Summer is a typical time for many people to take vacations and spend time exploring new places—often even traveling to different countries and completely foreign lands.
If you’re a seasoned traveler, you’ve probably figured out the amount of research that you’re comfortable with doing before your trip. You know just how much time you like to put into planning, and how much you like to wing it once you’re there, live in the moment, and go with the flow.
A couple of research items that should never be overlooked if you’re traveling to a new place are:
- Read up a little on the culture, so that you don’t make a fool of yourself or offend the locals.
- Read up on the laws, to make sure you don’t accidentally make an illegal move and risk getting arrested.
- Read up on the shots you should be taking, and the dangers of traveling in the country.
When you’re reading up on the dangers, you would be wise to consider the probability of the different natural disasters that could occur in the region where you’re planning to travel. If you’re traveling anywhere along the Pacific Ring of Fire, you may want to consider how to be earthquake prepared while you travel.
Here are a few tips on how to prepare, when traveling to an earthquake-prone region:
- Register with your country’s embassy in the destination to which you’re traveling.
- Carry local emergency and embassy phone numbers with you.
- Wherever you are, know where the safe places to drop, cover, and hold on, will be. Away from windows, mirrors and bookcases, and out of doorways.
- If you’re driving, pull over, as far away as possible from tall structures, bridges, overpasses, and power lines. Stay inside until the shaking stops and even afterward, be careful.
- If you find yourself trapped after an earthquake, cover your mouth with a shirt and try to make noise without wasting your breath or the air.
- Alert friends and family back home, after you’ve survived an earthquake.
- Check your country’s foreign offices website to find out how best to proceed (or better yet, research these processes before the event of an earthquake). Find medical help if you need it.
- Bring a first aid kit with you while you travel.
During an earthquake, wherever you are, most of the safety practices are the same. So try not to panic during an earthquake, especially if you’ve already prepared. Go with what you’ve practiced.
-Content created by Sophie Wooding – Writer, gardener, cyclist and emergency preparedness enthusiast!