About Rick Hayes

Planning a trip involves more than choosing a ship or deciding where to eat. You also need to understand the documents you’ll need, the conditions at your destination, and the arrangements that matter if something goes wrong.

I started Travel Safety Authority to help people work through those questions. I want readers to leave with something useful: a decision they can make, a requirement they understand, or a plan they can put into practice.

Now based in Central Florida, I also bring personal cruise experience to guides about ships, ports, dining, and life onboard. Those details belong here because choosing a trip that suits you is part of preparing well.

I served in specialized units within the NYPD’s Transit Special Operations Division, including the Anti-Terrorism Unit, Transit Impact Task Force, and Transit Manhattan Task Force.

My assignments included both uniformed and plainclothes work. They involved transit security, crime deterrence, and theft prevention in busy public spaces used by residents, commuters, and visitors.

• Anti-Terrorism Unit Subway security work involving crime and terrorism threats, including CCTV monitoring, plainclothes surveillance, and transit security enforcement.
• Transit Impact Task Force Crime suppression and deterrence in the subway system.
• Transit Manhattan Task Force Patrol of tourist corridors, including Times Square and Penn Station, with a focus on pickpocketing and theft.

That work shaped how I approach travel safety. I pay attention to how people move through a space, where distractions occur, and how a traveler can prepare for an unfamiliar setting. On this site, I explain those habits in terms you can use on your own trip.

My training came through the NYPD and federal programs, including FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness. It includes:

• Behavioral Observation & Suspicious Activity Recognition (BOSAR)
• Hostile Surveillance Detection
• Counterterrorism Personal Radiation Detection
• Advanced Explosive Trace Detection
• Chemical Ordinance, Biological and Radiological Awareness (COBRA)/Cohort Training
• CIMS & NIMS Federal Emergency Management
• Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Training Program (CISRTP)
• Initial Law Enforcement Response to Suicide Bombing Attacks (ILERSBA)
• WMD/Terrorism Awareness for Emergency Responders
• Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear/Hazardous Materials (CBRN/HazMat) Operations Level Training
• WMD Law Enforcement Protective Measures
• WMD Law Enforcement Response Actions
• WMD Law Enforcement Threat, Hazard Recognition, and Emergency Actions Training (THREAT)

This training informs my approach to observation, preparation, and emergency response. The guides explain how those principles apply to everyday travel situations.

• A.A. Liberal Arts, Nassau Community College
• B.S. Education/Health Education, LIU Post

Travel Safety Authority covers cruise preparation, port safety, ship security, accessibility, and the practical decisions that come with traveling. You’ll also find guides to dining, entertainment, private islands, and travel gear.

My aim is to answer the question that brought you to a page and give you enough context to use the answer. That might mean explaining a cruise line’s policy, working through an excursion decision, or helping you prepare for a problem before it becomes urgent.