Almost everyone takes a holiday, many of them abroad. Some travel to a seaside resort to relax on a British beach, while others fly off to more exotic locations. UK citizens make over 60 million trips abroad each year.There are some common problems while preparing for and taking that holiday (or business trip), with a shift in emphasis and severity depending on where and when you go.

As with other books in the Security Handbook series, I use examples to illustrate the sort of problems you could encounter and suggest countermeasures that you can take to keep you and your family/group safe and healthy. It would be easy to appear to be paranoid when reviewing what could happen, but it would be just as wrong to assume that nothing will go wrong, leaving you totally unprepared to deal with any incident that does occur. If the unplanned-for incident is a simple insect bite, then perhaps the worst that could happen if you weren’t ready to deal with it is probably some swelling, discomfort and irritation for a few days. On the other hand, if the incident was a deep cut that needed stitches, or a traffic accident involving a local bus and your rented motorcycle, failing to prepare for emergencies could be a fatal oversight.

How do you stop short of paranoia? That has to be your decision, as only you can decide when adequate planning and preparation slips into paranoia. Read through the book, learn from the warnings and anecdotes, then adopt any ideas that are appropriate to your holiday and travel plans, your experiences and your circumstances. Look at what could or might happen. Look at the vulnerabilities, threats and risks to which you could be exposed, then look at what you can do to avoid them or reduce their impact. Consider taking appropriate countermeasures to remove or reduce each risk. A simple amendment to your holiday and travel plans could avoid a serious risk entirely. Look at any risk and what the worst outcome could be, then decide what you want to do about it.

The answer might be to pack an aspirin, or it could be to change your plans and go to a different country and resort altogether. For example: Unfortunately, I think all of that would be far too intrusive and restricting. Those countermeasures are unacceptable to me. I want a holiday. I want to relax, not walk around in protective clothes with a medical team on standby. To fit in with my plans, likes and preferences I have decided to adopt a more sensible, acceptable and achievable countermeasure. Because mad kicking camels have apparently been declared a problem at my destination resort, I will simply make sure I avoid all camels during my stay – if I’m not within kicking range I cannot get hurt!

Preparation

For most people the excitement and pleasure of the holiday begins with the planning and preparation phase. Checking the brochure again for the fiftieth time, discussing romantic sunsets, buying a new swimming costume, selecting the sun tan lotion and skin moisturiser are all thoroughly enjoyable and certainly ‘phase one’ of the holiday itself.

You probably already consider it to some extent, but 1 want you to take a more detailed look at your safety and security when you are travelling.

When you go away you are leaving everything with which you are familiar. The more differences there are between home and your holiday destination the greater the risk to you. The more unfamiliar the weather, culture, people, laws, insects, animals, traditions and even landscape are. the greater the chance that you will become a victim of some mishap or crime.

Accepting that holiday destinations present unique threats, you should do everything you reasonably can to identify and avoid those threats. Sensible planning and preparation will relieve you of stress while actually on holiday. because you will know that you have done everything you can to stay sate. It doesn’t end there though: while on holiday you have to maintain a level of awareness of your surroundings, so that you can identify and avoid any newthreats – those mad kicking camels perhaps!

Through it all, your first objective has to be to relax and enjoy, while maintaining a level or awareness.

The following considerations should help you in planning your holiday, your departure, absence and return. Get them right, and your holiday will be a success, get it wrong and . . .

Leaving your home empty for a week or more while you are on holiday or on a business trip is a new threat that you have to overcome. You must make sure that the house is as secure as it can be for the duration of your holiday. If you have read and acted on the information contained in The Home Security Handbook your house should be secure because you will have identified and adopted any holiday-related countermeasures that you have decided are justifiable and appropriate.