International travel safety tips

A trip overseas is one of the best ways to spend a summer holiday or vacation and experience new climates, meet new people, and enjoy the beautiful cultures of the people in your destination country.

Here, we cover the top safety tips for international travel so that you can learn how to avoid common risks, and scams, and stay safe and healthy during your stay abroad.

How to Avoid Common Risks and Scams

To keep scammers and pickpocketers at bay, you need to be vigilant and establish boundaries. Below are a few tips that you can use to outwit petty thieves.

Carry your items separately

Don’t make the mistake of carrying cash, IDs, checks, credit cards, etc in your wallet. Instead, keep separate your IDs and the monetary items, and if possible, leave items that you won’t be using locked in your hotel’s safe.

Keep your belongings in sight

When traveling, ensure that your luggage and personal belongings are strategically kept where you can see them.

Again, be mindful of who’s around you when you board a vehicle, alight at your destination, and when in public places.

Don’t trust strangers

Avoid accepting food or drinks from strangers, or going to places with them. Instead, use the services of licensed tour guides on a booked tour.

Remember that scammers are very cunning people, and rely on your talking to trick you into their traps. So, being a person of few words when traveling abroad is one of the best travel safety tips to avoid trouble.

Leave valuable items at home

Expensive bling, jewelry, cameras, and watches are top targets for thieves in foreign countries. When you appear at your destination dressed so expensively, you could be setting yourself up for mugging.

In the interest of your safety, it’s better to keep it simple to avoid drawing the attention of thieves, scammers, and pickpockets. 

Maintain a low profile

Below are a few things you can do to maintain a low profile:

Try to dress to blend in with the locals 
Check your behavior in public places
Avoid high risk-situations, like heated political arguments, demonstrations, human rights rallies, etc
Try not to date openly or show public displays of affection
Don’t visit clubs, bars, or restaurants alone at night. 

Staying Safe and Healthy When Traveling Abroad

Your safety and health are a top priority when in a foreign land. Below are a few tips on how to prevent unwelcome headaches, just in case the worst happens.

Checkup and Vaccines

Getting a medical checkup is the first step to ensure that you’re in the right health condition to travel abroad. Again, many international travel destinations require tourists to get certain types of vaccinations.

So, research or enquire about the health concerns of the country you plan to visit and get the appropriate vaccinations before you go, or when you arrive.

Have electronic copies of your documents

Important travel documents include a passport, plane ticket, itinerary, travel insurance, medical insurance card, and credit/debit cards. Before you go, make copies of these documents and attach them to your email.

In case your documents get lost or damaged, you can access the paperwork in your email from your smartphone.

Get travel insurance coverage

Lastly, another great international safety tip is to ensure that you, your family members, and your belongings are adequately insured when on foreign soil.

For instance, your health insurance doesn’t cover, or may not fully cover hospital bills when traveling abroad. Thus, you may need travel insurance to protect yourself and your family in the event of unexpected illness, injury, lost belongings, trip cancellation or interruption, etc.

If you plan to use rental cars to conveniently get around at your destination, you may also need to get rental car insurance because your regular auto policy doesn’t cover rental cars abroad.

An independent insurance agent can help you find the best international travel insurance coverage and lock in a lower rate.