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Pay the Ransom
Err Travel · October 10, 2000

Good liars make safe travelers.

With all due respect for what your mother told you, if you are at all concerned about your security when you travel, you have to become a proficient liar. I'm not suggesting that you offer false documents to immigration officials or give bogus credit card numbers when reserving a hotel room or cheat on your expense account. (Though I have suggested in a past column that you may want to consider "validating an alternative reality" when dealing with certain aspects of a rental car transaction.)

Instead I'm suggesting that you consider being less than honest during seemingly incidental conversations with people you meet along the way during your travels.

Many travelers become victims because they offer way too much information about themselves to people they don't know. Successful criminals know that the best information they can collect about their potential victims comes from the poor schlemiels themselves. Some people are all too open about who they are, what they do, where they are going, how long they will be there, and, of most interest to a felon, what items of value they are carrying.

That's why you have to tell more than an occasional fib if you want to protect yourself while on the road. For example:

Lie when you talk to your seatmate: "High tech executive? No, not me. I work part-time for a truck rental company. Clean the trucks between rentals."

Lie when you ride in a taxicab: "No, I'm not really traveling alone. That was my boyfriend who just waved goodbye to me. He's got a few things to do before he meets me at the hotel. But you know what? I think he's a little paranoid. He always writes down the license number of the cab he sends me in."

Lie when you check into your hotel: "Please give me two keys. I'm expecting a friend as soon as he finishes giving boxing lessons at a local gym."

Lie when you order room service: "We're going to split the meal so please include an extra place setting."

Lie when you answer your hotel guestroom door: Yell, "Keep pumping Bruno. I'll see who it is."

Lie when you are on the street: "Sorry. Can't tell you the time. My watch is broken."

Finally, the most important thing to lie about is your name: Once a criminal learns your name, he can use it to short circuit the natural suspicion that you should have of strangers. A person approaching me with, "Terry! Long time no see," is more disarming than one who comes on with, "Yo! Howzit going?"

When you travel, prevarication is simply a part of precaution. Use it liberally.

As for me, once I file this column, I'll just be sitting here in my hotel room polishing my Uzi.

Dr. Terry Riley is a psychologist and travel security authority. His column appears on Wednesdays. He is author of the popular book Travel Can Be Murder. Visit his site at http://www.appliedpsychology.com or e-mail him at terry@ticked.com.