While making travel plans, we are often too consumed with the big things like packing enough supplies and checking weather updates. However, most of the time, it is the little things that soon enough come back to haunt us in the most uncomfortable fashion to ruin our trip. So here is the list of 5 safety mistakes you usually make when traveling along with their possible solutions.
- Sharing your whereabouts with the world
We get the urge to let the whole world know about our travel plans. But whether you’re bragging about a 5-mile hike or your cocktails at Miami beach, letting the world know where you are is an open invitation for burglary.
When you post on social media that you’re traveling and hence, away from home, the burglars would know and more likely target your home for their criminal activities. For instance, they’d visit your residential property and upon knowing that nobody is in there, they’d break in and steal all the valuable possessions you have. When this happens, you’d incur tremendous financial losses as a result of the burglary.
So, save the pics until you return and enjoy the place while you are there rather than bragging about it and knowing later on that your house was robbed by burglars.
- Not changing your numbers
Never forget to change your critical information like passwords and bank PIN before and after your journey. Thieves may be waiting to access your accounts or steal your identity using numbers they pilfered while you were traveling. Since you’re away from home, you might have a difficult time preventing or minimizing the risks associated with any security breach or hacking incident. Consequently, you’d become a victim of identity theft. That being said, the safest strategy is to change all your codes after you are done entering them into unknown machines using open Wi-Fi.
- Exposing your room number
Although most hotels these days don’t use keys for their room doors, there are still ways that your room number could fall into the wrong hands. Speak cautiously with the check-in clerk to avoid having them inadvertently disclose it. Always be aware of your surroundings when getting off an elevator or walking in the hallways of the hotel. Don’t mention your room number, especially during a phone call with a loved one who is asking for some information about your trip. If you feel something is not right in your surroundings, don’t take a risk that would jeopardize your safety and that of others. Rush back to a safe spot of the hotel and seek assistance from the hotel management or local enforcement authorities of the place where you’re traveling.
- Neglecting valuables in a hotel
Most of the big hotels offer an in-room safe where you can keep your valuables and other travel items that ensure your comfort, such as your travel pillow. While it’s better than nothing, there are two other options that you can consider. You can either put your items in your suitcase to put a combination lock on and then keep it in the closet, or you can bring your items down to the front desk for safekeeping. While this is not as convenient as using the safe, it might be more secure as in the second option; hotels will be responsible for your things, but not for those you kept in the hotel safe.
- Having a single copy of your passport and other documents
With today’s technology, you will not be spared for not having a copy of your important documents. For instance, you can’t reason to the airport authorities that you’ve forgotten the necessary travel records without any consequences. Since you’ve failed to secure some copies, you might end up missing your flight and changing your travel plans. To avoid this hassle, make soft and hard copies of your important documents like passport, license, and identity cards. You can scan the documents and email them for easy electronic retrieval. Not only these soft copies will help in easier reprinting of the originals if they are lost, but they can also provide helpful numbers to call if you need to cancel a lost or stolen credit card while traveling.
Do you have any more good travel safety tips to share with us? Comment below