--- title: Brussels Attack: How to Stay Safe Traveling Overseas description: Useful tips from a foreign service mom canonical: https://time.com/4267898/brussels-attack-protect-your-family-overseas/ author: Belinda Luscombe article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-23T12:30:12.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:57:39.849Z og:title: 10 Precautions That Can Help Keep Your Family Safe While Traveling Overseas og:description: Useful tips everyone should know from a foreign service mom og:url: https://time.com/4267898/brussels-attack-protect-your-family-overseas/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ffbe5f7b5cd5f4a/69888c063c163954d745c875/gettyimages-498324288.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: BELGIUM-FRANCE-ATTACKS og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 10 Precautions That Can Help Keep Your Family Safe While Traveling Overseas twitter:description: Useful tips everyone should know from a foreign service mom twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ffbe5f7b5cd5f4a/69888c063c163954d745c875/gettyimages-498324288.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 10 Precautions That Can Help Keep Your Family Safe While Traveling Overseas  by [Belinda Luscombe](https://time.com/author/belinda-luscombe/)  ## Belinda Luscombe Editor at Large Mar 23, 2016 12:30 PM UTC  Soldiers stand guard in front of the central train station on November 22, 2015 in Brussels, as the Belgian capital remained on the highest security alert level over fears of a Paris-style attack. / AFP / EMMANUEL DUNAND (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images) Soldiers stand guard in front of the central train station on November 22, 2015 in Brussels, as the Belgian capital remained on the highest security alert level over fears of a Paris-style attack. / AFP / EMMANUEL DUNAND (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)EMMANUEL DUNAND—AFP/Getty Images  by [Belinda Luscombe](https://time.com/author/belinda-luscombe/)  ## Belinda Luscombe Editor at Large Mar 23, 2016 12:30 PM UTC For those families contemplating a trip abroad, or have who have to travel for work or study, an attack on a big national airport like Brussels can set nerves on edge. Parents worry whether to change plans. Children might hear of the news and get anxious. Most of the time, international travel is extremely safe, and for those who can afford it, a wonderful shared experience for families. And, as Donna Scaramastra Gorman [wrote for TIME.com](http://time.com/4120986/how-to-keep-your-family-safe-while-youre-overseas/) after the Paris attacks, never going anywhere is the most dangerous choice of all. Gorman, whose husband works for the State Department in Moscow and whose book [_Am I Going to Starve to Death?: A Survival Guide for the Foreign Service Spouse_](http://www.amazon.com/Am-Going-Starve-Death-Survival-ebook/dp/B013QX90Y4)gleans from her 16 years as a mostly expatriate parent, recommends families take a few simple precautions when traveling. Here are some of her tips: --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4267898/brussels-attack-protect-your-family-overseas/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4267898/brussels-attack-protect-your-family-overseas/"},"headline":"10 Precautions That Can Help Keep Your Family Safe While Traveling Overseas","datePublished":"2016-03-23T12:30:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:57:39.849Z","description":"Useful tips from a foreign service mom","url":"https://time.com/4267898/brussels-attack-protect-your-family-overseas/","keywords":["Living","Parenting","kids","brussels","safety","international travel"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ffbe5f7b5cd5f4a/69888c063c163954d745c875/gettyimages-498324288.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Belinda Luscombe","jobTitle":"Editor at Large","url":"https://time.com/author/belinda-luscombe/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ffbe5f7b5cd5f4a/69888c063c163954d745c875/gettyimages-498324288.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"BELGIUM-FRANCE-ATTACKS","caption":"BELGIUM-FRANCE-ATTACKS","creditText":"EMMANUEL DUNAND—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4267898/brussels-attack-protect-your-family-overseas/","name":"10 Precautions That Can Help Keep Your Family Safe While Traveling Overseas"}}]}] ```