Be Safe in Your Travels

With Spring Break coming up, I’m hearing about trips planned to Hawaii, the Caribbean, overseas, you name it!  While I won’t be so fortunate to be travelling this break, I am a seasoned traveler both internationally and domestically.  Here are some tips I have picked up:

  1. Read about your destination at the State Department’s travel website!  The website gives helpful information about visa requirements, quirky local laws, as well as customs and medical care in the country you’re visiting.
  2. Notify your bank before you travel so you can swipe your card with no worries; also check out the exchange rate!
  3. Make a physical copy of your passport and also have a digital copy saved on your phone.
  4. Confirm visitors from hotel desk; criminals have been known to pretend to be hotel staff.  In fact, watch out for imposters of all sorts, police officers, tour guides etc.!
  5. Ask your hotel manager or your Airbnb owners about the safe vs. unsafe local areas.
  6. If you’re a U.S. citizen, carry contact information for the nearest U.S. embassy!
  7. Try to blend in if you can so you are not targeted as a tourist.
  8. Don’t ever ask someone at an airport to watch your luggage.  I know we all do this when we are at libraries studying, (mind you, things still get stolen all the time!) but the airport is not the place! Keep your belongings with you at all times.
  9. Use bags or purses that can zip or close completely to avoid being a victim of theft in high traffic areas.
  10. Utilize the hotel safe if one is available for electronics, the copy of your passport, and anything else that you don't need directly on you. 

 

Here are some other great articles about precautionary travel etiquette:

 

Contributed By: Jess Xinyi Liu