Travel Safety Tips
When unaware of safety protocols, tourists can inadvertently place themselves and others in danger or cause damage to property and the environment. By familiarizing yourself with our travel safety tips, you can avoid unnecessary risks to your health and wellbeing while on your tour.
Advantour offers both classic sightseeing tours and active tours involving hiking, horseback riding, desert excursions and rafting expeditions. Below are essential tour safety guidelines for each type of tour. Before embarking on your trip, please familiarize yourself with the itinerary to ensure that you are properly packed and prepared for your selected tour.
What to Do in an Emergency:
- In any emergency situation abroad, get in contact with your embassy and tour operator as soon as possible (and in extreme cases, relatives).
- Natural disasters: Remain calm. During an earthquake, stay away from tall buildings and power lines. If indoors, head to a closest or other secure location (including doorways, corners of rooms or under a sturdy table).
- Riots or demonstrations: Avoid large crowds and go immediately to a hotel, tour operator's office or embassy.
- If evacuating, take only your passport and money.
Before all tours you should:
- Know the exact start and end dates of your tour and its main routes;
- Check the predicted forecast for your travel dates;
- Pack all recommended items for your specific route;
- Familiarize yourself with basic traditions and religious beliefs of the region you will be visiting;
- Read up on the geography, flora and fauna of the region, which may on occasion present a health hazard;
- Write down the contact info of your tour operator, local emergency services and the nearest embassy of your passport country;
- We also encourage you to learn a few common phrases in the local language.
On all tours you should have the following:
- Passport. If you are traveling with a child, you should also have their birth certificate or passport. It is advisable to have copies of these documents in case they need to be presented to the authorities;
- Travel insurance policy;
- Clothing appropriate for the region, including sunscreen and insect repellant;
- Personal hygiene items and first aid kit;
- Sufficient medications and prescriptions to last the full duration of the tour;
- A sufficient amount of cash, as ATMs in Central Asia can occasionally be unreliable.
On all tours you must:
- Follow all the instructions of your guide and coordinator;
- Inform the guide and coordinator of any preexisting health conditions or other circumstances that may affect the tour program;
- Follow the schedule;
- Be on time for tours and transfers.
On all tours it is recommended you do NOT:
- Eat or drink in questionable cafes or taste unknown berries and fruits in the wild;
- Walk alone in non-tourist areas of cities;
- Respond to requests or offers from suspicious strangers.
On all tours you must NOT:
- Demand changes in the tour program or route without good reason;
- Move away from the guide and group for more than 30 minutes or 500 meters without permission from the guide or coordinator;
- Violate the rules and requirements for behavior at religious sites.
On all mountain tours you will be accompanied by a guide and assistants. The number of guides will depend on the number of tourists in the group, but usually there is 1 guide for every 3-4 tourists. The mountains are characterized by difficult terrain, frequent weather changes and strong, direct sunlight. Some people may suffer from altitude sickness and require time to acclimate. Our hikes are not generally difficult and do not require special skills, but it is recommended that you be in good physical shape and have some mountain hiking experience. To avoid potential difficulties, please familiarize yourself with our safety rules for mountain tours below.
Before the tour you must:
- Undergo a medical examination and inform your tour operator and guide of any significant health problems such as cardiovascular, respiratory or musculoskeletal diseases;
- Be familiar with the altitude and terrain relevant to your selected route.
Items to pack for a mountain hike:
- Roomy backpack;
- Warm clothes including durable pants, trekking shoes, sweater or fleece jacket, raincoat, long-sleeved shirt and a panama hat or cap;
- Sunglasses and sunscreen;
- Pocketknife;
- Lantern, matches or lighter;
- Spoon, fork and mug;
- Personal hygiene products (soap, towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc);
- Individual first aid kit.
During the hike you must:
- Follow all instructions of the guide, especially in dangerous areas;
- Comply with sanitary and hygienic rules;
- Inform the guide of any problems which arise with your health or equipment.
