The recent shootings in the Los Angeles International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, should be a reminder. When experiencing a similar emergency, senior travelers need to apply personal safety actions.

Here are some simple tips.

1. Be alert to your environment at all times. Keep your eyes on what’s going on around you. If you’re traveling with companions, be sure one of you is awake, listening to announcements and viewing the surroundings at all times. Don’t hesitate to report suspicious behavior to authorities. It’s preferable to be mistaken, rather than dead.

It happened again just the other day while we were working at our desktop. The phone rang and a recorded voice offered excited congratulations that we had won a free cruise to the Caribbean. Despite efforts to block them, we get that kind of scam call several times a month.

When it happens to you, there are quick ways to realize it’s a phony deal. The recorded voice message is part of an automatic dialing system set to hit hundreds of potential victims. Some scam calls are specifically targeted to contact seniors.

When anyone responds to the messages, the next step would be a human-voiced call making a pitch to buy a lottery type of ticket via your credit card for from $25 or more to be eligible for the cruise. Of course, you won’t win, but the scam could evolve into something much worse.

When you respond to some calls, you’re told you’ve actually already won the cruise and its all free! Then you must provide “good faith” credit card, bank account and/or Social Security numbers. That’s when to hang up immediately. Giving out that information could lead to a considerable loss of money when your accounts are emptied by the scammers.

Conclusion: A quick rule about surprise recorded phone calls saying you’ve won free travel is to just hang up! If you hadn’t previously voluntarily entered a contest offered by a legitimate travel organization or product line, you can be certain it’s a scam.

USNews & World Report had a recent article about how to cut airfare costs, suggesting you wear your luggage. We’ve been practicing and preaching that for a long time!

By not checking your bags, you can save from $25 to $100 per flight. Now, as baggage fees continue to rise, some airlines also charge for carry-ons. To avoid the costs, the most convenient way these days is to travel with a backpack, plus a jacket that has many roomy inside and outside pockets. Added to your boarding outfit can be cargo pants, also with at least two large pockets.

Wearing it all may make you look like a D-Day paratrooper or the Incredible Bulk, but it saves money. It also allows you to move around hands-free until boarding. Then, you can slide the backpack under the seat. Additionally, take along a large, empty plastic bag, so that after landing, you can put some big stuff into it to make your taxi, bus or car ride more comfortable. 

Another benefit is that you’ll no longer be forced to wait tense minutes at the luggage pick-up carousel after your flight, hoping your bag isn’t lost. More important is knowing nothing valuable has mysteriously disappeared from checked bags during the journey.

Maybe the old slogan of travel light should be revised to travel heavy, as long as you can wear it.

The world-renowned travel expert, PBS TV star and fellow senior offers common-sense advice on visiting foreign nations. Simply put, we should heed the lyrics of the vintage Aretha Franklin song and include respect in our traveling behavior.

We’ve personally heeded his advice for years, and found our travels more economical and pleasant. One absolute is to prepare before we depart. As Rick suggests, once we’ve chosen a foreign destination, we use internet research extensively to learn about local customs, government, history, religions, monetary values, transportation and at least some basics of the language.

Now, with the continuing sophistication of electronic devices, we install apps with upgraded information into our hand-held digital SmartPhones. One of the most useful is to have the country’s map on our Global Positioning System, so we can instantly check where we’re located at all times, load up on current info and to plan our next moves. 

Most important, following Rick’s teachings, we try to reach beyond tourist mentality and actually get to know the people. We search out the authentic cafes, following the old advice: dine where local families eat. We avoid the Ugly American image of flashy clothing, loud demanding orders and superior attitude, and actually talk with people. Try it and your travels will be that much more enjoyable.

For current info and promotions by Rick, go to www.ricksteves.com