There’s not much you can do once your comfortably seated on an aircraft, except to sit and wait ’till you safely reach your destination. However, there are a couple of things you can do that will increase your safety in general when traveling by plane and your chances of survival in an emergency situation; here are a couple of suggestions:

• Plan to check-in and proceed through customs immediately when arriving at the airport. Once you have past through all that security you are less likely to be the victim of a stray bomb or mad gunman.
• Feeling nervous? Keep an eye on the crew. They are highly trained and fly thousands of hours each year. Bumpy rides, turbulance, and damn near misses are part of their job description. If they look worried, tighten your seatbelt! Otherwise, try to relax and enjoy the ride and all the quirks of air travel. Safety in flying is well proven and time tested.
• Baggage falling from overhead lockers is one of the biggest single causes of passenger injuries today on airlines, be aware both when exiting the plane and in case you are seated in an aisle seat.
• Take off and landing are the most risky times during a flight, keep your seatbelt securely fastened during these times, and try to always wear your seatbelt throughout the flight.
• Always listen to the safety briefing, pay particular attention to the location of emergency exits. Count the number of seats to the exit door so that you could find it in the dark if you had to. Make sure you understand how to open the doors in an emergency.
• Check the location of your life jacket and understand how to use it. In the event of an emergency, DO NOT inflate it until you are outside of the aircraft.
• In case the oxygen masks are dropped, always sort yourself out first, even before your child. If you fall unconcious you will not be able to help anyone else.
• As always, the rule is “don’t panic!” In the event of an emergency you will stand a far better chance of survival if you keep your cool and have already pre-planned your exit or survival strategy.

Here are some useful links regarding general airline and airport safety:

1. www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety
2. www.airsafe.com

Some top tips for travellers whilst staying in a hotel or other public lodging. Applying these principles will be dependent on the threat level at your location. Try to assess the possible threats and decide on the precautions that you will taking before arriving.

• If possible, stay on the lower floors, such as the 2nd and 3rd. In case of fire, most rescue crews will be able to access your room, else it’s a reasonable height from which to formulate an escape plan, e.g. out of the window (be sure to make a plan BEFORE something happens). A ground floor room increases the risk in case of easy criminal/terrorist access or stray bullets.
• As soon as you arrive, locate the nearest emergency exit. Visualise how you would make your way to it in the dark. Count how many doors down and note other features on the route. If possible, practice locating the exit with your eyes closed.
• Try to get a room at the backside of the hotel. Most hotel lobbies and vehicle drop-off points are located at the front of the building and have easy access, making them more vulnerable in case of a bombing.
• In case of a bomb (a rather loud bang and some shakin’), get on the floor and into a safe location such as under the bed or in the closet. Stay away from windows and glass and DO NOT go to the window to see what just happened! The blast of a bomb may cause glass to shatter and potentially fly in your general direction; it is also a common tactic that a secondary device be exploded shortly after the first to cause maximum damage. Be aware of this in case you are directed to evacuate the building, and especially if you are directed to a nearby car park or the hotel’s fire meeting point.
• Always keep your door locked and be suspicious when you are not expecting a visitor.