Group travels offer many perks that aren’t possible when traveling alone: you’d be able to take advantage of package deals, traveling becomes relatively cheaper as you’re able to share the expenses, especially if you’re looking to get a van for rent while in Manila, and it’s simply way more fun to share places and experiences with other people. But perhaps one of the biggest advantages is the safety in numbers; knowing that everyone is responsible for each other’s safety. However, despite that, there still are a lot of possible risks and hazards when traveling as a group. So, whether you’re traveling with friends, co-workers, or close relatives, it’s important to take note of these group travel safety tips:
Make Use of Your Numbers
There’s no safety in numbers if those numbers don’t look out for each other. That said, as childish as it sounds, it’s best to have a buddy or party system. There will be times when groups end up scattering to visit different points of interest during the travel. But it’s important that no one should ever go around alone, and should always travel with a partner or a party, and that everyone should be instructed to contact the group leader or party if someone’s missing.
Communication
In connection with the previous point, it’s just as important that everyone has access to communication between everyone in the group. So everyone should have each other’s contact number, or share a group messaging thread to update each other of every individual’s location and status. Subsequently, this also means that everyone should always have a charged phone and a power bank, as well as a physical copy of everyone’s contact numbers in their wallet just in case their phone dies so they can borrow someone else’s phone or contact the group through a payphone.
Emergency Contact and Details
In case of any accidents, everyone should have a card containing their basic information including blood type, as well as contact persons to call. Likewise, group members should also be aware of the local contact number for police or hospitals in the area they’re visiting.
Common Sense When Driving
Booking a van for rent for your Manila trip is a convenient way to ensure the comfort and safety of the group, and also to avoid having to carry heavy luggage when using public transportation — which also exposes it to risk of theft. However, it’s still important to take note of the most basic vehicle safety rules such as following traffic rules, avoid distractions when driving, wearing seatbelts, and not drinking while driving (or driving while intoxicated).
Local Culture
If you and your friends are unfamiliar with the culture of the place you’re visiting, you’re bound to make enemies quickly — which can result to snide remarks and bad looks, or something more extreme as physical assault and brawls depending on the people your group’s cultural insensitivity manages to insult. That said, even before you leave for your getaway, everyone must be briefed with local customs and culture, and also to be wary of dress codes in certain places of worship or cultural significance.
Conclusion
Traveling as a group can indeed be a lot safer than when traveling on your own, but there still are risks you’ll need to watch out for, and these safety tips can greatly help you out in avoiding these aforementioned risks.
