Thieves Love Tourists

I am not the most savvy traveler but over the years I have been marched to the front gate under armed guard in Spain and threatened with a hand gun during a drive by in California.

Last year in Canada I had a high speed street racer pull a knife and slash my tire. Of course I did get pretty far into his face after he nearly ran down a mother pushing a baby stroller through a crosswalk, he blew through at 60 mph in a 30 zone. No doubt the punk deserved the tongue lashing I gave him, still shouting down a drug dealer in a lousy neighbourhood probably wasn't the smartest thing I could have done.

Cons, flim flam artists, pick pockets, slash and grab thieves, the world is full of them. Most of the time they hang out at the local tourists hot spots and wait for you to show up.

So when you go on holidays the question is not are you a target, of course you're a target the question is how do you make the bulls eye on your back so small small they can't hit it?

Travel Documents

Before you head out on the trip of a life time, there are a few things you should do. Photocopy all your credit cards and travel documents including information about health & travel insurance. Leave these copies with a trusted friend who can be easily reached by phone in an emergency. If you are robbed at gun point and left striped naked in the Arizona dessert it will be a big help.

Insurance

If you are purchasing health & travel insurance ask the agent what it doesn't cover. Some health insurance coverage plans have a small clause that says "you are not covered if you have been drinking or are intoxicated".

Come on now you're going on vacation, most people like to cut loose a little, this is an unreasonable limitation on the policy, pass it by and purchase from a different carrier.

Credit Cards

"All you need to travel the world is a credit card and a drip dry shirt."

Visa among other credit card companies offer a special traveler's card. Pre-paid so that your limit is under your control. You can take a couple of them each with a different pin number.

When one is used up switch to the other. If the card is stolen you still have the other one. Even if you are forced at knife point to give them a pin number your loss is limited.

If someone decides to rob me I want them to go away, and no one likes to go away empty handed. If they get too mad they just might like to extract a little retribution from me the hard way. For this reason I always have a little cash on me in local currency, I make sure the bills are in small denomination so the stack looks like it a lot.

Kiss your wallet goodbye.

I keep the cash and a low limit card along with, a couple of phony business cards (with false address) and pictures of someone else's kids in what I call my throw away wallet. This wallet I carry in my front pants pocket. I pull it out to buy coffee, a bite of lunch small stuff while I am on the move. If someone is watching me they will identify this wallet as where I keep my money. Never carry your wallet in a back pocket.

If I get robbed I give the throw away wallet to them without a problem, and the looking scared part comes naturally.

My real wallet with my real money, credit cards and valuable personal items is a hideaway travelers wallet, except my passport. The kind of hideaway wallet I prefer passes through my belt then is tucked down my trousers.

You can buy one that has it's own waist belt which goes under your pants, they also have a wallet that straps to your leg. There are many too chose form. I like mine because if you slip in a wash room it is easy to get at. In the privacy of a stall I can quickly take out what I need and transfer it to my pocket wallet, besides at my age I usually need to use the washroom anyway.

If you are staying in a better hotel, they may offer to lock up your passport in their safe. This is a good idea, when the option is available. In some countries it is the only way a foreigner can book into a good hotel.

My passport is always keep in a water proof zip lock bag in a special zippered inside pocket of my riding jacket. In hot weather I will keep it in a similar pocket of my light riding vest. Point is, unbless it is locked in the hotel safe it is always with me and I never keep it with the other wallets which are the ones the thieves are after.

Weapons

Do not carry weapons. You are just inviting serious injury or death to yourself. This is not a game for amateurs, leave such things alone. By the way it is illegal to transport Pepper Spray across the US/Canada Border. Like I said leave offensive weapons behind. If you are that concerned about your safety then take a basic self defense course, or attend travelers advisory seminar.

A few extra precautions when traveling.

If you wear glasses and need them to drive, take an extra pair, packed so they won't break when you crash. There is nothing worse then waking up in the hospital and you can't see. Well I guess worse would be not waking up but let's not go there.

Carry a small flashlight, and a small first aid kit.

