When Lost - Is It Safe To Ask The Way?

Problem
You are lost. You stop to ask the way. The householder in Texas has a gun and may shoot you dead.

Answers
What can be done to prevent this ever happening again? Something similar happened again, at least twice.

PLANNING - THE DESTINATION
Have you host's address and put it in your car or phone satnav. Check it on streetview so you do not go to the wrong house.

Wrong Party
It's easy to go to the wrong house with Xmas decorations, or Halloween decorations.  Party balloons can also be confusing.

When my son was a child, he had a birthday party. I invited my pupil's daughter. The aunt of my Japanese pupil's daughter brought her to the house.

Seeing balloons at a house two doors away, she left the child there. Embarrassment all round. The hosts did not know the little girl. She did not know the birthday girl.

The birthday gift was unwrapped by the little birthday girl. It was a gift suitable for a little boy.

Meanwhile, I was disappointed. I thought my guest thought our party was unimportant and did not bother to turn up.

At the end of the party, the aunt had arrived, discovered her mistake, and had the embarrassment of retrieving the unsuitable gift. The embarrassed aunt found the sad little girl who had sat for two hours at the wrong party with strangers, who spoke no Japnese.

Auntie arrived at my house. She explained, with an apology, why they were arriving after the event.. She gave me the gift, so sorry, with the wrapping torn off. Luckily the little girl had received a drink and a piece of cake at the other house. But she had been too shy and demoralised to eat much. I gave a leaving party bag and cake to the aunty. I suspect that four families are still telling this story, mine, the family with the birthday girl, The Japanese mother, her sister.

What To Do When Lost
Thank goodness we now have satnav in phones. If we remember to use it. If our phone's battery dose not die by the evening.

When lost, phone a friend.

Ask for the way in a public place such as a pub or petrol station, not a private residence.

But it's when you get near, and there are no house numbers, you won't drive miles back to a petroll station. You couldn't the numbers. Is this one 4a? Have they dropped the number 13?

Stand still, at a respectful distance.

Don't run towards a doorway, a window or a person.

Smile and bow or wave to show good intent, and say, Excuse me and I'm sorry to trouble you or hold up a sign saying Lost - please help, or even a sign saying looking for, and the actual address.

Some places in the USA have laws banning fences and gates. They want the lawn look.

SIGNS
If possible, install a sign for visitors such as:
Entrance at front.
We do not answer the door to strangers.
Please speak into intercom.
You are on videocam surveyed at another address.

FOOD & WATER
Carry water and food.

Don't ask others for food.

Don't open the door to others asking for water.
A lady in the UK was battered to death by a man who asked her for a glass of water as a ploy. She could have placed it on a distant windowsill and told him to get it and called a neighbour, or told him the location of the nearest supermarket, or directed him to an outside tap. Or told him to go to another house which had lots of people around standing outside.

She could have told him to wait at the end of the drive and said she'd put the water on the doorstep, and come and collect it. But what if there were two of them?

OPENING DOORS
Before opening the door to a stranger, work out who they are and what they want.

If anybody comes to your door, and you are suspicious, don't open the door and face them and expose the door to being pushed. Call the neighbour or the cops to come up behind the intruder and ask them what they want.

COSTUMES & MASKS
Do not walk the streets dressed in a Halloween costume, such as a skeleton, mask and fake gun, and then walk up to a stranger's door.

Any other suggestions? Please leave a message.

Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Yoshihiro_Hattori
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/07/10/pensioner-died-violent-burglary-may-have-offered-killer-glass/

SAFETY ADVICE
From the UK government
gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
From the US government
travel.stategov/content/travel
https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.