Stay Safe While Traveling

Next time you travel, check out these tips to stay safe. While not all of these tips apply to every person or every situation, there may be a time when one of them could come in handy.

Don’t rely on hotel chain locks. Don’t put too much faith in hotel chain or swing-bar locks. Some can be disabled easily using common household items and others are flimsy.

Cover hotel peepholes. If you stay in a hotel room that has a door with an uncovered peephole, put a crumpled tissue to cover it so no one can see into your room. Tiny cameras can be set up to spy on you.

Keep your car key fob within reach of the bed. Car fobs contain panic buttons and can double as an alarm in case of emergency. Press the panic button to draw attention and possibly scare away potential criminals. Consider storing your key fob wrapped in aluminum foil because some cars can be broken into using devices that boost and relay signals from remote key fobs.

Have a steal-me wallet and phone. If you’re going out in a notoriously dangerous place, bring a wallet with an expired credit card, filler card and about $10 cash, so if anything were to happen you have a decoy wallet. Don’t put your wallet or phone in your back pocket. Separate your sources of cash and never put all of it in one bag or wallet. If all of your sources of money are in your wallet and it gets stolen, you’ll be in a pickle if something happens. Instead of leaving all of your cards and cash in one wallet, leave the house with either your credit card or ATM card, rather than both.

Scan your travel documents and photocopy them. Having a scan of travel documents speeds up the re-application procedure for cards in case they are stolen.

Know your surroundings. It’s more common for bad events to occur at 2 a.m. rather than 2 p.m. Starting and ending your day early will keep you out of potentially dangerous situations.

Get local. Make nice with the locals. Learn a few phrases in the native language. Chat with desk clerks, taxi drivers or waiters. People will see you’re showing respect and making an effort to understand local customs.