Essential Travel Safety Tips for All Stages of Your Trip
April 28, 2023
Vacations aren’t just great opportunities to experience new sights and cultures; they also provide a valuable opportunity to relax and recover from the stresses of your everyday life. Unfortunately, an extended trip away from home also provides opportunities for crime at home and abroad.
Reduce your risk and travel confidently by following these steps to ensure your safety and the security of your home and personal belongings while you’re away.
Before You Leave
Criminals often target vacant homes based on signs homeowners unintentionally leave behind. An empty driveway, darkened windows or even your social media posts can tip off prospective burglars that your valuables are ready for the taking. Anyone can become a target, including celebrities. On July 22, 2022, Mariah Carey was vacationing in Italy and the Hamptons when her Atlanta mansion was burglarized as part of a string of similar crimes in the area. Before you depart for your trip, follow these tips to help prevent burglars from targeting your home.
- Keep Your Routine – Small steps can make your home look occupied during your vacation and deter criminals. Putting timers on interior and exterior lights and keeping your car in its usual spot, for example, can give the impression that someone is home. Hiring an accredited Home Watch Service can provide peace of mind while you’re away from home. Each company is unique, with various services designed to identify potential problems — whether you need someone to conduct interior and exterior inspections, maintain your property or secure packages for you while you’re away.
- Secure Your Home and Valuables – Taking the extra time to ensure your home is secure and your valuables are in a safe location will provide peace of mind while you travel. Lock all your windows and doors before you leave. If you have an alarm system, contact your alarm company to let them know you’ll be out of town. Store your fine jewelry and other valuables in a heavy safe — large enough that it cannot be picked up and carried — or a safety deposit box.
- Scan and Store Important Travel Documents – Keeping extra copies of essential travel documents — such as your itinerary, passport and driver’s license — makes them readily available for your loved ones in an emergency.
- Keep Your Travel Plans Off Social Media – Everyone gets excited about vacations, but sharing those plans on social media means prospective burglars might also learn about your trip. Save your travel posts until you return from your vacation.
A burglary isn’t the only incident that could befall your home while you’re away. If a pipe bursts or an appliance leak goes undetected until you return from vacation, you’ll have a costly — and expensive — mess to deal with. Ensure your home watch service is on the lookout for these types of incidents and knows how shut off your home’s water supply quickly. Installing an automatic leak detector and shut-off system can provide a second line of defense and remove the possibility of human error from the equation.
While You’re Away
A vacation is the time to look and feel your best, but flaunting your jewelry — or even sharing your travel plans with untrustworthy individuals — can make you the target of theft. One high-profile example of what to avoid is the 2016 robbery of Kim Kardashian in her Paris hotel room. The reality star was held at gunpoint and tied up, leading to around $10 million worth of jewelry being taken. It was later revealed that the burglars used her social media pages to help plan the heist. Follow these tips to improve your safety and the security of your belongings:
- Stay Alert – Airports, public transportation and busy streets all present valuable opportunities for thieves to unattended items. When traveling, proceed to the airport’s secure areas as soon as possible, taking special care to keep your belongings on you. Keep your fine jewelry or watches on your person at all times — not in your checked luggage.
- Avoid Risky Rides – Ride-hailing services, taxis and hired cars are all convenient travel methods, but trusting your safety to a stranger can be risky. Some drivers might act as an accomplice for thieves, tipping them off to expensive jewelry on a well-dressed passenger. Instead, ask your hotel to connect you with a trusted, professional driving service. Renting a car could be a promising alternative, but only if you know your destination’s terrain and laws. Some countries, for example, require foreign visitors to carry an International Driving Permit.
- Keep Quiet About Your Travel Plans – KIt might be tempting to discuss your travel plans with the new friends you made at the hotel bar, but keep critical details to yourself. Never give strangers information they could use to determine when your hotel room or rental property will be empty. You never know when a stranger is simply being friendly or if they’re trying to get you to reveal sensitive information.
- Stay In Touch With Your Financial Providers – Alert your credit card providers to your travel plans. Not only will this prevent them from cutting your card off at an inopportune time, but it can provide you with important backup if your card is lost or stolen. Additionally, if you need to draw cash, only use ATMs in secure locations, such as a large bank or credit union. Before you insert your card, check for signs of tampering by wiggling the keypad and card reader. If they feel loose, avoid that machine.
Traveling is an exciting time full of new sights and cultures to experience. You don’t want to spend your vacation worried about your home or filing police reports. Instead, follow our safety tips to help secure peace of mind during your vacation.