When ever you travel keep your important medicine in two locations. If you accidentally spill your bottle of heart medicine down the bathroom sink you will have to jump through alot of hoops to get enough to get you by before you get home. Remember if you are to cross the US/Canada border you must have the original prescription bottle for all medicines you are transporting.

How To Dress

Seems silly to say it, but the record shows clearly some people need to hear this advice. Leave the Rolex at home. Fancy and expensive jewelry and designer clothing is advertising to thieves. Put on a pair of riding jeans, an old shirt, faded jacket and blend into the nondescript culture of the middle class. Dress even less affluent in poorer countries. Special caution some jackects have an overall military look too them, avoid thesse no matter how beat up they look. Stay away from wearing army surplus. Authorative style clothing can evoke a response you don't want

Cameras

If you going to use anything more than a basic point and shoot camera, you may want to pay special attention to you camera gear. Slash and snatch thieves love to target purses and cameras. You can buy special straps lined with high tensile steel wires, but you still have to learn and practice carrying your gear in such a way as to lesson the thieves opportunity to strike. If you are a serious photographer then it is worth your while. For 99% of us a good point and shoot camera that has a short strap and can be hung comfortably around your neck and tucked into a shirt pockect is ideal.

If the photos are really important and you are on a big trip. Stop in at a photo kiosk and have your pictures printed to a disk. Store the disc or mail it home so that if your camera is stolen you do not loose all of your pictures.

Are You Really At Risk?

All in all personal safety should not be a serious consideration for any riding you do. I will tell you that you can travel worry free in about 90% of all of N. America, 75% of Europe, 85% of Australia and about 95% of New Zealand. Just keep your head up and look around you at the people, and the conditions of where you are, then apply a little common sense mixed with a little careful handling of your valuables and you should get through unscathed emotionally or financially.

Remember just because there are bad people out there it doesn't mean you have to wear a bulls-eye on your back. So take a few simple precautions then get out enjoy the fresh air, and the sunshine of a thousand different places,

Riding Iron.

Crossing Borders

Pulling in under the overhang porch of Canada Customs was a lot like stepping out of the shower. I was out of the rain but I was still soaking wet.

A young customs Officer stepped purposefully towards me. My guess is he was in his mid twenties. Six foot tall, walked with confidence and had a natural athletic build. The kind you get from living an active life style rather than spending hours in front of a mirror pumping iron.

He had an air of authority about him but from the corners of his mouth I detected just a slight smile which said; "Welcome to Canada" and I knew right then this crossing would be a good one.

I can't say every crossing has been smooth. I remember spending 6 hours in quarantine in Detroit, being detained for four hours in Seattle and my bags have been stripped and searched on a few occasions. Looking back over the years I must confess, I have had few problems crossing the 49th parallel.

I would certainly encourage anyone traveling by motorcycle who does not have a criminal record not to hesitate to cross the border in either direction.

The riding opportunities are truly spectacular all the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean.

I wanted to write an easy to read article on what you could expect and do in preparation for crossing the Canada - USA border. I spent a good deal of time on line confident I should be able to quickly get the information I needed for this article, and to provide a couple of links to government websites providing you with a easy and authoritative source of information to refer too.

I was shocked to find the information highway regarding border crossing looks like it is under major construction and all I found was detour after detour. Governments on both sides of the border seem uninterested in making our life easy.

You will find an assortment of private websites offering advice and tips but they seem more interested in attracting you as a tourist then really providing clear easy information on crossing the border. I found one exception, www.necromantic.net/deadparrot/border01.html

Written mostly for American citizens crossing back and forth but well worth reading for Canadians.

Of course if you are patient and diligent you will eventually uncover the information you are looking for but the following guideline I give may save you the trouble. This information is based upon some research and personal experience. That being said please use my comments only as a guideline.

Make sure you double check with the proper government agency any special questions you have regarding crossing the border, including the limits and types of substances you can bring across with you.

Motorcycle.

Make sure you have all documents pertaining to registration and ownership and that all address match up with your drivers licence. Border Officers do not usually ask to see these documents but if they do they must be squeaky clean. They will enter your licence plate into their data bank while you wait at the border.

Custom Officers are always on the look out for stolen vehicles, and bikes people plan to cross border sell. If any flags appear in their data bank they will check further.

