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How to Stay Safe while Traveling

Travel security tips.

Being able to travel is an incredible blessing, but just like anything in life, it does come with its dangers. This list of tips will help you get a better grasp on your safety, so that you’ll be free to enjoy the trip to the maximum.

Use a Travel Card

It’s important to have a card with 24/7 support from the bank, so that in case something happens, you’ll be able to deal with the issue immediately. Make sure your bank offers this ahead of time.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance acts like health insurance when you’re abroad. It’s a good idea to have one regardless of the length of your travels, but it’s especially important if you plan on going somewhere for a long period of time. Having this type of insurance ensures that you’ll get emergency medical care, as well as evacuation in case you’ll need it.

Know the Language

While we’re on the subject of things you should do before you leave, try to learn the language of the country you’ll be visiting. No one is expecting you to know the language of another country to perfection, but if you’re planning on staying a longer period of time somewhere, then you should have at least the basics down. Not only will this make you travel experience that much better, but it will also ensure that you can express yourself when you need to (for instance, when talking to the police after being robbed).

Be Smart about Your Belongings

Having your stuff stolen while traveling is certainly not a great experience. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to keep your belongings close to you when transferring from one place to another. Don’t leave luggage on its own, since pickpockets will find it and will “take care” of it. If you’ve got a backpack, consider putting a rain-cover on it to keep it safe both from the rain and from ill-intended hands.

After you’ve checked into a hotel and it’s time to go exploring, be sure to get only the stuff you need with you and leave anything you don’t in the room. The less you have on you, the less likely it is you’ll get stuff stolen.

Keep a Safe Schedule

Thinking rationally, more bad things happen at night than they do during the day. This is not to say that nothing bad ever happens in daylight, but you get the point. With that in mind, consider creating a safe schedule, waking up early and going to bed early, to avoid the dangerous hours.

Keep Cards and Passports Close. Really Close

It’s a great idea to use a money belt to keep the most important items as close to you as possible. Pickpockets won’t know about those items, so they won’t try to steal them.

Pay with a Wallet

Strange as it may sound, this idea is actually a very good one. Here’s why: in case you get mugged, you’ll be able to give the muggers something, without having to give them your most important valuables (as those will be in that money belt we talked about earlier).

Withdraw in Banks

When traveling, it’s a good idea to only pay in cash, but since carrying all the money you’ll need on the trip with you is not a good idea, you should be prepared to withdraw money ever so often.

Now, ATMs can be manipulated to copy the date on your card, which you obviously want to avoid. A good solution to this problem is simply withdrawing inside banks, as opposed to ATMs on the street.

Stay in Groups

The safe schedule advice is gold, but most people would like to experience the nightlife in a new location at least once. Well, you shouldn’t deny yourself that wonderful experience, but make sure you do so in a group. It’s particularly important to have someone to walk back with to where you’re staying, since this may just be the most dangerous part.

Of course, sometimes even the best plans fall through and in this case, be sure to take a cab home, rather than walk alone.

Be Careful with Drinks

Keeping in line with the clubbing experience, it’s crucial to make sure that you don’t get completely drunk for obvious reasons: you’re in a place you don’t know, where you may not know the language all that well.

In addition, make sure that you keep you drink close to you at all times, to avoid someone putting drugs in it.

Traveling is an amazing way to enrich your life with the culture of other countries. However, it can also be dangerous, which is why you should make sure to be as safe as possible. Take precautions, stay in groups, and don’t show off your valuables.

Filed under: Travel Guide

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  • Trevor October 19, 2019, 12:57 pm

    the girl in the top photo needs to put her day pack on first and then but on the big backpack after….. the day pack cant get ripped off by a drive by moped mugger….. i kept hold of my bag cos of this simple MO. and put a small carabina from the backpack to the loop on ur jeans or what ever….

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