Tips to stay safe while travelling in the United States

Opportunistic thieves have been known to snatch unattended belongings. Use common sense and stay alert of your surroundings. Be careful not to flash around large amounts of money or expensive possessions such as mobile phones. Popular tourist locations often have a police presence and are quite safe except for the occasional pickpocket.

Home Break-ins

Canadians living in holiday homes have been the victims of break-ins and burglary. Whether you are staying in either private or commercial accommodations, make sure you lock windows and doors securely at night and when you are away.

The US has a couple of diseases that you will need to be mindful of during your travels:

Rabies - contracted from the animal bites of dogs, raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes and coyotes. It’s not always possible to tell if an animal has rabies just by looking at it, so see a doctor right away if you are bitten. Rabies is potentially life-threatening.

Lyme disease - spread via the deer tick, which is prevalent in the woodlands and open fields of many rural areas. Lyme disease appears as a rash after an infected tick bite and infected people start to exhibit flu-like symptoms such as fever and body aches. If left untreated it can lead to arthritis and nervous system problems.

Despite what you may see on TV, gang and drug-related muggings tend to occur in areas that are of little interest to visitors, like the inner city or poorer neighbourhoods. Always try to travel in groups or with friends, avoid deserted parks and use bathrooms in busy shops such as fast food chains or department stores rather than an empty subway station. If you do find yourself lost in a bad neighbourhood, remain on main roads or freeways and avoid confrontations.

Street or bar fights are a particularly bad idea—many states in the USA allow licenced people to carry guns, so you could easily end up in a much worse situation.

Hurricanes

Parts of the US experience hurricanes, which are violent, windy storms (Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy were particularly devastating). If you experience a hurricane, you should:

• Stay away from flood prone, low lying areas.
• Stay indoors to avoid strong winds.
• Follow all instructions from emergency workers.

Snow Storms

Winter can bring blizzards and snowstorms, which cause dangerously low temperatures, strong winds, ice, sleet and freezing cold rain. Stay indoors if the weather is bad and make sure you have some food and bottled water in your accommodation. When travelling to the US during winter ensure you have packed adequate warm clothing, including gloves.

The US has many famous streets and highways, and whether you’re a road tripper or a day tourist there’s a few things to be aware of.

Failure to obey the right of way signs causes nearly 20 percent of all accidents in the US. Priority isn’t always clearly indicated by the signs or there may be no line indicating where to stop. Due to this confusion, cars from opposite directions may attempt to move through the intersection at the same time, leading to accidents.

If you’re driving during winter, check that your car and especially the tyres are in good working order. Carry snow chains and be wary of ‘black ice’ that may have formed on the road. Leave plenty of room between you and the car in front of you and brake early as the road may be slippery. If you do get stuck, stay inside your car to keep warm.

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