There are not many activities more captivating than traveling, with the prospect of experiencing various cultures, different cuisines, and a palette of landscapes all in one trip. But with all that fun at the front of our minds, safety can often slip through when traveling alone, as a couple, or with a family. It is important to have safe travels when going abroad, especially as this will ensure the experience is as smooth as possible.
Travel safety is a wide-ranging term that includes everything from staying healthy and safe when riding in public transportation, going through the hustle in the airport, to preparing for an emergency. Caution and vigilance can help mitigate risks and make the most of your trip and adventures.
Guide’s Objective
This safety guide will remind you to stay safe while traveling. Get pre-travel ready, take precautions on the road, and know what to do when trouble arises.
Pre-Travel Preparation
Safety Alerts and Warnings
Before you book that trip, do an online search for safety alerts or warnings about the country or region where you plan to travel. Regularly updated travel advisories can warn you of unsafe conditions due to political unrest, raging forest fires, armed conflicts, kidnappings, or outbreaks of infectious disease. You’ll find advisory details from the Government of Canada’s Travel Advice and Advisories or the US Department of State on its Travel Advisories site.
Read further down local news blogs and forums to get information about what happened recently, and to learn about potential problems that might affect your trip.
Cultural and Travel Norms
Knowledge about cultural and legal travel issues where you’re headed will make your travels smoother and less problematic, and make you less liable to get caught up in legal difficulties. Learn about local customs, traditions, and basic travel regulations before you go. Look into appropriate clothing, gestures, and social protocols that reflect the place and show respect and appreciation for its culture.
Healthcare Considerations
Schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider before your trip to talk about the vaccines and other health precautions you should take – some vaccines can be administered up to a year before a trip, while others require special planning. Before traveling to certain places, you may be required or recommended to get vaccines to prevent infectious diseases like yellow fever, typhoid, or malaria. Have a conversation with healthcare providers about what is best before traveling, taking into account the destinations, medical histories, and current health status.
Travel Vaccinations
After you get your physician’s recommendations, ensure that you’re fully immunized. Some vaccines involve more than one dose, and some require time to build immunity, so get your shots early.
Navigating Air Travel Safely: Kayak's Innovative Response to Boeing 737 Max 9 Incident In the aftermath of the recent incident involving an Alaska Airlines flight and the subsequent response from Boeing's CEO…https://t.co/ChDXqPPJJL
— Stepan Astrakhanin (@stephanastr) April 6, 2024
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is a safety net against financial loss due to unexpected events during the travel such as trip cancellation, health issues in a foreign country, or lost luggage. It provides travelers with different levels of protection, ranging from minimal to maximum full coverage.
Emergency Assistance Services
Another advantage of travel insurance is the emergency assistance provided, and this can prove invaluable in an emergency. It is well worth checking out the emergency assistance services provided by the company before you buy the policy. Some of these cover 24-hour multilingual call centers to help with medical care and evacuation, and also include help with fund transfers, lost passports, or travel documents. Make sure to keep the insurance company and emergency contact numbers in your phone. It helps to have a digital copy on your laptop or cell phone for future reference during the trip.
Packing Essentials
Medications
Ensure you have a good supply of any prescription drugs you use, as well as over-the-counter medications for headaches, allergies, gastrointestinal problems, and other maladies. Make sure all meds have not expired and rule out any that will during your trip.
Bandages and Antiseptics
Fill your first-aid kit with bandages of different sizes, adhesive tape, antiseptic wipes, and gauze pads to cope with any minor injuries and cuts. If you like, you can include some more items: tweezers, scissors, a thermometer, and some disposable gloves.
Safety Gear: Travel Locks
Lock your suitcases and laptop bags, and use TSA-approved locks when exploring or during travel to prevent theft. Use combination locks or keyed locks (and ensure they’re equipped with a unique key code) on your luggage, backpack, or hotel room to keep it from being accessed by unauthorized persons.
Passport and Visa
Keep photocopies or digital scans of your passport, visa, and other important travel documents, and keep them in a location other than the originals, such as in a hotel safe or in an encrypted digital folder. Otherwise, make digital copies and upload them to a safe cloud service that can be accessed from any country in the world if you lose or have your wallet stolen.
Emergency Contacts
Add a list of local emergency services (in case you need to call the police, fire brigade, ambulance, or related services), embassy or consulate contacts, and supportive friends or relatives with their contact details (phone numbers, email addresses, etc). Print out a copy of this list and place it in your travel wallet or daypack, and keep a digital copy in your phone or email account to access in a pinch.
Safe Transport Options
Find Your Carrier
Do your research on the transportation options and companies available in your destination. Check if there are any good, safe options to get you there, and which operators you can trust – who has been around, who is reputable, who has good reviews. Read others’ reviews, research online travel forums, and look up places’ safety ratings and certifications.
