“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”
― Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad / Roughing It
I have worked and traveled to a lot of different countries at this point and more to follow. Some have been what you could consider less than friendly to my home nation but through assessment and understanding you can get in and out without causing much of a ripple. As Mr. Twain said travel can change much of not only your own perceptions but also the perceptions of those you visit. Each place has a facet of your world view that is captured and pulled into your own lens. For me and many I hold dear the idea of travel isn’t one that is an option but a sirens call that must be headed. In answering that call I have not lashed myself to a mast but taken a deep breath to dive headfirst into the waters of cultures around the world.
First of all understand where you are going. Do some early research on what it will take to get a visa or if there are any advisories you need to take into account. I usually start with open source and checking the US State Department Travel page. Look into what’s going on in not just the country you are going to but also near by countries. For example I love Kenya but its neighbor Somalia, who also holds a special place in my heart, would have much more to manage for a trip. Many nations have groups that transit from country to country especially as you get closer to the borders. Keeping that in mind I wouldn’t ignore Somalia if I was going on a trip to northern Kenya. Lastly make sure you have the location and contact information for your countries nearest diplomatic representation or embassy saved and readily available.
From there I would head over to the World Factbook and understand your destination from a more efficient and categorized breakdown. What is the stability, the military/police situation, possible destabilizing effects, and government structure. Also the level of personal freedoms you can expect to have. In some countries the government has absolute and total control over the physical and digital lives of those who traffic in their boundries. The same applies for the neighbors of your destination especially as I said before if you’re going to be near the boundaries. (Side note make sure you clear out your browser before you depart because having sites that could give anyone any indicator that you are more than a traveler in your search history won’t help you at all if you get pulled into a bad situation.) I have seen more travelers than I can count get themselves into trouble assuming their nations passport gives them some form of superior standing or protections. Knowing what you’re walking into a key piece of traveling.
Once you have finished your homework online and done some simple GOOGLINT take all that and build your next step. What do you need to accomplish your intent? What is your exit strategy? What do you need to manage the risks of your travel? For most trips this is simple and the dangers are mostly limited but never let complacency land you in a precarious situation. Once they pass it often generates great memories but things don’t always work out for comedic value. Many areas have common scams such as cabbies or people offering to carry your bags at the airport.
What happens when you get pulled into secondary or detained by your host nation? Well, remember if you don’t have anything to hide you don’t have to worry isnt always true. Secondary screening can be very stressful if you haven’t experienced it but every country in the world has a way of screening and sifting out who is coming into their borders. Don’t let your attitude get you into a flexing contest with local officials that you have no hope of winning. You’re a guest that doesn’t have to be granted entry and you also reflect travelers from your host nation.
Remember to sanatize your travel kit for anything that could give someone the wrong impression or may be seen as contraband in your destination. For instance some countries conscider any blade over 3” to be illegal. More so for our EDC (everyday carry) enthusiasts leave that stuff at home. You dont need your improvised SAP, lockpicks, or snazzy blades landing you in a nasty situation. I can assure you that trying to enter a country with lockpicks stuffed in your zipper or some snake oil salesman secret pocket will not only get you hemmed up but can have international level repercussions. I go so far as to take everything out of my bags and make sure I dont have anything that could be taken wrong and place it all one by one back into its place.
Now that you have done all that keep a print out of where you will be staying and other pertinant information in an easily accessible place. If you have travel documents be ready to show them. It could even be handy to have a listing of meetings you plan on having or sites you plan to visit. I would keep this in the physical domain because the last thing Im going to do is bring it up on my devices and hand that device unlocked to anyone. I tend to place all my electronics in a shielded bag like the ones from SLNT (enjoy a discount) when in higher security situations or likely border crossings. Remember everything you carry emits a signal, it could be digital or it could be physical but its all being collected by something.
Once you have arrived at your destination go out and have a good time. I have very rarely traveled to a place where people were upset about me trying to learn their language and culture. Take a deep breath and surrender some control. Its ok if you get lost, its ok if you get the wrong dish, or other cultural differences. This is the time to laugh and have fun with it. I have long lost count of the times I ordered something only get something completely different brought to the table. I remember the first time I got in a line in a small country in africa and while there was pleanty of room every person in the line was right up on top of the next. Not everyone cares that you are traveling or unfamiliar with the local customs. Take a look around and if everyone else or over 50% are then conscider it normal. If the majority of people there are doing it then do it yourself. Theres probably a reason like you dont want to lose your place in line or get cut in front of.
The biggest thing I can tell you is just be cool and relax. Dont make yourself a target or an easy mark. Theres lots of tricks for safeguarding your person maybe I will get into another time. If you dont need it dont take it especially if it doesnt fit in with the activities you are supposed to be doing. Leave all your toys at home especially you EDC folks. Think of it as time to hone your improvised skillsets. Go try something new and see the world.