3 Tips For Staying Safe When Traveling Internationally

While international travel can be thrilling, it can also open you up to the potential for danger and harm to come your way. From civil unrest to being a victim of a crime to getting in a car accident, traveling can have its fair share of hazards. But if you prepare before you ever leave home, you can take steps to help minimize the chances of something tragic befalling you during your travels. 

To help you see how this is possible, here are three tips for staying safe while traveling internationally. 

Don’t Bring Sensitive Items That You Don’t Need

To get into another country and enjoy yourself once you’re there, you’re going to have to bring certain documents and sensitive items with you, including things like your passport and credit cards. But once you get to your destination, Abigail Summerville, a contributor to CNBC.com, recommends that you don’t carry around with you any more than you actually need for the outings you’re taking.

Ideally, you should try to leave your valuables or sensitive items in a safe place at your lodging or accommodations. By doing this, you’ll reduce the chances of you getting pick-pocketed and losing things like jewelry, identification, or your money. And for the items that you do keep on you while going out, make sure you split things up into different pockets or places so you don’t lose everything all at once if you become a victim of a crime. 

Know What You’ll Do In The Event Of An Emergency

While you’ve likely been planning for the best possible scenarios for your trip, at least being aware of how things could go wrong and having some type of plan in place for how you’ll address these issues can make all the difference in keeping you safe if something should go wrong on your trip.

As a part of this, Annie Pilon, a contributor to Small Business Trends, recommends that you at least research where you can get emergency help if you need it. This includes things like knowing where the police station is and how to reach them. Knowing the closest hospital to where you’re staying, and having a number for your national embassy. 

Let Someone Know Where You Are And When To Expect To Hear From You

When you’re traveling abroad, you likely won’t be checking in with someone back home each day since you’ll be very busy and the time differences can make it hard to reach someone as a reasonable hour. However, Claire Volkman, a contributor to U.S. News and World Report, shares that you should give someone back home your travel itinerary and tell them when you plan to get in touch with them. By doing this, your loved one can inform the local authorities if you don’t get in contact when you should due to some type of accident taking place. 

If you have plans to travel internationally soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you stay safe while doing so.