God made the earth for mankind. These borders are mere lines drawn by human beings. In fact, humans should have the right to go and visit whatever place they intend to.
Travelling often involves going to places that have different cultures. It is therefore important to do research and prepare beforehand. Security is one of the most important factors associated with traveling to far off places. Following are some of the major travel-security tips that everyone should know about:
1. Carrying & Protecting Important Information
While traveling to and living in a new place, it is important to carry identification evidence such as a passport, driver's license, and other important documents. If it feels risky to carry the originals, photocopies can be made and kept in a long wallet. Items such as credit cards, identification cards, money, and valuables should be kept somewhere safe.
2. Carrying a Spacious Backpack
It is important to have a backpack with enough space to carry all the important items. Things such as important documents, a smartphone, map, water bottle, first aid kit, a spare set of clothes, etc. are all important and should be kept at all times while traveling. A traveling person should always have a backpack equipped with all the essentials.
3. Proper Money Management
Only a small amount of cash should be kept while going out. Emergency cash should be kept somewhere safe. It is important to carry an ATM Card instead of physical cash. The cash should not be kept in the back pocket as it is most vulnerable to thievery. Instead, only a small amount should be at disposal in the front pocket of the jeans or jacket while the rest is kept somewhere hidden and safe.
4. Smart Communication
It is extremely important to have a means of communication while traveling. A phone with an active connection is essential and should be kept at all times. A smartphone would make life much easier because it is equipped with a number of other tools such as maps, flashlights, and Wi-Fi. Free Wi-Fi is available at most cafes and can be used easily. The smartphone can also be used for language translations.
5. Knowing the Surroundings
Familiarity with the new residence is important. One should go out and learn the basic routes to the hotel room where he/she is staying. Moreover, at the time of selection of the residence, proper research should be done. The selected hotel should be in an open and safe place with easy access to the basic facilities such as the police station, the hospital and the embassy as well.
6. Pre-planning & Researching Beforehand
While traveling to a new place, homework should be done. One can easily know about the culture and the basic values of the people of the new place. This can help in selecting a safe hotel and creating an efficient plan of travel. A whole timetable should be made about all the places one intends to visit.
7. Learning Common Scams
Through proper internet research, one can know about the experiences of the previous tourists. This can help in learning about common scams and being aware of how to be more conscious in a new environment. Internet platforms can be used to get information about a new place as well as past experiences of tourists.
8. Emergency Info & Backup Plan
In case of an emergency, a backup plan should always be made. The backup plan should consist of the contact info of a close acquaintance or the hotel manager as well as a personal plan of action. In order to be safer, good familiarity with the new place is also important.
9. Registering with Embassy
In the case of foreign travels, the first thing that needs to be done is registering with your embassy. This way one can rely on and feel safer. The embassy might offer safer travel plans and one can keep in touch with them for further assistance.
10. Staying Constantly in Touch with Friends and Family
Friends and family should know about the minute by minute updates of the travel. One can share his/her live location and constantly stay in touch with their family. It is also important to make new friends while traveling alone and for a longer duration of time. This way, one would feel safer.
11. Blending in the New Environment
Through proper research one can know about the cultural values of the new place. This way proper clothing can be done, kept and one can blend in with the new people. Also, this ensures safety because the traveling person will not be the odd one and will not easily be recognizable. Often, a new place generally has different cultural values as well. It is therefore advisable to do research and get knowledge from various sources about the new place.
12. Learning Basic Self Defense Tips and Tricks
While traveling and generally as well, one should know basic self-defense. There is a lot of information and videos present online that guide about defensive techniques such as jiu-jitsu, karate and carrying safety equipment like a pepper-spray. Moreover, staying active and knowing about the surroundings at all times can also come in handy.
13. Traveling in Groups
A very common safety tip is traveling in groups. This ensures complete safety. If the travel is alone, one should try to make friends even on the airplane.
14. Using a MAP
A map is essential while traveling to a new place. One can either keep a physical map or a smartphone that has a map-app. This app is very useful and is a better option than a paper-map.
15. Carrying a Basic First Aid Kit
The backpack should also consist of a basic first aid kit which contains bandages and aspirin which can be useful in times of trouble.
