Road accidents or information about weather and traffic congestion 900 123 505

To differentiate between the police note these differences:
Guardia Civil - wear green and sometimes a black tricorn hat
Policía Nacional - navy blue
Policía local - uniforms vary from light blue in Madrid to the red of the Ertzaintza in Basque Country

SECURITY
Padlocks: are great to lock your bags to luggage racks in trains and buses, particularly overnight services, or to secure lockers or just to act as a deterrent to would be thieves.
Passport and money: Keep these on your person at all times, particularly when sleeping on overnight transport. Money is best divided through your bag so if some is stolen or lost you have another ready supply. Try sewing an emergency stash of cash into your backpack.
Important documents: Documents should be copied several times and left with reliable people. Documents to photocopy would include:
- important pages of your passport
- drivers license
- bank and credit cards
- other identification
- air tickets, bus passes, train passes, other important travel cards
- birth certificate
- proof of residence
Daypacks: are better than shoulderbags for deterring thieves
Money belts: are another proven security method. If you can also pin these to the inside of your clothes it is a secondary protection measure. Some people now wear these around their ankles.
Bum bags / Fanny packs: are not advisable. In crowded areas these can easily be unzipped without your knowledge. If you wear one do not keep valuables inside.


KEEPING FIT
Fitness of body and mind helps you to keep control of situations and to deal with them rationally. Mental alertness or quick thinking can help avert problems as physical fitness can mean a quicker or easier getaway. It can be difficult to keep fit on the road. Great food, lazy days by the seaside and tiredness are huge deterrents. Walking with your pack, hiking or touring a city is exercise but for just a few minutes a day you can make sure you don't put on extra kilos and stay agile.
- Stretch each night or morning. Massage sore and tight muscles with soap in the shower or with a cream.
- Do pushups or situps in your room for basic toning.
- If you know some yoga or aerobics develop a small routine. You do not need much room and you can use your walkman as a silent accompaniment.
- Walk as much as possible, avoid getting buses and trains unless really tired. It's also the cheapest option.
- Eat good food, fruit and vegetables. These are also your cheapest option.
Mental sluggishness can prevent you from seeing trouble developing or responding quickly to situations. It can develop easily from lack of sleep or simply from lack of use. For mental alertness:
- get to bed early
- keep your brain active through reading, writing, cross word puzzles etc.
- create a mental challenge each day
- discuss philosophy, current events and other issues with fellow travellers

 
ANXIETY AND STRESS
Every day, travellers face situations which can be stressful. It may simply be finding accommodation, food or the right train; or it may be more complicated like being harassed, confronting someone for pushing in etc.
Here are some tips to help:
- Never appear angry or unsettled. Develop a poker face.
- Take deep breaths filling your whole body and releasing slowly
- Count to ten
- Walk through the steps in your mind about what you have to do now
- Every day in your new environment take a few moments to review safety situations and how you will act. This helps prevent panic if a situation develops.


SURVIVAL GUIDE
A big part of self defence is self confidence and assertivenes which can help you avoid physical measures to defend yourself. Here's a few defensive tips:
1. Remember you are not invincible. Things can and will go wrong. Learn from your mistakes, don't be put off by them.
2. Learn some self defence and keep fit.
3. Set physical, verbal and other boundaries and do not let anything past it, even the most subtle of attempts. Do not let anyone touch you more than you would a complete stranger, regardless of their customs.
4. If you are uncomfortable with someone elses behaviour then say so. Learn the phrase for "Leave me alone" or "Don't touch me" in each country you go to. The universal "No", "nein", "Nay" gets you a long way, especially a definitive, assertive and loud one.
5. Wear a wedding ring or engagement band regardless of your marital status. This significantly reduces your rate of problems.
6. Do not accept invitations for drinks, dinner or any other gifts. It is not worth the risk.
7. Never say you are alone. You are always meeting someone (preferrably male) either back at the hotel, in the next city etc. Stick to your story.
8. Don't go to lonely or out of the way places, particularly at night. Avoid streets, parks, dark alleyways. Be conscious of your surrounds and don't wander far from people.
9. Hook up with other travellers where you can, particulary in unsafe areas/countries.
10. Carry as little as possible. Keep your arms free so you can fight back and without things people can easily snatch from you.
11. Be prepared to scream, kick, holler, or make any noise as soon as someone approaches you in any way that makes you uncomfortable. Usually any attempt to fight back will scare most would be attackers away.
12. Try not to talk to people around or near bathrooms. Don't visit out of the way bathrooms.

 
TRAVELLING ALONE
Travelling alone can be a rewarding and interesting experience. You meet new people every day that you can pick up with or leave behind. However there are some countries and situations where solo travel is not adviseable for women. If you are travelling alone here are some tips:
- sit near family groups on trains, buses etc.
- don't go to out of the way places, stick to the beaten track even in big cities. Don't wander down dark alleys or secluded places after dark.
- observe how the local women dress and behave and try and act accordingly.
- do not speak to single men unless it is absolutely necessary eg. a business transaction, directions etc.
- don't drink too much. If you are unaware of your faculties people can take advantage of you.
- eat in restaurants outside peak time if you don't want undue attention or try and eat on the move or back at your hotel/hostel.

 
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
Spending a few moments each day reviewing escape or emergency procedures on buses, planes, trains and other situations can save your life in event of fire, earthquake or other emergency situations.
1. When you enter a building do a quick check for means of escape. Count the number of exits for the building and do a quick mental rehearsal of how you will get to them in an emergency.
2. If you are on a plane, bus or train, count the number of aisles to the nearest door exit so you can
exit quickly.
3. If you are staying somewhere overnight always have your bag packed and ready to go or at least have your valuables easily at hand.
4. Always read emergency procedures.
5. Go through in your mind how you will deal with an emergency situation and rehearse as often as possible.
6. If an emergency situation develops don't panic. Keep your head clear of extraneous thoughts and keep breathing.
7. Accidents happen every day and you are not immune. Try and keep active and easily mobile. Consciousness affected by drinking, overtiredness or irrational thinking can hinder escape efforts as can too much baggage or panic.

 
HEALTH LINKS
World Health Organization
www.who.int
The WHO page on Spain: www.who.int/countries/esp/en

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
www.cdc.gov

Travel Health Online
www.tripprep.com

Doctor Back Home
www.doctorbackhome.com

Masta (Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad)
www.masta.org

Medicine Planet
www.medicineplanet.com

US State Department
www.travel.state.gov

Foreign & Commonwealth Office, London
www.fco.gov.uk

World Travel Center
www.worldtravelcenter.com