Essential Travel Safety Tips

Travelling to a foreign land is an incredibly fulfilling and enlightening experience which everybody should try at least once in their lives. And when travelling, it's crucial you do what you can to ensure your safety as you leave your comfort zone and expand your horizons.
Stay safe on your next adventure with these Essential Travel Safety Tips:

Stay on floors four to six of a hotel.
Staying on floors four, five, or six offer the best advantages over emergency situations. They’re high enough so intruders cannot easily access your room, yet low enough for a quick get-away in the event of a fire.
Give the impression you’re always in your room.
Keep the radio or TV turned on with the volume on low at all times. Also, leave at least one light on in the room - even when you’re not there.
Never flash the cash.
Keep your cash separated, with some spending money easily accessible and the rest hidden, so that you're not showing off a big wad of cash every time you buy a mango juice. Although it's tempting to have your smartphone out constantly to look up directions or take photos, be mindful of your surroundings—thieves love to grab cell phones from people using them on trains and run off at the next stop.
Prepare a “go-bag.”
Keep a small bag packed with must-have items such as your ID, Passport and emergency cash so you can make a quick escape in the necessary situations.
Scan a copy of your important documents
If anything does get lost or stolen, it’s always a good idea to have a backup. The easiest way to do this is to scan them and email them to yourself or keep them on a cloud drive. That way they can be accessed at anytime, anywhere.
Grab an extra business card from the front desk of your hotel.
The information on a business card will come in handy if you're ever lost or need to contact someone. If you're in a place where you don't speak the local language, you can at least ensure that you have your hotel's address and phone number to show to a taxi driver if you can’t get back.
Study up on the airline you'll be flying with.
When planning your flight, it's good to consider the safety record of both the airline and the airports you'll be flying in and out of.
Visit tourist attractions at off-peak hours.
Crowded public areas are often a common target for attacks. This is especially the case when using public transportation – you should avoid going into crowded cars on the subway, for example.
Carry your valuables in your front pocket.
Not only does it give you a more visible line of sight in the case of pickpocketing, but it also ensures that you don't lose your valuables if you happen to leave your purse or backpack behind somewhere.
Don't use your first name when checking in to a hotel.
One of the easiest ways to keep your information private is to avoid using your first name when checking in. Give the front desk your first initial and last name. For women who are traveling alone, use "Mrs." to give the impression that you're traveling with at least one other person.
Monitor your bank card activity.
Travellers should monitor their credit or debit cards at least once a day while abroad so that they can be aware of any fraudulent activity. Many bank accounts offer the option to receive text message alerts when purchases exceed a certain amount, or if there seems to be suspicious activity.
Stay at hotels that restrict access to guest rooms.
This includes hotels that block access to guest floors unless you have a key to insert in the elevator, as well as those that have one-way stairwells.
Be careful using public Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and public USB ports have become common ways for hackers to access your personal information. Internet banking, flight itineraries and other sensitive online services should all be accessed through a secure network – or through a Virtual Private Network (or VPN) to keep your data hidden.