<p>Camymandriver,
Op here, your tips as well as that of others are excellent and I will pass them along to our son. I read an article yesterday that suggested anyone traveling abroad should keep a small flashlight with them-useful for lots of things and data showed that people in Mumbai who paid attention to unusual noises and got out of the building, had alternate means of lighting when electricity went out did well. </p>
<p>I do agree that our kids are just as or more likely to have something happen to them 5 miles from our homes as they are in Europe. I will give al Quaeda and any terrorist organization credit for creating this level of mental anxiety for worrying moms like myself.</p>
<p>I am interested to know if any of the parents here with kids away this semester know of contact by their kid’s schools with the students themselves. We know several schools who sent out emails on Monday with the attached State Department alert as well as some specific information about procedures to follow in the event of an emergency. I have to say I am disappointed that our son’s school has been silent on this situation-I guess I expect the same level of communication and coordination for students as they expect of students.</p>
<p>I have two in the UK this month and though far from London, they happen to be scheduled there for two weekends. I am not worried, I am not worried, I am not worried, I will just keep repeating that to myself for the month Actually, I am not any more worried than usual, but a glad to know the dates they will be there so I know specifically when to worry more.</p>
<p>My son was in Spain last semester, and despite his best efforts he never did “blend in.” He’s got light hair, is 6 ft tall and 200 lbs. He didn’t wear sneakers or a baseball hat, and he even bought himself a scarf (!) but the store clerks still addressed him in English before he would say a word. His study abroad center was in an anonymous office building with no sign outside to indicate what it was, but it was 1/2 block from a major commercial & tourist center/plaza. He traveled all over Europe and had an amazing experience, but I have to admit I’m glad he’s back now. There’s something less frightening about dangers you are familiar with than those you’ve never really dealt with. I’ll also say I’m glad my kids go to college in smallish cities - they’re not likely to be targeted. OTOH my nephew is at NYU. Not sure if that makes him any safer than all the students in London, probably not.</p>
<p>I will say - the stories about pickpockets in Barcelona are true. Son was pickpocketed TWICE. Once at an ATM, once coming out of a bar. Barcelona is an AMAZING city - if the London students are considering traveling it’s definitely worth visiting - but do be careful with your wallet/purse!</p>
<p>
That’s basic common sense that very few American college students abroad seem to heed.</p>
<p>Georgiatwins…yes, my D in London received an email from her school in the US, on Monday. It included the text of the Travel Alert, and it reminded students of the necessary precautions to take when studying abroad as outlined in the Study Abroad Handbook they all received. The precautions were repeated in the email.
It also stated why the alert was issued, and that students in Europe should not panic about the release, but instead be cognizant of the current situation.
It also gave a link of how to register with the US Embassy in the host country, if students had not already done so.</p>
<p>anxiousmom…thanks…turns out the D flying into NYC from Abu Dhabi landed a couple minutes after I posted that. I just don’t like when these fights won’t show up on flight trackers which was the case last night. It was a whirlwind trip…she was just on the ground there for three nights and two full days! </p>
<p>Truly, I don’t worry too much about any of these terror alerts or that I have a kid living in Europe for the year (who has been there many times). </p>
<p>Still, I know the risk to any one person is so miniscule and would not let it rule my life. And risk is everywhere even without terrorism. I also have a kid who lives in NYC. </p>
<p>But moms are allowed to be anxious as it kinds goes with the territory!</p>
<p>I agree about the flashlight as well. I packed 2 mini flash lights for my daughter one for by her bed in her dorm and one to carry in her pocketbook. </p>
<p>I’ve also taught both of my kids to carry emergency money, either in a separate part of their bag or somewhere in an ipod case. That way if for what ever reason they lose their wallet they have another source of cash.</p>
<p>This probably won’t apply to most, but my daughter carries two passports and except when she is in the US, I tell her to use her UK passport. I wish she had some non-descript second passport from say Belgium or Denmark but I figure given the two, in times of trouble in Europe I’d rather her be indentified as British then American (perhaps foolishly so but you never know)</p>
<p>Also, when staying in youth hostels I would advise kids to put all your important documents/money inside your sleeping bag at your feet.</p>
<p>One other thing for students abroad in London-stay far away from any demonstrations of any kind, including Greenpeace, PETA, etc. These may look like a fun, exciting way to be part of the atmosphere but trust me, as someone who was in London during some of these demostrations in the late 90’s they can turn really bad very fast and you can easily find yourself trapped in a mob with no where to go. </p>
<p>Oh-one biggie I forgot…be very careful going into pubs wearing football (soccer) regalia of any kind. It’s definitely not the same as wearing a Yankees cap into your local bar here in the US. Walk into the wrong pub and you are certainly asking for trouble…same goes for going to the matches themselves. Don’t take sides particularly if you don’t know what side you should be on!</p>
<p>Another huge hint I would tell any american student abroad-Find the Aussies and the Kiwis. They are intrepid travellers, seem to know the ropes, have a huge network of fellow countrymen travelling throughout Europe and beyond, and seem to know how to keep out of trouble, have fun, and do it cheaply.</p>
<p>My daughter also has a copy of all her documents, passports (she also has 2), credit cards (front and back), ATM card, IDs, DL etc in a safe hidden place just in case she loses her wallet or is pickpocketed.
