Travelling is exciting and it is this very sense of adventure that can make travellers – particularly inexperienced ones – forget to protect the safety of their belongings. However, while it is bad enough to lose possessions and money at any time – it is far worse to do so when you are a stranger in a foreign country. However there are some tips that travellers can remember to help them keep belongings safe.
The first and most crucial of these is to make sure you have comprehensive travel insurance. While this will not prevent the loss of belongings, the cover available from reputable insurance companies will protect you financially. You may be tempted to go for a cheap travel insurance option, but you must make sure it provides the necessary cover.
Ideally, in order to limit the chances of money being stolen, you should limit the amount you carry in a wallet or pocket to small amounts. The larger amounts of money can be kept in a more secure location on your person, such as a money belt. If you prefer to leave money in your hotel, make sure that it has a safe that the money can be stored in; it is never advisable to leave it in your room.
If you have costly equipment such as a camera, try to keep this out of obvious sight when you are not using it. Furthermore, if you are carrying bags with such equipment in them, avoid luggage types such as shoulder bags and purses or laptop bags, as these will alert thieves. They are also easily put down and forgotten about in the excitement of the moment.
Finally, when it comes to essential identification papers such as travel documents, passports and tickets, copies of these should be kept with you at all times. You should also look to email scanned copies to yourself so that they can be easily accessed via the internet if necessary.
