· The picture of the Toyota Corolla below was taken on the hardest day of travel I have ever experienced. You can read about it in "Avoiding the temple tax ll" in 'Stories' (coming soon). If I had done a little homework instead of just looking at a map, I could have made it a little more comfortable, a lot less stressful and much, much safer.
· On another occasion on the premier Philippine Island of Boracay I wondered about the heavy-duty bamboo sunshades being erected everywhere. Thinking it was some sort of local custom. It wasn't until I overheard someone talking in an internet café that I found out Super Typhoon Yolanda one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded was arriving that night.
· So, it does pay to be abreast of current events. You can't always remove the danger but you can eliminate unnecessary risks and make preparations as well. Or cancel plans and by-pass areas altogether.
· Another tactic would be to not travel in typhoon season. But if you waited until the Middle East was stable you would never get to go there. Often things occur in the safest of places and really at the end of the day we can't control fate. So sometimes it's a calculated risk and as we all know you can get run over crossing the road at home. I have travelled through several war zones and felt reasonably safe. The locals tend to look out for you and offer advice. They live their full time and seem to survive.
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The unstoppable Toyota Corolla - North-Western Cambodia
· The type of places I avoid are where tourists are targeted for kidnapping, ransom and worse and places plagued by indiscriminate violence. Times change quickly and security around the world changes with it. Do your research and if you are unsure just go somewhere else or fly over that dodgy area.
· If there is a coup or demonstrations going on it is probably wise to stay off of the streets. It can be fun and exciting to be involved as a part of history unfolds, but there is a risk of a stray bullet, shrapnel, ricochet or even bomb ending your trip and possibly your life prematurely.
· You can check in with your embassy or their websites to get the latest situation on the ground, but they tend to err on the side of caution. Ask the locals if somewhere is safe or not. Border regions can be a bit like the Wild West and volatile at times with little warning.
· In this information age and with most travellers carrying a smart phone it's pretty easy to stay informed.