Traveling is great fun, but the joys of an adventure abroad can quickly turn sour if a passport goes missing or your health takes a turn for the worse.

99% of the time, you won’t have to worry about such occurrences—but it never hurts to be prepared. That’s why we’ve put together 12 top travel safety tips for you to bear in mind before your next trip abroad!

If you feel safe and secure, you’ll naturally find yourself loosening up and will be able to enjoy your travels free from any anxieties.

12 Key Safety Tips for International Travel

By sticking to these 12 simple safety tips, you’ll get the most out of your travel experience. Let’s jump right in!

1. Buy Travel Insurance

Don’t make the mistake of skimping on travel insurance. If you want full peace of mind on your travels, you’ll need to purchase an insurance program with full coverage. That includes the normal stuff like theft and healthcare to less common occurrences like natural disasters.

There’s a wealth of options available for travel insurance. We suggest using a comparison website like travelinsurance.com so that you can find a well-priced package that fits your travel needs.

2. Make Copies of Important Documents

Losing your passport is every traveler’s biggest fear. Without it, you’ll likely be left unable to book accommodation or travel to another country. But there are other important documents you’ll be counting on too, including visas, driver’s license, travel insurance, and various tickets.

We strongly urge you to make copies of each of these documents before traveling and store them in different locations. Consider saving essential documents to a small, portable USB stick, or even uploading them to the online storage on the cloud if you have internet access.

research before travel — Kids can help with research on family trips

3. Do Your Research

Research is the foundation of any successful trip. But it’s not just accommodation and attractions you should be pouring over; take time to investigate issues faced by other travelers in the past.

Use travel guides and discussion boards to research these potential risks so that you travel safely. They might include dangerous areas that are better left alone, local scams that are easy to fall into, or simply whether the tap water is safe to drink.

4. Keep Friends Updated

This is one of the most important travel safety tips for solo travelers: keep friends and family members in the loop and let them know immediately if you encounter any problems. Even if they’re on the other side of the world, they still might be able to get you help.

Before you embark on your trip, we suggest making arrangements with a close friend to exchange messages at regular intervals, just to check in on personal safety. If you’re traveling in a group and fancy a solo adventure, be sure to let your companions know before you go.

5. Secure Your Valuables

One of the threats that tourists are most exposed to is theft. Fortunately, if you take the right precautions, you’re pretty unlikely to fall victim to this crime. That’s because thefts tend to be opportunistic; most thieves will only target you if your possessions are there for the taking.

When you’re out and about, keep items on your person securely—that means avoiding your back pocket at all times. Store any valuable personal belongings in the hotel room safe and always hide emergency cash.

6. Don’t Overshare with Strangers

We’d never discourage you from connecting with locals on your travels. Unfortunately, though, you may occasionally run into individuals that don’t share your best interests. Be mindful of the people you interact with, particularly those who begin to act suspiciously.

Generally, it’s best to avoid sharing information about your itinerary and accommodation with strangers. That includes taxi drivers or locals that strike up a conversation with you at a bar. If you’re seeking travel advice, there are guides and hotel staff for that.

7. Never Part with Your Bag

Always keep your bag in sight. 10 seconds spent idly chatting with a fellow traveler at the bus stop is all the time a thief needs to grab and run. Ideally, you should keep your bag on you; packing lightly will make this a lot more tolerable.

Another deterrent is to tether your bag to a separate object when it’s on the ground. For example, you could use a travel lock to attach your bag to the table stand while seated at a restaurant. It could even be a simple strap; just use something to ward off prospective poachers.

8. Register with the State Department STEP

The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program is a handy service worth signing up to if you’re a U.S. citizen visiting a foreign country. It informs the U.S. embassy in the country you’re visiting of your arrival. The embassy will then keep you up to date with the latest local safety information.

For example, if something like a natural disaster or a terrorist attack occurred, the country’s embassy would reach out and assist with your evacuation. Many other countries have their own equivalent of STEP, so be sure to look this up online if you’re of a different nationality.

9. Hire a Local Guide

Hiring a local guide will make your experience more immersive and help you to travel safely. Backed by local knowledge, you’ll be made aware of the no-go areas and specific risks that often befall tourists.

For particular activities, such as hiking or watersports, it may be mandatory to consult the services of a local guide. Solicit recommendations from other travelers and hotel staff, as some guides will be better value for money than others.

keep emergency contact information available

10. Have Emergency Contact Information Available

On the small chance that an accident occurs, you need to have an action plan. Generally, the first step will be to contact someone for help, whether that’s your local embassy or the emergency services.

As such, jot down the contact details of the local police station and ambulance service, as well as the address to your local embassy. Store emergency info on your phone for safekeeping too.

11. Don’t Parade Expensive Items

If you’re bringing expensive items such as flashy jewelry or expensive camera gear on your travels, you’ll need to be extra vigilant as you’ll be an easy target for thieves.

Especially in deprived neighborhoods, avoid overtly displaying your wealth; doing so is an invitation to opportunistic criminals. The best practice here is, simply, to leave your valuables at home—consider swapping that Canon for a disposable camera.

12. Go Easy on Alcohol

This is another golden travel safety tip: drink responsibly. Drunk people are inattentive to their surroundings, and criminals know this. Shady characters will often frequent pubs and clubs in known tourist areas, looking for an opportunity to exploit a traveler that’s had too much to drink.

Enjoy the occasional drink, by all means, but never lose control. As long as you keep your wits about you and stay alert—or at least have a friend looking out for you—then chances are you’ll be fine.

The Importance of Safety While Traveling

Travel always entails some element of risk—it’s unavoidable. That said, risk can be minimized significantly by preparing well before you travel and staying alert during the duration of your trip.

Our 12 top travel safety tips will keep you out of harm’s way during your vacation. With your safety secured, you can focus on what really matters: seeing the world and experiencing new cultures!

If you’re interested in arranging a fully-customizable, culturally-immersive travel experience, don’t hesitate to contact us at Learn from Travel.