Traveling to new locations, whether alone or in a group, is an exciting and rewarding experience altogether. However, many people seek advice and want to know the ways to control their anxiety whenever they are going to an entirely new city.
Of course, when you are away from home, you have to live, eat, and travel alone. There is no one to take care of you and hence, your anxiousness is totally natural. Therefore, you want help and guidance. Mostly, when you ask around for travel tips, people tell you how you should try to know more on TSA PreCheck and other airport services and how to pack smart.
In most of these friendly and helpful advice, what goes missing is the knowledge on ensuring your safety in a new place. Evil is always out there, and you are likely to get very prone to it in places where you’re new. Are you really prepared to keep yourself safe from any sort of danger while traveling?
No need to worry if you aren’t. Today, we are going to share with you some impeccable security tips on how to keep yourself safe as a traveler. These tips will help ensure your security no matter where you are going and whether you are alone or in a group. So, let us jump into these amazing tips:
1. Know You Destination Beforehand
No, the idea of landing in a place with no idea about it is not as exciting as it might sound. Today, all regions and countries are used to hosting travelers who know the host’s culture and laws. Same will be expected of you and hence, you cannot go to a new place with no information about it.
Even before you book your tickets for a place, it is best to spare some hours and do your research about that place. You need to be aware of the laws, culture, crime ratio, customs, and basic etiquette of staying there.
You should always try to visit the official websites of government and management of your destination to gather information about safe neighborhoods and management-backed places to stay, visit, and eat out at. You should always have the emergency contacts of that region’s police, fire brigade, ambulance, and your own embassy with you too.
2. Blend In
Yes, we understand that it is exotic to show-off your own culture through your clothes and overall look whenever you are in a new city. People like to do this because it helps them stand apart others and draws attention towards them.
But, this attention is what makes your prone to getting mugged or cheated by a local scammer. When you stand out as a foreigner, criminals are likely to try and rob you because they know how their chances of getting away with such a crime are very high. It is also a general understanding that someone new to a place is less likely to know the ways to escape a criminal attempt.
So, it is best not to draw attention towards yourself and try to blend in with the host’s culture as much as you can. Even if you cannot match your appearance to theirs, act in a way that reveals you as someone who has been living in that region for decades. This keeps you out of the scammers’ radar and ensures better safety.
3. Be In Charge of Your Security
Of course, your hotel’s security can safeguard your belongings and can take care of your room while you are sleeping. Many people tend to ignore all precautionary measures because they trust their hotel’s brand so much. While it is advisable to find a hotel that is known for its quality security services, you cannot expect the staff over there to be all pious.
Of course, there are so many rooms inside that building and no one can even ensure your room’s security every second. So, it is best to take care of your room yourself too. Make sure your luggage is not very easily accessible to anyone who can come inside. Always double check the lock when heading out of before sleeping. Try to give this impression of being inside the room even when you aren’t.
Don’t let anyone inside unless they reveal their identity. In short, be alert and don’t leave it up to the hotel’s management to take care of you all the time.
4. Have All Your Important Documents Copied
What if you lose your bag having all the passport and visa related stuff and your IDs? How can you go back home? Of course, there must be a way but you don’t want to get stuck in all of that.
Therefore, it is best to have all your important documents copied multiple times and saved with you in different bags. In case you lose one, you will always have a copy. This makes things easier and also helps in quickly finding you lost stuff at times too.
5. Keep Someone Updated Back Home
For some people, traveling is also about staying away from their regular life, workplace friends, family, and siblings. Their idea of moving to a new place for some time is to enjoy and meet new people while staying detached from the reality of their everyday life. But, not staying in touch with anyone back home is a mistake you’d not want to commit ever.
What if you are in a trouble and it can only be solved by someone back home? How would they know of it unless your regular touch with them ends, and they get worried? Just like this one, there are so many reasons why you need to have at least one of two such people back home who stay in a consistent touch with you and know where exactly you are staying and what your plans for each day are. In case something bad happens, these people are the first ones to figure it out and try to find you. So, make sure you’re in a contact with them.
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