It never really feels like a complete season without travel.
But you want to make sure you’re safe when you go on vacation. It doesn’t take much to ensure safe travels – there are just a few simple tips to be aware of.
That way, whether you’re traveling alone, with a partner, or with a whole squad of girlfriends, you can have a great time knowing that you’re in control of your safety.
5 Travel Tips for Your Safety
1. Do Your Homework
Your trip starts at home with the planning process. Of course, you already know you’ll be buying your flight and booking your hotel. But there’s more you can do before your trip begins to make sure you stay safe.
Start with a visit to your doctor or to a travel clinic. Tell them where you’re going and find out if there are any recommended vaccines or prescriptions you should get. You don’t want health issues to get in the way of your fun.
Also, find out where the nearest hospital or medical center in your destination is, just in case. Find out any safety information about the neighborhood you’ll be in and the ones you’ll be visiting. Is it safe by day? By night? What are your safest transportation options?
2. Keep Your Valuables Close or At Home While Traveling
Ideally, you can leave most valuables like laptops, tablets, and fancy cameras at home.
However, it’s possible that you will want or need to take some of these things on your trip. If so, make sure you keep them on your person while you travel.
Checked luggage goes missing too often for you to risk checking a pricey piece of electronics.
Don’t put a bag containing your valuables anywhere that you can’t watch and reach it, such as in a bus luggage hold. Bring a small bag that can easily fit your valuables on your person while you travel.
3. Lock Your Valuables Up Once There
Once you’ve reached your destination, it’s no longer such a good idea to keep your most valuable things on you at all times.
Even at the safest of holiday destinations, you don’t want to take your most valuable things around with you. Once you’ve reached your destination, your valuables can be locked up for safekeeping.
It’s not a good idea to keep lots of cash, credit cards, and important identification like your passport on you when you don’t need it. Use the safe in your hotel or hostel, or get a portable safe to take with you if you have different lodgings.
4. Treat Substances With Care
There can be many variables that affect your tolerance to alcohol or anything else when you travel.
Higher altitudes can cause you to get drunk faster. Local alcohol may be stronger as it is regulated differently in different places. Maybe a certain bar just pours stronger drinks than you’re used to.
This doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun, just that you should pace yourself and be more attentive to your intake than you might be at home. Remember, no matter where you are, you should never accept a drink if you don’t know what’s in it. Make sure you always can see your beverages being made.
5. Don’t Look Like a Tourist
Americans are notorious for being easy to spot abroad. Don’t be that person, and you won’t be a target.
Try to dress more like a local, or at least less like a tourist. If you’re in a conservative country, leave your skimpiest clothes at home. Blending in not only makes you less of a target, but it also helps show respect to the place you’re visiting.
This also means being polite in your interactions. Learn a bit of the local language if you can. You may not fit in perfectly, but you can do your best to integrate yourself. If you don’t seem like a clueless tourist, then you’re not an easy target.
Final Thoughts
There’s no need to be afraid of travel, whether you go alone or in a group. It’s easy to have fun and stay safe just by following simple travel safety tips like these.
What are your favorite travel safety tips, and where are you headed next? Leave a comment below and let’s chat!
