We’ve all heard one of those stories… a friend of a friend went on an amazing vacation and <insert terrible travel-related story here>. It could happen to anyone! But you can be better prepared to help stay safe on vacation. Here are my 11 Tips to Stay Safe on Vacation:
Before Your Vacation
Make a copy of your passport
Ensure you have a copy of your travel documents with you including one of your passport. It’s also a good idea to email yourself a copy of your passport – just in case!
Get travel/medical insurance
I fully believe in the saying: “if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel.” If you aren’t able to pay for travel insurance and a medical emergency happens while you are away, how will you pay for it? All I’m saying is look into it – there are many inexpensive options that can help you stay safe on vacation.
Research your destination before booking your hotel
Make sure you know about the area you are visiting so you can avoid any unsafe neigbourhoods in the city. I like to research my locations before I book my hotel so I can ensure it’s in a decent location, especially if I’ll be doing a lot of walking around early morning or late at night.
Learn common travel scams of your destination
No matter where you’re travelling, it’s important to research any common scams before you get there. This can help you avoid losing money, being taken advantage of, or simply give you information you can pass along to help others stay safe on vacation throughout your travels.
Before and On Your Vacation
Email your family/friends your itinerary and contact details
Make sure that you let family members and friends know where you’ll be. Even if you are travelling with a buddy or a group, it’s important for people back home to be able to reach you in an emergency. Check-in with family/friends throughout your vacation so they know you are safe and healthy!
Limit your social media use
Social media is now a place for people to document their every move… I’m guilty of it, especially on my travels! Try to limit posting about where you’ll be, how long you’ll be away for, and any details about the house/apartment you’ll be leaving empty while you’re gone.
Use RFID blocking and anti-theft wallets/purses
Some people may think I’m extreme here, but I use RFID blocking card sleeve for my debit and credit cards when I travel. But there’s more! I also have a Travelon anti-theft purse that claims to be RFID blocking, slash-proof, and has locks on the strap and zippers. Style or function? In the name of safety, I chose function.
Keep your cash and credit cards separate
I like to divide my cash and credit cards into multiple RFID blocking pouches throughout my purse and carry-on. I never put any money in my suitcase! This way if I were to be pick-pocketed I’d still have money elsewhere. Additionally, once I arrive at my destination I leave some money in the safe so I don’t have to walk around with it on me.
On Your Vacation
Don’t wear expensive jewelry
If you’ve got it, flaunt it right? Wrong! On vacation you should try to blend in to look like less of a tourist. I’m not saying don’t wear any jewelry, but be thoughtful about what you bring so you can stay safe on vacation. Take a look at one of my packing lists for more details on what to bring.
Lock up your valuables
If you’re bringing valuables with you (tablets, laptops, e-readers, cameras, etc.) make sure you lock them up if you are leaving them in your room. Most rooms have safes, but if your room doesn’t you can lock your valuables in your suitcase and store it in a closet or under the bed – out of sight out of mind. Though, it’s best to bring minimal valuables with you to begin with – some things (like my essential travel tech gear) you just need to have on your travels. I get it!
Check your hotel room/vacation rental/hostel for security
Before you leave it’s good to read reviews about your hotel and how safe people felt there. Once you check-in and get to your room take a look to see that the door locks properly, windows and patio doors are all secure and the phone is working. If a lock is broken ask to switch rooms. Always keep your door locked!
Make smart transit choices
Ensure you are taking precautions when you use taxis, public transportation or are walking around early in the morning or late at night. If you need to arrange a taxi, try to do so through your hotel. If you are taking the subway or a local bus, research it online before you get there. For example – Paris has great metro options, but there are signs everywhere warning about pick-pockets. Do you risk it? Or could you walk instead?
Summary: 11 Tips to Stay Safe on Vacation
Well there you have my 11 tips to stay safe on vacation! I hope these help you and your loved ones avoid a travel mishap and can keep everyone safe and happy. If you have your own tips to stay safe on vacation, share them in the comment section below.
17 comments
Great tips for staying safe. I agree with not posting a lot on social media about your current destination. That’s one that a lot of people don’t think about. I blog, but I try to share and post about my previous destinations and not the city I am in currently.
Yes, agree. It’s hard to not want to share while you’re away, but safety first!
These are the great tips especially if you travel solo around! I always make sure that people don’t know my current location, I feel somehow safer then 😀
I’ve never travelled solo for a big trip, so I feel like I’d be extra paranoid then!
A nice compilation of tips to stay and travel safe! However, it is good to get a hang of travel scams pertaining to a destination. Travel insurance is a sure-shot necessity and so is medical insurance! As narrated in the blog, I like to divide my cash so that it’s well distributed and i dont need to panic in case of a mishap!
Yes, definitely need to be aware of any scams and make sure you have insurance! Keeping cash divided has helped us a few times.
All good points. I’ve been practicing many of them during my many years traveling.
Thanks Jim – hope you have many more years of safe travels ahead.
These are all great tips. We follow each one of these steps. We really like our RFID safe back and it even has anti-theft locks on it to deter pickpocketing. We also always get travelers insurance and have a copy of our passports backed up on a third party app that family members can access just in case we can’t 🙂
Excellent tips as well. It never hurts to be extra prepared and thinking of safety while you travel!
I never thought about separating my credit from my debit cards. I second all the other tips. If traveling to high-risk destination I would add to inform your foreign ministry office about your travel plans.
That’s a great tip! I’ve never been to a high-risk location but will note that for future.
These are all very good tips. I had to laugh at the very first one though. My husband left his passport, all his credit cards and cash at our last Airbnb in Guatemala and only discovered this at the airport. Because I had a photocopy of his passport and we were only flying within Guatemala, they let him use the photocopy as id! He was so grateful for me having that!
What a save! I’m shocked to hear that you were able to fly with it, but good to know that the photocopy came through for you.
Great tips! We have to do everything we can to protect ourselves, although sometimes things still do go wrong at least we know we did everything we could!
Great tips! Let me add something: ask locals such as vendors, policemen, pizza delivery guys, etc. how much is the fare in getting from one place to another. Don’t ask drivers; if they know you’re a visitor, they’re going to rip you off.
That’s a great tip as well! Never though of that before, I usually ask at the hotel but sometimes they have deals with drivers. Just never know!