Jet Lag

independenttraveler.com

A comprehensive guide to jet lag, prevention tips and jet lag remedies.

Jet lag is a physical reaction to a rapid change in time zones. It affects most travelers, including seasoned fliers like flight attendants and pilots. Common symptoms include disorientation, irritability, fatigue, swollen limbs and eyes, headaches, cold-like symptoms, and irregular bowels.

It doesn't help that long-haul flying is so debilitating. Dehydration, unfamiliar foods, cramped spaces, recycled air, lack of sleep, uncomfortable clothes, continual low-level noise and connections that disrupt sleep all add to the misery of jet lag, and can even make you feel jet lagged when you're just a little beat up.

Flying from, say, New York City to Santiago won't produce jet lag in the true sense because both cities are in the same time zone -- but the effects of the long flight might feel quite a bit like classic jet lag. In these cases, you're just tired from the flight, and a good night's sleep and perhaps some exercise will set things right.

On long flights -- especially red-eye flights -- you can lose several hours of sleep time, which can set you back considerably even without the jarring time change. If you live by a regular schedule (up at 7 a.m., in bed by 10 p.m. every night), watch out. Jet lag hits those with rigid body clocks the hardest. For parents, be sure to bring along books and toys your child can play with on his or her own, in case the jet lag hits you differently than it does your little ones.

A general rule of thumb to keep in mind before any long trip is the 1:1 ratio: allow yourself one day to recover for every hour of time difference that you experience. So for Californians visiting the Big Apple, give yourself at least three days to fully adjust to the new time zone.


Before You Go

Treat your body well before you fly. Exercise, sleep well, stay hydrated and stay sober. The worst thing you can do is get on a long-haul flight with a hangover.

Some travelers like to exercise before they go to the airport. (This can actually help you sleep better on the plane.) Once you're at the airport, avoid the escalators and moving sidewalks. Instead, walk and take the stairs on the way to your check-in area and gate connections. You can even get a workout in at some airports; see Pump Up Your Layover for tips.

Adjust your habits before you leave. If you are traveling from the East to the West Coast of the U.S., you're facing a three-hour time change and you should try to adjust your internal clock. Three or four days before you leave, start to stay up a little later than usual, and sleep in a little longer. That way, if you become accustomed to falling asleep at 1 a.m. and waking up at 9 a.m. on the East Coast, it will be the same as falling asleep at 10 p.m. and waking up at 6 a.m. on the West Coast. Traveling west to east, do the opposite: get up and go to bed earlier.

Wearing two watches, one set to the current time, and one to the time at your destination, can help you prepare yourself mentally for the coming time change. Many business travelers also use this tactic to stay in touch with what's happening back at the office.


During the Flight

Perhaps the most effective way to combat jet lag while in flight is to treat your body well. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated fluids. Don't be afraid to ask your flight attendant for extra water.

Get up out of your seat at regular intervals to walk and stretch. You can also do exercises like toe raises, isometric exercises, stomach crunches and shoulder shrugs right in your seat. This keeps your blood flowing and prevents it from pooling at your extremities, a common phenomenon in pressurized cabins.

Other tips: Get up to wash your face, brush your teeth or just stand for several minutes. Wear loose-fitting clothing that breathes. Bring a neck pillow, eye mask, ear plugs or noise-canceling headphones -- these can be invaluable on red-eye flights. Also, avoid any snug footwear (high heels or wingtips); it is quite possible that your feet will swell in transit, making your post-flight trek to baggage claim a nightmare.

Medications and Vitamins

Melatonin is a chemical in the body that helps regulate sleep cycles. It can be taken in pill form, and many travelers swear by it for fighting jet lag. However, as popular as melatonin is, it's also controversial. Studies have indicated that incorrect melatonin usage can make you feel even more fatigued, so be sure to read all instructions and consult your physician before taking the product.

One widely available homeopathic remedy is the aptly named No-Jet-Lag. The company claims the chewable tablets address all jet lag symptoms, and offers testimonials from flight attendants and other frequent fliers. A bag of dried cherries is another natural remedy that some travelers use, as these are a good source of melatonin.

