You see, when on vacation in Arizona there are a few things that one should be aware of when visiting here. These are the type of things that you won't read about in those slick brochures you find in the travel agent's office.

These are the only things that one will learn about by living here for an extended period of time.

Let's face it. It's a real downer to not have a safe vacation. It's not fun to spend a night in the local emergency room with the kids when they get sick from eating some bad local food or have an accident. Not fun indeed.

But, these vacation safety tips I'm going to share are not about the infrequent accidents that do happen on vacation. The vacation safety tips I'll be sharing here involve things that are totally preventable.

As long as one is aware of them first.

So, let's get started with vacation safety tips that'll help you have a safer vacation here in Arizona.

1. The first of these vacation safety tips is for you to be aware of where you go when you're vacationing in Phoenix. Phoenix is a big place and like most big cities it has areas of the city that are not too upscale.

Now, what are you to do about this?

Well, just realize that there are certain places within a big city like Phoenix that one should be extra careful about visiting.

If you find yourself in a part of town that has a lot of run-down houses, properties with garbage strewn around them, and abandoned cars parked along the streets - then common sense should tell you that these neighborhoods are not too safe.

Trust that instinct. I'd suggest you find other areas of the city to visit or drive around.

You see, Phoenix has, in my opinion, a high crime rate.

I moved here from Canada twelve years ago. What truly shocked me when I moved here was that Phoenix had more murders occur in two months than where I used to live had in a year. And I lived in, at the time, the 'murder capital of Canada'.

So, just do yourself a favor with this vacation safety tip and stay aware of your surroundings. If it doesn't look like a good place to be - it probably isn't.

Trust your gut and get out of there.

2. The second of these vacation safety tips involves somewhat of a local health issue. I'll explain...

The entire metropolitan Phoenix area is located within a large valley. It's surrounded by mountains and mountain ranges. And within this valley is a certain type of 'bug' that lives in the soil.

Actually, this bug issue is similar to most other country's bugs (e.g. Canada's Beaver Fever bug, Mexico's 'don't drink the water' type bug) because it's a bug indigenous to Arizona.

And what does this bug do? It wreaks havoc on a persons health when a vacationing visitor is infected with it. In our case, this bug causes what is known as Valley Fever.

And how does one get infected with Valley Fever? By breathing in the microscopic spores that make up this nasty bacteria.

And what does this bacteria do to a person when breathed in? Well, it can cause flu-like symptoms that grow all the way up to pneumonia, internal bleeding, and very, very rarely... death (gulp).

Now, I'm NOT trying to scare you. So don't go cancelling your vacation plans to Phoenix...

...Because we need your sales tax revenues.

You see, this Valley Fever bug usually only becomes a problem when a person who hasn't had Valley Fever comes in contact with it.

And a person comes in contact with it by breathing the bug in.

And the bug is found in soils that are not old and dried out, but rather soils that are newly disturbed.

So, how can you protect yourself with regards to this vacation safety tip? Easy.

Do all you can to stay away from soil disturbing activities.

• Like to visit new construction sites on your vacations?
• Like to do local gardening?
• Like to take up archaeology as a hobby when you're on vacation?

One word of advice... DON'T.

Essentially, don't go digging around places or near digging activities that you shouldn't be around. At least not while on vacation here in Phoenix.

I know, I know, why would you go on one of your southwest vacations in Arizona just to dig in the soil, right? Silly me.

Well, just so you know. I got Valley Fever the first year I moved here. It progressed on to walking pneumonia and left scars on my lungs. I was lucky that that's all that happened to me.

And what was I doing to be exposed to the bug? Just some simple landscaping in my desert landscaped yard.

See? It doesn't take much.

So, just do your vacation planning while keeping this vacation safety tip in mind. Let's not have you getting sick on us. Okay?

3. The last of these vacation safety tips applies to most of Arizona. This one is about bugs too. But this is about a different type of bug.

The real thing...

Scorpions and Black Widows.

Why is this one of our vacation safety tips? Because these little critters can be a nasty safety issue when you vacation here and get bitten by one of them.

You see, these two bugs are extremely common here in the state. Not quite as common as cockroaches, but almost. Why? Because it's a desert here and they're desert creatures.

They like the heat and they like dark cozy places. So, when you vacation Arizona just be aware that these little critters do like to live in places that the kids may go probing around in. Don't let them do that.

Keep probing hands away from dark crevices both inside and outside the house, rental, villa, hotel or apartment.

And if someone does get bit, err on the side of caution and call the local poison control center ASAP and ask for help.

Oh, and by the way, unlike the Hollywood horror movie depictions, these bugs are NOT half the size of a horse. They're SMALL. Black widows are maybe half an inch long. And scorpions get 'as big as' two inches. But... scorpions are FAST. And both can HURT you big time.

So, please ensure vacation safety for your family. Stay away from places these critters habitate. And when you get up in the dark in the middle of the night to get a drink of water - wear slippers. Just in case.

So, to sum up...

Don't get paranoid about these vacation safety tips.

Go vacation.

Have fun. Just keep your eyes open to possible vacation safety concerns. Simple, right?.

Anyway, I hope these vacation safety tips prove helpful to you. Do have a safe trip here to Arizona. Just improve your vacation safety by ensuring you remember these vacation safety tips I've shared with you.

Good luck.