Travelling is about exploring, experiences, and ecstatic moments. While travelling can be all fun, it could also be a spoiler if you get in some serious trouble. You can do all research in this world to travel to a safe destination, but let us be clear that are no crime free destinations. It can creep in at any time, any place, with anybody without a prior notice. To keep bad memories at bay, you need to be a little careful while you are having one of the best times of your life. To help you in staying safe, we have created a list of some tips that will come in handy.
- The top tip is to get insured. This is the best you can do to keep your travel safe. Insurance will keep you geared to whatever odds you might face. We recommend, that you don’t keep it limited to a health insurance, include robbery, trip cancellation, baggage loss, etc.
- Don’t be gaudy about your accessories. Your golden chains, Rolex watch, and that newly bought DSLR can quickly catch the eyes of miscreants. These things are to be kept in hotel safe, and your camera in the carryon bag or a tote bag. This tip will keep you grounded.
- Diseases spread faster than you tend to know about it. Trust me, it is better to see the doctor and tell them where you are going. They will better gear you for it with preventable medicines and vaccinations especially if there is a breakout of some virus.
- You might be a very important person in your day to day life or in your day job, but this is a new city maybe a new country, and these people have no obligations to you. So try to be normal and just another guy. Mixing up with the local crowd is another best bet.
- Always learn some local language phrases and frequently used words. This will come in handy especially in heated conversations with locals. This also jells you up in the local surroundings. Creepers will stay away from you, because you will look more aware.
- Make friends with locals, and most importantly listen to them. Their advice might be short, but it’s golden because it’s personalized. Plus while you are with them, trust me trouble will stay miles away from you. If you get in good terms with them, also exchange cell number.
- If your stay involves travelling in local transportation like buses or transit rails. Try to keep minimum belongings, as it becomes hard to keep everything together under your eyes. Another tip for men is, keep your wallet in the front packet, instead of back one.
- Losing your passport during your trip is last thing you would want to happen. Don’t carry it in your tote bag or some purse in carryon bag. Rather keep it in your hotel safe or wardrobe. For other purposes you can always keep a Xerox copy of passport with yourself.
- Always check about the reputation of neighbourhood surrounding your hotel. During travel it is most likely that you will return to hotel late night. If it’s in close vicinity to a notorious region, it could get you in trouble like mugging. Internet can be helpful in this.
- It is always wise to research though all kind of tourist scams. You will find lots of resources about this, including a blog written by us. It isn’t a fool proof solution, but can save you from traditional scammers for sure. Trust me scammers are not that innovative.
- Always keep your eyes and ears open. This might sound silly, but you will get to know about its intensity once something bad happens and you retrospect it. You can avoid more than half of the troubles by just following this very basic tip. Also you will be received well.
- Parties are a great place to meet new people, and it is also biggest place for breed of troubled people we normally call drunk. To this, please take note of it that a drunk local can be very dangerous by all means. He will be high on spirit and on confidence too.
- Never ever accept anything to eat or drink from a stranger, especially when you are in some shady or secluded place or if it is night, or you are already drunk. This is very traditional tip and has come a long way. Don’t be stupid to consider it too old for a tip.
- No matter what city you are in, your phone should always have the contact details of local police station or local police helpline in your phone speed dial. We are in age of apps, and there are number of them that will send distress signals and messages at odd times.
- Follow healthy practices and always eat in a tidy place. This is what least you can do for your health. A packaged bottle of water will only cost you little but can save you from days in bed. Street food can be irresistible but you got to avoid bacteria’s and viruses from creeping in.
- Keep your loved ones in loop. It is a great practice of sending your whereabouts to someone from family or friend through WhatsApp or messenger. The updates can include any transit within the city, or trip to another city on itinerary, a taxi hop, or restro check in.
- Never keep extra cash in your wallet, the maximum you will lose is that little bit of transaction fee when you make more frequent withdrawals from ATM’s. But that little is way good than losing the bunch of it, if you get pickpocketed or worse mugged.
- It’s a good practice of keeping electronic copies of your documents by scanning them and keeping copy of it in Google Drive or even in your mail. In worst case scenarios they will come in handy for issuance of duplicate documents or even in any clearance.
- Before leaving any place, be it a seat on local bus, or a spot on transit line, or a table at restaurant, or while checking out of hotel, or a patch of garden where you are picnicking it is advisable that you thoroughly check it that you haven’t left anything behind.
