Basic Safety for all Travelers

Regardless of where your travels take you, safety should be a “top” priority. Take a few minutes to read through these general safety tips for all travelers.

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Map your journey

I always make an itinerary of my travels before leaving and share it with my “safety buddy”. Your itinerary should at least include the following:

• Methods of Travel
• Travel Routes
• Travel Dates/Times
• Locations of Planned Activities
• Methods of Contact

Schedule check in times with your safety buddy too! I check in with my safety buddy before going to bed each night. My safety buddy knows if I miss a check in, something is probably wrong.

NOTE! Your safety buddy should be someone you trust that is not going to be joining you on your journey.

Satellite communication

Your regular cell phone and safety apps are usually sufficient. However, there are times when your cell phone may not be able to get signal (even with a booster). Should you find yourself in a “No Service” situation you may want a backup plan in case you have an emergency. For example, you’re 3 miles into your hike, fall down a ravine, and find yourself in need of medical attention. You grab your cell phone to call for help and that dreaded “No Service” message appears. Now what?

I highly recommend you have some kind of satellite communication device. There are personal locator beacons, satellite phones, one way messaging devices, two way messaging devices, and more. Some devices work alone and others require your smartphone to function. You can get a device that doesn’t require a subscription, one that is prepaid, or one that requires a monthly fee. Some options are extremely expensive and others are more “budget friendly”. They all have different features in terms of battery life and technological capability.

I require two main features. One, I want to be able to send a message to my “safety buddy” requesting basic help at a specific location. For life and death situations, I want to be able to push an SOS button for medical evacuation.

Evaluate your travel habits and travel frequency. Then, do a whole LOT of research to see what device best suits your needs.

Health safety for all travelers

Staying healthy is key to enjoying your travels. Coming down with a case of travelers diarrhea mid road trip isn’t on anyone’s bucket list. If it is, our definitions of “adventure” are drastically different. Let me share with you some basic health safety tips for all travelers.

• Travel with a first aid kit
• Pack medications
• Wear medical tags (I wear mine all the time when traveling!)
• Get the necessary vaccines for your destination
• Take your vitamins
• Practice good hand washing techniques
• Pack hand sanitizer & wipes
• Use sunscreen & wear clothes that protect you from the sun
• Protect yourself from insects
• Eat smart
• Drink bottled water or use a water filtration straw
• Research your destinations poisonous flora & fauna
• Do not swim in stagnant water
• Wear protective footwear
• Use activity specific safety gear

Just in case I forgot something, here’s some more on health safety for travelers from the CDC.

Make copies of important documents

Prior to leaving on your journey, make copies of your important documents. Make sure your safety buddy has access to those copies in case of an emergency. Likewise, make sure you have access to copies of your important documents while you’re traveling.

I personally do not like to carry a bundle of hard copies in my luggage. It adds bulk, and I like traveling as light as possible. Also, it is risky! Those hard copies could end up in the wrong hands. You don’t want that, right?

I highly recommend flash drives! They are tiny, lightweight, and can be easily transported in hidden luggage compartments. Make sure your flash drive is encrypted so your information is protected in the event your flash drive is lost or stolen. Not sure how to encrypt your flash drive? Here’s some helpful information from Microsoft.

With that being said, it is also a good idea to have a secure method of accessing your documents online. I email them to myself using encrypted email, and I always use a VPN while travelling.

THRIFTY TIP! Proton Mail’s free version will cover your basic needs. They offer free encrypted email service and a free VPN. I highly recommend them. They have never failed me in terms of security, not even once! In the event you need more features than their free version offers, you can safely upgrade your Proton account here.

Know how & where to get help

This is a simple and indispensable safety tip for all travelers! Before you leave, research your travel routes. At the very least, you’ll want to know what number to call in case of an emergency. For example, here are emergency numbers by state you can reach from your cell phone while traveling the US. Are you traveling abroad? Here’s a reference for emergency numbers by country. You’ll also want to know how to get to the nearest doctor’s office, police department, and hospital from where you’re staying.

