>Helpful tips series > Part 2

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Continuing with the Helpful tips series, here are a few tips when preparing to travel anywhere:

Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine or scanner, copy both sides of each license, credit card, etc., you will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel.

Copy your travel itinerary, passport or other important documents. Leave a copy at home, take two copies with you but keep the two copies in separate places. You may also want to e-mail scans of the documents to yourself so they can be accessed online.

Unless required by law, carry a copy and not the original passport when sightseeing. Most nations require that adults carry government issued identification. A driver license or military identification and copy of your passport will usually be sufficient. Check with the embassy or consulate of the country you are visiting for specific details. Place your passport in a lock box, safe or other secure place whenever possible.

Avoid “Traveler burglaries” when your car is away from home. Take all documents from your car (registration, insurance card, etc) that have your home address, cover the address only, and then photocopy or scan the documents. Place the duplicates back in your car and keep the original documents in a safe place.

When traveling internationally, be sure to have the local (not toll-free) phone numbers of your credit card issuers and their website addresses. A toll-free telephone number on your credit cards may not work when you are calling from outside of your home country, so use the local phone number and call collect. Be sure to have the phone number and address of the local embassy or consular office before you leave home. Information is available HERE.

See Helpful tips series Part 1

>Companionship services

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It is true that man-for-man companionship services exist in Tijuana. It is also true that you can find companionship online through Craigslist.org or SexyTijuana.com, among others, and in the classified advertisements in El Mexicano newspaper. It is also true that meeting someone for companionship, online, in-person, or through an agency, can be tricky and even dangerous if you don’t keep your wits about you so there are some basic tips to follow:

– always ask for identificiation

– anyone over 18 must have legal ID

– be sure the person you will be with is of legal age

– meeting in a bar is not proof of age

– meet in a place you know whenever possible

– use safer sex practices and precautions

– use precaution with money and valuables

– always let the big head do the thinking, not the little head

– if your inner voice says you are in danger, LISTEN

Note: the age of consent in Baja was lowered to 16, however, if you are a US citizen you can still be prosectued by the US Federal authorities for sexual contact with a person younger than 18. The age of majority in Mexico is still 18, so if you offer alcohol or other intoxicants to a minor the Mexican authorites can prosecute on those grounds as well.