Some travelers use sleeping pills, antihistamines and motion sickness pills to induce sleep on planes and at hotels after arrival. While they work for some, others are left feeling miserably groggy. For more information, see Medications for Travel, and consult your doctor before taking any medication.

If all else fails, try an alternate therapy. Light therapy has become a popular treatment for jet lag. At its heart, jet lag means you're out of step with the rising and setting of the sun, so exposing yourself to light at the appropriate time can theoretically help you align your body with your new time zone. Unfortunately, the jury's still out on the effectiveness of this. The debate centers on precisely what kind of light is best -- natural, artificial, bright or dim. Some researchers and enthusiasts recommend simply spending 15 to 20 minutes in direct sunlight without sunglasses as soon as possible after landing.


Dietary Tactics

The so-called "jet lag diet," an alternation of feasting and fasting for three days leading up to a long-haul flight, was very popular a few years back. The military tested the diet and concluded, basically, that it is bunk. Nonetheless, Ronald and Nancy Reagan used it during their White House days, and some travelers still do. If you'd like to try it out for yourself, check out the diet regimen.

Restrict your diet to foods that are easily digested, like those that are relatively high in fiber but not too rich. If you're trying to stay awake in order to get your body in step with the local time zone, caffeine can be useful -- but don't go overboard. While it might seem tempting to guzzle several cups of coffee when your eyelids begin to droop, you could end up wide awake at 1 a.m. Be sure to implement all dietary changes in moderation.

There's an App for That

Several smartphone apps have been developed to help travelers fight jet lag. Enter your flight details into JetLag Genie or Jet Lag App, and they'll create a suggested schedule of when to sleep, eat and/or take melatonin to prepare for the time change. Both apps are currently only available for iPhones.

Avoiding the Airplane Cold

independenttraveler.com

Many travelers would swear that they get sick after every trip or vacation. They wonder if it was the food, the water, the pina coladas -- or, like me, the airplane ride. While I don't think you can count out the pina coladas (or that burrito you bought on the street), it turns out you could be right about airplanes.

Airline carriers are also formidable carriers of the common cold. A recent study says that colds may be more than 100 times more likely to be transmitted on a plane than during normal daily life on the ground, according to the Journal of Environmental Health Research.

Why this is the case isn't perfectly clear, but the publishers of the study investigate a panoply of possible causes, including close quarters, shared air and, as I will explain, the most likely culprit: extremely low cabin humidity.

On to the Numbers

The study found that "When the scenarios of 6 days, 24 hours or 5 hours were taken as the relevant flight exposure times to colds, passenger transmission rates for colds of 5, 23 and 113 times the normal daily ground level transmission rate were obtained." (Ominously, transmission rates for tuberculosis were also found to be dramatically increased as well.)

Thus, the common perception that flying causes colds seems to be based in fact -- maybe even 113 times over.

The Culprit: Low Cabin Humidity

The study runs through several potential sources of higher transmission, but settles primarily on a single likely cause: extremely low cabin humidity caused by low humidity at high elevations. (A review of the study reveals the conclusion that aircraft that actively recirculated air actually showed slightly lower transmission rates than those that did not.)

Most commercial airlines fly in an elevation range of 30,000 to 35,000 feet, where humidity typically runs at 10 percent or lower. At very low levels of humidity, the "natural defense system" of mucus in our noses and throats dries up and is crippled, creating a much more tolerant environment for germs to infect us.

This protective system, called the Mucociliary Clearance System, is your first line of defense against harmful germs and bacteria. To wit, if the common cold is pounced on by a sufficiently moist and percolating proboscis and throttled by your throat, you remain uninfected. Shut down those systems, and you'll be suffering within days.

Tips to Avoid the Airline Carrier Cold

1. Stay hydrated. It turns out that drinking plenty of water will not only counter the overall dehydrating effects of air travel, which can lead to headaches, stomach problems, cramps, fatigue and more, but can actually fortify your preemptive natural immune mechanisms to function considerably better. Of course, this is the case in normal daily life -- when exercising, during prolonged sun exposure, etc. Even caffeine and alcohol consumption can dry you out. However, in an airplane, where your nose and throat are on the front lines of the war with exceedingly dry air, these are the first places to suffer.

