Travelling is something that is open to more people than ever before and it is much easier to travel abroad these days, whether you are travelling for business, to visit family and friends or just for the adventure. Tailor-made holidays are especially popular now for visiting multiple places at once.
Whatever your reason is for travelling abroad, there are certain precautions and measures you need to take to make sure your journey is safe and as stress-free as possible, especially as a woman.
To help you understand the type of things you should be considering if you are planning a trip anywhere abroad, we have put together this list of tips.
While some of it will undoubtedly be common sense for a lot, there will be some things we’re sure that even the most sensible of you will not have even considered.
- Make sure you have a current passport and up-to-date visa relevant to the destination you are travelling to. Make sure you keep the original on your person and take copies of all your important documentation in your carry-on hand luggage. It is also something that many people overlook, but remember to fill out the emergency contact details page in your passport.
- Read up and research as much as you can about the place you are visiting, especially if it is a destination you’ve never been to before. It can be helpful to contact the consular or foreign assembly for your home country in the country you are travelling to.
- Familiarise yourself with local laws and regulations. the last thing you want to do is unknowingly find yourself in trouble with the law in a foreign country.
- Familiarise yourself with their customs too. You can’t help being a foreigner, but by learning things about the lifestyle and people there you will find it easier to fit in and not stick out like a sore thumb or feel like an outcast. It will also help you to avoid unnecessarily offending or upsetting locals. Some people in some countries expect a certain amount from customers for their tips, whereas if you tip service staff in other places, it will cause offence. You can usually find information online looking at travel guides and other similar sites and pages.
- Consider travelling with as little cash as possible. You may need to take foreign currency if you are travelling to smaller and more remote towns and villages, but most modern cities use chip and pin and even contactless card readers. Find out what you will need and where before heading, to avoid carrying too much physical money on your person.
- Avoid taking anything too valuable, unless you have to. For instance, invest in a cheaper, more disposable watch for using on your travels, rather than taking that rolex or other designer timepiece. You may need to take your smartphone, which is fair enough, but make sure you are sensible when taking it out of your pocket and putting it back in.
- Read up on what the crime statistics, especially against women, are for the place you are travelling to and be aware of the kind of tactics and issues you could fall prey to.
By taking these precautions, you can enjoy your holiday knowing that you’ve done what you can to stay as safe as possible. Enjoy your travels!