Unwrapped travel

A little bit of paranoia goes a long way — and while we’re not suggesting you spend your entire trip convinced that everyone you meet is trying to con you, we would suggest that a small dose of paranoia can be a handy asset on your travels — particularly if you’re travelling alone. In the vast majority of cases it comes down to using your common sense and making sure that you’re not leaving yourself in a situation that another can take advantage of.

Having fun
If you’re out drinking, make sure you don’t lose control, and always keep an eye on your drink — while druggings are rare, they do take place, and more often than not, women are the target.

If someone approaches you trying to sell drugs, be extremely cautious. Be especially wary of tuk tuk drivers offering to get drugs for you — they’ll often be off to the police station to dob you in (for a backhander) after selling you the drugs. Undercover police are not bound by rules of entrapment in the same manner that many police in the West are — be very careful.

If it is late at night, you’ve had a few drinks and you’re in an unfamiliar town, get a taxi or motorbike back to your guesthouse or hotel — do not walk back to where you are staying. Going down to the riverside in Phnom Penh, eating a happy pizza and washing it down with ten beers, then walking back to your Lakeside guesthouse at 4am alone is simply stupid.

Getting around
If you ever feel uncomfortable or threatened by a taxi driver, get out, or, if you have a mobile phone, get on the phone. In most major Asian cities, there are ample supplies of taxis or motorbike taxis — even in the middle of the night. So there is no reason why you should remain in a “bad cab”

Never, ever leave valuables in a bag that is stowed on a bus. Always keep the bags that contain valuable items in sight.

Guesthouses and hotels
Lock your room. Sounds obvious, but many don’t bother. Leaving your door unlocked is inviting problems. Always lock your door. If you are in an air-con room, keep the windows closed, while for fan rooms, if you leave the window open, make sure your valuables are not in a location that is easily reached from the window — we always stash important things under the bed — out of sight out of mind.

If your guesthouse offers safety box facilities at the front desk, use them. If you don’t feel that you can trust the staff on the front desk, then move to another place.