Traveling into unfamiliar territory can often be scary, especially when contemplating
international travels. However, there is a way to eliminate some of those fears. By considering the following tips and advice, you can help make certain that your
international travels are safe and worry-free.
1. Leave your most valuable possessions at home. You should avoid wearing your most expensive clothing and jewelry during your international vacation in order to help prevent being robbed while abroad. Sometimes rich tourists are targeted. Try to pack things that will help you fit in with the locals. Do not give any indication that you are a rich tourist with what you are wearing.
2. In order to not have your important documentation stolen or lost during your trip overseas, do not carry your original documents on you. Make copies of all important documentation, including your passport, to carry with you while you tour to city. Lock the originals up wherever you are lodging to help keep them safe.
3. To prevent being robbed of all of your funds, do not carry a lot of money on you at one time. Carry very little money and make sure you have divided it up into different pockets. Women travelers should always hold their purses close to them and never leave them on the back of the chair while they eat, or on the beach unattended while they swim.
4. Try to plan on using the ATM or your credit card as much as possible. If you have two credit cards, bring them both. This is because if one gets misplaced or stolen, and you have to cancel it, you still have your other one for backup. If you are not using cash, you eliminate the fear of your cash being stolen during your trip.
5. Learn how to say or ask some basic phrases or questions in the local language. This will help you blend in better with the locals, as well as help you be able to communicate some with the locals who do not speak English.
6. Even if the locals realize you are a tourist, do not provide the information that you are from the United States. With recent conflicts and wars, many people overseas may feel some type of animosity against this country. To eliminate the fear that the animosity will spill over to you personally, do not broadcast your citizenship status here in the United States.
7. If you require prescription medication, leave it in the original bottle. In addition, bring a note from your doctor. The laws about drugs are different in different countries. Bringing a note from your doctor helps to better insure you will not have to deal with any legal ramifications for having medication that is prescribed to you. Keep all medications in your carryon bag when you board the plane. Do not pack it in your luggage.
8. Familiarize yourself with the basic laws in your destination area. Laws vary from place to place, so it is important to know the basic laws as to not break them. Laws and consequences for breaking them can be very different overseas than they are here in the United States.
9. If you are a woman traveling alone, try to keep that fact concealed. Women tourists are the ones that are often targeted most. Have stories made up in your head of what you plan to say if someone approaches you suspecting you are traveling alone. Consider telling them something like you have just wondered off from your family, and your husband is near.
10. Write out a basic itinerary for your visit and leave it with your loved ones. Include your contact information for where you are staying while away, along with copies of all your important documentation, including your passport. Contact home regularly. This way if your family does not hear from you, they have all the appropriate information to give to international law enforcement.
Traveling abroad can be frightful. However, when you take the appropriate precautions, most of that fright can successfully be eliminated. You do not have to miss your chance to see the world because of fear. By following the tips and advice above, you can make your international travels one of the most pleasant and rewarding experiences of your life.