Enroll in STEP

What is STEP? It’s an absolutely FREE program that allows you to share your trip details so the U.S. Department of State can reach out to you in the event of an emergency. It also allows you to receive updates regarding your destination’s safety conditions from the United States Embassy.

Learn more information about STEP here!

Find your nearest embassy here!

Weather safety for all travelers

Weather conditions can change in an instant, and they can vary drastically from one location to another. It is extremely important to remain weather aware when you are traveling. Your weather apps and car stereo are pretty good at keeping you up to date while on the road. However, you’re not always in your car and you don’t always have cell service. So what to you do?

Well, call me old fashioned, but I keep a small weather radio with me at all times. Don’t worry, you can still pack light. There are lightweight options for traveling that can literally fit in your pocket! The battery life on some of these are seriously impressive. You will want to check coverage maps to make sure your weather radio will work from your intended destination. Likewise, you’ll want to make sure there are no transmitter outages. I put some links below for your convenience.

• United States NWR Coverage Map & Outages
• Canada Networks (Broadcasted in French & English)
• Mexico Transmitters (Broadcasted in Spanish)
• Puerto Rico Station Listing
• Bermuda St. George’s Transmitter

For traveling in areas where weather radios aren’t an option and cell service is questionable at best, I suggest a satellite communication device with a weather feature.

Stay vigilant

I can’t stress this enough! Stay alert and pay careful attention to your surroundings. You don’t want your beach vacation to be ruined because you stepped on a stingray or a jellyfish. Likewise, you probably don’t want your hiking trip to be cut short because you did not see that venomous snake. Right?

As far as people go, be careful there too! If your intuition is screaming “something isn’t right”, it will serve you well to pay attention.

Look poor & blend in

Drawing attention to yourself isn’t smart! Ditch the expensive jewelry and flashy attire. You are screaming “rob me” and that “sketchy dude” hiding in the shadows is waiting to do just that.

Also, crooks and scam artists prey on tourists so tone down the “touristy” vibe and try blending. You’ll reduce your risk of being targeted. Scam artists are less likely to try and scam someone they think is local.

Remember, things are not always as they seem and people are not always who they claim to be! Be very careful of anyone asking to see your identification or requesting payment information.

I highly recommend you research travel scams before you leave on your trip. Research common travel scams as well as those specific to your intended destination.

Always know your exits

No matter where you are, you need to know your exits so you can safely escape if you find yourself in an emergency situation. For example, you may be in a crowded building when a fire breaks out. Your safety depends on you knowing where ALL the exits are. Main exits tend to become overcrowded which causes a bottlenecking effect. Therefore, take note of all side and rear exits.

The same concept applies to outdoor activities. You’ll want to have exit strategies whether your facing wildfires while hiking or active shooter situations at outdoor functions.

Protect your sustenance

Never leave your food or drinks unattended. You may find yourself incapacitated later and in the hands of a predator. Also, never accept food or drinks from strangers or anyone you get a weird vibe from.

Consider buying some test strips to take with you on vacation. Who knows?! Maybe you find yourself in a situation where you need one. Perhaps you become a little concerned about that sweet ice tea a creepy waiter brought to your table. Better safe than sorry, right?

Self defense safety for all travelers

Regardless of your gender, take some time to learn basic self defense. I suggest taking some physical classes from a professional self defense instructor. However, taking in person self defense classes may not be an option for everyone. Perhaps some of the free online courses or videos would help build your self defense skills if in person classes aren’t for you.

In addition to developing some self-defense skills, I highly advise all travelers to pack self-defense gear. Yes, you can still pack light! How about changing your regular key chain out for one that has a loud siren? Or perhaps change your trekking pole to a tactical version? Ooh, how about investing in a tactical “pain pen”? You hit an attacker with that many volts of OMG, and you will have the upper hand real fast! Those are just a few of my personal favorites.

