How to Play It Safe in Foreign Lands : In countries with safety standards quite different from our own, travelers must take responsibility for their own well-being.

A Toronto man wrote to me recently expressing his desire that novice travelers be made aware of the different--or, in some cases, lack of --safety standards in some foreign countries. It’s a valid issue, and one that touched this man’s family tragically: His son drowned in Costa Rica last summer when a dam broke near an area where he was swimming. Considering the close proximity of the swimming area to the dam, the father reasoned, a sign should have warned swimmers of possible risks.

Your first foreign adventure is often a combination of excitement and confusion. Each day you are dealing with new people, new environments and often different languages. No one wants to concentrate on what can go wrong, but if you take a little time to learn what types of situations to look out for, you can help yourself “play it safe.”

We tend to take it for granted that when our safety is in jeopardy, someone will warn us. In many areas of the world, though, safety systems may not be set up like that. Travelers must take responsibility for finding out about possible risks in advance, rather than expecting to be told.

For example, if a beach is deserted, there may be a good reason why--strong currents, for example--but that doesn’t mean there will be warning signs. It would be wise to seek out an area frequented by local residents.

Here are a few helpful hints for foreign travelers:

* If there’s a fence or a sign that you can’t read, don’t tread on that territory without knowing what you’re dealing with. While camping in the Sinai Desert last year, we encountered a wire barrier and a sign between the road and the beach. Fortunately, we had a guide with us who could interpret--it warned of the possibility of unexploded mines.

* Don’t accept food or drink offered by strangers. Thieves have been known to offer travelers food and beverages laced with drugs that may knock them out while their valuables are removed. Long train journeys are ideal settings for this type of crime.

* If you need medical attention that requires the use of a syringe, make sure that it’s a new one and that you see it removed from its sealed packaging.

* Make sure that companies offering sports activities (such as diving, hang gliding, para-sailing or bungee jumping) are properly licensed and recommended by the local tourism association.

* Don’t head off into remote areas with strangers who simply say they are qualified guides. If you want to join a guided trek, such as a jungle trek in Southeast Asia, be sure that the guide or company offering to take you is registered with the local tourist office.

* Be sensitive to cultural differences. For example, we may enjoy the opportunity to be openly critical of people in power, but similar talk can lead to trouble elsewhere. In Thailand, for example, speaking out in public against the Royal Family is a criminal offense.

* Try to avoid wearing expensive-looking jewelry. Travelers have reported having earrings ripped from their ears.

* Keep your valuables (money and passport) in a pouch under your clothing, where it won’t be easy to grab, or leave it locked in your hotel’s safe and carry only a little cash and a card with your name and the name of your hotel. If you leave your valuables in a safe that will be opened by hotel staff, consider sealing your credit cards in an envelope and initialing it, so they can’t be used without your knowledge.

* If someone is trying to rob you, remember that documents and traveler’s checks can be replaced--but your health can’t. By resisting, you could be physically hurt. For example, thieves on motor scooters have been known to grab the shoulder bags of tourists on sidewalks. If you hold on, you can be pulled into the traffic.

* Be wary of opening your room door to someone you don’t know. If someone claims to be from “maintenance,” call the desk to be sure.

* Don’t carry parcels onto planes or across borders for anyone else, and don’t cross a border in a vehicle owned by someone you don’t know well. If the owner is transporting something illegal, you could be in a great deal of trouble by simply being in the wrong place, with the wrong person, at the wrong time.

* Trust your gut. If it doesn’t feel right (whether it’s a matter of following directions down a dark street or getting into a taxi with a particular driver), don’t do it. There will be someone else to double-check directions with. And there will be another taxi.