Sipping water or some other fluid regularly throughout the flight may be more effective than drinking a lot of water at one time before or during the flight; this will keep your protective system from long dry spells. (And we do mean to single out water here -- as noted above, alcohol and caffeinated drinks such as coffee or sodas can actually dehydrate you.)

Nasal mists have been found to be very effective in keeping this system working in your nose. Additionally, hot drinks are a good way to keep your protective mucous membranes working -- first, to assist in keeping you generally hydrated; second, by triggering the system into gear; and third, by directly providing moisture in the form of steam. Note that this is not a treatment per se. Rather, it just keeps your defenses strong and functioning.

2. Keep your hands clean. Your hands are the most consistent point of first contact with cold, flu and other germs. It is a direct line from armrest/ handshake/seat back to fingers to fork to mouth to full-blown fever a few days later. Scientists report that the viruses that cause colds and flu can survive for hours on your skin or on objects such as armrests, TV remote control handsets, tray tables and other similar surfaces. However, the simple act of washing your hands with hot water and soap is a formidable rampart against this transfer of harmful microorganisms.

Hand washing is not just for restaurant workers and travelers; health professionals and researchers working to combat communicable diseases in many developing countries are waging a fierce campaign to encourage residents to adopt this simple practice into their daily routines. If possible, wash your hands before any in-flight meals, and after your flight as well.

Of course, airplane cabins are tight places; getting out of your seat to wash up before and after every snack time can be almost impossible, as the flight attendants command the aisles, your seatmates are trying to eat, tray tables are down cabin-wide, and no one involved really wants to have folks getting up and down and roaming around the cabin. (Even on the ground, the water in many locations can carry water-borne bacteria that may not agree with all Western constitutions.) In these cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends alcohol-based products made specifically for washing hands.

3. Don't forget the dental hygiene. Just as keeping your hands clean can prevent transmission of germs, using a germ-killing mouthwash in-flight may add another layer of protection while simultaneously helping to keep your throat moist. Just make sure your mouthwash bottle is three ounces or smaller to comply with the latest carry-on rules for liquids and gels.


4. Take your vitamins. The rapid response effect of vitamins is unproven, but many travelers swear by them. Charles Westover, a retired VP of fleet management for a major shipping company, starts taking vitamins two days before flying. "I have no idea if it helps at all, but of the hundreds or thousands of flights I have taken, I rarely get colds," he said. "I just take a standard multivitamin, and it has never let me down." The NIH concurs, sort of, offering that no conclusive data has shown that large doses of vitamin C will prevent colds, although it may reduce the severity or duration of symptoms.

5. Wear a face mask. The NIH cites airborne germs as one of the top two sources of cold virus infection; some travelers have taken to wearing masks either to prevent infection, or when they themselves are already infected. Personally, I would not last more than a half-hour or so behind a hot mask, but this may be an effective prevention tactic nonetheless.

As the proverb goes, an ounce of prevention may be worth a pound of cure -- or perhaps 113 cures.

ATMs Abroad

independenttraveler.com

Whether you need euros, shekels, pesos or pounds, making a withdrawal from an ATM is generally the easiest and cheapest way to get cash abroad. The biggest advantage of exchanging money with your ATM card is that all cash withdrawals, regardless of size, are exchanged based on the wholesale exchange rate, which is usually reserved only for very large interbank exchanges.

This rate is often significantly better than what you can get from exchanging money at a local exchange counter. In addition, local banks or money change bureaus will add on transaction fees, which can easily eat up another 2 percent of your money.

That's not to say there aren't any fees associated with international ATM withdrawals -- see below -- but if you need cash, you will still almost always get the best exchange rate at the lowest possible cost by using your ATM card.

Finding an ATM

 

If your ATM card is linked to the PLUS, Cirrus or Maestro networks, you have the option of using it to obtain cash virtually anywhere in the U.S. and in hundreds of countries worldwide. Each network has more than a million ATMs. The PLUS network is associated with Visa, so your Visa card will usually work at those ATMs. Likewise, the Cirrus and Maestro networks are associated with MasterCard, and so ATMs marked with these logos usually accept MasterCard for cash advances.

