To keep yourself protected, you should abide by the following safety tips. These should help you keep yourself and your family protected in case of an emergency or attempted act of fowl play by another person. There are a lot of pick pockets out there today and there is a possibility that these people are the least of your worries.

First, bring plenty of identification, as well as the right kinds. Security checkpoints are going to want to see at least one form of picture identification and at least one form of government issued identification. The boarding gate personnel will probably want to see at least one form of picture identification. Because of this and the growing number of pick pockets there are today, you might want to consider placing your forms of identification inside your front pocket on your pants. This is the hardest pocket for a pick pocket to access and a vital safety tip if you are going out of the country. If you lose or misplace your identification, you may be stuck in a foreign country longer than anticipated.

Second, alert security at anything looking suspicious. OK, now don't get excited by racial or ethnicity biases, but do watch for people who look as they are nervous or suspicious looking. Most people have a good idea of when someone looks suspicious, so use your own judgment, but try to avoid biases. Raising security issues with a security guard against someone because of their racial or ethnic background is not morally correct. Just use you own personal insight to make the call. This is a simple safety tip that could mean life or death for tens or hundreds of people. Also, do not touch any suspicious looking or unattended packages. My rule of thumb is that if I see it sitting there for ten minutes or more unattended, I am alerting security. I walk off and forget things every once in a while, so it could be a false alarm. However, I would rather be safe than sorry.

Third, pay attention to all announcements made by the stewardesses and pilots. The stewardesses typically begin given emergency instructions as the airplane taxis to the runway. Pay attention to these, because they will become very important if an emergency arises. The pilot will occasionally come across the intercom and give the current location, any expectance of turbulence, and estimated arrival time.

Fourth, make sure that all of your baggage that is stored in the overhead storage compartments is secured tightly and try not to store anything heavy. These overhead storage units are meant to keep people safe in case of an emergency. Heavy baggage is not safe above your head no matter how securely it is placed. The best policy for this is, 'if you think it could cause serious damage to your head if dropped from five feet, and then you should check it at the counter before boarding the plane.' This is an easy safety tip to follow that is not always thought of.

Fifth, make sure that you do not get on a plane intoxicated or irrational in any way. If an emergency occurs, you could be a potential danger to the other passenger and to yourself. It is OK to have a few sips of wine or other alcoholic beverage to calm your nerves, but don't over do it. The chance of having an emergency is not that great, but as everyone knows alcohol slows you down and ultimately makes you weaker and more prone to an even greater accident. So, please do not board a plane intoxicated or high on any drugs, prescription or otherwise.

There are other safety tips that should be followed. You should always try to get a direct flight. The more stops you have the greater the chance of losing something or something. Don't bring anything to the airport that could be considered a weapon of any kind. You should horse play in the airport and especially not on the airplane. Make sure you leave your seatbelt fastened at all times during flight. The pilot will turn the light off signaling that it is OK to move around the cabin, but that does not mean that you should. It means if you have to go to the bathroom do so. Try to make it quick, get back to your seat, and refasten your seat belt. This will keep you safe in case the airplane experiences any turbulence.

If you follow all of these safety tips, you will make the flight safer for you and all of the other passengers. At least follow some of them. Do anything you think will make the flight safer for you and/or for the other passengers.