Travel Security Tips: The Subway / Metro / Underground / Tube System

Since I recently traveled to the UK for training, let us examine the Metro / Subway / Underground / Tube system and its potential dangers:

1) Don’t fall or get pushed on the tracks: Logically speaking, the more people around you, the higher your chances of coming face to face with an Emotionally Disturbed Individual, an Intoxicated Person, or just plain Evil in the guise of a normal human. So, stay far from the tracks, and be aware of people’s hands and behaviors

2) Beware of pickpockets: Goes without saying, keep valuables in your pants’ front pockets and don’t fumble when you pull stuff out. Tip: Have everything prearranged to avoid dropping, losing, or being picked clean. Frozen fingers don’t help, so make sure to read my earlier posts the ABCDEFs of EDC and about positioning your cash inside your pockets

3) Ignore (But keep your peripheral vision on) beggars and people soliciting money: They are trying to save the good people of Schmuckistan from the evil puppy-sacrificing fiends of the Kingdom of Bumfukery. They could be college students in gender studies who need a buck or a quid or an euro to sleep off the streets. Shield yourself with a placid expression but remember: Hands kill and behaviors convey intent

4) Be wary of any impediment to or correlation to your movement: People who prevent you from getting to your destination are often up to no good. Or they could be lost in the underground like I was many times so always be kind but as the old saying goes, “Be polite, be courteous, but be ready to kill anyone you meet”

5) Don’t linger in fringe areas: Like alleys, parking lots, and staircases, subways are places where large numbers of people go through. Those transitional areas put you in contact with potential threats. Therefore, minimizing your time in the underground maze will reduce exposure to unknown contacts (and the Minotaur :P)

A map and a dual-purpose tool. Both invaluable as an EDC.

6) Keep a physical map on your person: Cellphone batteries drain quickly and die at the worst moments. Internet connection underground sucks. Those 2 factors alone mean that apps like citymapper or googlemaps may not be available when you need them. In comes the plain old physical map, foldable and unobstrusive. Just make sure you know where you are and where you want to go

7) Always have a lifeline: Keep bags tied to your body using straps, paracord, etc. This gives you a tactile indicator if someone is trying to steal your belongings

Wrap the cord around your arm so you have an early warning system if someone tries to steal your bag

8) DO NOT SLEEP WHILE IN TRANSIT! Remember that you are in a Code Yellow zone, not home in bed.

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