So you have at long last made up your mind that you are going on that South African safari or holiday. Well my friend here are some tips on how to stay alive and out of trouble. From the moment your plane touch African soil you better start thinking safety and caution. Make sure you have made arrangements for someone that you know to pick you up at the airport. If you have not, then get one of the airport taxis to take you to your hotel or where ever you want to go. If you take a rental car ensure to lock all the doors and keep the windows closed. Should you have a mobile phone on you, keep it out of sight and don’t wear to many flashy jewelery.

It is sad but true that thousands of tourists get hi-jacked and robbed of their mobile phones and jewelery every year. If you should get lost while driving somewhere, don’t stop and asked for directions in the middle of nowhere, drive until you get to a big shopping centre or somewhere that there are a lot of people. Avoid driving at night. Most incidents happens at night or early mornings, when the victims are tired or not alert. Another thing these thugs do is to try and flag you down by pretending that they are hurt or their car has broken down. Don’t stop, they will rape, rob or worse kill you. It is also known that the thugs sometimes follow victims to their house or apartments where they then rob them. So always be alert, if you should see a car tailing you, rather go straight to your nearest police station and report the incident. Remember drive to stay alive!

Accomodation

Ensure you keep all your windows closed at night. If you go out during the day be sure to lock all doors and again make sure that all the windows are closed. Should you be indoors during the day with the windows open, don’t let anything of value lying around, things like mobile phones, wallets, jewelery, cameras and laptops. If you don’t do this the thugs will simply climbed through the window and take what they want.

On The Beach

South Africa is well known for it’s beautiful weather, so if you are going to the beach, don’t leave anything of value lying around. When you go for a swim make sure that there is someone to look after it at all times. What these thugs do is to keep an eye on you and as soon as you are in the water or turn your back they will simply walk past and take what they want, and disappear. Another thing, don’t go for a stroll alone on a secluded beach, day or night, many tourists had been robbed, raped and killed. I used the beach for an example, but you should be careful and alert wherever you go at all times. Always think safety!

Restaurants and Automatic Teller Machines

When you need to withdraw money from a (ATM) try to do it during the day. When you approach an (ATM) have a look round first for any suspicious persons just standing there. Don’t accept help from strangers trying to show you how the machine works, if need to ask for an bank employee to assist you. If you go to a restaurant and you are sitting outside ensure not to let your wallet or handbag out of sight.

Hope when you go to South Africa, or any place in Africa that you will remember my article and that it will help you. Trust me I know what I am talking about, I had lived there more than thirty years.