These are essential questions to be answered when you plan your journey. Travelling wherever you go is always risky, less or more. But you can do something yourselves to reduce the risk.
Based on own and others experiences we have worked out an general checklist:
General checklist
- Take a copy of your passport, travel tickets, credit card, insurance card, and let your travel mate carry it.
This could be a useful safety backup if you loose something.
- Avoid much cash. Use credit card when you pay. Make sure you get a receipt so you can check your account when you are back at home.
- Leave valuable jewellers at home.
- Don't make your money pocket or other valuable visible on your body. This could attract thieves and robbers.
- Take only the necessary cash to beaches, discos and pubs. Don't take jewellers or other valuables to these places.
- Notice what you are bringing with you on the journey. It can be useful if you loose or damage something.
- Don't deliver your baggage receipt before you have received your baggage.
- Don't put valuables in the baggage you intend to transport.
- Contact the police or your guide if something becomes stolen.
- Remember to get a written confirmation from the police that they have received your report about the loosing, stealing or robbing.
- Contact the nearest consulate, your guide and credit card dealer if you have been robbed and don't have any money left.
- Take care of your receipts for expenditures to doctors, hospital, medicines and more.
- Tell the transport company immediately if the baggage disappears under the journey.
Photo: Be prepared. Add the odds for a successful journey!
In our more detailed checklist below, we have included some advice from the credit card company Visa (www.visa.com):
Preparation (before you leave)
- Check with your travel agent or the embassy/consulate of the country you are planning to visit to find out whether you need a visa as requirements are constantly changing.
- Vaccinations may be necessary depending on the country you are visiting. Check out this with your doctor, travel agent, or the embassy/consulate of the country that you plan to visit. Do it at least two months before you intend to start your journey so you can take the necessary precautions.
- Never go abroad without adequate travel insurance coverage. Check with your card issuer to find out if you receive automatic an travel insurance (with a favourable price, maybe free) if you purchase your travel tickets with your credit card.
- Check with your credit card issuer to see if it has any alerts about any particular merchants.
- Make sure that you have a PIN (Personal Identification Number) for your card(s). Remember, only the issuer of the card can provide the PIN. Don't carry it in the same bag.
- Before you leave home, make sure that your passport is valid not only for the duration of your trip, but also for some time after you return home.
On the journey
- Treat your cards and travellers cheques carefully when you take out money.
- Do not keep all your methods of payment in the same place.
- Do not reveal any personal information when you use your credit cards.
- Avoid crowds; hold your bags close to your body. Use a small moneybag (wallet) hidden under your pullover. It is not advisedly to use money belt some places since it makes your valuables visible!
- Consider using a safety deposit facility at your accommodation.
- If you keep you wallet in your pocket, place a rubber band around it, as it is then more difficult for a pickpocket to slide the wallet out without you noticing.
Regularly check that you have your card(s) and travellers cheques with you.
- When travelling by car don't leave your valuables in the trunk or glove compartment, carry them with you.
- When travelling to and from your destination, always keep your money, cards and travellers cheques with you, rather than stored in your luggage.
Take your precautions. By following these tips you can reduce the risk, but in worst case; if something happens, you will also be able to handle the situation quite good. Good luck on your journey!
Stein Morten Lund, 9 September 2000
Additional information
We will like to hear from you if you have comments regarding our advice or you like to exchange experiences with others. Please use our Enquiry box or Forums.
Her are some links where you can get detailed advise about travelling, finance, budgeting, using of credit cards and more. It is also a question about how to stretch your money to take the tour you always have dreamed about. And how do you stretch your money if anything unexpected happens.
Think about that when you plan your exciting tour. Hopefully that will help you to reach your goals.
www.visa.com
www.rankit.com
www.lonelyplanet.com
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