Travel and Safety Secrets

May 23, 2017

During my semester abroad, I have made an effort to travel around the area as much as I can and take this opportunity to visit as many countries as I could to experience a different culture from what I am used to and have been exposed to. At the beginning, I found myself over-packing and bringing more than I needed for my weekend trips but as I went away more often, I became better at packing lightly, taking only essentials and overall being a better and safer traveler.

While traveling, I learned that a backpack is much easier to move around with compared to a duffle bag; it is convenient, holds everything that I need and pushes me to carry only essentials since I don’t have room to carry extra things. While traveling, I learned to be more vigilant and actively ensure my handbag was in the front to prevent people stealing things from my bag from behind – I found a cross-body bag to be the best and most practical while traveling. On the same note, I made sure I never put anything in my back pockets – phone, keys, card holder, etc – they were always in my front pocket. I also made sure to never put money or a credit card in the same pocket as anything else; this helped ensure I didn’t lose it while taking out my other belongings. Another important tip I adopted while traveling was to separate my money among my different belongings eg. keep some in my wallet, some in a back pocket of my backpack and some in a different pocket.

One of the first things we are told when we leave to go abroad is to be attentive and alert of your surroundings but we do not understand the true value and seriousness of that statement until put in that situation. I was on the train coming home, during the middle of the day and I had my cross body in me, in the front like I always do. I was standing near the door with only a couple stops left before I got off when I felt someone touch the bottom of my bag. I turned around immediately and saw a man quickly remove his hand, looking down at his phone as though nothing had happened. It was at this moment that I realized the weight the statement ‘be attentive to your surroundings’ carries. Had I been distracting, listening to music and not paying attention, the man could have easily opened my bag and taken my wallet without me noticing and all my valuables would have been gone. This made me realize the vitality of knowing who is around you, noticing when someone is standing too close to you or has been following you for a while. It is something I will never take lightly again.

Written By

Mitali Mirle

I am originally from India, born and raised in Dubai UAE. I am studying Environmental Science with a minor in psychology and Spanish. I chose to study abroad because I wanted to experience a new culture, travel to new places and in the process, improve my Spanish. While some people speak English here in Barcelona, the preferred language is definitely Spanish, therefore if I want to communicate with others, I am forced to speak the language, which will help me improve my conversational Spanish. While abroad, I hope to use Barcelona as a gateway to rest of Europe, say yes to almost all opportunities, try new things, eat new types of food and witness and be a part of new traditions and customs of Spain. I would like to come back and share my experiences with others like me who also want to travel the world and see the world from different perspectives.