Traveling abroad in another country

[Deril]

This is a parallel topic to firearms - mostly because its a situation whereby we are unarmed as we are traveling outside of the United States. In our home states, we are familiar with our States carry laws. But when you are outside the United States and not able to carry a firearm, what steps do you take to insure your safety? In my work on the Federal level, I cannot go into detail on what exactly I do, but I can give you some baseline safety tips on how to maintain security awareness and not make yourself a target.

BEFORE you leave: Contact the State Department and see if there are any security advisories in the country that you are planning travel too. Make sure that you know exactly where the US Embassy is in the country you’re headed to. Call that embassy and ask them if they are aware of any local concerns. Tell them where you are staying and how many are in your group and the dates of your travel there.

WHEN you arrive: Be sure not to wear anything that identifies you as an American. Something that says “USA” might as well be spelled T-A-R-G-E-T. Understand that you do not have a Second Amendment right when you are not on US soil. Do not take the same route to your hotel or eat at the same restaurant two days in a row. Be aware if the same car passes you more than once or a person is “eyeing you” or monitoring you. Have a duress word known to the members of your group that can be casually used to alert the group to a problem. (I will usually create a fictional person and say that we need to meet up with that person as a duress code)

Enjoyable business trips and relaxing vacations are due to planning. No one likes to have the unpleasant “Security Conversation.” But if you PLAN for this element and understand what to do, the better and ultimately SAFER the trip will be. There is ALWAYS a chance on any trip that something will go sideways on you.

The time to prepare for that is not when the emergency is happening. That’s when you will PANICK, rather than RESPOND to the emergency. If you have already PLANNED what to do, if the emergency happens, your brain will automatically engage into what you have planned.

[ShawnT]

Very good tips. Thank you

[Rev42A]

Luckily i don’t fly, I drive wherever I go so that means I don’t leave the country. I don’t go anywhere where CC is not permitted. I guess you can say I’m a simple person lol😂

[Deril]

That’s true, I don’t travel all that often either. Just on the remote chance that you do - these are just good tips to remember if you travel abroad. @Dawn does the USCCA have any videos on the subject?

[Dawn]

We don’t have any international reference material as the laws are completely different in other countries, @Deril. When I travel internationally (which is not nearly often enough), I treat it much like going somewhere local where I cannot carry. I’m also always trying to make sure I don’t look too much like a tourist (think Kevin’s Hawaiian shirt ).

One thing I do try to take with me no matter where I go is a knife. I pack it in my checked luggage. Haven’t had any issues with it so far. I did some backpacking in Spain with my dad a couple of years ago and there was no way I was going to be without my knife. I would have bought one there if I had to.

Here’s a video Beth A did on air travel domestically with a firearm - she does talk about cruise ships in this one too:

[Deril]

@Dawn, traveling domestically with a firearm is one important subject that we need to dig into. That’s an excellent topic for this community too. The topic I am talking about is basic security awareness in a foreign country when you are unarmed. You made excellent points in that you can in some countries pack a knife at least. You also have the option of buying one in the country that you are traveling too. But you need to also be aware that in London, there is a blade ban in affect. If a Constable sees you with one, that could cause legal problems for you. That’s a question that you should talk with the Embassy in that country to decide if you want to travel there.

[Deril]

@Dawn all of Beth’s information is 100% correct and spot on as far as domestic travel and travel on an airplane or cruise ships. I also liked how she mentioned the state to state travel too.

[Kevin]

in the times we are in yes we are targets and more as you put so well.

i do not travel aboard and do not intend to at the moment

always be prepared

[Wayne]

Above, you said: " Understand that you do not have a Second Amendment right when you are not on US soil." I have news for you: you don’t have a second amendment right ON US soil anymore!

[Zavier_D]

I am bumping this thread as we are moving towards Spring Break, and End of School year trips.

Two years ago, my daughter’s classmates and parents were planning an end of year trip to Haiti and a resort that was about a 30 minute drive from the Dominican Republic. At that time the United States State Department listed the Dominican Republic as a high risk destination.

