Archive for December, 2008


No one wants to have their holiday travel plans ruined due to their vehicle breaking down, so make sure you give it plenty of attention before hand. Complete a thorough check of all the routine items on your vehicle. The oil should be changed and you will want to check all the fluids including the transmission fluid, windshield wiper fluid, and brake fluid.

Don’t wait until something breaks on your vehicle to replace it, especially when you are traveling for the holidays. Carefully inspect all of the hoses for signs of wear as you never know when they will end up breaking. If you haven’t used your windshield wipers for a while make sure they are in good condition.

Have someone stand behind your vehicle so you can make sure both of your turn signals work as well as your break lights. Replace any bulbs that are burned out or seem to be dim. Do the same for your headlights on both low beams and high beams. This will ensure other vehicles are able to see you coming and know when you are planning to stop or to turn. It is a good idea to carry fuses in your glove box so that you can replace any that may burn out during your travel for the holidays.

Your tires are very important when you are traveling for the holidays. Check the wear patterns on the tread to make sure they are in good shape. Of the two front tires are wearing unevenly you may need to have your vehicle aligned. You may find it is time to rotate the tires on your vehicle as well. This involves moving the front ones to the back and the back ones to the front.

Depending on the time of year when you travel for the holidays, you may experience bad weather. Make sure you have a survival kit in your car that includes tire changes which many end up being mandatory to drive on the roads in some areas. You also want this survival kit to include a flashlight with fresh batteries, flares, food, water, a first aid kit, blankets, a car jack, and a gas can.

It is a good idea to make sure you have a cell phone will you as well. Most models come with a battery charger that plugs right into your cigarette lighter so you don’t have to worry about the battery running low while you are traveling for the holidays. If you don’t want to get caught up in a lengthy cell phone contract, look for those offered at retail stores. They are inexpensive and they work well. However, you buy the amount of minutes you want for the phone in advance. When the minutes run out you can choose to buy more or simple get rid of the phone.

It is never a good idea to be in a vehicle without seatbelts for all passengers. However, some states don’t require the use of a seatbelt so people don’t pay attention to them working or not. If you are traveling out of state for the holidays you may be going through those that do require them and you need to be prepared.

Accidents can still happen even when you have properly prepared your vehicle for holiday travel. Seatbelts and car seats offer you a way to reduce the chances of serious injury if such an event does take place. In your glove box you should have a disposable camera so you can take pictures of the accident scene for your insurance company. Make sure you have a pen and paper handy as well so you can exchange insurance and personal information with the other party involved.

Thousands of people choose to travel for the holidays using their own personal vehicle. Doing your very best to make sure your vehicle is in excellent working condition will help you to arrive at your destination safely.

Thomas “Trapper” Sherwood

Sherwood Locksmithing

PS….Discover how to protect yourself from ID Theft with our FREE report available at
Personal Safety & Security Secrets Revealed

Help a single Dad defray the cost of his daughter's winter travel volleyball. Thanks!

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The holidays can be quite hectic but they are often a time when people travel to see family and friends or to take a well deserved vacation. Following some basic tips will help ensure you have the best time when you travel during this time of year. Being prepared for things to go wrong is the first step in minimizing the damages and getting on with your holiday travel plans.

Make sure you have all of your tickets and confirmation numbers in a specific place. It is a good idea to make a copy of the information as well as the contact number for your tickets and place it in another location. This way if you lose the originals you will have all the necessary information to take care of it. You should call about a week before your travel dates to make sure your reservation is still active for all modes of transportation and your accommodations.

It is common for flights, trains, and buses to get delayed over the holidays due to security issues, weather, and trying to meet the needs of the volumes of people using such modes of transportation over the holidays. Make sure you have plenty of money, food, drinks, and necessities to get you through these delays. They can range from a couple of hours to a few days. If you will be traveling a long distance you should consider bringing along activities to pass the time, especially if you are traveling with children.

