I am going on five months since retiring. During this time I have been doing some traveling to places like Tennessee, Chicago, Colorado, Hawaii, and Washington DC. Just to name a few…
While out on these trips, I’ve been pondering this question, “how safe are we?” And what are we doing to protect ourselves when we are out of our hometown?
A few thoughts for all women to consider when traveling:
- Are we familiar with our next destination?
- What kind of travel will be using, rental car, subway, Uber?
- Are we staying in hotels? Where are the exits? Extra locks in the hotel, deterrents to keep valuables safe?
- What are you going to use to protect ourselves?
- What are the options we have (this could be determined by which state we are going to, familiarization will be helpful on city and state laws, city codes, etc.)
All of these can be reached with a smart conclusion by pre-planning and thinking about the following:
- Mindset – You are strong. You are powerful. You can make smart decisions.
- Be observant – If you had to relay information to a police officer, what will you remember? Take mental notes.
- Know your surroundings
- Have an exit strategy – If you have to escape, have a mental plan for getting away to a safe place.
- Commit – If your life depends on it, you need to commit to getting out of danger.
After 23 years in law enforcement, I’ll tell you, continual training is a must. I spent 18 of those years teaching self-defense. Despite that, I still train on a regular basis because we all need continual reminders of our “go-to” position if you get in trouble. Sustain your training in some form or fashion, whether it’s reading, watching videos, or physically practicing techniques, stay on top of it. You are worth it.
Xoxo,
Trish
