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Vacation Safety: Get on board...no really, get on board.

By Megan Roth

'Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya to Bermuda, Bahama…' I won't folks (take you, that is). But I will offer you a few friendly pieces of advice regarding safety and other travel issues that should be considered when jet-setting on your next destination vacation. Why, you ask? Because it's vacation safety month on Injuryboard!

This whole vacation safety issue has me thinking…

My next trip comes in less than two weeks (I'm headed to Denver where I'm meeting up with a few old college friends – and I'm super-excited! However, I'm trying not to let that excitement get in the way of being smart when it comes to my travels).

I'm flying out of LaGuardia Airport at 6:35 Friday evening, which means I'll jet out of work a couple of hours early, walk 6 blocks to the 59th Street Station, hop on the N Train and transfer to the M60 (city bus) at Astoria Boulevard. Sound like a lot of work? It is…and it isn't.

It's work in the sense that the trip to even go on my trip is time consuming and I have to pay attention so as not to miss my transfer; however, directions are relatively straightforward and difficult to screw up (unless you're not paying attention).

And even though it's a fairly easy trip to make, it still has certain risks. For example, I have to time my departure so that I don't miss the 4:25 train. I should be making the jump right before rush hour sets in; however, I'll need to allow myself ample time as (based on my experiences) the trains to Queens have often been slightly busier than anticipated. On the New York City subways, this means they're often a little behind schedule (as it takes longer for people to board or make their transfers).

Okay, so let's say I make my train on time – no problems. Now I have to make sure I transfer to the right bus (which sounds simple but it's actually easy to get turned around. At Christmas, I actually boarded the bus headed in the wrong direction…whoopsi – ended up setting myself about 15 minutes behind schedule!)!

Thus, it's important to know where you're going; if you don't know, ask. Don't let your ego get in the way here – it's better to be safe than sorry, especially considering you don't know how safe the neighborhood you could end up in is (my family went the wrong direction down a side street in Hollywood when I was younger. Boy, was that scary! We ended up in the last place my father ever intended to take us: a neighborhood with chain fences, boarded up windows and graffiti everywhere (and not to be judgmental, but I won't even mention the appearance of the residents gathered on the stoops, huddled on the corners and pacing the sidewalks).

The transfers are bound to leave me feeling slightly frenzied; however, I'll have to be careful so as not to get caught up in the chaos and forget anything (I forgot my state ID card once – no lie. I was still able to make my flight on time (thank goodness) but the taxi to my apartment and back to the airport cost me a small fortunate. Make sure you have all necessary documents before taking off for your trip and always double-check that they're still in tow before getting on/off/in/out of a taxi, train, bus or plane.

I know, it sounds almost idiotic to even offer such straightforward, self-explanatory bits of advice; however, you'd be surprised how many people get distracted or caught up in the chaos and actually end up having to change travel plans in result of one minor mistake.

And, like I said, these are minor mistakes. What about the major ones? What about the errors/mishaps that affect more than whether or not you make your flight? There's a lot of issues that come into play here, each with its own effects. More to come, folks…so fasten your seat belts, sit back and enjoy the ride – we're about to take flight.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Megan Roth

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on March 02, 2009 (boomark / email).