Safety Ratings Matters
Firstly, when choosing between multiple airlines, trains, or bus companies, opt for those that have strong safety ratings and certifications. How safe is the aircraft being utilized? How many accidents or safety issues have been reported with the specific type of aircraft used? Is the company reputable and committed to passenger safety? Look for IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) safety certification for airlines, or safety ratings for air carriers from organizations such as the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Buckle Up: Keep Kids Safe
The use of seat belts is the simplest and most effective way to save people’s lives when they travel by cars, buses, and other motorized vehicles. It is expedient for passengers to wear seat belts that are fastened and adjusted firmly to fit all along across their hips and shoulders.
If you’re traveling with children, make sure they’re restrained safely in a child safety seat, booster seat, or with a seatbelt adjuster. Child safety seats should be correctly installed and used following manufacturer instructions and local by-laws. Purchase car seats that are age- and size-appropriate, that have been extensively safety-tested, and safety-certified.
Etiquette on the Road
Be situationally aware when using public transport, in particularly crowded areas or busy areas; be aware of safety issues such as pickpockets, scams, or any suspicious behavior. Pay attention to your environment and avoid texting on your smartphone or listening to music through headphones that might make it difficult to hear someone sneaking up behind you.
Outsmart Pickpockets
Taking some proactive steps to prevent pickpockets and theft when on public transportation will help. Secure your possessions by using cross-body bags or money belts, or thief-proof anti-theft backpacks with hidden compartments.
Accommodation Safety
Reading Reviews: Safe Stays
Before you make a booking, read through reviews by past clients, and check if they found the property to be safe and hygienic. Try to look for places that offer guarantees of following cleanliness and safety protocols to ensure that your hosts care about your safety and well-being. Listen when you get feedback about safety procedures, responses by the staff, and any previous issues or complaints that may have been brought up by other guests who have returned.
Checking Safety Features
Assess whether the accommodation has appropriate security precautions in place, such as locks on doors, good illumination in entrances, and guards. Try to select lodging that makes guest safety a priority and offers sufficient security measures. Also look for added safety features like electronic key card access, and security cameras in parking lots, for greater peace of mind.
Lock Up: Doors & Windows
Upon checking into accommodation, check that all entrances to your room – ie, doors, windows, and air-conditioning vents – are properly secure, and, if there’s a problem, draw it to the attention of staff members or management.
Using Room Safes
Store your passport, cash, jewelry, electronics, and other valuables in in-room safes, or at least in the secure storage provided by your accommodation. Operate any in-room safe and set a different combination with care. Don’t leave valuables unattended in your room, especially not on display, and take advantage of the hotel’s safe deposit box or front desk storage to ensure extra security.
Spot Exits: Fire Safety
Once check-in, identify the location of on-premise emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and evacuation pathways. Familiarise yourself with exit directions, floor plans, and evacuation procedures. This will help you respond and exit safely and quickly, should a fire happen. Identify where the exits are from your room, and also find a backup plan in case ‘plan A’ doesn’t work. Review your group’s emergency exit procedures.
Testing Smoke Alarms
Test the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in your accommodation to make sure they work properly. Press the test button to check that the light or alarm goes off with a loud, piercing sound. If you find any faults or problems with smoke alarms or other fire safety equipment, report these without delay to the hotel staff or management for urgent inspection and corrective actions.
Personal Safety Tips
Mindful of Surroundings
Develop with each travel a sense of awareness – particularly in unknown or high-risk environments – to spot and discern potential threats or hazards. While enjoying your time and gadgets such as your smartphone or tuning in to music through headphones, situational awareness is key to your safety and a hazard-free adventure.
Trusting Instincts
Develop a keen instinct when it comes to identifying potential danger while you are traveling. If you have a sense that something isn’t right, heed your intuition and take steps to get yourself out of the situation. When following your intuition, you’re feeling confident that your decision will keep you out of harm’s way and keep you safe.
Nighttime Safety: Avoid Risk
Be careful when walking in areas you don’t know or are out late at night, alone or in unlit areas. Stick to well-lit areas, avoid deserted or dimly lit places, and be aware of your surroundings at all times. Hiking at night is generally a bad idea, but if you absolutely must do it, make sure you take all necessary precautions to minimize risk, and will enable you to have that memorable adventure you dream about.
Substance Awareness
Be moderate and cautious with alcohol or other substances of intoxication. These can impact critical thinking when performing life-saving tasks, and may increase vulnerability to other health risks; seek local knowledge about relevant regulations regarding alcohol or substance use.