Before you leave home with just your ATM card, however, make sure that the Cirrus, Maestro or PLUS networks are readily available where you're going. While these networks are increasingly common overseas, they are still only available at a limited number of banks in selected countries. Each network has an online ATM locator:
MasterCard/Cirrus/Maestro ATM Locator
Visa/PLUS ATM Locator

Check the back of your card to see which networks your card is linked to. If your card is not a part of either Cirrus or PLUS, you may find it difficult to find ATMs to use abroad. Contact your bank for assistance.

Using Your Card Abroad

 

If you want to use your ATM card overseas, keep in mind that many ATMs abroad, particularly in Europe, do not accept PINs longer than four digits. If your PIN is longer, contact your bank to have it changed. Also, if your PIN is based on letters rather than numbers, translate the letters into numbers before leaving the country. Many ATMs only have numbers on the keypad. One more thing to keep in mind: Most ATMs abroad will only let you access the primary account on your ATM card.

Sudden changes in your account activity, such as frequent withdrawals in a foreign country using your ATM card, can sometimes trigger a fraud alert and cause your bank to freeze your account. To prevent being stranded overseas without a functioning ATM card, be sure to call your bank before you leave to let them know where and when you will be traveling. During the same phone call, ask for a number that you can call from overseas in case your card is lost or stolen -- often the 800 number listed on the back of your card will only work in the U.S. or Canada. Be sure to keep this number in a separate place from your card.

It's important to have a back-up plan in case your card is lost, stolen or eaten by an ATM machine; this could be in the form of a second ATM card (either your own or a travel companion's), cash, credit cards or traveler's checks.

Which Fees to Expect

 

At the very least you will probably be charged the same transaction fee, if any, that your bank charges you when using another bank's ATM. However, many banks charge higher fees for international ATM withdrawals -- either a flat rate (typically $1 - $6) or a set percentage of your total withdrawal (usually 1 - 3 percent). Check with your bank before each trip abroad, as these fees can change often and without warning. To add insult to injury, you may also be charged a fee by the owner of the foreign ATM.

Because these small fees can add up quickly, you will probably want to withdraw larger amounts than you might normally do at home -- so be sure you have a safe, well-concealed place to keep your cash. When deciding how much to withdraw, try to choose an uneven amount (180 euros rather than 200, for instance) so you don't wind up with huge bills that you'll have trouble breaking.

Tips for Using Public Wi-Fi Networks

consumer.ftc.gov

Wi-Fi hotspots in coffee shops, libraries, airports, hotels, universities, and other public places are convenient, but often they’re not secure. If you connect to a Wi-Fi network, and send information through websites or mobile apps, it might be accessed by someone else.
To protect your information when using wireless hotspots, send information only to sites that are fully encrypted, and avoid using mobile apps that require personal or financial information.

How Encryption Works

Encryption is the key to keeping your personal information secure online. Encryption scrambles the information you send over the internet into a code so it’s not accessible to others. When you’re using wireless networks, it’s best to send personal information only if it’s encrypted — either by an encrypted website or a secure Wi-Fi network. An encrypted website protects only the information you send to and from that site. A secure wireless network encrypts all the information you send using that network.

How to Tell If a Website is Encrypted

If you send email, share digital photos and videos, use social networks, or bank online, you’re sending personal information over the internet. The information you share is stored on a server — a powerful computer that collects and delivers content. Many websites, like banking sites, use encryption to protect your information as it travels from your computer to their server.

To determine if a website is encrypted, look for https at the start of the web address (the “s” is for secure). Some websites use encryption only on the sign-in page, but if any part of your session isn’t encrypted, your entire account could be vulnerable. Look for https on every page you visit, not just when you sign in.

What About Mobile Apps?

Unlike websites, mobile apps don’t have a visible indicator like https. Researchers have found that many mobile apps don’t encrypt information properly, so it’s a bad idea to use certain types of mobile apps on unsecured Wi-Fi. If you plan to use a mobile app to conduct sensitive transactions — like filing your taxes, shopping with a credit card, or accessing your bank account ­— use a secure wireless network or your phone’s data network (often referred to as 3G or 4G).

