After traveling a lot, enjoying my time, and exploring new places, I suffered some losses! It was devastating to return and find things missing, or something stolen, etc.
Also, you might get into trouble by breaking the law of the country you’re traveling to that you’re not aware of or something else.
So, after many years of traveling, I decided to list some tips to travel safely while keeping yourself, your home, and your business safe.
7 Travel Safe & Keep Yourself Safe
Here are tips for travel safety to help lessen your chances of bad things happening while traveling
1. Get Travel Insurance
Most of the time, people think they don’t need it until they do! If you’re traveling with your laptop camera or something expensive, you must keep yourself saved by having travel insurance.
By getting it, you will be relaxed while on your trip because if anything goes missing or stolen, it can be replaced.
You should always have your health, property, and travel insurance with you. Why? Because you’ll need it, no matter how careful you are.
2. Check the State Department Website
Luckily, the U.S. state department has a page dedicated to each country around the world. Check it to see if there are any difficulties or threats in the country you’re planning to visit.
It’s the U.S. state department’s job to make it known if any country is not safe for visitors.
3. Ask Locals For Advice
Since you are new to the city, you can ask locals or the cab driver which areas are safe to stay in for a vacation.
People always tend to be kind to visitors; you ask for a safe neighborhood. Don’t stick to one opinion; ask several people to make sure you’re safe.
4. Register With Your Embassy
It’s free! The U.S. Department designed a Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to make your arrival known to the destination’s local embassy to keep updated with the latest safety information you need.
All U.S. citizens and nationals living abroad can register for free. It’s an excellent solution to stay updated with any safety concerns and get reliable information while traveling.
For Canadians, they have the Registration Of Canadians Abroad, which is similar to the U.S. enrollment program.
5. Email Your Itinerary To A Trusted Person
The moment you book your flight, make sure to inform a family member or a close friend.
I’d recommend emailing the full itinerary number to several trusted people and making sure they received it.
Make your parents know where you’re headed, your plans, and when to expect you back. So, if they don’t hear from you during or when you said you’ll be back, they’ll act on it and inform proper local authorities.
6. Don’t Share Too Much Info With Strangers
It’s smart not to trust strangers with personal and work-related information, especially when traveling. It’s best not to share your plans, where you’re staying at your workplace, etc.
Thieves or kidnappers can collect your information and use it to execute their plan, whether robbing, kidnapping, or doing any harm.
For instance, when a local shop owner asks where you’re staying, ignore him and don’t tell. If you don’t want to be rude, you can be vague about where you’re staying and mention an area of town rather than the name of your hotel.
7. Blend in with the community
Please don’t make it notable that you’re a tourist and wear tourist clothes. People can overprice items you’re trying to buy or follow you and steal your belongings.
So, be smart and blend with the community as much as possible by not wearing odd clothes.
Also, it’s respectful when wearing the right clothes when visiting Islamic countries. Try to follow the country’s guidelines and respect the culture and community you’re visiting when possible.
5 Tips to Keep Your Home & Business Safe
Now that you know how to stay safe, it’s time to protect your home and business when you’re away. I included a bonus tip at the end to be extremely reliable.
1. Keep It to Yourself
Lots of people like to brag on social media about their trips and vacations. Well, that can put your home and business at risk.
It’s best to keep to yourself as much as possible to avoid it being known to any thief on social media. You can share all the photos on social media after returning to secure your property.
2. Make Your Accounts Private
Make your posts on Facebook and other social media platforms private. Your Instagram account should be private.
You don’t need strangers to get into your business. You don’t know who could be waiting and planning to cause harm, steal or damage your property.
3. Disable Location Apps
Of course, having your location enabled for Apps is dangerous. Unless you’re ordering an uber or trying to find directions, keep your location disabled on your smartphone.
If you always have it enabled, you’re giving people access to know your exact location, putting you, your home, and your business at risk.
4. Be Vigilant with Your Kids
As parents, you need to keep your eyes wide open on your kids, especially when traveling to avoid a possible kidnapping.
Professional kidnappers tend to seek travelers who don’t live in the country because they don’t know or have much here.
So, instruct your kids to stay close, never leave your sight, never talk or deal with strangers, and remain where they are if they get lost or go to the nearest police officer around.
5. Stay Up-to-Date
Always try to post as you post on your social media regarding anything but your traveling plans.
Just keep it casual so people won’t suspect your sudden and unusual disappearance on your accounts.
Bonus tip 6:
It’s an excellent investment to install a security system for the house and business. In case something terrible happens, you’ll have footage to catch whoever did that.
Final Thoughts
Traveling is great! It’s fun to explore new places, check out new cultures, have new experiences, and have a great time.
But, it would be best if you kept yourself your home, and your business safe while doing that. So, follow these tips, get your insurance, and enjoy your vacation.