At the least write down the collect phone#s from the backs of the cards, passport # etc, for easy fast access in case one would need to call the card companies or embassy in a hurry.
I’ve always traveled this way in fact…luckily I’ve never had a problem.</p>
<p>Both of my kids are in the US at the moment, but both have been to Europe with school groups. Although our entire family was born and raised in the US, I have told them never to volunteer that there are Americans. If anyone in authority asks, of course, they should answer truthfully and show their passport if asked. But if another tourist or an employee in a shop, museum etc asks, I told them to say they are Canadian. I hate having to suggest they lie when we are proud to be American but as Americans we are targets.</p>
<p>Things are just normal in the UK. Terror alerts happen quite often, and 99.9% of the time turn out to be nothing (I have lost count of the number of times I been evacuated from stations! None of these have ever been a real bomb). Just be viglient. Hopefully, the the Times Square bomber, someone will notice something.</p>
<p>I think your chances of being a victim of an attack are very low inside a tourist attraction where your bags will be searched on entry. The problem is outside. They cannot search everyone on the street. Think back to the Atlanta Olympic bombing. That was carried out in a public area. No bombs got into the Olympics. It wasn’t a secuirty failure.</p>
<p>It true that most police officers in the UK do not carry guns, but the ones on terror alert certainly do (have a look at those standing outside paliament. huge rifles). This is hugely controversial. After the 2005 tube bombings (note this also involved a bus. Avoiding the tube does not negate all risk), an innocent Brazilian was shot when he ran from police and this has been going through the courts for years (he was in the UK illegally, which is no doubt why he ran).</p>
<p>On the whole your chances on being involved in a terrorist attack are still very small. I very much doubt a terrorist will stop and make sure you’re American before pressing the detonator though! You really shouldn’t worry about pretending to be Canadian. Most terrorists seem to believe in equal opportinities (several muslims were killed by the muslim terrorists of 2005) and are unlikley to have a no Canadians policy.</p>
<p>Reading my post above again, I want to add that I didn’t mean to be flippant. It was unintentional if my post came out like that. It’s ottally natural to worry and your fears are not completely unfounded. But of course curtailing your life due to fear is exactly what terrorists want. I just meant to re-assure you that life in the UK goes on as normal.</p>
<p>Yeah, when I’ve been in London, I’ve generally found the people with bullet-proof vests and huge guns hanging around Heathrow and other high security areas to be far more disconcerting than the actual possibility of a terrorist attack.</p>
<p>Btw, I was in London in 2005 when the bombings happened and IIRC the theory was the guy on the bus was originally meant to take the Northern Line and have his bomb go off around the same time as the others. There tend to be so many fewer people on the buses that it’s not really an efficient target.</p>
<p>^^^^Cupcake, I know I didn’t find your response to be flippant. </p>
<p>I’ve spoken to my daughter and she assures me that while she is very cautious (about everything from being alert, not being out late at night alone, not abusing alcohol-particularly while out and about and in the presence of those who would not necessarily have her well being in mind, etc.) she doesn’t want to be fearful. That’s all I could really ask of her.</p>
<p>As a mother, I’d be worried about something. If it wasn’t terrorism, it would be something else. But like my daughter, I’m determined not to let worry be my primary thought process while she’s there.</p>
<p>My DD is in London also for the year in grad school. Does it concern me? Sure. But anything can happen anyplace and any time and always when we least expect it. The alternative is staying at home in our house and never going out. If we change our ways of life, the bad guys win. We should all be cautious everywhere.
The tube is the best way to get everywhere all the time. Police are in there but those tubes are past standing room only after 5- more like a sausage stuffed with people. I always wonder how our parents dealt with our generation that went abroad without cell phones or computers and rare were the phone calls during that time. If I don’t hear from her every couple days in some way, I worry, and then I have to tell myself I’m sure she’s fine (ok, I repeat it 100 times and then usually find some reason to text her…)</p>
<p>4kids- yeah, it’s tough to be the parent of a grown up abroad. I guess I facebook stalk my DD, I don’t post, but I watch and see that she posts and then I smile.</p>
<p>I used to Skype-stalk my son. I’d just leave my Skype turned on all the time, with my laptop on the kitchen table. I knew S very rarely took his laptop with him when he traveled around Europe, so on Sunday nights when I’d hear the little noise that he had popped up online on Skype, I knew he was home safely from his travels. (Even during the week, I’d know when he was in his dorm room). ;)</p>
<p>S1 is in Quito, Ecuador, doing his study abroad. The little domestic dustup last week was a tad close–he called while the gunfight was going on within earshot. It does test one’s forbearance.</p>
Actually, I am not any more worried than usual, but a glad to know the dates they will be there so I know specifically when to worry more.</p>