If you must use an unsecured wireless network for transactions, use the company’s mobile website — where you can check for the https at the start of the web address — rather than the company’s mobile app.

Don’t Assume a Wi-Fi Hotspot is Secure

Most Wi-Fi hotspots don’t encrypt the information you send over the internet and aren’t secure. In fact, if a network doesn’t require a WPA or WPA2 password, it’s probably not secure.

If you use an unsecured network to log in to an unencrypted site — or a site that uses encryption only on the sign-in page — other users on the network can see what you see and what you send. They could hijack your session and log in as you. New hacking tools — available for free online — make this easy, even for users with limited technical know-how. Your personal information, private documents, contacts, family photos, and even your login credentials could be up for grabs.

An imposter could use your account to impersonate you and scam people in your contact lists. In addition, a hacker could test your username and password to try to gain access to other websites – including sites that store your financial information.

Protect Your Information When Using Public Wi-Fi

Here’s how you can protect your information when using Wi-Fi:

• When using a hotspot, log in or send personal information only to websites you know are fully encrypted. To be secure, your entire visit to each site should be encrypted – from the time you log in to the site until you log out. If you think you’re logged in to an encrypted site but find yourself on an unencrypted page, log out right away.
• Don’t stay permanently signed in to accounts. When you’ve finished using an account, log out.
• Do not use the same password on different websites. It could give someone who gains access to one of your accounts access to many of your accounts.
• Many web browsers alert users who try to visit fraudulent websites or download malicious programs. Pay attention to these warnings, and keep your browser and security software up-to-date.
• Consider changing the settings on your mobile device so it doesn’t automatically connect to nearby Wi-Fi. That way, you have more control over when and how your device uses public Wi-Fi.
• If you regularly access online accounts through Wi-Fi hotspots, use a virtual private network (VPN). VPNs encrypt traffic between your computer and the internet, even on unsecured networks. You can get a personal VPN account from a VPN service provider. In addition, some organizations create VPNs to provide secure, remote access for their employees. What’s more, VPN options are available for mobile devices; they can encrypt information you send through mobile apps.
• Some Wi-Fi networks use encryption: WEP and WPA are common, but they might not protect you against all hacking programs. WPA2 is the strongest.
• Installing browser add-ons or plug-ins can help. For example, Force-TLS and HTTPS-Everywhere are free Firefox add-ons that force the browser to use encryption on popular websites that usually aren't encrypted. They don’t protect you on all websites — look for https in the URL to know a site is secure.
• Take steps to secure your home wireless network.

Alaska Airlines Cancels One Flight to Mazatlán

The airline sent a written notification that the Tuesday Los Angeles-Mazatlán flight is cancelled.

by Maureen Dietrich
10 Jan 15
mazmessenger.com


Alaska Airlines, which has been flying from Los Angeles, California to Mazatlán six times a week, notified the Atamsa secretary general that the airline is cancelling one of those flights.

Jesús Román Aguayo Hernández of Atamsa explained to media that the airline sent a written notification that the Tuesday Los Angeles-Mazatlán flight is cancelled. The airline will continue to fly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The notification surprised him, said Aguayo Hernández, since the six day schedule was programmed until March 7.

The Alaska flight leaves Los Angeles at 1:45pm for Mazatlán. The Mazatlán-Los Angeles flight departs the city at 2:40pm.

The secretary general said he hopes the cancellation is temporary and will not affect those planning on visiting Mazatlán. At the moment flights are almost full and on the weekends often over-booked, he commented.

Although he was not advised of the reason for the cancellation, Aguayo Hernández did point out that Delta Airlines also flies from Los Angeles to Mazatlán.

(from Noroeste)

11 Ways to Prevent Identity Theft While Traveling

independenttraveler.com

Tips for avoiding scams and theft while traveling are a staple of the travel writing genre; pretty much every guidebook or travel Web site dedicates some space to the subject. Certainly we have our own capacious resources, most of which can be found at the following links:


But in the 21st century, you are as much at risk of having your identity stolen -- or more accurately your financial and digital identity -- as you are of getting "mugged," which almost sounds quaint these days (though I do not intend in any way to underplay the misery and danger of actually getting mugged).

