Part 2
Traveling can be such a fulfilling experience, and it’s a privilege not everyone is able to enjoy. Which is why it can be so frustrating to have a good trip end poorly due to petty thefts and unexpected mishaps. Hopefully part 2 of this article will help you negate some of the unpleasant experiences associated with travel! Sharing is caring, forward, save and re-pin this article to spread the love!
1 Be Aware of Your Surroundings
Unfortunately with the world declining from bad to worse we always have to be aware of our surroundings, but even more so when traveling. Stay off of your phone when walking around and site seeing, frequently scan your area and make not of any people who tend show up where you are or get on or off the bus/subway when you do. It can be helpful to research the types of common scams you can expect to encounter in a particular area before arriving. Be cautious of anyone you don’t know approaching you, this includes unsuspecting children and elderly individuals.
2 Keep Purse/Backpack in Front of You & Zipped
When you’re in crowded areas don’t keep phone and wallet easily accessible in back pockets, or in open purses. Always keep your belongings secured on your person or close to your body and difficult to get to in zipped backpacks and purses. Getting pickpocketed can happen so quickly and can leave you feeling devastating when you’re supposed to be enjoying yourself.
3 Limit Info on Luggage Tags
Simply jotting down your first name, last initial, google voice number, and secondary email is sufficient for anyone trying to contact you regarding your luggage with out having access to much personal information. Also don’t keep it easily visible; turn the writing around with an arrow indicating to flip it to see contact info.
4 Carry a Personal Alarm
Unfortunately when traveling pepper spray and tasers are not items for safety you can usually bring with you. So drawing attention to yourself in emergency a situation with a personal alarms is the next best thing. They are lightweight, loud, and may be all you need to get someone away from you. I like the ones that go off when they are detached and won’t stop unless it’s clicked back in, and the ones that have a built in back up whistle.
5 Download Google Maps & Maps.me
Downloading these maps in advance can be very helpful especially if you are traveling alone/get separated from your group or don’t have a strong data signal. It’s super simple to do. With the Google maps app you just select settings (for me I access the settings by clicking on my profile icon on the upper right corner). Next select offline maps. Then choose “select my own map”. This will allow you to set a radius of the area you will be downloading. Depending on how large of an area you plan on saving to use offline can eat up a chunk of storage space on your device. However it is possible to save google maps offline to an SD card to preserve your device’s internal storage.
6 Share Your Location w/ Trusted Friends & Family
While you definitely don’t want the world to know when you’re away having the time of your life, it is very wise to share your location with friends or family. Update them and check in daily if traveling solo. You can do this with the life 360 location app or find my iPhone. I recommend both.
7 Uber Instead of Taxis
Unlike local taxi services a ride share app like Uber allows you to see who you should be expecting to pick you up and you have the option to share your route with a loved one. In some countries ride sharing companies are non existent or simply not allowed because governmental authorities view them as unfair competitors with local transportation agencies. So if you must take a cab consider these three tips:
- Call for a taxi instead of hailing one
- Ask ahead for rates and pricing
- Look for signs this is a legitimate taxi service and employe (license, badge, vehicle number, company name, etc)
Check out this article for more taxi specific safety tips, I found it very informative.
8 T-Mobile or Purchase a SIM Card for Local Data
It can be ridiculously expensive to make a phone call or access data without Wi-Fi when you’re abroad. To combat this dilemma I recommend using the carrier T-Mobile for less expensive international Mobil data plans. It’s supported in several countries and you can use WhatsApp for calls and messages. The next thing I recommend is getting a local SIM card for your phone from the area you’ll be visiting (of course this would be beneficial for long term travel of more than 3-5 days, and only useful if your phone is already unlocked by your carrier.) Lastly you may want to consider purchasing a cheap prepaid phone that you hang onto just for emergencies.
9 Portable Water Filter (LARQ or Life Straw)
It’s unfortunate that not everyone has access to clean drinking water. When traveling to many countries the quality of safe drinking water can very from city to city and even neighborhood by neighborhood. With this in mind traveling with a personal water purifier like: life straw or LARQ can help prevent you from getting sick while staying hydrated. I do recommend LARQ over life straw because then you can contain your purified water.
10 STEP.state.gov
This is free program you can register for to alert the US government that you’ll be traveling abroad, and where you plan on going so they can alert the nearest embassy of where you will be in case of an emergency. Perfect for anyone who missed tip #10 on Top “10 safety travel tips part 1”
That’s all for today’s article! I hope you have found these 10 safety tip informative and valuable. Keep them in mind on your next trip. Happy travels and stay safe!
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