Let's talk more about safety. There are so many aspects to this issue. In my earlier response to Explorer's question about staying safe when you're traveling alone, I talked about my "big three-" three key ways to reduce your vulnerability: Blend in, do your sightseeing before dark, and do what your intuition tells you. These are "big picture" tools for cutting your risk of being caught in bad places or bad situations.

It's so easy to let your guard down when you're on vacation. You're free, away from the stresses of everyday life, you've waited long and worked hard for your trip. But the carefree feeling can translate to carelessness. I've found it helpful to verbally remind myself several times a day, "Lori, keep your guard up." I check in with myself and see if I've done or am considering doing anything that could place me in some sort of jeopardy.

Meeting and interacting with people when I travel is one of the richest aspects of the experience, but I include people in my "keep the guard up" umbrella by reminding myself that trust is earned. I don't have to give trust away or blindly trust anyone. It's so easy when you're traveling to fall into conversations and be swayed by people you meet. You want to be friendly and a good ambassador of your country and citizen of the planet. I've learned to be polite, but unless and until a person earns my trust, I don't have to take a relationship or even a conversation any farther. Sometimes travelers, wishing not to appear rude, allow themselves to be drawn in by people because they think they will appear impolite if they walk away. For women alone, this can be disastrous. Just walk away. If you hurt someone's feelings, they'll get over it.

Once you've got the "guard up, vulnerability down" shtick all set in your head, you turn to the "small picture" steps that you can take to stay safe. I'll suggest a few here, and I'll offer more and also talk about safe traveling with kids or grandkids in separate posts.

Some easy, common sense tips: Wear flat shoes that you can walk fast -- or even run -- in. When you're on the street alone, walk purposefully. Look at maps in private, so you don't stand out as a woman who has no idea where she's headed. When planning my day's sightseeing, I take out my map in my hotel room and write the route and street names to the places I want to visit on a piece of paper. I use this to guide me when I'm on the street. Through the day, I consult my map in "safe" places like ladies rooms', museums, shops, but I try to keep it tucked away when I'm out alone on the street.

Let's talk about pickpockets, the tourist's primary nemesis, beating out even gastrointestinal unpleasantness. Immodium can take care of that, but there's no quick pill for loss of money and documents. Dianne raised the point about child pickpockets in Europe. Pickpockets are everywhere. What can you do? First, remember the "big picture" mantras -- guard up, trust no one -- in other words, approach the street with an attitude that says "I could be robbed by anyone out here at any time." I know this sounds callous, but protecting yourself starts in your head, with your mental attitude. If you go soft, you're an easy target. A target who could become a victim. Be as tough in your mind as the forces out there that would do you harm. Be alert and on guard always. You are not being rude. You're being smart.

Pickpockets often work in teams. One person distracts you while the other robs you. And these teams can come wrapped in packages that might lead you to "trust" them -- teams of children, teams comprised of a woman with children. If someone stops you and asks a question, asks for directions, offers to sell you something, to show you something, to take you on a tour -- your antennae should go up. Someone else may be cutting the strap of your money belt (more on this in a moment), cutting your purse strap, reaching into your pockets. Develop eyes in the back of your head. If someone approaches you, look behind you and to the sides. If another person is near, don't stop.

Avoid crowds. If there's a mime decked out in white grease paint performing in the courtyard of the Louvre, and scores of people are bunched around watching him, don't join the crowd. Crowded spaces and gatherings are fertile ground for thieves. When my mother and I were in Quito, Ecuador, we were victimized in front of a church. There was a religious celebration going on, and we joined the crowd. I felt someone pushing us, and I looked behind me to see a young boy cutting the strap of my mother's fanny pack. I screamed at him, and he ran away without it. When we got through the crowd, shaken, I saw that my backpack had been slashed. Thankfully, all I lost was my Swiss Army knife.

About money belts, fanny packs, purses and backpacks. Wear anything you can't afford to lose under your clothing. If you carry a purse, don't have your money, credit cards or passport in it. You can afford to lose your cellphone, sunglasses, camera, even your wallet in which you've put a small amount of cash to get you through the day. But the bulk of your money and documents should be in a flat money belt worn around the waist under your clothing and tucked into your waistband (I even pin the strap to my jeans so I'll feel it if it comes loose or is cut), or in a hanging money belt that goes around your neck and hangs under your shirt. Visible carriers like fanny packs, purses and backpacks can be entered, sliced or stolen easily. Keep your critical valuables under your clothes. Magellan's ( www.magellans.com ) carries a huge array of travel gear and clothing, and you can find good money belts there.

The only pockets safe enough for valuables are the front pockets of your pants, and even this is a risky hiding place. Men should never carry their wallets in their back pockets as they're used to doing at home. Men's wallets should be up front. Wrap several rubber bands around the wallet to make it more difficult to remove and to create noticeable friction if the wallet is moved.

Before you leave home, make a photocopy of the front page of your passport and get two passport photos taken. Bring these on the trip and keep them separate from your critical documents. If you needed a visa to enter the country you're in, make a photocopy of that, as well. If your passport is stolen, having these photos and copies will expedite the issuance of a new passport. A woman without a passport is a woman without a country.

Another gargantuan post. Let me pick this up again later. Please share any tips of your own.