If you want to fill your life with stories to tell, traveling to somewhere new at least once per year is one way to make that wish come true. Are you reading this thinking that travel isn’t all that important and you think that, actually, travel is dangerous? If this is you, then try a routine like a nine to five with no end in sight. Routine will cause you more misery and upset than the minor inconveniences of travel ever likely could. From road safety to local research, consider these simple but essential travel safety tips.
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Essential Travel Safety Tips
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Planning your next vacation? An important step in vacation planning is being aware of your surroundings at each step of the journey. From road safety tips to local research, these essential (yet simple) travel safety tips will take the stress out of your journey and keep you and your loved ones safe.
Tip: Before setting off on a new adventure, make sure you have all your documents organized, including a legal will prepared by professional will lawyers. While travel is 99% of the time safe, it is always best to protect the interests of your family in the 1% chance something does go wrong while traveling.
Read More: International Travel Checklist – What not to forget
Road Safety Tips
Safety tips regarding different areas of travel are one thing, but road safety is a more or less constant danger when you’re moving around. Why? Two reasons. One reason is other people.
Touristy places attract people from all over the world, and not all of them will be confident drivers. Road accidents do happen in congested tourist areas (speak to a Nashville truck accident lawyer if you’ve been affected). The other reason is you. You don’t know the place very well and you may even forget that the traffic could come from a different direction when travelling abroad (you know, the whole driving on the right or left thing). Now, let’s carry on.
Basic Local Research
Travel is meant to expand your horizons and leave nothing but happy memories. However, nothing ever goes completely to plan. That’s why it’s essential that you read up on the area(s) to which you are travelling. What number do you call in case of an emergency? Are certain neighborhoods reviewed as being less safe than others? Is the area renowned for pickpockets? Read reviews and take note. These travel safety tips are tidbits of knowledge that you may think to be too cautious initially, but when you arrive and you know what to look out for, you’ll be glass you spent a few minutes doing your research.
Don’t Look Like a Tourist
Tourists are easy to spot. They’re often wearing multiple layers of comfortable loose travel clothes, with a backpack slung over one shoulder and maybe a suitcase on wheels trailing along. They have sunglasses, hats, crazy hair, a map in one hand or a phone held up in front of their face. Tourists look confused and lost – because that’s exactly what they are. They spend a lot of time looking up and looking around. Sound familiar? If you look like this, thieves will spot an easy opportunity. One way to NOT look like a tourist is to find local things to do in any travel destination.
Take Photos of Important Documents
One of the most important and essential travel safety tips happens before your trip. Not only should you take photos when traveling, but before you even depart for your vacation, take photos of important documents — and email them to yourself! From your passport and important booking formation to tickets and any other document associated with your trip, they can all go missing, and you’ll never even know where you lost them.
Before departure, take photos of all of your important documents and email them to yourself. In the event that you discover you’ve lost or misplaced your passport, pull up an online copy.
Another important (yet often forgotten) photo is of your parking ticket and/or sign. Snap a photo of the street signs near where you parked and/or the parking tickets before placing them in your handbag or pocket. Whether it is your airport parking ticket or parking location when traveling, if you lose your ticket or get turned around, you can then pull up your ticket from your phone.
