Travel Safety Hub - WorldNomads.com

Travel Advice And Travel Safety. Stay informed on the road.

Gear Review: "the internet" as a travel safety device

WORLDWIDE | Monday, 18 August 2008 | Views [1095]

I could once set off for months without my parents expecting anything more than a postcard each month and if they were lucky, a short, costly phone call to reassure them that I would only be moving back in on my return for a very short while… just enough to save some cash and head back out into the world again.

My, how things have changed!

These days, there is a myriad of ways to stay in touch... and most of them are based on internet technologies. I use guidebook sites, forums and blogs to plan where to go, how long it takes and what the 'vibe' is like. I can email myself all kinds of useful stuff for the road – Travel Insurance policy certificates, scans of Passports and my drivers licence. I use Delicious to bookmark my favourite travel sites and forums so I can access them globally. My mates are instantly jealous when I update my Facebook status to 'is watching the sunrise from the beach shack'. My travel blog is not only a detailed diary to be savoured in years to come, but also a place for Mum to check up on my whereabouts (oh, at least once a day)… and leave me cute and embarrassing messages. No doubt, you have your own list of ways that the internet helps you to explore the world.

Undoubtedly, one of the most significant changes for travellers in recent years is the explosion of internet availability from far flung destinations. It is now integral to my entire travel experience – both good and bad – and for that reason alone, it's a worthy review subject.

'The internet'; it's not really gear or a gadget (although beloved of gadget freaks) and seems like a crazy thing to try and review... but, let's give it a crack.

Is it safe?

So imagine you've been whisked away by the travel fairies, living a carefree life and all of a sudden, stuff goes wrong. What do you do? Who do you turn to? The instant, easy-publishing nature of websites, brings up both security opportunities and risks. This is where we can really review 'the internet' for it's travel safety factor.

Try Googling Bird Flu

Three days after a walk through some Bird Markets in Indonesia, Riu, Simon's 5 year old boy, came down with a fever, shivers, a headache and a pulse of over 140. After quickly Googling 'symptoms Bird Flu' his heart also skipped a beat. Houston, we (could) have a problem.

At a time of uncertainty, Simon's strategy for his family's health and safety totally centered around using the internet to get info and make decisions. But how did he approach it?

Have you got access?

Are you near an internet café? Does your hotel have a connection? Can your iPhone find a mobile network? If you cannot connect to the grid, the world wide web is just not going to help you out.

Where do you start?

Google. It is THE starting point.

What info are you looking for?

Once you get the info you need, you'll be better informed of the options and make better decisions. But getting the right results in your search query can be an art in itself.

Simon typed 'bird flu symptoms java' into Google – this is quite specific about the topic and also the location.

Is it from a reputable source?

This is often hard to know as web pages can be published by anyone.

Although a big fan of wikipedia for trivia such as the capital city of Tanzania (Dodoma for those that need to know), when it came to medical advice, Simon couldn't be sure that it was written by professionals. Instead, he turned to hospital/ specialist medical and government sites and then cross checked that the symptoms they reported were all similar.

Unfortunately, the sites he checked all concluded the same thing – Riu's symptoms were similar to people with Bird Flu – and additionally gave a 48 hour timeframe in which to try and get a dose of Tamiflu.

Simon again searched for details of hospitals and was able to locate the infectious diseases hospital with the most experience dealing with Bird Flu in the country. Immediately.

Make good decisions

At this point, armed with knowledge of what the problem might be, the need to act swiftly and details of where to go... Simon finished with the Internet phase and jumped into some real world action.

The hospital reacted with a surprising swiftness asking lots of questions, giving Riu a jab in his bottom and a dose antibiotics saying if the fever hadn't passed by the next day he'd have to get a blood test done. As it happened, the fever passed (much to everyone's relief)... and the holiday continued. (Read Simon's blog about the experience.)

The point of this whole story is not 'that some kid DIDN'T get bird flu'... but rather that the internet can be an incredibly useful and empowering tool. Using it judiciously can to help you navigate tricky situations and make the right decisions – the ones that keep you travelling safely.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Knowledge is Power – with (correct) information, you can make good decisions
You can get info NOW
Up-to-date info – especially important if you're seeking advice on dangerous areas, weather etc. But beware too – it's not always apparent what date something was published.

Cons

Too much info – wading through it all to find the really useful stuff can be tricky
Learning what to trust takes experience – anyone can publish anything on the internet
The Internet is not (yet) truly portable. Off-the-beaten track and adventure travel often takes us away from The Grid. Whilst there have been huge advances in mobile phone coverage across the globe, you cannot assume that your smartphone will get Web Access via these networks. As a security device, the Internet loses marks for it's unreliable access.

Overall Rating

As a gadget to enhance your travel safety, we're giving 'the internet' 4.5 Stars out of 5. (losing marks only because you can't yet get access 24/7 from anywhere)

Tips on learning to trust websites:

Look at the source of the info

Is it coming from a recognised hospital or security company. What does their About Us page say? And their Contact Us details? Do they provide a real-world address.

Look at the URL

Anyone can buy a .com website, however addresses that have .gov (Government) or .edu (Educational institutions) cannot be bought. If you're looking for info on Visas, embassies etc, it's safer to trust it from a .gov website.

Look for secure websites when purchasing

Any e-commerce site that's serious about doing business will use a secure payment gateway that makes the credit card transaction directly and securely with the bank. This means that information is encrypted or scrambled, making it impossible to intercept or steal. You can identify secure pages because the URL will start with https (rather than just http) and you'll also find a small padlock image on the bottom of the browser.

Cross check

Don't just take whatever info you find at the first site you visit. Look at several and cross check the info to see if they're all saying the same thing.