Identity theft is a growing problem worldwide -- especially for travelers, who are very vulnerable, forced as they are to use unsecured Internet connections, carry extensive personal documentation with them at all times, and share their credit cards with merchants about whom they know nothing and whom they'll never see again.

Modern technology hasn't made it any easier for honest folks to avoid identity theft, either; witness the practice of Web sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, which often keep you logged in to the site, even after you close your browser or turn off your computer. Someone getting unfettered access to your closest friends on Facebook could definitely shake out some very "helpful" information before you knew it.

As time and technology advance, this problem is only going to affect more travelers. Here are 11 tips to avoid identity theft while traveling, right now.

1. "Unpack" Critical Documents Before Travel

If you carry some essential documents with you when you are not traveling -- the average wallet or purse might include a Social Security card, bank statements, medical documents, checkbook and the like -- remove them before you leave home. Essentially, when it comes to documentation, you want to "unpack" before traveling.

This can also be done further once you're on the road. If you're going to a location that is known for pickpocketing, or is going to be packed with people, or at which you will be distracted (big concerts, crowded squares, nightclubs, etc.), you can pare down the contents of your wallet even further before venturing out from your hotel room. You can put these in your hotel safe (but use caution), behind the hotel's front desk or in a money belt concealed on your person.

2. Guard Your Documents

This is one of the tips you will encounter in most travel safety articles, so I won't go into it at length here -- but suffice to say that if you leave any sensitive documents lying around in your hotel room while you are out, you are a lot more likely to experience identity theft than if you have them in a money belt, document protector, even an RFID-blocking wallet.


3. Be Very Careful About Shared and Insecure Internet Connections

This is one thing that I have found very difficult to do – when traveling, it is hard to find connections other than public ones at hotels, cafes, airports, you name it. To see the warning "this connection is unsecured and others may see your information" is almost a staple of the travel experience. The risk applies to anything you type into your keyboard while connected, such as e-mail passwords and Web site logins.

The best approach in this case is to be very careful when using these connections; logging into your bank account, work e-mail or other sensitive account should be avoided if at all possible. If you have no alternative, choose what you type over these open connections very carefully.

If you're traveling with your own laptop and using free Wi-Fi, it is important to make sure your connections are secure. Some Web sites let you log in over open networks; always try to use HTTPS://www.website.com instead of HTTP://www.website.com (the S stands for "secure" and indicates that the data is encrypted for more protection). You can also get a plug-in for your browser like HTTPS Everywhere, which will try this automatically. Another solution might be the USB-based product SurfEasy, which will help encrypt your data when you're using a public connection from your own computer.

If you want more security when using someone else's machine, such as at an Internet cafe, hotel lobby computer or other public terminal, you can try a service like Authentic8. Authentic8 runs the browser in a sandbox in the cloud, where all connections and data are kept secure. The service gives you a display on the local computer, and prevents things like key loggers from accessing your passwords.


4. Delete All Cookies and Browsing History on Public Terminals

If you find you must use a public computer, the last thing you should do is delete all cookies and browsing history before you log off. Many computers can cache quite a bit of significant information, and some Web sites are even set up to keep you logged in when you close the browser unless you specifically log off (such as Facebook and LinkedIn). Many public terminals will delete this type of data automatically, but doing it yourself offers much better peace of mind.

5. Use a Dedicated Travel E-mail Address

When I see messages arrive from overseas via work e-mail accounts, I shake my head every time. If someone gets access to your work e-mail account, the amount of damage they could do to your livelihood is inestimable. Certainly there are times when you need to log in to your work account, but you will want to use caution in the extreme at those times.

My suggestion in this case is to use a personal e-mail address when possible while traveling, one at which you store no sensitive information and at which a fake log-in won't be cataclysmic, and communicate from that e-mail address exclusively. On occasion you will see addresses like johndoetravelemail@gmail.com; this travel-exclusive e-mail approach can work very well.

