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Expert Q&A

	By Diana Jones Safety Expert

How can I ensure the safety of my children when traveling abroad?

Traveling with children and being out in busy environments pose many safety concerns for parents. Airports in particular are frightening because of the understood ease by which a child could be whisked away to anywhere. Therefore, safety rules that apply to travel need to be much more stringent than those used for everyday. Both children and adults have safety responsibilities when traveling, and although under ""normal"" circumstances older children may be extended more leeway than younger ones, this is not necessarily the case when traveling.

All of us lead busy lives and while vacations should be a time of rest and relaxation often getting to our destination is anything but a leisurely process. A family should view themselves as a military unit when in an airport. They should travel everywhere with their ""unit,÷ and there should always be someone in charge -- in this case, the someone in charge must be a parent. Children should never be lest unattended. If someone wants to go to the newsstand, everyone should go. If there are two parents traveling -- one can go. Bathrooms also should be supervised if at all possible. Young children (up until 7) of either sex can go with a mother into a ladies room. If one parent is traveling alone with children the same rules apply. For example during check-in time, children should stand with the parent on line or be parked directly within view and close by.

When you reach your destination (hotel, condo, resort) find out about the lay on the land. Where things are, how to identify personnel, security, etc. Make sure to devise effective safety plans based on how things work where you are. Older children who may get annoyed at being over-supervised should be told to ""relax"" that rules might become less stringent after you all become more familiar with your surroundings (but they may not).

If your destination is a country that speaks a different language, find out how to ask for help and the police in that language, and find out how to identify a policeman in that country. Be hesitant to leave your child with baby-sitting as the language barrier and its inherent communication problems could cause many problems as you screen for a baby-sitter and as you and your child communicates with the sitter.

In both cases, no matter how frazzling or confusing travel may go, never leave your child in the care of a stranger while you try to resolve whatever may have come up."

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