to rule out one parent abduction. This is very important especially if you’re crossing borders.

I hope this article was helpful. Please share your thoughts & experiences on the topic, you never know who you might be helping!

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