I have a friend who is a fellow National Park lover and every year, he and I keep track of all the people who get killed in the parks. We are always struck by how careless people can be, especially around wild animals. I read these tips today in The Week magazine on how to survive a bear encounter and thought it might be helpful to those of you visiting a place with wildlife:

-Be Noisy and Travel in Groups

-Stand Tall and Don’t Run

-Protect Your Face

-Always Carry Bear Spray

As someone with some experience in this subject, my best advice is to be aware of your surroundings, obey all signs and don’t do anything stupid. If something seems dangerous, it probably is. Follow your instincts. When it comes to things like this….you don’t often get a second chance.

Traveling with children, seniors or individuals with health issues requires extra planning. Eyedentity Labels can help alleviate some of the stress by allowing you to display pertinent information on an arm or leg, tattoo style. They are clear stickers with a bright emblem and four lines that you customize with anything you think would be important in an emergency.

$25 for 18 labels Eyedentity Label

The recent airplane crash in New York’s Hudson River was caused by a double bird strike which disabled both of the aircraft’s engines. A bird strike is just that, a bird hitting a plane, and apparently it happens all the time. Considering how often I fly, I can’t believe I had never heard of this phenomenon before last week. According to the FAA there are an average of over 7,000 bird strikes annually and that number is growing. While manufacturers try to create engines that will withstand the impacts, it’s almost impossible when the birds are over 5 pounds as bigger engines would make flying difficult.

The Bird Strike Committee USA is a volunteer organization that meets each year to discuss and explore options to combat the problem. They hope to eventually figure out how to prevent strikes altogether, but for now it remains an issue. Although there is no way to guarantee that an incident like this won’t happen again, most bird strikes do not take a plane down and this is the first report in history of both engines being disabled by wildlife.

Luckily, all of the passengers survived and the U.S. airlines are still working on their third year of flying without a fatality. Perhaps this will serve as a reminder to those of us who fly frequently to pay attention when the safety procedures are read before a flight. Even though we may have heard them many times before, it’s a good idea to have them fresh in our minds in the rare but possible case of an accident. It’s also important to be aware of the nearest exits and the number of rows in front of you and behind you that are in between. Accidents will always happen, but they are much easier to digest and deal with when they have a happy ending.

Bird Strike Committee USA

Road trip season is right around the corner and if you’re planning to take off, don’t forget to pack a first aid kit. I love this IntelligentFirstAid talking kit which contains the usual safety supplies but is enhanced with audio instructions on how to handle common injuries. It will help you keep your head straight in an emergency and is especially good for children who may find the verbal guidance invaluable.

$129.99 IntelligentFirstAid

Source: Outside

Every year we hear stories of plane crashes somewhere in the world and it reminds us that flying involves some risk. The fact is that not all airlines are safe to travel with. Airsafe.com will help you make smart decisions by allowing you to view airline and aircraft accident statistics. It also offers plenty of travel tips and will link you to many government and consumer websites containing important safety information.

Source: Conde Nast Traveler

No matter where your travels take you, you won’t get very far without clean water. When we find ourselves in places where the tap water isn’t safe to drink and bottled water isn’t readily available, the SteriPEN could literally be a lifesaver.

Just hold the SteriPEN into a glass of water and push a button to send purifying ultraviolet rays through the liquid. Forty seconds later, it’s ready to drink!

$99.00 Magellan’s

Source: Sky

Fashion plays a huge role in every culture. For women particularly, how we dress can sometimes affect how we are treated, what sites and buildings we are allowed to enter and even our safety.

Journeywoman, a travel website for women, has a great section on clothing and what worked or didn’t work for fellow female travelers. Just click on the country you are visiting to read experiences other women had with dressing for that area.

Source: Sky

Next time you are planning a trip, head over to tripprep.com where you’ll find the latest health and safety information for over 220 countries. The site requires registration but is completely free and will tell you everything you need to know to travel smart to your selected destination. It also gives you access to a list of medical providers in the area you are visiting.

All lot of people are interested in travel insurance but are unsure of where to start and what their coverage options are. At Insuremytrip.com you can type in your trip information and you’ll be presented with a range of policies to compare from different providers.

You can read my post about travel insurance and when you should considering buying it here.

Source: Travel and Leisure

Vacations are notorious for bringing about minor emergencies. Your shirt pops a button or you get a blister from walking more than usual. You meant to bring more supplies but that box of band-aids took up too much space in your toiletry bag and sewing needles always get lost.

Thanks to the Container Store, you can be ready for the next little crisis with mini first aid and sewing kits. At 2″ x 3 3/8″ inches you won’t even know they are there….unless you need them!

Container Store

Source: Sherman’s Travel