Smart Travel

There are different types of travel, car, air, train and maybe a cruise. All have different things that you should be aware of depending on the type of travel. For this article, I will discuss travel that takes you to another country. I have written about travel in the past, but I thought that this would be a good time to visit this again.

First make sure that your passport has more than six months before it expires and that it has enough blank pages for customs stamping. Then make copies leave one copy at home with family members or a trusted friend. You should also bring multiple copies with you. After arriving at a foreign country and going through customs, leave your passport n the hotel safe and bring the copies with you.

Do not dress in a manner that screams “I am a tourist”. Be respectful of the customs of the country you are visiting, remember this is their country not yours. Do not wear flashy jewelry or carry big expensive cameras. Smartphones take great pictures these days. Speaking of smart phones carry yours at all times. Keep the cash you have with you to a minimum. If you use your credit card, make sure that it is the new chip cards. Keep it in your site at all times. Do not use debit cards.

Before leaving your hotel ask for a business card from the front desk with the hotel address in the language of the country you are visiting. With this you can always show it to a cab driver or someone else for directions back to your hotel.

If you are not comfortable, because of recent events, then either do not go to that country or if there do not leave your hotel. If you do go out be aware of where you are at, again if you don’t feel comfortable then leave. In other words, listen to your gut.

Make sure that you arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare, especially for international flights the lines will be long.

If you are taking a cruise, do not let the relative safety of the ship lull you into think that you are totally safe. If you take a tour it better to use the tours that the ship arranges. Yes, they are more expensive, but the cruise lines usually have some type of control.