Many family travel safety tips are the same as common travel safety tips. I’m listing our family travel safety tips here and I will update them as I learn more.
When traveling, always:
1. Pay attention to surroundings
2. Plan in advance for things that could go wrong like weather, transportation issues, getting detoured, and accidents
3. Research destinations, including culture, neighborhood, and transportation ahead of time
4. Have embassy contact information in hand
5. Have accommodation contact information in hand
6. Do not keep anything valuable in the back packets
7. Consider using a purse or a backpack with locks
8. Do not put down a purse or a backpack with anything valuable in it
9. Bring a first aid bag, including bandaids, stomach medicine, allergy medicine, ibuprofen and Tylenol
10. Prepare a deck of cards with pictures or words in local language showing your food allergies
11. Use ATMs with extra caution. Use one hand to cover the keypad as you enter in your PIN and walk away if someone is watching.
12. Do not use ATMs or a debit card at all, if possible. Use a credit card instead. If someone gets hold of your ATM or debit card information, he/she can drain your bank account. In contrast, a credit card doesn’t link to actual cash and credit card companies provide comprehensive protection from fraud. If you need cash, you can always exchange it in your home country, at the airport, or in a bank. Although it costs a little more to do so than to use an ATM (and there are scams related to exchange as well), the expected loss of using an ATM and a debit card is much higher.
13. Be aware of public WIFI scams. A public WIFI, especially unlocked ones, are subject to high cyber security risk. Always ask the owner of a public WIFI about the correct network name. If possible, do not use a public WIFI at all when traveling. Enjoy being disconnected while traveling! By the way, a true friend will always be happy to see a new post from you, no matter if it is posted during your trip or after your trip.
14. Consider buying travel insurance. Travel insurance is good to have. Anything can happen while traveling. If you don’t want to take a risk of losing anything valuable, travel insurance is the thing for you.
Depending on destinations, it is always a good idea to also:
15. Make sure the taxi meter works or negotiate the price before getting in a taxi
16. Do not let anyone put anything on your body for free like necklaces, bracelets, clothing, etc.
17. Do not accept any “gifts” for free
18. Be aware of extremely “friendly helpers” in some famous destinations where there are lots of tourists.
19. Do not stop walking, if anything suddenly drops or spills on you while walking on the street (usually something unpleasant). Walk away quickly and then find a restaurant or a public area to clean up.
As a family, when traveling:
20. Help your family member when he/she is distracted or struggling with something. A distracted person is more likely to be the target. The beauty of traveling as a family is that there is more than one person in your travel group. Watch out for each other. For example, if your mom is looking through her purse for something, pay attention to the surroundings while she is distracted.
21. Kids would love to help and are helpful too! I have been helping my parents with carrying bags, backpacks, and suitcases ever since I can remember. When on the move, I’m usually in charge of a couple items (or more), including a large suitcase and a backpack or a bag. By doing so, adults have more flexibility and can pay more attention to anything unplanned that comes up.
22. Everybody in the family has to understand and pay attention to the possible safety concerns, even if these concerns sound so silly and unreal! We didn’t think any of those “silly” concerns would happen to us. When it happened, we were too shocked to respond (read my side event in Milan)!
23. Do not leave each other’s sight while roaming around. Always pay attention to where your family members are. The best way to not to get separated is to stick together.
24. What should you do if you get separated? Have a plan and discuss the plan with all family members before you head out. For example, if you are lost, try to stand on something high and visible or wait in front of a landmark or a store. Having a phone is good, but remember, a phone may not work everywhere.
I hope these tips help you have a safe and enjoyable trip! Happy Hopping!
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