6. Use Only Bank ATM's

A recent trend among identity thieves has been to install card readers in an ATM by which they can access your card number and PIN. This happens most often at non-bank, "generic" ATM's (in hotels, convenience stores, etc.), which have less oversight and are therefore more vulnerable than bank-run and hosted ATM's. Stick with the ones at banks; these can still be compromised, but tend to be targeted by thieves much less often.

7. Check Your Credit Card Statements on Occasion

At times when you are confident in the security of your connection -- perhaps in a friend's home, or when connecting using a smartphone app over a regular cell 3G or 4G connection (which tend to be more secure than public Wi-Fi) -- check your credit card statement for suspicious activity.

Identity thieves like picking travelers as victims, as they rely to some extent on the delay in being found out that is inherent to travel; most travelers don't check bank and credit card information until well after they have returned home, giving thieves a solid head start. As a rule, the sooner you can shut down an identity thief, the better, so consider checking in now and then to make sure things look normal.

8. Keep Your Cell Phone Secure

We think a lot about how vulnerable our computers are, but cell phones are potentially even more so: you have them on you at all times, they're almost always turned on and logged in, they typically have apps on them that give access to personal information, and folks leave them lying around quite a bit. If there is anything you might lose or have stolen, it is a small, compact smartphone. Some things you can do to protect yourself:

- Set a password on the phone so someone who finds or steals it can't use it.

- Before traveling, consider deleting any especially sensitive apps, such as banking apps, social networks, etc. There are easy to reinstall when you get home.

- Specifically log out of all apps before going out and about. As above with some Web sites, many apps keep you logged in by default (Facebook, Twitter, Angry Birds, you name it).

- Remain wary of suspicious e-mails and Web sites. Studies indicate folks are much more likely to click on malware links on their cell phone than on their computer.

- All of the foregoing cautions about public Wi-Fi spots go for your cell phone as well.


9. Protect Your Children Too

A recent development in identity theft crimes is the use of a child's name and identity to open bank accounts and credit cards, apply for government benefits, and more. In most cases, criminals use a child's Social Security number to get started.

When traveling, document requirements vary widely for children -- sometimes you need ID, sometimes you don't, sometimes you can fudge it either way -- but many parents travel with some form of identification just in case. Often, these are very sensitive documents like birth certificates and Social Security cards.

My advice is to get a passport for your child, and travel with that instead of any other forms of identification. Then protect your child's passport in the same way you would your own.


If anyone requests your child's Social Security number for any reason, ask if they can accept another form of ID, or simply refuse to surrender the number. If you suspect your child's identity may have been compromised, in most cases a credit check is the quickest way to find out; your child should have no substantive credit rating whatsoever. For more on the topic, see the FTC's information on Child Identity Theft.

10. Change Passwords and PIN's

You may want to change your passwords after a trip; identity thieves are thought to be very patient criminals, and often wait until you are less likely to pay attention after a few weeks at home. If you really like your password or PIN, one approach might be to change them right before you leave, use a new password while traveling and then change them back to your preferred passwords when you get home.


11. Follow Up After Your Trip

When you get home, check bank activity, credit card activity and even medical insurance claim activity to see if there is anything you do not recognize. These are often the first places you'll see indications of identity theft. Some thieves will purposely use your information in situations where the paper and digital trail will only appear slowly -- establishments that submit charges and claims manually (or at least not in real time) -- so it is a good idea to check again after a couple of weeks to make sure nothing has shown up in the meantime.

Better Money, Competition for Female Boxers in Mexico

Sandra Larriva - Al Jazeera
go to original
January 9, 2015

As women’s boxing in the US takes a plunge, female pugilists often look outside their home base for opportunities. Several female boxing champions are taking their chances south of the border in Mexico.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A male American boxing champion will seldom put his belt on the line in his opponent’s backyard - Floyd Mayweather Jr, the world’s highest paid athlete, has not fought a single professional bout abroad.

But women’s boxing in the US is a different story. It tells a tale of female pugilists often looking outside their home base for better opportunities.

New York resident Alicia "Slick" Ashley lost her WBC Super Bantamweight belt in a very close match in Mexico City last September. Her challenger, Tijuana native Jackie "Aztec Princess" Nava, was Mexico’s best.

