When you travel, it pays to be prepared. Without the proper preparation, you could wind up spending more money than you otherwise would need to, getting yourself in stressful situations that could have been avoided, or winding up in trouble that you may have been able to get out of.
By arming yourself with the right information about your trip before you leave for your travel adventures, you’ll have a much better chance of having an overall positive outcome from your travel time. To help get to this point, here are three pieces of information to have that will keep you safe while traveling.
Keep A Record Of What You Have On You
If you’re traveling to an area that you’ve never been before, one thing that you can do to keep yourself safe is to not look like a tourist. When you appear like you don’t know what you’re doing or where you’re going, people can much more easily take advantage of you, resulting in things like getting scammed or robbed.
In the event that you do get scammed or robbed, it can be very helpful for you to know exactly what it is you’re missing. To help with this, Abigail Summerville, a contributor to CBNC.com, recommends that you keep a record of what you have on you at all times. This includes things like your credit card numbers, who to call for customer service questions, the information on your driver’s license, and any medical information.
Always Know The Address Of Your Accommodations
While you might be able to find your own way back to where you’re staying or just be able to tell a driver what the building you’re in is called, Stephanie Be, a contributor to the Huffington Post, advises that you have the exact address for your accommodations memorized.
By doing this, you’ll be able to send for an ambulance or police officer is you need one, can get yourself easily back to your accommodations if you get in a car accident and can no longer drive yourself, or need to tell a driver exactly where you need to go.
How To Enroll In STEP
One of the best ways to keep yourself safe and ready for anything that might happen while you’re traveling abroad is to enroll in STEP. STEP is the US State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
Once you’ve enrolled yourself in STEP, you’ll be able to receive information from the State Department about safety conditions in the area you’ll be visiting as well as have a way to contact both the embassy and your family back home in the event of an emergency.
To help you stay safe when you’re traveling, consider learning about the three things mentioned above as they relate to your upcoming trip itinerary.