Be street smart. ALWAYS pay attention to your surroundings. Never look like a tourist. Study your map before you leave your accommodations and know where you’re going. If you must ask for directions, seek someone who is a police officer or government official. In Malaysia, even after studying the map, I need to ask directions. I stood at a bus stop until a bus came and asked the driver. He was very nice and told me how to get where I wanted to go.