So when all the parents met up, I mentioned this and told them that if this was their intended destination, my daughter would not be going. As I expected, phones came out and alot of Googling started. Watching the faces of these parents as they started to realize what they almost sent their children into was a sobering experience.

What was really perplexing for me was how many came up to me afterwards and wanted to know why I knew this. Like I was some paranoid conspiracy nut. I explained to them that during my time in the military, whenever we made port and liberty was assigned, we had a mandatory safety meeting on Go/No Go areas. Whether we were in a nominally friendly Ally port (example Subic Bay, Philippines) or even a solid ally port (Sidney, Australia). I asked them in return why don’t you check where you and your family are going?

That wasn’t received very well, I assume they felt I was questioning their decisions. Which quite frankly, I was.

Just think this is an important thread with Spring Break coming.

[Kiest]

Good information Deril! Something I’ve picked up during my travels is the following:

• Request hotels rooms on the lower level floors, usually, 7 floor and lower. In the event of a fire, most fire trucks ladders don’t go past 7 stories.
• Besides, who wants to run down 10 flights of stairs at 2am?
• Once inside your room, make sure you check it out and take a mental picture of it. Upon your return make sure everything is where you left it. Room service has been known to peruse through guests belongings.
• At night, put all your valuable personable belongings (i.e. wallet, keys, passport) in your shoes and sit them next to the bed. Reason being in the event of a power outage or emergency, you don’t have to walk around in the dark trying to find your belongings.
  Stay safe and enjoy your travels!

[Scotty]

A few things that I’ve noted while traveling… I will acquiesce to an expert that has different opinions though.

Before traveling, it’s always a good idea to check local crime, political climate, weather, natural disasters, health issues, etc. in order to do a porper risk assessment.

In addition to security advisaries and US Embassy location, check the CDC for infectious outbreaks and suggested vaccinations for that area.

Don’t cheap out if possible. Security at the higher end hotels can often be better than the inexpensive places. I also try not to stay in places that have public access directly to my room door or rooms on ground level that are accessible through a window/patio door. Sometimes this isn’t an option, e.g. cabins, tents, cabanas.

Know the emergency numbers for that country/area (e.g. 911 in the USA).

Download an offline map for your GPS/phone in case you don’t have internet availability when needed.

Find out if your phone/provider uses a compatible network, and if not, get a phone and/or SIM card for travel.

Stick with family/friends/business partners that are familiar with the area when possible.

Try to stick to the more public/tourist areas during daylight hours, and minimize night time activity if it is not a secured location.

Research reviews or personal accounts of places, tours, etc. where you are planning at staying or joining.

Don’t wear jewelry if possible.

Have situational awareness.

Secure your fanny pack/purse/backpack to your person. My travel fanny pack has both a belt portion and belt loops so I can doubley secure it.

Travel light. The old saying was take twice the money and half the clothes you think you’ll need.

You can also use cards with low or replenishable limits in case they are stolen.

Keep your wallet/passport in an area not publicly accessible… There are a lot of options including things that go under the clothing.

Protect your passport. I can’t remember the tips relating to hotel safe’s vs in-room safes, but it’s been suggested that the in-room safes are not that secure.

Notify your family of scams or the potential for asking for help and make a safe word. Over the last few years, there have been scams where some stranger called the family of someone who was traveling and said they were kidnapped and requested money.

Don’t carry wads of cash, or show that you are carrying wads of cash.

Know the local laws, e.g. some areas have very restrictive knife laws.

Don’t use public WiFi or download unvetted apps.

It’s always a judgement call whether here or abroad… the risks vs the rewards. The more you know, the better prepared you are to minimize those risks when you get to your destination. Be aware, that although their are some universal security issues, different places in the world might have significantly different risks. For example, the last few international trips I took had to factor in risks of mud slides, floods, Malaria, guerillas coming down from the mountains, kidnapping pirates, etc. in addition to the more universal risk factors.