Former CIA operative's travel tips: Draw blinds, keep flashlight by bed and carry a handcuff key
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Following a seeming increase in violent incidents and terrorism around the globe in recent years, lawyers and other Americans traveling on business may feel that they need to focus more on personal security.
For those looking for suggestions, former CIA operative Drew Dwyer has a number of tips. Among them: Assume your hotel room is bugged, keep a flashlight next to your bed where it can easily be reached and, when traveling to countries where kidnapping is an issue, be sure a handcuff key is sewn into the waistband of your clothing, according to an Entrepreneur magazine article reprinted in the San Francisco Chronicle and an article he wrote for SOFREP News.
Dwyer also advises having cash and your passport in a “bug-out bag,” in case a hasty exit is needed, and carrying a throwaway wallet containing generic credit cards received in mailed offers and a small amount of cash. If you are held up by a mugger, the wallet should be tossed in one direction as you run in another.
Simple measures, like drawing the blinds and keeping a light on in your room can make a difference, he says.
“Even in the most hostile environments, you can make yourself a very difficult and less attractive target by applying simple preventive security measures,” he writes. “Terrorists and criminals will always conduct surveillance of their intended target. If your preventive procedures are good, they will most likely opt for an easier victim.”
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Locked doors, safety training and remote car starters go a long way to protect lawyers, expert says”
