When you travel to a new country for business or leisure, you want your cash and valuables safe to ensure a pleasant time on your trip. Thieves, however, will go to great lengths to make off with your precious belongings.
Given how cunning these criminals are, you need to put in a little more work to make sure that your money, passport, fine jewelry collection and other possessions stay safe and inside your bag.
Before you board your next international flight, keep these seven travel tips in mind to help you protect your valuables:
Place Your Valuables in a Safe
Many hotel chains offer rooms that come with in-room safety deposit boxes. If your room has a safe, use it to stow away your valuable belongings, such as passport, IDs and your laptop.
If your hotel room doesn’t have a safe, don’t fret. Get in touch with the front desk receptionist and ask if they could hold your personal items in a secure drawer. Just remember to ask for those items back before checking out of your hotel.
Make Sure Your Wallet Contains a Small Amount of Cash
You never know who’s watching when you take out your wallet in a public area, such as a marketplace or a restaurant. A fat wallet attracts thieves, as it shows that you’re loaded with cash.
As much as possible, use your credit card when purchasing items or signing up for services on your vacation. If you have to take out your wallet and use cash as payment, only keep a small amount. You can always withdraw at an ATM if you need more.
Secure a Copy of Important Documents
If you do lose valuable documents because of an incident, you’re in a better position to have that item replaced if you have a scanned copy, a screenshot on your mobile phone or a photocopy of that document. Also, obtaining a copy of your important docs will give you the necessary information you need when you report the loss or theft to the authorities.
Refrain from Putting All Your Valuables in the Same Place
Some travelers put all their valuables in one bag — passports, jewelry, cash, cards and electronic gadgets included. They’ll be in huge trouble if that bag becomes lost or stolen.
You can avoid this unpleasant situation by dividing your belongings into different bags. You could, for instance, put some of your valuables in a check-in bag while carrying the rest in your carry-on bag.
Lock Your Bag
Padlocks help keep thieves away from your luggage. If you’re going to be traveling on a train, you’ll want to invest in top-quality locks. Combination locks are incredibly convenient, as you don’t involve using keys that you could lose any time. If you’re traveling to your destination with a laptop, use a cable lock to keep this electronic gadget secure in public locations.
Stay Alert in Queues
Some opportunist thieves steal money and other belongings in long queues, particularly bored individuals who are waiting to purchase a journey ticket. Don’t make yourself a target of these criminals. Keep an eye on your belongings. If you come across suspicious people loitering and lingering around the queue area for no good reason, consider alerting the staff or the authorities.
Place Your Backpack in Front of You
If you’re in a busy area, such as an open market or a subway, you’ll want to carry your backpack in front of you. By carrying your bag on your back, you’re making your valuables more accessible to crooks who will likely swipe your valuable items without you noticing.
Keep your belongings safe by following these seven suggestions. Taking measures to protect your belongings will help make sure that you avoid the trouble or hassle of losing important stuff while you’re out of the country.
