TRAVERSE CITY -- Travel plans may be down this year, but they're not entirely out for the many Americans who will journey abroad for business or pleasure.
But before taking a step off U.S. soil, Americans should make sure they're savvy about what steps to take to stay safe in what's fast becoming a more dangerous world for U.S. citizens.
Ed Lee, of Traverse City, shared both his experiences and his expertise in his recent book, "Staying Safe Abroad: Traveling, Working and Living in a Post-9/11 World."
Former government agent Lee worked as a regional security officer for the U.S. State Department's law enforcement arm, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
During the course of his 30-year career, Lee was attached to U.S. embassies working as security adviser to U.S. ambassadors, and handled any kind of problem that involved law enforcement, terrorism or security issues.
Lee also worked at the Foreign Service Institute, where for 10 years he taught diplomats how to stay safe. He advised them on issues such as terrorism, as well as crime, principally kidnappings, carjackings and just about any calamity that can happen to anyone while traveling abroad.
Now retired from government service, Lee founded Sleeping Bear Risk Solutions in Traverse City. He provides security solutions and regularly speaks before audiences at home and abroad.
"People don't pay attention to contemporary history," Lee said. "I think Americans, in a lot of ways, are somewhat narrow-minded in terms of the world. We're probably the most monolingual country in the world. We're not particularly sophisticated when it comes to understanding cultures and history relating to those cultures. In a lot of ways you can look at the Iraq war as an example of that.
"I think our visibility and our power probably contribute to the risk that Americans and American interests face abroad."
Lee's book focuses on two issues for travelers: crime and terrorism, and the motivations for each.
"The motivation for terrorism is political change through violent means," Lee said. "Most crime affecting Americans traveling abroad is commercial, although, the book points out, there have been a number of cases where being American puts you at greater risk because of our foreign policy, because there's always someone who disagrees with what America represents," he said.
Lee advises travelers to lose the "ugly American" persona.
"It's never a good idea," Lee said.
He suggests U.S. citizens blend into the woodwork a little so as not to look or sound too American. "If you're from the U.S. and looking to talk to someone back home, just sit down, close your eyes and listen and usually the loudest voices are Americans," he said.
Lee recommends travelers be diligent, not to the point of being paranoid, but to have some basic ideas to follow to reduce risk. He suggests Americans leave the logo wear at home, choose a room away from their hotel lobby and never argue with or resist an armed criminal in a foreign country.
"Nothing material is worth your life," Lee said.
The book also covers passports and visas, safely getting from the airport to the destination and the day-to-day threats and risks travelers face abroad. He also outlines special topics for those living, working or studying abroad long-term.
One of his biggest concerns is that Americans are becoming complacent.
"One of the issues is that it's been seven years since 9/11 and there have been no major incidents on American soil. That doesn't mean that there haven't been Americans killed in acts of terrorism abroad. There have been, but for some reason we make a huge differentiation, between something happening here and something happening someplace else." Lee said.
He said incidents such as the simultaneous car bomb attacks in August 1998 on U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where 12 U.S. citizens and hundreds of Kenyan and Tanzanian citizens were killed, are rarely recalled.
"But if you knew some of these people, as I did, it has an effect. If you didn't know anyone involved, it removes you from the emotions that much more," he said.
One of the scariest things about terrorists is that they can shift tactics quicker than governments can, Lee said. That's why terrorism is so effective, he said. The notion that you're going to prevent every act of terrorism is fiction, the reality is that terrorism does kill people. All you can do is reduce the probabilities.
"Life is different, but I would never discourage someone from going abroad and having the experience," he said.
Lee's book is available at Borders and at Horizon bookstores in Traverse City and through Lee's Web site, www.sbrisksolutions.com.
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