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How to Stay Safe While Traveling

Sherri & Allan Collier

Updated: Aug 7, 2023

Traveling the world is a pretty safe place for travelers but you can be exposed to security challenges. I don’t want to scare you but it’s wise to be prepared. Bad stuff happens and you might encounter deceitful taxi drivers, two-faced tour guides, insincere offers of help, and an occasional theft or scam. So, to be prepared here are several travel safety tips to help minimize your chances of something ruining your great trip:


Potential Risks


Itinerary, communication, documents

  • Email your itinerary to friends/family before you leave and check in with friends and family often.

  • Keep your insurance information handy and send it to a trusted friend or loved one

  • Secure important documents, such as passports and visas, and make electronic copies

  • Use strong, unique passwords for digital devices and enable two-factor authentication

  • Install reputable antivirus and firewall software on digital devices


Surroundings

  • Don’t share too much with strangers, travel in numbers and never alone at night, and know where you are going before you leave

  • Don’t be on your phone walking down the street or on a bus/train – stay alert

  • Ask locals, hotel/hostel front desk, be careful of people coming up to you to help. Use reputable transportation services, prearrange airport transfers, and avoid unmarked taxis or unofficial modes of transportation

  • Stay “Tethered” to your bag – chair, your leg at a table. Keep you bags in front of you not hanging on the back of a chair

  • Stop using your back pocket – pick pocket most likely crime

  • Stay (Relatively) Sober: This has to be one of the most important safety tips for travelers. Watch your drinks so nothing is slipped in it, or offered a drink from a stranger. If you do drink, use a Liquid IV, my son and his wife swear by them.


Things to Purchase


Money

  • Tell your bank where you’re going so they don’t think your charges are fraudulent and lock your accounts.

  • Don’t take a lot of cash, use International credit cards or local ATMs instead use an ATM in a bank

  • Have an emergency credit card, we suggest this one - https://capital.one/3Je6cAX

  • Splurge when needed on safety, cheap flight land late at night, cheap hotels/hostels are prone to crime

  • Use a travel wallet or money belt to carry cash and cards discreetly. This one is great.

  • Obtain comprehensive travel insurance that includes medical coverage and emergency evacuation

  • Hide Emergency Cash. How I have done it: Secret pocket sewn into your pants, Behind a patch on your backpack, rolled into an empty ChapStick container, Inside a hidden compartment (like this hair-brush or belt pouch)



Other Tips

  • Wear a helmet/safety gear on excursions – avoid a foreign hospital and be blamed for your injury or damage

  • Avoid using public Wi-Fi networks for sensitive activities (i.e. banking) and consider using a VPN

  • Carry a list of emergency contacts, including local emergency services and your embassy or consulate

  • Carry a basic first aid kit and any necessary medications. We keep this in my wife’s bag at all times.


Trust Your Instincts! The biggest and best bit of advice for traveling safely is also the simplest – trust your instincts. If something feels off, unsafe, or wrong, trust your gut and find an alternative.


-Allan Collier



*This post contains affiliate links.


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