Don’t post location updates

I have said this many times before. Do not post real time location updates on social media! It is a safety risk from the minute you post.

Financial safety for all travelers

You’ll need to take financial safety precautions before you ever hit the road. Below are some things you can do to protect yourself financially.

• Make sure the accommodations you’re booking aren’t scams. Yes, scam artists make fake ads to scam travelers out of money.
• Research your destination and make sure you have some idea what things cost. This will prevent you from spending more than necessary.
• Use credit cards instead of debit cards for online reservations, online purchases, and in person travel expenses. Now I’m not saying rack up a bunch of credit card bills on trips you can’t afford. Simply use them when you’re traveling because they offer more protection. Plus, the rewards points are pretty awesome too!
• Get travel insurance! Make sure the plan covers emergency health issues and medical evacuation.
• Carry your cards, cash, and identification in RFID blocking neck wallets or money belts.
• Leave a backup payment method in a secure location in case your primary methods are lost or stolen.
• Put a tracker in your wallet! You’ll be able to locate your wallet if it is lost or stolen.
• You’ll want to keep track of transactions. Make sure no fraudulent charges hit your accounts. At the first sign of trouble, turn your card off and contact your financial institution.
• Inform your financial institutions that you will be traveling. It is quite frustrating when you try to use your own card, and it gets declined for suspicious activity.
• Don’t put your money on display! Pulling out a handful of cash at a club or a carnival is a bad idea!
• Don’t travel with a large amount of cash.
• Don’t carry large bills.
• I don’t recommend using ATM’s while traveling! If you have to, please use one inside a reputable financial institution. Also, please be conscientious of ATM fees.

Cyber safety for all travelers

There are some steps you’ll want to take to protect your data and ensure communication privacy while traveling. First and foremost, I highly suggest you get a VPN!

THRIFTY TIP! As I mentioned before, Proton offers a free encrypted email service and a free VPN. They do NOT have a data cap on their free VPN! However, you may find yourself needing more features than their free version offers. In that case, you can safely upgrade your Proton account here. They are really reasonable in price!

Make sure your devices and accounts are password protected. You’ll want strong passwords! You should also consider using two step authentication when logging into accounts. It is an extra step, but it is worth it for the added protection. Better safe than sorry, right?

You should have antivirus and antimalware protection already! Before you leave on your trip, make sure it’s fully updated.

THRIFTY TIP! Avast offers a free antivirus with ransomware protection. I have personally used it for years, and I have never had an issue. (I am receiving absolutely nothing for recommending Avast Free Antivirus).

Before you go, update the software on all devices you intend on using while traveling, and be very carful which links you click on! While surfing the web your bound to come across suspicious links of a malicious nature. They can be easily embedded in a variety of content designed to get you to click it!

THRIFTY TIP! Google’s free browsing technology is designed to help users determine if a URL is safe. If you are ever in doubt about a website, take a moment to check it! All safe sites will come back with a green check mark that specifies, “No unsafe content found”.

Additionally, “I have been getting a ton of suspicious emails lately. They look like they come from trusted sources. However, when looking closely at the sender’s email address there are red flags. For example, I recently got an email that looked like it was from “Outlook”, but the email address was actually “Oulook”. At a quick glance, the human brain may not catch those subtle omissions (or additions for that matter). The email actually said “spam activities detected with your account” and had a link for me to click on to “remedy the issue”. NOPE, sorry. Nice try tho! Some other things to look out for are email links that you did NOT request that ask you to “verify your information”, “reset your password”, “update your payment information”, or “pay the attached invoice”.

Conclusion

No matter where you’re going or what you’re doing, safety should always be your #1 priority. Take a little time to prepare for the “what if’s” so you can have a vacation you’ll always want to remember, instead of one you’d like to “permanently” forget. Right?

I hope these safety tips for all travelers makes it a bit easier for you to protect yourself while you’re on vacation and puts your mind at ease so you can truly relax. Wishing you many blessings and as always, Safe Travels!