Going on vacation is a time to relax, be happy and create fantastic memories. We have 6 Tips For Safe Travel to share with you. No matter your destination, when preparing for a trip, it’s important to make sure that you are safe and take measures to protect yourself. Being scammed, robbed or injured is guaranteed to ruin a vacation. While this is something we don’t really want to think about, making sure you are prepared for a safe journey is critical.
Here are our top tips from our years of travelling that have kept us safe.
Tips For Safe Travel Number 1. Share Your Trip With Family and Friends
This is the number one thing we always do. We share full details of our trip with dates, flights, reservation numbers and what activities we are planning for each day. This way they have full access to where we are and if anything goes wrong they will have the details to help if needed.
Tips For Safe Travel Number 2. Make Copies Of Your Identification
In case your wallet and passports get stolen, we keep printed copies in our bags and also scanned copies in the cloud. This will help in the police or the embassy confirming your identity if needed.
Tips For Safe Travel Number 3. Get Travel Insurance
You may never need it, but if you do you will be thankful. There are various types of insurance you can get, shop around for a plan that suits your need.
Tips For Safe Travel Number 4. Don’t Get Scammed
While the world is full of nice and trustworthy people, there are some out there who want to make a buck on your behalf. Being a tourist makes you an easy target! Here are some of the ones we have seen:
- Free Bracelets or CDs. You get approached on the street and all of a sudden you have a bracelet on your arm or a CD in your hand. As soon as it is out of their hands, it’s hard to give it back. Never accept anything from a stranger on the streets. While you may think it is free, chances are you are being scammed into buying something you don’t want. The bracelet trick is the most prevalent version of this in Europe. Keep your wrist away from them unless you want to buy a crappy bracelet or get into an argument.
- Being overcharged for a taxi ride with a broken meter or a longer ride. Make sure you negotiate your fare and know where you are going before your ride.
- Injured or sick children. You see begging in every country. Some people are looking for help but others may be trying to distract you while someone else comes from and take your phone and wallet from your pocket. We have learnt to never carry anything in our back pockets or jackets. Always keep your belongings in a secure location or in the safe at the hotel. In some of the worst cases, the “sick children” are drugged to look ill. Do not support these people and allow them to continue to exploit children in this way.
Tips For Safe Travel Number 5. Don’t Carry Everything With You
When out enjoying the day to day activities, there is no need to carry all of your cash, passports, IDs and multiple credit cards. Only take what you need for the day and keep the rest locked in your hotel room safe.
Tips For Safe Travel Number 6. Protect Your Home
It’s easy to forget about home when on vacation, but an empty dark house is an easy target. If you are away for a while, stop your mail delivery or ask a neighbour to collect it for you. Invest in smart lighting and smart home devices. There are so many on the market and they are super easy to use. You can control when lights go on and off to make it look like someone is home and you can also schedule music or a tv to go on or off. These steps will deter anyone who may be looking in on your house while you are away.
We hope you enjoyed our 6 Tips For Safe Travel. Share your tips in the comment section below…
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These are fantastic tips!!! Everyone should plan for the worst scenario while expecting the best scenario.
Excellent advice. I was almost given a bracelet in Paris by someone but had been warned about the scam so stopped it from happening! I do stop my mail but should probably take a look at some of the smart lighting options out there…
We use a couple different smart light options and have a computer hooked up with ‘auto answer’ Skype account. It is a free (ok some the power cost) way to see whats going on and that the lights are working.
We use trippit and share the itinerary with our moms when we travel. We hope that it would help keep us safe and keep them from asking pedantic questions of us. I can say with certainty that it doesn’t help the later, but it seems like a great idea for safety.
Thanks Jenn and Ed, That is another great tip. Trippit, Love it!
Love this! Great tips and definitely good reminders that even if we think we’ve checked all the boxes, we probably didn’t – especially with regards to your last tip: protecting your home. Setting up timers for lights, making sure everything is turned off and locked up really helps you to breath easier when traveling.
We have stopped ‘Check-In’ on facebook for this very reason. People know your home is locked and that can be dangerous. Always better safe than sorry 🙂 Your tips are very useful. Keeping someone informed about the itinerary is a good idea.
I agree with every single one of these tips. Particularly the making copies of your identification. I list these in my important reminders post and it surprises me how often this doesn’t occur to travelers. Not only do I make the copies, but I leave copies behind at home with family (my parents if my husband is with me and my husband too if he isn’t with me). Travel Insurance is a MUST! And great points to list out ways you can be scammed. They are so sneaky these days!
Making copies of your identification is probably the best tip I could give. I take pics of all of our passports now and store them on the cloud.
These are good tips – especially regarding the scams. It is sometimes really difficult to see through that strategy, so it’s good that you are reminding us that these are only tricks.
Keeping copies of your important documents became so much easier with the possibility to upload it and have it on you practically all the time. I used to make copies to take with me and copies to leave at home – and today I only upload scan and pix of everything and I’m safe.
Since I live in an apartment with many neighbors, I don’t need precaution when leaving, that’s a really good thing.
All excellent tips, that may seem small, but are extremely helpful. It is surprising how often people unintentionally put themselves at risk (or their empty home) so these are a great reminder.
I totally agree with all of these! Protecting my home is key for me and sometimes people tend to leave that out of lists like these. I also tell everyone where I’m going to be and share my itinerary!
I think this list of tips is probably the most helpful article I’ve seen in a while! The point about scams is really true – it’s always better to be safe than sorry! x
I have learned the wrong about inquiring about visa requirement. It happens at a last minute trip booked with my friends which I ended up not going. Thanks for sharing those great tips.