For many years I was a road warrior, traveling on business across Canada and in parts of the USA.
It was fun at the time, but never easy and I’m glad I don’t do much of it now. One interesting thing about being in a different city every night is that I would wake up in the morning and for a second or two, I forgot that I wasn’t at home, or even what town I was in.
I’ve talked to other business travellers about that, and some of them have had the same experience. Other than getting lost for hours in strange cities while driving at night, or missing flights or losing my luggage a few times, I’ve been very lucky in my travels.
Now that travel season is here, I will share some of my tips for being safe while on the road.
Before you leave: First, for any trip, ask yourself what are the worst things that could happen? This would be to not have any money (even on a short trip you need money to fill you gas tank to get home) and not having your identification (which is required to get you onto a plane to return home). So have back-ups for both of these things. If you travel with a companion, exchange photocopies of your government ID and I assume that you each have your own money. I usually travelled alone so I paid $15 to buy a provincial government liquor ID. I used that when flying, instead of my driver’s license, and I kept both cards on me, but in separate places. I also kept credit cards separate as well, not all in a single wallet. If you have both of these things, you really don’t need anything else to travel.
Car trips: Having a reliable car for long trips is also important. When I travel, I always make sure the basic things are in good shape. These include tire pressure and tire wear, oil is changed, brakes are okay, fluids are topped up, and the battery is good. Any one of these things can put you on the side of the road. I also carry a full-size spare tire, since even though it adds more weight than the donut spare, it would allow me to drive long distances at highway speed.
Airports: Get there early, really early. Before March 2020, I would allow at least two hours to get to the airport for trips within Canada. Even then, sometimes I would barely make the flight, if there was a holiday charter flight that morning with an extra 100 people in front of me at security.
I haven’t travelled recently, but a recent story about travel from Toronto said that the security line up was hours long, and Pearson airport is one with large security processing capabilities, so add another hour just in case. Take less luggage than you think you’ll need, especially if your trip involves connecting flights. If you are going for three or four days, you may get by with only a carry-on bag and you will avoid worrying about the inconvenience of lost luggage. Also, never put your car keys in your luggage. Don’t ask me why I mention that; we all do dumb things occasionally.
Car rentals: If your trip involves flying, book your car rental before you leave. It may seem obvious, but even in larger cities; there may be few rental cars available nearby. Be aware of where your rental car pickup place is located. If it is not located at the airport, you may have to allow an extra hour, both coming in and going out, to deal with the rental car.
I had this experience in Vancouver and it just adds an additional hour to a long trip. Having a rental pickup that is in the airport will be a lot easier for you.
Navigating: Except for Newfoundland, I always seemed to land at strange cities in the middle of the night. Years ago, I would bring a map of the city or region and a flashlight. Later, I bought a GPS device which made life much easier, except for once in Edmonton when the thing stopped working on a highway, at night, in the middle of who knows where. Luckily, I found an exit ramp with a gas station that actually still sold road maps and I carry a small flashlight, so I was back in business.
One other problem with GPS is that it often sends you on the ‘scenic route’ to get to where you want to be. When I found this out, I started doing some route planning, especially in large cities like Vancouver or Chicago. My method was, on the night before the drive, I would use Google maps on my laptop to sketch a basic map of a few main streets of my route on paper. Then, when I drove the route using GPS, as long as I saw those streets displayed on the screen, I knew that the voice on the GPS was accurate. You only need to do this if you are driving in a large unfamiliar city, especially at night. It will save you having to drive for half an hour in the wrong direction to turn around, sometimes in a sketchy part of town. Doing a bit of pre-planning of your route helps keep you safe.
Hotels: There are a lot of nice new ones going up these days or older ones getting refurbished. They have some new safety features, such as elevators that require you to use your room key card to operate them. A female friend reminded me that travelling alone has different risks for her, than for me.
These are a few safety suggestions that apply to anyone. First, pick a room on some floor above the ground floor, unless you have a mobility issue and there is no elevator. That way you can leave the window open at night, if you wish, without having to close the blinds. Park your car close to the main entrance, where people come and go at all hours. I’ve only had my car broken into once, and it was at a nice chain-motel in a small town, but it was parked at the side of the building.
Use the deadbolt in your room. I once had a person enter my room when the front desk clerk coded the other guy’s key card to my room by mistake. After that I always locked the door after entering. If you hear a loud argument in the hallway, I don’t recommend going out to investigate; just call the front desk if you think it is getting out of hand. Let’s just say that when you’re on the road long enough, you are bound to have a few interesting experiences.
Finally, carry a small flashlight, because when the fire alarm goes off, there’s a good chance that the emergency lights in the stairwells do not work. I also know that one from experience.
I still enjoy travelling. Even getting lost adds to the adventure; just remember to bring a flashlight and don’t put your car keys in your luggage.
James Golemiec is a Canadian Registered Safety Professional with over eleven years’ experience coordinating and managing complex safety systems at manufacturing facilities and performing inspections on project job sites across Canada.