If you are driving another persons bike make sure you have a written document signed by the owner stating that you have permission to drive the bike, permission to take it across the border and approval has been granted by the insurance company for you operation of the bike.

Identification.

If you are form the USA you have a few options such as a passport, nexus card or and enhanced drivers licence. If you are Canadian citizen you basically have the same options although availability of the latter two is more difficult in Canada. Truth is this whole thing about Western Hemisphere Transport Documents is somewhat of a mess.

My advice is get a Passport and leave it at that. Make sure you apply several months in advance for your passport because of the hoops you have to go through take awhile.

Transporting Goods

Check for exact details but as a general guideline this should work.

You can have 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 2 Kilos of tobacco. I suggest you make sure you have 1/2 or less of that amount and you will have no problems and trigger no bells in the mind of the officer.

Liquor.
I make it a point not to transport liquor across the border, although generally you are allowed a litre of the stuff for your personal pleasure.

Goods in General
Other goods vary in both type and quantity depending upon the direction you are headed and your citizenship. Here is a good general guideline.

If you are out of the country under 48 hours don't bring anything back. If you are across the border for more than 2 days but less than a week (seven days), don't bring back more than $200 worth of goods. If you are away more than seven days restrict your purchases to less than $400.

To calculate time away do not count the day you entered the country but do include in your count the day you are leaving. For example if you entered on a Wednesday and exited on a Wednesday you would have been away for seven days not eight.

Crossing Strategy

When you get to the border it is all about time. The more of their time you waste the less welcomed you are likely to feel.

If you shopped while you were across the border keep your recites organized and purchases so you can produce them easily upon request.

Keep answers short to the point but friendly and polite. Custom Officials are really strong on polite. A hint of sarcasm may cost you your trip. Crossing the border is a privilege not a right. Border Officers have the absolute authority to prevent you from entering their country.

Would you let a belligerent sarcastic jerk into your home? That's why the Americans call it Homeland Security.

One other really important tip, don't lie. I know it sounds obvious but it isn't. I once had a young officer who was very smooth but he deliberately tried to trap me into lying.

I come from a small town and he started by saying he used to play Junior Hockey and has a good friend who lives in my home town. He mentioned his friends name and the name of his wife and described how everyone knows him because he is the hockey hero of the town. He insisted I must know them. Nope sorry I don't. This went on for well over five minutes.

He was very smooth like a professional actor and it was very tempting to say something like; "Now that you mention it I think I do know them."

Wham Bham that would have been the ruin of that trip.

Food

If you have bought an apple or banana for the road don't show up at the border crossing with it. Absolutely do not have any kind of vegetable with you. In the tourist shops you can often get a package of seeds to take home to your favorite gardener, forget it, no seeds. In fact if you have been riding cross country and have weeds caught up in the undercarriage of your bike you may be required to return to the nearest town and wash your bike before being allowed to cross. No I am not kidding.

Medicine and Drugs.
Despite what you may have heard about Canada, it is illegal to enter with marijuana or any other illicit drug. If you have prescription medicines you must have the original bottle in which the pharmacy dispensed the meds. If you keep one of those weekly pill reminder containers that's fine so long as you have the original container and a couple of pills in the container to prove which pills belong to that container.

My Personal Routine.

I never carry liquor, and I seldom purchase anything when traveling. If I do buy somethings I keep all recites handy stapled to a piece of paper itemized and totaled for quick reference. I place all the the goods in one bag on the top of my saddle bag for quick access.

My theory is the less I have to declare the less likely they are to want to go through my stuff and delay me. On the other hand it is just a theory and doesn't always work.

I carry my passport in a see through zip lock bag in my jacket. I never keep it with my wallet of other papers.

I answer all question with fairly short answers but make sure that even if I am freezing wet, I remain friendly, positive and never complain.

For the past twenty years may strategy has for the vast majority of my crossings resulted in a hassle free trip. For the few times I have been inconvenienced at customs it has been a small price to pay for the many trips I have had across the border Riding Iron.