Ashley, 47, is one of several female boxing champions taking their chances south of the border, a telling indication that Mexico is embracing the sport in a way that its northern neighbor hasn’t in years. Experts go as far as wondering whether US women’s boxing will see better days or die a slow death.

Dual Benefits

Hailing from Jamaica, Ashley knew fighting the country’s darling in front of 8,500 raucous fans would be challenging. But the prize was worth it. In May, she earned $3,000 for a non-title match in New York. For her September 6th face-off against Nava, she pocketed ten times that amount, as well as the chance to compete against a world-class opponent.

Ashley and Nava co-headlined a card with Mexico’s top male boxers. Both bouts aired on one of Mexico’s premier television networks and took place in a 22,000-seat arena. The other large TV station in Mexico broadcast another boxing card headlined by women that same night.

In the US, women’s bouts are seldom televised or held in venues of comparable size. The Madison Square Garden, for example, last featured a women’s bout in 2009.

"Women’s boxing in the US is dying," former boxer Laura Serrano, who helped legalize the sport in Mexico City in 1998 and now lives in Las Vegas said.

Lack of Opportunity

In the past, women’s boxing in the US found "incredible support", so much so that Serrano herself headed north in search of better opportunities.

Lack of skills is not the issue. Ashley says US promoters tend to set up lopsided matches to preserve their fighters’ record, a common practice in the sport.

"In Mexico it’s like a ‘you wanna fight? I’m ready to fight’ kind of attitude," she added.

There are also increasingly less opportunities to fight for a belt in the US.

A November 8th bout between heavyweights Martha Salazar and Tanzee Daniel in California was the first WBC world female title fight in two years. In the same period, Mexico has hosted 14, while Argentina has held six.

With the win, Salazar is the only US female world champion in the sport’s four main sanctioning bodies.

Perhaps a sign of things to come, California native Ava Knight, who has fought eight out of 10 title fights in Mexico, defeated Mexico's Guadalupe Martinez for the WBC title on November 13th in Washington D.C. Both matches give the US a much-needed chance to regain some ground in the international women’s boxing scene.

Lack of TV Exposure

In the mid-to-late 90s, female professional boxing was booming. In 1996, overnight sensation Christy Martin fought on a Mike Tyson pay-per-view undercard. A few years later, Muhammad Ali’s daughter Laila was earning $15,000 for her early contests.

But all of that success revolved around a few "it girls", according to Malissa Smith, author of A History of Women’s Boxing, and those opportunities eventually died out.

In 2012, experts wondered whether female boxing’s historic debut in the London Games would breathe life back into the sport. It didn’t.

By the time women’s amateur boxing gained international recognition, professional female boxers were no longer on TV, said Smith.

Female boxers often blame the "old school" mentality that has ruled the big promotion companies for decades. They hope that as new blood enters the business, women will once again be brought to the forefront.

As women’s boxing takes a plunge, its main competitor, Mixed Martial Arts, is stealing the show in the US and abroad. The UFC’s first event in Mexico on November 15, 2014, was sold out in eight hours, becoming the "fastest sell-out" in the history of the venue.

Fighting MMA

It remains to be seen whether women’s boxing will catch up with MMA or forever live in the shadow of its younger, safer competitor. New Mexico native Holly Holm and Filipino American Ana Julaton, to name a few, made the switch to MMA last year.

To date, no fighter has died from a UFC fight. In women’s boxing, deaths are rare, but not impossible. The sport claimed its latest victim on October 25, 2014.

Most cab drivers in Mexico are able to name their favorite female boxer in a heartbeat while girls as young as five fill the local gyms after school. After all, boxing is the country’s second most popular sport after soccer.

Boxing in Mexico is still a male-dominated sport. At the highest levels, earnings of over $100,000 per bout have been reported. However, most female fighters struggle like their US counterparts. And the elephant in the room remains: Even the highest purse ever received by a woman pales in comparison with the multi-million dollar payouts to the men.

Despite the odds, Mexico remains a hotbed for women’s boxing. And as long as the sport continues to nosedive in the US, its southern neighbor will remain the best - and nearest - bet for top-level boxers like Ashley.

Original Story