Best Travel Tips You Should Follow 2020! (25 Yrs Of Experience.)
Travel insurance is one of the most important things to buy for your trip — no matter how long you are going away for, it is a NO BRAINER!
As I was recently going over the pluses and minuses in my own mind of my years of travel, I would and should have had travel insurance from day one. As I’ve paid 3 times more, just in medical bills alone, rather than the actual yearly costs from breaking my leg in Malaga, kidney stones problems in Phuket to viruses and ending up on drips etc..for never getting it. Plus all the stress it caused along the way! I also realized as I talked to myself, there is a lot of misconceptions about what travel insurance really was. And, judging by the questions that make their way to my inbox and I get asked, I’m not the only one.
So today’s topic is about the best travel tips and travel insurance and I want to address many of the concerns, questions, and misconceptions that have piled up over the years that, honestly, I should have written about ages ago.
This is just a brief list of what I take or do when travelling, remember though, everyone is unique, most people have different needs, think clearly before you set off and be safe.
- Food & Water Safety: Eat at popular places with long lines
Try to watch how your food is prepared
Pack translation cards to express your allergies
Fully cooked food is always the safest
Only eat peel-able fruit to avoid bacteria - Don’t drink water out of taps: Whatever country you are visiting, I always buy bottled water and I also checked that it has not been just filled by a tap,” yes it does happen ” usually, it will have a seal on the branded water.
- Stay (Relatively) Sober: Getting too drunk or high when you travel is almost always unacceptably risky. If you’re wasted, you’re not present, and anything could be happening around you (or to you). Trust me, been there and got the T-shirt!
- Pack A First Aid Kit: Injuries can happen when you travel abroad, no matter how careful you are. That’s why traveling with a basic first aid kit is always a good idea.
- Sim card: When you arrive buy a (2) new sim card and top up on data for possible bad internet, you can tether from your phone to your laptop or use as a hotspot, also great for booking taxis and obviously reaching your loved ones and letting them know you’re ok!
- Download Apps: Each country has a different app that you can download, Just make sure the apps you do download, you’ve read the reviews of that APP, some great apps out there and FREE, Google – translate/maps. Grab – taxis / bikes – AirBnB / Booking.com
- Expat living: Especially if you’re in a country where it’s like the wild west at times and money usually buys you out of any slight hiccups with tea/beer/weekend money. remember the police are usually on a very low wage, so corruption is rife in certain countries. Always make a contact for a good reputable solicitor, just in case and have some friends you can trust. You may think nothing will ever happen to me, I’m a good apple. I’ve heard and seen many horror stories INCLUDING my own nightmare ( will fill you in later) over my 25yrs of living and traveling. Precaution/prevention is the key to most things in life!
- 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.
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- Email: your itinerary to friends and family and check in at regular stages.
- Don’t tell strangers too much: As it can be the wrong person asking, especially your address of where you are staying.
- Ask the locals for advice: Most locals are friendly and will warn you about straying into dangerous areas. On the other hand, if a stranger offers up advice, it’s also wise to get a second opinion – just in case they don’t really know what they’re talking about but simply wanted to help (or worse, are trying to scam you).
- Splurge on extra safety: I’ve stayed in hostels that are just about better than prison camps, at least in prison, your real valuables are locked up. Remember thieves live there also as it’s a prime target place for new arrivals etc.. We use Airbnb mainly now and received some excellent deals, as well as our offer of up to $40 off for a new sign up.
- Stay “Tethered” To Your Bag: If you can keep your bag tethered to something immovable at all times, and do so in a really obvious way, thieves will consider it way too risky a job – and leave you alone. Most of the time, just be cautious about your personal possessions.
- Instruct your bank: Where you will be using your credit cards, then they don’t get blocked!
- Emergency cash: Hide some cash just has a precaution, you never know!! If things get really dire, you can phone someone to send you some money via Transerwise or Western Union.
- Stop using your back pocket: It’s the first place any pickpocket will check – and short of putting a loaded mousetrap in there (not recommended if you forget and sit down), the best way to deal with the dangers of having a back pocket is to never use it…And if putting money in the back pocket of your pants is a habit you can’t seem to break, grab some needle and thread and sew it shut!
- Beware of the wrong clothing: When it comes to traveling, the wrong clothes scream “TOURIST” and make you a target for scammers, thieves, and worse. The less obviously a visitor you look, the less attention you’ll get from the wrong kind of people also wearing the right clothes is a sign of respect.
- Embassies: Log the number or email address of your embassy before you leave home (possibly your Embassy in the country your traveling too, faster response!) If the worse comes to the worse, contact them!! We’ve heard of some real horror stories about dealing with Embassies, However, they can get you back home and they do assist you, EVEN though you will feel it’s hard work, it’s hard work for many reasons. Firstly remember, there not a charity and they’re not in a country just to save you! You may be thinking saying that’s a bit harsh! Well, yes it is, we are being honest as we’ve had our bit of bad luck and been down this road including being detained/deported through stupidity and naivety. So I think we’re qualified to say this…
- Open an online bank account: before leaving, this way, if you do lose your cards and money, you can always transfer money to people to send you WU or pay for the hotel via this method that possibly caters to food within the price. You’re not on the streets and this gives you time to sort your problems out! We opened a second account through having our main account blocked in BK. Been a blessing in disguise and saved us lots of transfer costs. Transferwise
- Photocopy: Make sure you photocopy all your important documents and store them safely, possibly backing up in a cloud data storage with google drive/dropbox etc.. This way if your valuables are stolen or you lose them, then you have the details at your disposable.Less of the panic stations!
- Visit the local tourism office. They know about everything going on. They can point you to free activities, special events happening during your stay, and most things. They even offer discounts on attractions and transportation. It is their job to help you experience the destination better. It’s amazing how many travelers skip this. This is probably one of the most underused travel tips in the world. Use the tourism board! Save money!
- Travel In Numbers: The more people around you, the more eyeballs are on your valuables – and the more legs are available for running after thieves. A group is also a much more intimidating physical presence, which helps ward off predators of all kinds. It will help to keep you safer than trying to go it alone in a foreign country.
- Trust your instincts: This one is easily overlooked – and incredibly important, we can sometimes feel lonely traveling, so we talk to most people, I always remind myself, would I be talking to that person at home and I’m not saying live in a bubble. Just be cautious!
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