From the category archives:

3rd WORLD SURVIVAL

The DVM 3rd World Urban Survival Guide is a rehash of a book I wrote back in the day called ‘The Professional Adventurers Guide to Independent Travel’ that started out just as a few handwritten pages of advice for a contractor buddy that was going on leave in Southeast Asia.

Oddly those 3 pages became popular and more folks started asking me to add more info (I left my email on the original 3 pages so eventually people I didn’t even know started asking me to add stuff).

Eventually I sat down and wrote a (poorly written) guide to Urban 3rd World Travel (at that time mostly focused on Southeast Asia) and threw it up on a website for all to download. Over a couple of years it was only downloaded a couple of thousand times and eventually I forgot to renew the website hosting.

But even more oddly people actually remembered I wrote it and started to ask me for a copy (Facebook is a weird place). So I have rewritten and revised the original Guide (minus the guides to the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia because those sections are way outdated now) and posted it here as the very first DVM PRESS book – fo free for you folks.

I have also added some articles I wrote about 3rd World Survival and some other shit. Please feel free to add your experience to the comments and if it is good stuff in the tradition of this guide I will add it to the main chapters.

Also – this is not edited at all so avert your eyes to the typos and shit

http://www.deathvalleymag.com/thirdworldtravelguide/ >>>>>

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3rd WORLD SURVIVAL: How Not To Run Afoul of the Law in the 3rd World

by James G · 21 comments

in 3rd WORLD SURVIVAL

: This Brazilian prison is probably not the accommodations your were expecting to stay in on your tour of Latin America

Each year over 2,500 Americans are arrested overseas for everything from spitting on the sidewalk to murder. One third of these poor fuckers get locked up on dope-related charges. Many of those arrested assumed that as U.S. citizens that they couldn’t be arrested or with the mindset that the U.S. Embassy would come pick them up with just a phone call.

From Asia to Africa, Europe to South America, U.S. citizens are finding out the hard way that smoking a bong with that “nice” local gal or committing (knowingly or unknowingly) criminal offenses equals’ “Prison Man Rape” in many foreign countries.

When you are traveling in the 3rd and Developing World it is on-you to know what the laws are in a foreign country before you go, because saying “I didn’t know it was illegal to give the finger to the Douchebag who almost ran me off the road” to the tribal court judge in Hellholeastan will not get you out of jail.

In most 3rd world countries you as a foreigner have Zero legal rights at all…Period. In many of these 3rd World countries your home, car and person can be searched by the police (or even by local citizens) for any reason without a warrant or probable cause.

And many activities that are completely legal or normal in your home country are considered serious crimes in the host country.

Things like holding hands or kissing in public, women driving a car, honking your horn at someone who cut you off, owning a GPS device or camera phone, owning certain books, speaking unfavorably about the local government, attending church at a friend’s home and having a copy of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue on the backseat of your car are crimes in certain parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

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EXPAT SURVIVAL: How to “Arm-Up” When Traveling in the 3rd World

by James G · 16 comments

in 3rd WORLD SURVIVAL,Expat Survival

: When traveling in the 3rd world one of your only weapon options may be an edged weapon – hopefully it will work out better for you than it did for this guy

Disclaimer: The following article is for academic and entertainment uses only – do not follow the information below.

Over the past 10 years I have spent about 90% of my time outside of the U.S. ether for work, traveling to a gig or just exploring. Most of the countries I visit or pass through are relatively safe outside of random crime or getting hit by a taxi.

But many times I am traveling in countries that have a small minority who dislikes westerners – dislikes as in: “hates my guts and would love to kidnap and kill me over the internet” dislike. In most of these countries I am passing through on my way to a gig so I am only carrying what is allowed in a carry-on bag so flying with any type of “weapon” is not even an option.

Even when I am staying somewhere long enough where I can grab my checked luggage I don’t like to pack knives, impact weapons or anything resembling military or police equipment because it can draw unwanted attention when going through customs (I once spent 2 hours in Kuwait arguing with customs over a Ka-Bar in my checked luggage).

Not to mention I don’t want an expensive knife or flashlight “borrowed” from my bag (ask anyone who has flown through Amman about missing knives, lights and GPS’s).

So my only other option is to locally source “defensive tools” from whatever semi-legitimate store, souk or even the grocery store.

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