Sharing Itineraries: Communicate with Trust
Have at least one trusted friend family member or a travel companion know your plans of arrival and departure, and the details of your activities (for instance, a flight number, hotel reservation, and what you are doing each day). List the accommodations, transport providers, and local emergency numbers, and set up regular checking-in protocols of communication with each other while out on the road.
Checking in Regularly
Make plans to communicate with friends or loved ones at predetermined points in time during your trip – in text messages, calls, or emails – to verify that you are safe and in the right place. Always notify any emergency contacts (loved ones, friends, or family) who might be tracking your whereabouts, of any unexpected delays, stopovers, detours, or overnight stays. Otherwise, keep all communications channels – email, social media, phone calls, etc – open so that your contacts will know where to find you in an emergency.
Emergency Readiness
Keeping Key Numbers
Make sure you know the local police, fire, and medical emergency numbers (and call 911, 999, or similar services where available). Enter these numbers in your address book on your phone, and carry a printed copy in your wallet or daypack. Make sure you know the most important phrases and some medical vocabulary in the local language so that you can ask for assistance and even address emergencies when necessary.
Embassy or Consulate Contacts
Find the nearest embassy or consulate of your home country where you’ll be traveling, and memorize the contact details. When abroad, embassies and consulates assist citizens in case of an emergency such as replacing your passport, providing you with legal assistance, and even helping you evacuate. Make sure to use your embassy or consulate’s online registration system to register your travel itinerary, which allows you to receive important updates, travel alerts, and relevant emergency alerts as your trip unfolds.
Emergency Plan: Meet-up Points
Designate meeting points or rendezvous points with the other people you’re traveling with in case you get separated along the way. Choose readily identifiable public spaces, such as landmarks, that are centrally located and that everyone in your group can reach. Agree on a communications plan and alternative ways to stay in touch, such as mobile phones, walkie-talkies, or messaging apps, should the network go down or phone lines fail.
Communication Protocols
Discuss communication and emergency procedures with your traveling companions so you know each other’s plan and can act together in the event of an emergency or other unexpected turn of events. Also, assign roles and responsibilities so that everyone knows what they should be doing.
Establish a primary point of contact and backup points of contact – that way, one party is always updated, and everyone knows where to go for information, who to communicate with and when, coordinate assistance, and make decisions in the event of an emergency.
Emergency Response: Remain Calm
If you ever find yourself in a situation where the body’s response is to panic, just take a breath, center yourself, and do a quick risk assessment before acting. A calm response ensures safety and minimizes mistakes. Keep in mind your emergency plan and find assistance through the right channels: from friends, family, and the relevant authorities.
Cultural Sensitivity
Understanding Differences
If you go to somewhere that is socially conservative (like more religious, or rural) then there could be dress codes you should try to consider, which tend to be rather traditional. Learn about cultural norms and customs around modesty and covering, not just clothes, but also appropriate attire in different settings and for different occasions. Pack to fit the climate, customs, and activities of the place you’re visiting, and adjust your outfit to blend in if invited.
Local Customs: Language Etiquette
Be respectful of the local language and culture by at least trying to learn a few of the most common greetings, phrases, or expressions in the local tongue. This includes speaking politely, and in the formal form, unless your hosts also use the informal form.
Eco-Friendly Travel: Minimize Impact
Travel responsibly and minimize your environmental footprint by reducing waste, conserving resources, and supporting eco-tourism. Travel by walking, cycling, or public transport whenever possible. Respect natural habitats, wildlife, and ecosystems by staying on designated trails, refraining from littering or pollution, and not disturbing or feeding wild animals; help fund conservation projects and eco-tourism initiatives that demonstrate environmental stewardship and preservation.
Supporting Local Communities
Engage actively in community-based tourism through interaction with neighbors, businesses, and artisans, all in support of sustainable development and cultural preservation. Travel for experiences that engage the senses and give visitors an authentic opportunity to engage in the local lifestyle. Buy handmade crafts, souvenirs, and products from local artisans. Support locally owned shops and restaurants. Indulge in experiences that add value and meaning to your life. Be open to local customs and courtesies, including bargaining, tipping, notions of time, dress codes, and respect for privacy.
Summary
Recap of Key Points
Understanding safe travel means knowing what potential risks and challenges may come up during your travel adventure and taking precautions to mitigate safety issues if they arise. From pre-travel research to traveling safety tips, traveling safely involves a clear plan of action taken to anticipate and prevent potential travel glitches.
Safe and Enjoyable Travel
Making use of the tips and advice in this guide when planning your travel, and incorporating them into your journey, will significantly improve your chances of having a safe and rewarding travel experience. If you Stay Informed, Aware, and Safe, you will be well on your way to enjoying yourself on your next adventure.
Feedback and Additional Tips
Have additional tips or insights to share? We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts, experiences, and suggestions for traveling safely in the comments below. Safe travels!
