Tips On Staying Safe Whilst Travelling

Travelling to a different country can be quite a scary thing, as the culture can be way different to what you are used to back home. Travelling is really an amazing way to explore the world, however, you need to be very careful you don’t get yourself into dangerous situations. Follow these tips and you should be able to stay safe.

Whilst you may want to get out your very expensive camera and snap some pictures of your travels, this is only letting people around you know that you have something valuable and worth stealing. Avoid having your camera dangling around your neck at all times and only use it when you need it. Keep it hidden at the bottom of you bag so it is undetectable. You can create lots of very usesful hiding places for some of your valuables. For example, wash out an empty sun cream bottle, cut it in half, then use it to store some of your cash in. See a video on how to do it here.

Different travel destinations will often have a touristy area and a downtown are which is a bit less explored by visitors. Be sure to keep out of these areas during the night, stay near to other tourists and don’t wander off on your own. Some locals aren’t big fans of tourists, and you don’t want to put yourself in danger straying from other travellers.

Make sure you always let someone know your travel plans and exactly where you are visiting. While it is important to let your family and friends at home know these details, it’s also really important for someone from the area to know also. If you are staying in a hostel or hotel, let the staff know where you are going, as well as providing them with a contact number that they can get in contact with you on. This means that if anything were to happen, they can raise the alarm with the local emergency service.

Something that criminals abroad look out for with tourists is if they look vulnerable. This gives them an easy target. Be sure to always look confident, and walk with your head held high, even if you really don’t feel it. If you find yourself lost, don’t let anyone see that you are vulnerable and try to confident. If you are in a situation that doesn’t feel right, try and get yourself out of it as quickly as you can.

Make sure before you visit a different destination, you know a few basic words in the local language. This means that if you need help, you are able to alert someone that you have a problem. Be careful who you let know that you need help though. Don’t let anyone lead you away from the area, as criminals will try and isolate you.

Keep emergency numbers in your phone, or take a piece of paper with all these numbers on so that you can get into contact with someone if your phone dies. Make sure you know the local emergency service number as if won’t be the same as what you use at home. Save the number in your phone so that you can quickly and easily access it if you need to.

Before you travel, take a photocopy of your passport and other travel documents, such as visas you may need for the country you are visiting. It might also prove helpful to have a hardcopy of these, as well as a picture on your phone. This means that if you lose your passport or visa, it will be a lot easier to prove to officials that you have a relevant visa and aren’t in the country illegally, rather than having to go through the process of trying to obtain all of these documents again.