Traveling After September 11 -- What Can We Do Differently?
Will the travel industry--both business and personal--ever be the same again? Cruise ships have one of the best safety records in the travel industry. However, given the terrorism that struck the world on September 11, 2001, we must recognize that all of the rules have changed. The thousands killed did nothing other than go to work or get on an airplane or subway to travel for work or for vacation. This includes the hundreds of rescuers who died doing their jobs. No one deserved the horror of September 11. What's even scarier is that I'm not sure that any of the victims could have done anything different to protect themselves.
The idea of air travel is a little terrifying right now for all of us. However, I travel for my day job, and I was on a plane on September 17--six days after the tragedy. Pundits always say you need to "get back on the horse" after a fall. I welcome the increased airport security, and will plan for longer lines and luggage searches without complaint. I cannot forget what happened, but I am going to try to not let it disrupt my job or my life. The definition of normality may have changed for all of us on September 11, but life goes on. I hope that this tragedy does not have a long-term effect on the travel industry. We can't "stick our heads in the sand" and ignore what has happened, but we can stay alert and still protect as much of our past lifestyle as possible.
The President, other federal government leaders, the governor of New York and the mayor of New York are all sending out the same message. They tell us that the best way to help is to live our lives as normally as possible. Many of us do not have special expertise in recovery, espionage, translation, or military strategy, but we want to help. We can help by doing what we can to help the economy rebound.
There were over 4000 planes in the air when the 4 were hijacked. Air travel still is one of the safest modes of transportation available to us. A cruise passenger is more likely to be a victim of a mugging or a pickpocket than of a terrorist. There's not much individuals can do to protect ourselves from terrorists other than trust our leaders to deal with them in due time. That's why I'm "getting back on that horse" and doing my job. I'm also anxious to start planning my next cruise vacation.
However, there are steps you can take to lower your risk of being a crime statistic when you travel. Here are some of them in 2 articles from last year. I've also posted a link below to a compendium of graphics prepared by some of the talented guides in the About Travel Channel. If you have a Web site, you are welcome to copy one of the graphics to your site. Let's all do what our leaders have asked us--work together to get the travel industry back to normal.
Hope to see you onboard a cruise ship soon!
Better Your Chances for a Safe Cruise Vacation
Don't Become a Cruise Crime Statistic
Cruises Poll - How Do the Events of September 11 Affect Your Travel Plans?
