How to protect yourself and your belongings

Business travelers are often their own worst enemies when it comes to being safe on the road.

They make appointments with complete strangers in unfamiliar destinations, board airplanes hauling technology worth thousands of dollars, settle into hotel rooms as they would their own living rooms, drape laptops and handbags on conference hall chairs while they go through the buffet line, and at night, they head out to restaurants in unfamiliar neighborhoods still dressed in business attire.

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Short of wearing a sign declaring, "Hey! I'm a target, come get me!" this behavior may be all that's needed to attract the attention of pickpockets, muggers, technology thieves and even rapists, kidnappers or murderers.

Much of the problem has to do with mindset. Most business travelers are too focused on the meetings or the presentations or the seminars to recognize that they are in an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous environment. Very frequent travelers are even more likely to drop their guard and ease into a comfort zone. Often they don't even take the same precautions that they would in their own hometowns.

What can you do to minimize your risks while traveling? Fortunately, there are thousands of resources available, including articles, books and Web sites loaded with common-sense tips, technology designed to safeguard personal electronics, and dozens of security firms poised to present corporate seminars, issue regular alerts on dangerous regions of the world and even send in former Navy SEALS and Delta Force personnel to safeguard key travelers.

Here's a short list of important tips:

Protect yourself. The Internet is a valuable resource for information about safety and health risks around the world. Worldwide health risks and alerts are reported on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, www.cdc.gov/travel. If you will be driving in foreign countries, familiarize yourself with road signs and traffic idiosyncrasies at www.asirt.org/roadwatch.htm. For the latest official risk warnings and statements from the U.S. State Department, visit http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1180.html. Several private firms provide safety training sessions for travelers. For example, Kroll Associates (www.krollworldwide.com), a New York-based risk consulting company, has a long list of safety offerings including defensive training at the Crucible in northern Virginia. In his popular book, "Travel Can be Murder: The Business Traveler's Guide to Personal Safety" (Applied Psych-ology Press, Santa Cruz, CA), author Terry Riley places responsibility for safe travels squarely on the traveler, saying "When you travel, you are responsible for your own safety. No one else. You."