How to Vacation and Travel Safely and Come Back Alive begins with a real life story of how the author, Earnest Hart, Jr. was held captive in Thailand while visiting the country for a series of kickboxing matches. Hart recalls how he felt helpless in this foreign land where the government was ran by the military who imposed their will upon the foreign contestants with Uzi’s and intimidation. Forced to realize that the world we live in is as dangerous outside of the ring as it is inside, Hart continued his martial arts training and added to his knowledge by studying all available material possible related to safety.
The preface of the book begins with an in-depth look at the realities of traveling in the new millennium. Hart focuses on four important principles to develop within oneself to help ensure preparedness for real life encounters.
Hart then begins the first chapter with one of America’s top concerns: home security. The author takes you inside the mind of a criminal to reveal exactly what they see as weaknesses in your home and how to best avoid becoming another statistic.
The second chapter takes an in-depth look at pre-travel safety and covers all the bases in regards to planning your trip ahead of time and outlining what to do to protect your home from the inside and outside.
Chapter three delves deep into car safety while on the road both in America and abroad. Road rage, preventative car maintenance, carjacking prevention and many other car-safety related topics are covered in this chapter.
Chapter four discusses staying safe while on a bus or in a train terminal and high-lights the many advantages of traveling this way and also what to do and what not to do on this type of transportation.
Chapter five deals with our biggest concern since 9/11: airport safety. This is an important chapter for every reader and covers subjects such as airport details, your in-flight trip, air rage, hijacking/hostage situations and what a passenger needs to know once they reach their destination and beyond.
Chapter six deals with safety in a taxi, metro-link and subways. Also covered is the picking up and handling of rental vehicles.
Chapter seven involves hotel safety and instructs the reader on precautions to take inside the hotel, elevator safety, room security, dealing with hotel fires and much, much more.
Chapter eight centers around cruise ship safety (a growing concern) and addresses how to stay safe on and off a ship.
Continuing on with the theme of leaving the United States, Hart dives into the realities of traveling abroad with startling statistics regarding the most dangerous places to travel and the realities of traveling outside of America. Chapter nine provides facts and insights into both the trouble awaiting us abroad and in our own country.
Chapter ten continues on with overseas travel and highlights how to plan for your trip as well as what you should know before leaving the country. In this post 9/11 era, this chapter lays out the realities of overseas airports, high risk areas, and staying safe whether you are in a foreign car, hotel or city.
Chapter eleven goes where no travel book has gone before and discusses safety for the traveling businessman or woman. Topics include, threat Assessment, ranges of threats, the most dangerous places for executive’s to Travel to, preparing to travel to your destination, preparation upon arriving at terminal, safety during flight, the need for an advance person, vehicle safety, vehicle security, hotel safety for executives and much more.
Chapter twelve advises on how to stay “street smart” in unfamiliar cities. Topics such as how to carry your self on the street, awareness of surroundings, having a buddy system, how to not look like a tourist, protecting your valuables, revealing scams and con games, panhandler tips and many other topics are in this chapter.
Chapter thirteen is a special chapter about gender and age specific travel safety and includes tips for female travelers, children travelers and more. Also covered are special tips for Senior citizens traveling abroad.
Chapter fourteen finishes off the book with a bang and focuses on personal safety and Hart’s specialty, self-defense. This chapter hacks through the normal martial arts mumbo jumbo and cuts to the chase with not only advice on how to physically protect yourself but also how to mentally prepare for a confrontation both mentally and physically. This chapter ends with the reader taking a hard look inside them selves to learn how to use their fears to ones advantage.
How to Vacation and Travel Safely and Come Back Alive is a book that could not have come at a better time given the current conditions both in America and abroad. The book is a great addition to anyone’s library since it covers nearly every conceivable safety related issue both in and out of this country.