If you take prescription medications you need to make sure you have them clearly labeled. You may get questioned about them if they aren’t in the bottle you picked them up at from the pharmacy. It is a good idea to have a written note from your doctor regarding the medication as well. Makes sure you have enough of it for the entire trip including any delays that may occur.

Lost luggage is one of the biggest problems when people travel, and it compounds during the holidays because of how busy everyone is. While you really can’t prevent your luggage from getting lost, you can do your best to make sure you have all you need in the mean time. Make sure each person traveling in your party has clothing in all of the suitcases instead of making one for each person. This way everyone will have a chance to have some items should a bag or two get lost in the shuffle.

Clearly identify your luggage so that you will be sure to get yours upon reaching your destination. Too many bags look the same and many people are in a hurry when they travel for the holidays. Place a colorful ribbon or colored tape on your bags if you carry the styles and colors that are very popular. If you travel often you should consider some unique looking luggage that will stand out.

Traveling during the holidays needs to be as smooth as possible to ensure you will enjoy your trip. By taking the time to follow these tips you can help make that happen. There are plenty of horror stories out there about people not being able to get to their destination for the holidays or they didn’t have the items they needed upon arriving. Don’t open the door for your holiday vacation to fit into this grim category.

Sincerely,

Thomas “Trapper” Sherwood

Sherwood Locksmithing

PS…Get your copy of our FREE Report; “Protect your Identity From Theft”
at Personal Safety & Security Secrets Revealed

Help a single Dad defray the cost of his daughter's winter travel volleyball. Thanks!

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Greetings All,

Just came a cross a really cool plug-in for blogs.

http://www.odiogo.com

This plug in adds a button to your blog posts that allow folks to listen to your blogs.

Read more about it here.

http://mashable.com/2008/11/28/how-to-convert-your-blog-into-a-podcast-on-itunes-for-free/

So I have added it and wanted to share it with the group here.

You can listen in to what it sounds like on this blog right below the title page.

The little button that says listen, just click it, pretty cool.

Plus you can download it as an mp3.

I know there are some limitations with this as the voice may sound a little robotic, but really, what a great way to share information on personal safety and security with folks that might be a little visually impaired.

Trap

Sherwood Locksmithing

Personal Safety Resource

Help a single Dad defray the cost of his daughter's winter travel volleyball. Thanks!

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1
Dec

Black Friday Rears it’s Ugly Head

   Posted by:    in personal safety


Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and commonly thought of as the busiest day of the year for shopping and the start of the traditional holiday shopping season in the United States.

“MasterCard data shows that for retailers in the top gift-buying categories, Black Friday is indeed the biggest day of the season — and people know to get out of bed early to cash in on the myriad of bargains that are offered in the wee hours of the morning,” said Larry Flanagan, chief marketing officer of MasterCard Worldwide.

Black Friday is the hottest day for shopping because there are many profitable items for sale than during the entire rest of the year, so enjoy your shopping, save your hard earn money, and don’t disregard your personal safety.

The name Black Friday is thought to have originated in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and is a reference to the heavy shopping done all that day (Maybe it was meant to mean that people are shopping in the black on that day but by Christmas they are shopping in the red)

Black Friday is not a day to forget about your own personal safety, or to step all over one another.  Nor is any other time and Black Friday is no exception, even if you might miss out on the latest Ipod.  Black Friday is not a free pass to cut people off in the parking lot.

In my opinion, Black Friday is a dangerous day to be anywhere retail.

Surviving Black Friday is not a game.

Look what happened in Palm Springs.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20081129/NEWS0801/811290327/1006/NEWS01

Or the stampede in New York.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aviWbQ4bOa1w&refer=home

All I am saying, is this. Is that Ipod, or the last Xbox worth risking your personal safety or security during this time of the year? Or ruining somebody else’s?

Keep these thoughts in mind during the Holiday season this year, and everyday.

Sincerely,

Trapper
Sherwood Locksmithing

PS…Give the gift of Personal Safety by visiting Personal Safety eBook Heck, point, click & ship, three easy words for shopping, and you won’t even have to leave your home.

Help a single Dad defray the cost of his daughter's winter travel volleyball. Thanks!

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