After traveling the world for the past 9 years, I’ve
learned a lot about staying safe – sometimes the hard way. Here are my
best travel safety tips for avoiding trouble on your trip.

Nothing ruins an adventure quicker than getting scammed or robbed!

One time in Panama, women distracted me while stealing my laptop from a backpack. I thought it was gone, until this happened 3 months later. I got lucky.

In
Mexico, a pickpocket once grabbed my iPhone on the street. I managed to
get that back too, chasing the thief down the road screaming like a
maniac and brandishing a bottle of tequila! LOL.

You don’t even need to travel internationally to have bad stuff happen. In Miami Beach, my camera was stolen when I wasn’t paying attention.

After
years traveling the world, I’ve grown accustomed to deceitful taxi
drivers, two-faced tour guides, insincere offers of help, and an
occasional theft or scam.

For the most part, the world is a pretty safe place for travelers. I don’t want to scare you too much! However, it’s wise to be prepared.

With that in mind, here are my best travel safety tips to help minimize your chances of something bad happening to you during your travels.

1. Learn Common Travel Scams

Wherever
you go in the world, you’ll always find people ready to trick you out
of your hard-earned cash. If you’re lucky, they’ll be kinda obvious –
but there are plenty of craftier, professional con-artists out there
too.

Everyone thinks they’re too smart to be scammed — but it happens.

Here are some of the most common travel scams I’ve come across. I recommend you learn them all – then fire up the Google and do even more in-depth research into the worst scams happening at your specific destination.

For
example, the milk scam in Cuba. Broken taxi meters in Costa Rica. Or
the ring scam in Paris. Every country has its own special ones to watch
out for!

Forewarned is
forearmed, and this research can help defend you from being tricked out
of hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars (while suffering the kind of
frustration and misery that ruins a dream trip).

2. Write Down Emergency Info

If
disaster strikes, you might not have time to search for numbers for
local police or ambulance services, or directions to the nearest embassy
for your country. You may also be too stressed and panicky to think
straight.

Don’t put yourself in that position. Instead, record
that information in advance, and create an “Emergency Plan” for you to
follow if things go badly. Save it on your phone somewhere (I use the
Evernote App).

I also recommend you write it down on a small card
or sheet of paper, get it laminated (easily done at your local office
supply store) to protect it from moisture, and keep it in your
wallet/purse.

That way, if something goes wrong out there, you’ll always know exactly who to call and where to go for help.

Your will. Your life insurance policy. Your birth certificate. Your third-grade report card. These are the kinds of things you’ll want your kids or other beneficiaries to have access to someday (or that you might need to grab in a pinch), and the kinds of things that would be devastating to lose in a disaster like a flood or a fire. But how do you store them securely, and how do you make sure they’re accessible in the event of an emergency? And with more of our lives moving online, how do you make sure your digital files are secure, too?

Good questions. All of them. And it just so happens that we have produced the answers below. In short, you’ll almost certainly deploy some combination of three key places/approaches, both for redundancy and because different types of info require different types of security. (Spoiler alert: That junk drawer in your kitchen will not appear in this article.) Here, then, is your complete guide to storing important info for your family.

Fireproof safe

Start here. Fireproof safes are affordable, come in a range of sizes, and no, it’s not just a clever name: They’ll protect your important documents in case of fire. (More on that later.)

Once your documents are nestled inside, they’ll be easily accessible for you (and your loved ones, should something happen to you). This makes them ideal for documents you want to regularly update or might need off-hours access to, including: passports; your will (original, if it’s not kept with an attorney); emergency medical instructions; power of attorney; funeral/burial instructions. This is a good spot for copies of original documents stored offsite (including physical, digital files stored on a USB stick, CD or DVD). Photographs. Valuable objects you sometimes use or want to insure (e.g., jewelry). Cash. (Regarding those last two: Safety deposit boxes (explained below) are not covered by the FDIC, so if your jewelry is insured, you’ll want to store it at home.)

That said, there are several reasons why a fireproof safe should not be your only home for essential files. There’s a theft risk, however remote. And assuming you keep it in your home, you and your important files could both be harmed in the same disaster (for example, a devastating flood, tornado or hurricane). And then, depending on the size and structure of the safe itself, it might make it hard to organize your files. It’s also an all or nothing thing—if you only want certain relatives to have access to certain files (or if you want to grant access to someone who doesn’t live nearby), a safe isn’t ideal.

Crooks use clever schemes to defraud millions of people every year. They often combine new technology with old tricks to get people to send money or give out personal information. Here are some practical tips to help you stay a step ahead.

1. Spot imposters. Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government official, a family member, a charity, or a company you do business with. Don’t send money or give out personal information in response to an unexpected request — whether it comes as a text, a phone call, or an email.  
2. Do online searches. Type a company or product name into your favourite search engine with words like “review,” “complaint” or “scam.” Or search for a phrase that describes your situation, like “IRS call.” You can even search for phone numbers to see if other people have reported them as scams.
3. Don’t believe your caller ID. Technology makes it easy for scammers to fake caller ID information, so the name and number you see aren’t always real. If someone calls asking for money or personal information, hang up. If you think the caller might be telling the truth, call back to a number you know is genuine.
4. Talk to someone. Before you give up your money or personal information, talk to someone you trust. Con artists want you to make decisions in a hurry. They might even threaten you. Slow down, check out the story, do an online search, consult an expert — or just tell a friend. Hang up on robocalls. If you answer the phone and hear a recorded sales pitch, hang up and report it to the FTC. These calls are illegal, and often the products are bogus. Don’t press 1 to speak to a person or to be taken off the list. That could lead to more calls. Be sceptical about free trial offers. Some companies use free trials to sign you up for products and bill you every month until you cancel. Before you agree to a free trial, research the company and read the cancellation policy. And always review your monthly statements for charges you don’t recognize.