WHy RIde When You're Old

Motorcycles make up less than 1% of the registered vehicles on the road but they make up about 5% (Canadian statistics) of our fatalities. To really appreciate how dangerous these machines are we must also consider how little we actually ride our bikes during the year.

In many northern states and Canada the riding season is about four months of the year. Remove from this the number days you work (unless you are one of the few who bike to work), days of serious rain, family activities, and other responsibilities that keep you off the road. Even in nice weather the bike is often a poor choice if you have to get groceries or pick your mother in law up at the airport.

We put on very few miles on our bikes compared to more traditional forms of travel. Perhaps that's a good thing if you consider the 2004 insurance statistics which claim you are 34 more times likely to be killed riding a motorcycle than traveling in a car, on a mile per mile comparison (U.S.A. statistics).

Younger people get to drive motorcycles and for the most part society looks away mumbling under their breath youth, and they let it go. Not so for us older riders it is not so easy to escape the wrath of our ever judgmental society.

"You're older you should know better; you're acting like an old fool; you're going through manopause"; stop trying to be a kid again."

I have heard them all and many more. Somehow people think riding a motorcycle is for the young but not the young at heart.

I once read a belligerent post on a blog which said.

"We have to get these old farts off their motorcycles. I am tired of jumping out at traffic lights to help them pick up their bikes."

If you are over 50 and ride you know what I am talking about. If you are over 50 and thinking of buying a bike and starting to ride, you are really in for a tongue lashing from almost everyone you know.

So how do you answer the question, "Why on earth do you ride a motorcycle?"

There are many responses you can chose from.

Bikes are more fuel efficient and leave a smaller carbon footprint on the enviorment.

• Bikes lessen the congestion of traffic and help reduce pollution.
  
• Bikes are fun and invigorating.
  
  I love to laugh death in the face.

I am addicted to speed.

The choice to ride is yours to make. You should consider the feelings and opinions of those close to you but ultimately it is your choice to ride or not to ride. If you ride then you better have an answer to the question; Why on earth do you ride a motorcycle at your age:

I offer no suggestion but I will tell you the way I handle the question.

First I always acknowledge to my inquisitor it is a fair question and I will try to explain as best I can. Deep down inside I know my answer is about as helpful as trying to explain to a six year old what it feels like to really fall in love. None the less I try my best to explain that for me riding is a spiritual experience.

Riding is for me a personal relationship between me and my higher power. Some people immediately respond by telling me; "If I want to find God I should go to church."

I explain; "I tried that and found God wasn't home. I soon discovered that on Sundays he prefers to be out riding with me." If they will listen I go on to explain:

"I understand you like to get into your air conditioned, thermostatically controlled well upholstered car and drive to church to find your God. You enjoy sitting in the comfort and shelter of a nice church with a roof over your head and give thanks and offer your prayers.

I prefer to ride my motorcycle, put my life on the line and spend my time with God on his own terms.

A bike doesn't shelter you from the world and let you peak out through a plastic bubble as the unpleasantness of life passes by.

Driving is something you do, but riding is something you live.
When I ride, I get to play one of God's Greatest games it's called "That's Life".

In this game if it rains you don't get to turn on the windshield wipers instead you get wet. If you are driving past a farmers field when he is mucking out the barn you get to share the experience, no air freshener to hang from the rear view mirror.

When God pours out the sunshine you reveal in the magnificent of it's warmth, you don't roll down the window to adjust the temperature. If you get hot you smile and enjoy it, you don't turn on the air conditioner to make it go away.

When the sun disappears behind a cloud you feel the drop in temperature on the back of your neck, I never have to look at the digital display on my rear view mirror. I never need to turn on the radio for a weather update, because my eyes are constantly watching the horizon.

I understand motorcycles are not the only way a person can live life to the fullest, but I have found they are a good symbol of how people choose to live their everyday life. Perhaps that is why in general I have always found other motorcycle enthusiast are among the nicest, most sincre and fun loving group of people I have ever had the pleasure to hang out with.

Simply put; You can live life, or choose to hide from it, each of us are free to make the choice and a true believer in God respects the choice of others.

For me the choice is easy: I would rather live life and die, then die with never having lived my life.










That's the biggest reason why I love Riding Iron.