Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 3, 1994 TAG: 9404010225
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: F-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SCOTT McCAFFREY NORTHERN VIRGINIA SUN
DATELINE: FALLS CHURCH (AP) LENGTH: Medium
"Staying safe and healthy when traveling abroad boils down to knowing the culture and the environment," Lee said.
Lee served as associate director of security at the State Department before going into private business. He is president of the Falls Church-based Lee Group, which provides security seminars and other training for business executives traveling overseas.
Lee recently finished updating a revised edition of "A Personal Safety Guide for International Travelers," which first was published in 1987.
The 48-page publication explains why travelers are victimized abroad and offers tips for every part of the journey, from planning to clearing customs on the way home.
"The world is shrinking by the minute - every year, a higher percentage of American businesses are doing business abroad," Lee said. "A lot of companies, though, don't have a real clear picture of how different it is in other parts of the world."
While international terrorism - bombings and kidnappings, for example - have declined since the 1970s, other types of criminal activity have skyrocketed, Lee said.
"The level of crime overseas is higher than it's ever been," he said. "The recession we have faced here has rippled abroad."
Sometimes, cultural differences can cause major problems for unsuspecting Americans, he said.
"In one case, a businesswoman arriving in an Islamic country was detained for several hours, intimidated and lectured to by authorities for having an upscale woman's magazine in her briefcase, which included photos of women in lingerie," Lee said. "With proper guidance, this unpleasant experience could easily have been avoided."
What constitutes a crime also varies widely from one country to another. In the United States, an individual who presents a credit card that is over its limit will have the transaction voided and the card returned. In Greece, presenting an over-the-limit credit card can be the basis for an arrest, Lee said.
"One man recently spent a week in jail because of it," he said.
Other times, the perceived wealth of foreign visitors makes them targets for thieves.
"Innocently wearing an expensive watch, necklace or ring can significantly increase one's risk," Lee said. "Recently in Sao Paulo (Brazil), two business visitors in a taxi stopped at a traffic light were stunned when a man approached the taxi apparently selling newspapers, but then suddenly broke the car window and removed a Rolex watch from the wrist of one of the travelers."
Unfamiliar airports also can be a source of problems for travelers, Lee said.
"Carry-on bags tend to be over-packed and travelers often put them down while browsing at a newsstand, making them vulnerable to theft," he said. Some travelers even ask strangers to watch their luggage while in the restroom, forgetting that `helpful' travelers could also be criminals."
Lee received undergraduate and graduate degrees from American University, and has been accredited as a certified protection professional by the American Society for Industrial Security. After working for the State Department and Agency for International Development for two decades, he formed his own company in 1986.
While many travelers wouldn't think of flashing a wad of bills in a crowded American street, Lee said many are nearly as reckless when they exchange money at airports and banks abroad.
"A lot of traveling Americans will go up to a cashier's cage and pull out $1,000 worth of travelers checks, not realizing that the people around them could be thieves," he said. "An American couple in El Salvador recently exchanged money, and robbers then forced their cab off the road and robbed them at gunpoint."
\ HAPPY TRAILS\ THE LEE GROUP EMPHASIZES FOUR GENERAL PRINCIPLES TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE\ LIKELIHOOD OF A TRAVELER BECOMING A CRIME VICTIM:
\ Awareness A security risk always exists, even in a familiar locale.
\ Low profile Travelers should not draw attention to themselves by ostentatious dress, display of wealth, loud talking or mannerisms that might attract the interest of either criminals or political radicals.
\ Unpredictability The traveler should realize that criminals and political extremists are successful in achieving their objectives whenever the traveler can be predicted to be in a particular place at a particular time.
\ Adherence to the "buddy system." Few travelers become victims when they are in the company of others.
by CNB