During the hike you must NOT:
- Be under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
- Move away from the guide and group for more than 30 minutes or 500 meters without permission from the guide;
- Taste any wild fruits, berries or mushrooms or touch flowering plants, as some can cause a serious chemical burn;
- Throw away or burn garbage, or make a fire without the guide’s supervision.
Important: In case of an emergency, follow all of the guide’s instructions. The guide has the right to change the route or end the hike due to natural hazards, illness or other serious unforeseen circumstances.
For most of our horseback riding tours you will spend 2-7 hours a day in the saddle, which requires basic riding skills. Do not participate in a horse tour if you do not know how to handle a horse.
Basic rules for handling a horse:
- Approach the horse and mount it from the lefthand side;
- Pass the horse in front and not in back;
- Before mounting, check that the girth is pulled tight, the saddle does not dangle and the reins are thrown over the neck.
Clothing requirements for equestrian tours:
- Comfortable clothing, including trousers and underwear which do not have coarse internal seams, in order to avoid blisters during a long ride;
- Shoes with a heel, preferably boots. You cannot wear shoes with strongly ribbed bottoms or soft shoes that may prevent the quick release of your foot from the stirrup;
- When riding in the mountains, it is necessary to have waterproof shoes, a protective hat, sunscreen and a change of clothes that can protect from cold, rain and wind.
For your safety you must never:
- Mount the horse from the righthand side;
- Let go of the reigns, tie them to the saddle or wind them around your hand;
- Pass behind the horse, especially if you touch its crotch or tail while passing;
- Sit on a tied horse;
- Overtake the horse in front of you. Instead, keep a safe distance when riding in a group;
- Have sharp objects in your pockets which can injure you if you fall from the horse.
It is important to carefully follow the instructions of your guide and to remember that while the horse is a submissive and affectionate animal, it has tremendous strength and lightning-fast reactions.
During the day, desert temps can surpass 40° and at night can fall below freezing. We do not organize extreme desert trips, but in order to protect yourself from the elements please read the following travel safety tips for desert tours.
Before the tour you should:
- Familiarize yourself with the route map, including the location of the nearest settlements and roads;
- Pack 2 types of clothing: one for hot, sunny days and one for cold nights;
- While your guide and his assistants will pack common items such as kitchen utensils, first aid kits, water bottles, etc., you should also be prepared with personal items and equipment.
Items to pack for the desert:
- Warm clothes for the night (durable trousers, trekking shoes and a sweater or fleece jacket);
- Protective clothes for the day (long-sleeved shirt and panama hat or cap);
- Sunglasses and sunscreen;
- Personal hygiene items (soap, towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc);
- Individual first aid kit;
- 1-1.5 liters of bottled water for emergencies.
During the tour you must:
- Follow all instructions of the guide, especially in dangerous areas;
- Comply with sanitary and hygienic rules;
- Inform the guide of any problems which arise with your health or equipment;
- Before going to bed, check the yurt or tent for snakes, spiders, scorpions and other insects.
During the tour you must NOT:
- Require the vehicle to leave the designated route, even by 5 meters, to avoid getting stuck in sands, swamps or crevices;
- Move away from the guide and group for more than 30 minutes or 500 meters without permission from the guide;
- Move away from the camp or yurt more than 50 meters at night;
- Approach snakes and insects.
Important: In case of an emergency, follow all of the guide’s instructions. The guide has the right to change the route or end the desert trip due to natural hazards, illness or other serious unforeseen circumstances.
For your safety is is very important to know the rules for rafting tours. While we have not listed all safety requirements, as these will be announced at the instructional meeting held before each rafting excursion, below are some basic rules for rafting tours of any difficulty.
While rafting, you MUST:
- Wear a life jacket and protective helmet the entire time;
- Get in and out of the raft carefully;
- Follow all the directions of your instructor;
- In the event of a fall overboard, remain calm and do as you are instructed.
While rafting, you must NOT:
- Take sharp objects on board;
- Rock the raft unnecessarily;
- Remove your life jacket and protective helmet, even while walking along the bank near strong rapids;
- Let go of the paddle.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the safety rules for tourist routes listed above, please do not hesitate to contact your tour operator.