Safety Travel Tips To Keep In Mind Before Your Next Trip

By no means am I saying that I am the safety expert. We all have a little helicopter mom in us when we’re looking over our younger siblings/cousins, etc. When it comes to ourselves, not as much right? These are safet travel tips that will ensure your safety that you’ll want to take seriously, but not get too caught up in everything. Keep in mind that there is always a chance you can risk getting robbed, or being put in an uncomfortable situation at home. Obviously in a foreign country without your family and familiarity of the country’s processes, could lead to excess stress. So just thinking about it before your trip will be the biggest step to trying to prevent and prepare for a situation.

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Safety Travel Tips

When it comes to safety two things come to mind. That is street smart & buddy system. As a Brooklynite as I am sure you all can relate, I grew up taking the iconic MTA subway system that honestly was not/is not the safest. We have childhood experiences that taught us how to become more street-smart, aware, and prepared for an emergency. I think the biggest thing is to be alert to your surroundings at all times. Pick pocketers and robbers, kidnappers all target people that are not aware. They’re clueless in their little bubble and won’t even realize it, but they have been followed for over an hour. Communication is also a big factor. Telling your family and friends your whereabouts is key! I could type out all of the safety travel tips in this paragraph since they’re all important! Ready for the list? Here we go!

Research The Country

1. Look up the local laws. It’s so easy to fall into your own habits. This tip could even prevent an arrest so take this one seriously.
2. Know the local number for “911” or the emergency call number. Just in case something happens, you’ll want to know!
3. Sign up for emails with the Consulate of the country. Stay up-to-date on news & the political climate. If political unrest is happening days before your trip, checking in on those updates will be crucial to deciding if you will follow through with your travel plans.

Know When & Who To Share Your Information With

1. Make a rough itinerary and share it with your family, friends, & loved ones. Yeah it might not be verbatim we’re going to x restaurant at x time, but knowing if you’re going to be in Paris on this day and Amsterdam 2 days after will help in case of an emergency and people need to get in touch with you. I’d recommend sharing all of the trains and tours you have booked and the reference numbers just in case!
2. Share your location with all of your close family and friends. Just in case right, do I need to say more?
3. Don’t post exact locations when you’re traveling on social media. Save those photos for yourself until you come home and then do a recap or at least wait until you’re in a new destination. People can stalk your page especially who know you’re on vacation and potentially rob your house back home. People in the country you’re visiting can spot location stories on Instagram and could target you so just play it safe and post when you get back home!
4. Don’t tell people that you’re solo traveling: It might be really cool to tell people and I’m sure you’re really excited and nervous but when it comes to tours, people you encounter, taxis – it’s not a great idea for your safety.

Traveling Around

1. Don’t put all of your IDs, cards, and money in the same place. Just in case you misplace something, you’ll want to have backup cards to use, money at your disposal, and IDs available as well.
2. Make a copy of all your papers. Whether that’s your visa, passport, covid vaccine, health forms, documents, etc. You’ll want to have that all as a backup in case you lose it.
3. Buddy System: Unless you are on a solo trip, traveling with someone is always a good idea. In club settings, unfamiliar areas & big tourist attractions, people can easily lose awareness of their surroundings. For solo travelers, just checking in with your family and friends will suffice.

Fanny Packs & Satchels For The Win

1. Carry your passport closest to you at all times: I always travel with a fanny pack and my passport is in there at ALL times! If you’re leaving the hotel to wander around, that passport is coming with you. God forbid (now these situations are a bit extreme) if the hotel catches on fire, your hotel room gets robbed, you have your ticket out of the country (and it’s not your boarding pass). It’s your passport. I always check for it throughout the day because just in case you misplace it, at least you can track where you last saw it. I would hide it in a pocket in your bag so it’s not easily seen.
2. Travel with a satchel and never with a bag that has pockets behind you. I *knocks on wood* have never experienced a pick pocketer. From stories, they’re pretty f*king slick if you ask me. They sometimes team up and pretend to ask you to buy something or get your attention in some way while the other person is going through your purse. Carrying a satchel is key to ensuring that everything in that bag is staying put.

Going Out

1. Don’t let anyone buy you a drink: I don’t have much experience going out in foreign countries. I will say that letting someone buy you a drink especially when you don’t have eyes on it is a cause for alarm. Maybe the person is trying to be friendly, but watch Law & Order SVU or any crime documentary show that will wake you up to reality. There are some sick people in this world and they’re usually people you’d never suspect.
2. Watch your drink at all times/ Cover your cups: This goes hand and hand with not letting someone buy you a drink. Watching a drink that YOU bought is also key. When you use the bathroom, either finish your drink, bring it with you, or dump it out. Don’t let anyone take your drink and watch it at all times.

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There You Have It

Safety on a trip is widely underestimated. These safety travel tips (that you might know already) are getting reinforced before you embark on your big trip. I feel that even with one read-through, you’ll retain a lot of these tips and execute them to feel your best and most secure in a foreign city, country, etc. Let me know if there are any that I didn’t mention, comment them below and hey, maybe I’ll feature them in a future podcast. Thanks so much for the support and stay tuned for more travel content.