Cathy shared that from her chats with travel agents and meeting planners (in this case, Tracy Weldon with Goldman, Michelle Donson, and Laura Krueger with Kleinfeld Hotel Blocks who book weddings and do corporate events) there appears to be some good news: "It seems travel is back, and people are anxious to get out."
Before traveling, you ought to take into account all of the pandemic travel and healthy advice. However, Cathy shared with Bored Panda a whole host of additional tips and tricks to make your life easier and safer whether you're traveling for business or for pleasure. One of Cathy's pieces of advice (and we can't stress enough how important this is!) is looking up known scams so that you're prepared for potential problems. Forewarned is forearmed after all.
Cathy also suggests looking up travel advisories ahead of time, reading hotel reviews, and bringing your own portable lock because some hotel doors might not be secure, depending on the country you're traveling to.
According to the safety and security expert, we should also "plan transportation ahead of time (some countries have limited taxis), have copies of your passport and leave a copy with someone back home should yours get lost, [and] communicate your travel itinerary with someone back home."
What's more, Cathy warned people to "dress the part." For example, if you know that you'll be traveling to a high-theft area, you shouldn't be walking around with expensive jewelry on or swinging designer handbags. "Minimize how often you take our expensive electronics like your camera or smartphone. One way I do that is by mapping out locations in advance and downloading the map to my phone as well as getting a rubber watch, so I don't have to take out my phone as often. You can also change the straps on your cameras to something that doesn't show off the brand name," she told Bored Panda.
Something else that you should avoid doing is traveling with all the contents of your wallet. You really shouldn't be putting all of your eggs in one basket in case it goes the way of the dodo. "Only bring what's necessary and split up your cash so if your wallet is pickpocketed or lost, you don't lose everything. Also keep inventory of what's in your wallet so if anything gets lost, you know who to call to stop credit cards, etc."
Finally, Cathy advised us to be prepared with a handful of go-to lies in case you come across some nosey people who ask personal questions, like where you're staying, if it's your first time visiting, if you're traveling alone, and others. "These questions may seem innocent but sometimes they're not, so be prepared with go-to answers. The large hotel chain with hundreds of locations is a response if someone asks where you're staying and don't admit to traveling alone. Of course, you can always say no, but a lie is a good alternative when you're not sure if it's just friendly banter."
Earlier, my colleague had a chat with Cathy about other safety habits and her as a content creator. She shared how she takes the topic of safety very seriously and, for example, took a 4-month-long first aid course when she realized that she didn’t know how to react in most emergency situations. That’s how dedicated Cathy is.
“I was taught about safety from an early age, probably not much different from what most parents teach their kids but I always had an interest in being prepared,” the video creator shared with Bored Panda during an earlier interview.
“I thought I was being a good citizen, learning good habits, but my awareness changed when I started working as a host on national television. Suddenly I was exposed to risks, threats, and some extreme stalking cases, which opened my eyes to a new world of safety and security,” she opened up about just how necessary it was to educate the public about safety and security.
“When TikTok saw how overly prepared I was, they dubbed me the Mom Friend of the Group, and that helped me realize I had a lot to share,” Cathy said that she took the nickname and embraced it fully, even calling her website by that name. In her videos, she touches upon all aspects of security, ranging from physical all the way to how to stay safe online in the digital age.
I also recently spoke about hotel security with Allie Lovegood, a TikToker who aims to protect women and victims of abuse. One of the things that Allie told me is that we should always be aware of our surroundings. “Paying attention to other people’s behavior and mannerisms has allowed me to stay safe and leave quickly if I feel something is off.”
