The Ultimate Guide to Staying Safe During Your Travels

Planning for a big trip is an exciting feeling and after spending months, if not years, saving up for your travels, the last thing you want is to run into trouble. Staying safe while traveling can look different for everyone, but there are a few things that everyone must do to prepare for a safe journey. Read below for the ultimate guide to staying safe during your travels.

Pack Correctly

When packing for a trip, it is important to evaluate what you will need to stay safe while you are away from home. This could include bringing the correct walking shoes so that you do not get blisters or trip on uneven streets. Proper footwear is so important while traveling because you will likely be walking a lot more than you do in your normal day-to-day, meaning that you could be more prone to injury in unfamiliar terrain.To pack correctly, you should also bring protective layers like a winter coat and boots if you are going somewhere cold. This will keep you from risking getting frostbite or hypothermia. Conversely, if you are going somewhere hot, bring lots of sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat to protect your skin from burning and getting long-term sun damage.

Drive Safely

If you are driving to your travel destination or you are renting a car when you get there, it is important to stick to the rules of the road and make good decisions while driving. Just because you are on vacation does not mean that the road is not still a dangerous place. In the unlikely event that you end up in an accident that was not your fault, you should contact your local vehicle collision lawyers in Denver - if that’s where you’re located, who can work with you to build a case for any compensation needed. Getting into a car accident while traveling can be even more stressful than getting in one at home because you are somewhere unfamiliar with different driving laws. An experienced collision lawyer can educate themself on the local driving laws and study the case to see what they can do for you.

Keep Your Documents Close to Your Body

Traveling to a new place almost always entails bringing the most important personal documents you own with you. Passports, driver’s licenses, and credit cards are big targets for sticky fingers in many parts of the world. To keep your personal documents safe at all times, you must invest in a small bag that you can wear close to your chest at all times. Many people are now buying fanny packs and wearing them across their bodies instead of around their waists because then they can always keep one hand on the zipper as they explore new cities. You should also never leave your documents in public accommodations like hostels unless there is a safe with a good lock because this is how many people get robbed. The best thing to do is always keep the documents on your person and check on them frequently. One last tip is to never take them out unless you absolutely have to use them. If you are walking around a city waving around your passport or openly counting your cash, then you will become an immediate target for pickpockets.

Educate Yourself About the Destination

If you are traveling to a new country or region where you have never been, it is important to educate yourself about the local customs and traditions before you go. This will help you to fit in better and seem like less of a tourist, but it can also keep you from getting scammed. Many destinations around the world have certain things to look out for as a tourist. For example, all across Europe, there are pickpocketers who specifically seek out people who look like tourists. If you go there with this knowledge, you can be extra aware of people moving through large crowds and you can also avoid areas that are obviously full of tourists that look lost. Even learning a few words of a local language can help you settle into a new place more easily and help you look less like a vulnerable tourist. Knowing local customs like how to greet people properly can also help you from getting yourself into tricky or unsafe situations. One more note about learning about a location is researching the cleanliness of water. Many foreigners will go to a travel destination and drink unclean drinking water, leading them to get very sick and sometimes even end up in the hospital. Always be extra vigilant before you ever put anything into your body in an unfamiliar place. 

Stay in Safe Places

Although traveling can get expensive and you may be tempted to stay in the cheapest places you can, sometimes it is worth it to pay a little bit more to stay in a safer part of a city or a more secure sleeping situation. Hostels are still great places to stay if you are young and traveling with friends, but it is recommended to stay in a room of four or fewer people so that there is less of a chance of unsafe things happening. If you are a woman, it is also safer to always choose all-female dorms, which are offered at most hostels. This will help you feel safer and will greatly decrease the risk of unsafe activities happening in the room.

Have a Connectivity Plan

Traveling around the world comes with the consequence that a lot of the time your cell phone will be out of service. It is good to make a plan ahead of time to get a foreign data plan or always log onto the wifi in cafes, restaurants, and accommodations. This way you can stay in contact with your loved ones and have access to calling in case of an emergency situation. Traveling is one of the great joys in life, so don’t let safety concerns completely take over your mind as you head out on your trip. As long as you follow this guide, you will find that traveling the world can be safe and fun and you will meet interesting and kind people that will help you with what you need along the way.