Travel Smart: Top Safety Tips for Solo and Family Travel

Tips and Tricks

How to travel safely?

Valid health insurance and documents, required for the trip, including the copies of these documents, will help ensure a safe journey. It is important to remember to check your destination country’s required vaccinations, cultural differences, laws, and safety tips. When we get into the vacation adventure mode, we can easily forget about a slightly unbuttoned backpack or a handbag carelessly slipped on the back. Therefore, it is advised not to keep all of your valuable items in one place. It is recommended to carry cash, bank cards, or other belongings separately. If you like shopping for new accessories, you could purchase a new small handbag specifically for such documents. A trip is always a good idea for a new drip!

It is also advisable to be careful with food vendors on the streets, and, to avoid any unnecessary illnesses, it is recommended to use store-bought or bottled water. Nobody wants to spend their long-awaited vacation locked in a hotel room with a fever or, even worse, stomach issues. Better safe than sorry, right?

Here are more tips that will help you plan a safe and comfortable trip, and to reduce the risk of various troubles when traveling alone or with your family.

Traveling alone is an opportunity to get to know not only the world but also to rediscover yourself. However, it is worth remembering that safety should be the top priority when traveling alone. 

Here are some tips to help ensure a smooth and risk-free trip:

• Stay connected. It is recommended to make sure your mobile phone is always charged so that you can constantly inform your family about the location and progress of your trip. I usually carry a fully charged power bank in case my phone or other electronic device’s battery runs out of juice in the middle of nowhere.

• Accommodation. It is advisable to choose safe accommodation options with good reviews. Spend some time reading other travelers’ comments, as they usually leave pretty honest ones. I had some unpleasant experiences before, so whenever anyone asks me for any tips, this is the one I emphasize. I suggest you do the same.

• Avoid risky places. To stay safe, be aware of your surroundings and avoid risky behavior, such as walking alone in unfamiliar areas at night. Also, take notice of other people’s behavior towards you. What may seem like a friendly gesture could cost you a lot. 

• Room security. Always remember to lock the door of your hotel or a rental place, and find out beforehand where the emergency exit is. It may seem like an unnecessary thing, but to be prepared for anything is way better than regretting to do so if something bad happens. 

• Book reputable transport. Use transport that is reliable and safe, for example, a rideshare, a taxi, or a bus. Remember what your parents said to you when you were little – never get into a stranger’s car. This is still relevant when you’re a grown-up!
• Compensation. Be alert when your travel plans are disrupted against your will (you get denied boarding, your flight gets delayed, or canceled). If you need help getting flight delay compensation or refund for flight cancellation – contact professionals who will handle everything.

My favorite way to explore a place is on foot, and I always choose to walk in the daylight. Positive reviews from other tourists about the chosen accommodation are always taken into account, as I don’t like to be disappointed with the place I’m staying. When I travel alone, I usually rent a car to have more freedom to explore my chosen vacation destination.

Tips for Traveling with Family

Traveling with family can be a joy and a challenge. Here are some tips for a stress-free and safe family journey:

• Homework. You need to prepare for the trip in advance. Think about how the trip will start, and what you and your loved ones might need if the flight is delayed. Do not forget to include rest stops and places to visit. I understand that we are usually too lazy to check before the trip, but it will save you a lot of nerves during the trip.
• Safety first. If you are traveling with children, introduce them to safety rules, and discuss what would happen if someone goes missing and where to meet up if such a situation occurs. It may seem that that would not happen to your family, but being aware of what should be done in the worst case is an important thing. 

• Family-Friendly accommodation. Pay attention to child-friendly apartments or hotels, read thoroughly through the reviews, and get to know the most necessary services. You wouldn’t want the hotel to not have a playroom for children, or end up receiving angry stares from strangers if the child starts crying during dinner.

• Transportation safety. Familiarize yourself with the traffic rules of your vacation location, always fasten your seat belts if riding in a car, and never ignore the child seats. This is probably the most important point worth remembering – if you protect yourself, you will be protected by someone from above.

• Health and hygiene. Remember to wash your hands often and drink plenty of fluids. A healthy family should be a priority because only then fun memories can be made. Health is the greatest wealth, am I right?
• Enjoy. Do not try to see and experience everything – it is hardly possible! And almost never works the way you imagine. When traveling with your family, I recommend you to keep a reserve of time for extra activities and rest. And, the most important thing, make memories!

When traveling with the family, we like to plan at least a couple of days of our trip – places we want to visit, where we are going to stay, and some recommendations for local and delicious food. It also doesn’t matter where we are vacationing, we always buy drinking water from the store. Our favorite way to find cozy places to stay, offering breathtaking views, is through short-term rent websites.

When preparing for a solo trip or a vacation with your family, do not stress, as the trip will be fantastic, if you do not forget these simple yet effective safety tips. Follow them and enjoy the adventures!