By Andre Best
Arizona Vacation Safety - Stay AWARE to Stay SAFE by Andre D.Best
Why? To save yourself grief. And pain. ENSURE your Arizonavacation safety. Learn about safety issues NOT found in thetravel brochures or vacation websites.
You see, when on vacation in Arizona there are a few things thatone should be aware of when visiting here. These are the type ofthings that you won't read about in those slick brochures youfind in the travel agent's office.
These are the only things that one will learn about by livinghere for an extended period of time.
Let's face it. It's a real downer to not have a safe vacation.It's not fun to spend a night in the local emergency room withthe kids when they get sick from eating some bad local food orhave an accident. Not fun indeed.
But, these vacation safety tips I'm going to share are not aboutthe infrequent accidents that do happen on vacation. Thevacation safety tips I'll be sharing here involve things thatare totally preventable.
As long as one is aware of them first.
So, let's get started with vacation safety tips that'll help youhave a safer vacation here in Arizona.
1. The first of these vacation safety tips is for you to beaware of where you go when you're vacationing in Phoenix.Phoenix is a big place and like most big cities it has areas ofthe city that are not too upscale.
Now, what are you to do about this?
Well, just realize that there are certain places within a bigcity like Phoenix that one should be extra careful aboutvisiting.
If you find yourself in a part of town that has a lot ofrun-down houses, properties with garbage strewn around them, andabandoned cars parked along the streets - then common senseshould tell you that these neighborhoods are not too safe.
Trust that instinct. I'd suggest you find other areas of thecity to visit or drive around.
You see, Phoenix has, in my opinion, a high crime rate.
I moved here from Canada twelve years ago. What truly shocked mewhen I moved here was that Phoenix had more murders occur in twomonths than where I used to live had in a year. And I lived in,at the time, the 'murder capital of Canada'.
So, just do yourself a favor with this vacation safety tip andstay aware of your surroundings. If it doesn't look like a goodplace to be - it probably isn't.
Trust your gut and get out of there.
2. The second of these vacation safety tips involves somewhat ofa local health issue. I'll explain...
The entire metropolitan Phoenix area is located within a largevalley. It's surrounded by mountains and mountain ranges. Andwithin this valley is a certain type of 'bug' that lives in thesoil.
Actually, this bug issue is similar to most other country's bugs(e.g. Canada's Beaver Fever bug, Mexico's 'don't drink thewater' type bug) because it's a bug indigenous to Arizona.
And what does this bug do? It wreaks havoc on a persons healthwhen a vacationing visitor is infected with it. In our case,this bug causes what is known as Valley Fever.
And how does one get infected with Valley Fever? By breathing inthe microscopic spores that make up this nasty bacteria.
And what does this bacteria do to a person when breathed in?Well, it can cause flu-like symptoms that grow all the way up topneumonia, internal bleeding, and very, very rarely... death(gulp).
Now, I'm NOT trying to scare you. So don't go cancelling yourvacation plans to Phoenix...
....Because we need your sales tax revenues.
You see, this Valley Fever bug usually only becomes a problemwhen a person who hasn't had Valley Fever comes in contact withit.
And a person comes in contact with it by breathing the bug in.
And the bug is found in soils that are not old and dried out,but rather soils that are newly disturbed.
So, how can you protect yourself with regards to this vacationsafety tip? Easy.
Do all you can to stay away from soil disturbing activities.
* Like to visit new construction sites on your vacations? *Like to do local gardening? * Like to take up archaeology as ahobby when you're on vacation?
One word of advice... DON'T.
Essentially, don't go digging around places or near diggingactivities that you shouldn't be around. At least not while onvacation here in Phoenix.
I know, I know, why would you go on one of your southwestvacations in Arizona just to dig in the soil, right? Silly me.
Well, just so you know. I got Valley Fever the first year Imoved here. It progressed on to walking pneumonia and left scarson my lungs. I was lucky that that's all that happened to me.
And what was I doing to be exposed to the bug? Just some simplelandscaping in my desert landscaped yard.
See? It doesn't take much.
So, just do your vacation planning while keeping this vacationsafety tip in mind. Let's not have you getting sick on us. Okay?
3. The last of these vacation safety tips applies to most ofArizona. This one is about bugs too. But this is about adifferent type of bug.
The real thing...
Scorpions and Black Widows.
Why is this one of our vacation safety tips? Because theselittle critters can be a nasty safety issue when you vacationhere and get bitten by one of them.
You see, these two bugs are extremely common here in the state.Not quite as common as cockroaches, but almost. Why? Becauseit's a desert here and they're desert creatures.
They like the heat and they like dark cozy places. So, when youvacation Arizona just be aware that these little critters dolike to live in places that the kids may go probing around in.Don't let them do that.
Keep probing hands away from dark crevices both inside andoutside the house, rental, villa, hotel or apartment.
And if someone does get bit, err on the side of caution and callthe local poison control center ASAP and ask for help.
Oh, and by the way, unlike the Hollywood horror moviedepictions, these bugs are NOT half the size of a horse. They'reSMALL. Black widows are maybe half an inch long. And scorpionsget 'as big as' two inches. But... scorpions are FAST. And bothcan HURT you big time.
So, please ensure vacation safety for your family. Stay awayfrom places these critters habitate. And when you get up in thedark in the middle of the night to get a drink of water - wearslippers. Just in case.
So, to sum up...
Don't get paranoid about these vacation safety tips.
Go vacation.
Have fun. Just keep your eyes open to possible vacation safetyconcerns. Simple, right?.
Anyway, I hope these vacation safety tips prove helpful to you.Do have a safe trip here to Arizona. Just improve your vacationsafety by ensuring you remember these vacation safety tips I'veshared with you.
Good luck.
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