It’s important that safety is a priority and should always be top of mind, especially when traveling. Putting safety practices into place prior to your travels and making certain measures habitual creates a safe and effortless travel experience.
Here are some things you can do to give you peace of mind and effortless safety.
Get a RFID wallet to protect your credit and debit cards from cyber theft. RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. An RFID wallet protects your credit cards with electromagnetic blocking technology against digital theft.
Only connect to trusted Wi-Fi and get encryption. It’s tempting to connect to Wi-Fi when you get a notice that it’s available. However, open or public Wi-Fi means that it’s accessible to anyone and that includes cyber thieves. It could even be that the cyber thief has set it up with the sole purpose of collecting your data. This also means that big companies that offer WiFi for their customers aren’t safe. Never connect to an unknown public or open hotspot and if you connect to one that is known, don’t access your bank or credit card accounts or anything that has sensitive data. Encryption scrambles your key entries and can block your data. This is especially important for passwords.
Always wear your seatbelt in the car, bus and on the airplane. I think we’re pretty good about staying belted in our cars but what about when you’re in a rideshare or on a bus? When it comes to airplanes, I too want to undo my seatbelt as soon as that seatbelt sign goes off but, you never know when turbulence or an accident will occur and you may not have time to fasten it when the situation occurs.
Don’t hang your bag on the back of a chair. I was amazed at how easily a bag can be lifted from the back of a chair and taken without notice. I’ve been in a couple of situations when this occurred, the victim was unaware and both were in public spaces with tons of people around and NO ONE noticed. Instead of the back of the chair, place your bag at your feet in front of you, on your lap or get a purse table hook.
When carrying a backpack keep valuables inside and zipped up. New, to carrying a backpack, I became a victim of this crime. I placed my phone in the side pocket and it was stolen. I didn’t have my backpack on my back but rather on my shoulder. Lesson learned, don’t put any valuables in outside pockets that can be easily accessed. Place your valuables in the larger compartment that is harder to access. What’s easy access for you is easy access for a predator.
Keep the bulk of your cash in the safety deposit box in your hotel room. I’ve had several of my travelers say they don’t trust the in-room safety box at the hotel and yes, it too can be broken into. However, that percentage and likelihood are much smaller than theft in public or the possibility of you losing your valuables. When you are carrying your cash, disperse it in different pockets in small denominations.
Only use an ATM in a well-lit area and preferably with a buddy AND, do your calculation of foreign currency in advance so you’ll know the exact amount at the time of use.
Be aware and alert of your surroundings and notice people who are noticing you!
Happy and SAFE travels!
Ja’Vonne Harley, AKA, The Traveling Culturati