Travelling makes you explore different cultures, different cuisines, different traditions, and diverse people. We all must also agree that travelling at times could also be regarded as a luxurious and leisure activity. Travelling to any place in this world requires money, and time, while we tend to save the both. Travelers often follow the practice of using public transportation while on trip. It is cheap, accessible, and a great way to sneak into the culture, and social fabric of the destination. All the top touristy places in this world have a great public transportation network, and not using them would just be stupidity.
Using public transportation saves you lot of money, but at the same time you also have to be wary of the perils involved in it. Remember you are not in your private vehicle, and are exposed to different types of people that are taking the ride. In this blog we will give you tips to stay safe on your ride.
1 – Don’t carry valuables and expensive items
Theft on public transportation is a real thing. Every now and then people get robbed of their valuable belongings while travelling on a bus, or a transit rail, or other modes of public transportation. The best practice to avoid such situations is to never carry expensive items while travelling on public transportation. Items like laptop or expensive purses can be easily spotted and become a target of theft. These items are also not essential to be always carried, hence leave them behind in your hotel.
This is for ladies who like ornaments, or expensive jewelry. Wearing them at all times has never been necessary, and wearing them while taking a ride on public transportation is a big no. Even if you are headed to some party, then unworn your jewelry while you take the ride, and once you reach your destination you can use the restroom to wear your jewelry again.
Remember that while travelling on public transportation you are always being watched, and one of those eyes could be of a thief or a pickpocket. If they see you carrying expensive items, they will target you to make you their victim.
2 – Night journey, not alone
No matter how comfortable you are with a destination, no matter how high standards of policing the destination has, no matter how many times the destination has been listed as the safest city to travel to, you must and must avoid travelling alone in night on public transportation. Trust me that travelling alone in night on public transportation increases your chances to meet with a mishap. It is not just theft threat, but you can also bump into criminals, and suffer serious injuries.
This goes especially for women that they need to make prior arrangements for commuting if they have plans for night. If so ever you are travelling on public transportation then make sure you have a companion with you. It could be a friend, or a family member. If you think that you can find a companion in a person you just bumped into in a club, then you are wrong.
While making plans for night, also bear in mind that the place you are headed to is not much far from the hotel you are staying in. This will decrease the chances you meeting a mishap. Also the place you are headed to must not be in a remote location.
3 – Zip the bags
While travelling in public transportation chances are very high that you will have some or the other belongings with you, like a carry bag, or a backpack bag, or a handbag. It is normal to carry a bag with you no matter what mode of transportation you are using. But while travelling in public transportation make sure that you have properly zipped those bags. The point being that your belongings of the bag must not remain vulnerable to be stolen, or to be dropped while moving.
If you are in a big city, then you must bear in mind that the rush in those public transportation vehicles is going to be high. There will be nudges, pushing, and a little room to sit or stand. In mid of such environment it is highly recommended that you do not carry a bag which doesn’t has a zipper. You might not be aware but picking things from an unzipped bag is very easy with a cover of crowd.
We recommend carrying, cross body bags, as they are harder to get hold of by other people or precisely thieves. If you are a woman travelling on public transportation then you need to be extra careful, as chances are that you will always have a handbag while travelling.
4 – Plan ahead
If you are travelling to a foreign country, then chances are that you will be depending on public transportation, as everybody likes to save a buck or two when they are travelling overseas. While travelling abroad one big challenge you are going to face is that not all public transportation vehicles have instructions in English or your native language. This hurdle can be cumbersome, and you might hop into a wrong bus, or a wrong transit rail.
To avoid such mishaps, plan ahead. Yes, plan ahead about everything, which bus you will board, which train you will switch for moving from one point to another. What modes of public transportation are available from the hotel you are staying in. Map all activities from your itinerary with public transportation routes.
How you will do it is simple, as nowadays all such information is available on internet. You will find details of timing, schedules, and routes of the public transportation vehicles from their websites or from the local tourism board. This will help you keep safe from being stranded and being lost.
5 – Keep the change
The title of this tip might feel weird, as there is no one whom you have to tip on your public transportation journey. But this keep the change is for you. Yes, when you have planned on using the public transportation vehicles on your trip, then you should also plan on keeping some change when you are using them. Bear in mind to keep currencies of one, two, or five, or the smaller denominations like cents. The change problem in public transportation journey is very real and very common.
The best practice is to know what route are you taking and how much is it going to cost you. This you can figure out in your planning stage. It is highly recommended that you keep the exact change with you, for the trip. It will not just be convenient for you but also for the staff of the bus or transit rail. It will help you save the trouble of asking for change from fellow passengers.
Remember that the public transportation staff will not let you go without the fare, and you might end up paying a bigger currency note to him. If your trip is in a bigger city, then will have smart cards, or prepaid cards for such transactions, so use them, and keep the troubles away.
6 – Not all announcements are unnecessary
These days all the public transportation vehicles have some sort of system embedded for announcements. It could be through sign board, or through audio announcements. While travelling in public transportation you must pay attention to these announcements. This will keep you informed about any changes in the journey, or about any delay in the journey, or they could simply be about the arrival of your destination. In all cases, it helps to listen to these announcements.
If you are travelling to a major city or a metropolitan, these announcements will be in different languages, so that you do not have to worry about not being able to comprehend them. If you are in a smaller city or a town, then we suggest that you keep yourself in close proximity of the staff member present in the public transportation vehicle.
Trust me, these announcements are life saver. By merely listening to them you can avoid hopping down on a wrong stop, or you can save a trouble of missing a transit line just because its tracks changed to another platform. Opposite to the convention, all announcements are not unnecessary.
7 – Limit your stranger conversation
We always assert in our blogs to spark conversations with locals while travelling, and even now we stick to it. But while following this practice there are some thumb rules, like how to limit your conversation with the strangers. While travelling on public transportation vehicle you can always exchange hellos, tell each other your names, talk about the weather, tell them from what country you are travelling from, take some insights about lesser known places of the city, and things like that.
But what you do not have to discuss is that which hotel you staying in, unless you completely trust that stranger and have a gut feeling that he is never going to harm you. You do not have to discuss if you are travelling with cash or credit cards, or if you have your passport with you at that time. You do not have to discuss wha5t are your plans for the day, the entire plan, though highlights could be okay.
Remember that most of the people you are going to bump into will be nice, and will mean no harm to you. But you also got to keep yourself on the safe side. You will also meet people and strangers in trips that will become your lifelong friends, but not all of them.
8 – Do not sleep in public transportation journeys
We all have a habit of taking a power nap at all times we can. It could be during a short break while working in office, it could be a short nap on couch in weekends, or it could be a short nap while commuting in a public transportation vehicle. In your home city and day to day life taking naps in public transportation vehicles is okay, as you are in your home town, you know how long it takes to trip between the points you go to every day, but while travelling it’s a big no.
First things first, you are in a distant destination, where you do not know people who could come to your rescue. You have a very little idea on how long actually it will take between two spots unless you have checked it prior. In case even when you have checked it, your body is not accustomed to this route. Chances are that you will have belongings, and while travelling you got to take care of it.
It is best that you take proper sleep in your hotel before heading out, after all what are holidays for if you cannot take ample amount of sleep. If the journey is really long, you can do one thing, put on some shades, and close your eyes for few minutes. It will help.
Travel, but safely!
