It’s great to go traveling, but although you might just want to hit the open road and leave your troubles behind you, the truth is that, no matter where you go or how much you might want to forget about everything and really relax or just focus on the sights, you still need to take a lot of precautions and be extremely careful – traveling can be dangerous otherwise.
One of the issues that can happen when you’re traveling is theft. Whether you’re backpacking through Europe or lounging on a gorgeous beach before going back to a swanky hotel, it’s always possible that someone will steal from you, especially because you (and all the other tourists) will have your guard down. So with that in mind, let’s look at some good ways to prevent theft when you’re traveling so you can be as careful as possible.
Secure Your Belongings
One of the easiest and most important ways to prevent theft when you’re traveling is to properly secure your belongings, and to do that, you can invest in some anti-theft gear like backpacks, bags, or purses that are made from anti-slash fabric, come with lockable zippers, and even have RFID-blocking pockets to stop pickpockets and opportunistic thieves.
You can also make sure you keep your valuables secure and avoid carrying a lot of cash around with you, as well as expensive jewelry. Instead, use better and more secure alternatives like money belts and hidden pockets or perhaps a portable safe if you don’t trust the one provided in your hotel room (or there isn’t one). Ideally, you should use a credit card because even if it is stolen, you can block its use and recover any money that was taken relatively quickly.
Be Aware Of Crowds
Depending on where you’re traveling to, you might find yourself in crowded areas at some points, and that’s when you have to be particularly vigilant because that’s exactly when a pickpocket could strike. You’d hardly notice if someone were to grab something from your bag or pocket when there are already so many people around, all nudging you and causing chaos.
So, when you’re in a busy place, that’s exactly the time when you have to pay the most attention to your belongings and your surroundings. Keep everything close to you, and hold your bag at your front rather than leaving it on your back or side, as that way you’ll be able to make sure no one’s trying to make a grab for it. As for your pickets, as handy as they are, it’s better to leave them empty, just in case.
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- Photo by Porapak Apichodilok
Don’t Forget Identity Theft
Although you might initially only think about your physical belongings and money when you consider how to prevent theft when you’re traveling, there is another potential issue to be aware of – identity theft. That can be just as devastating and just as traumatic, and often even more difficult to put right once it’s happened; it can damage your credit score and take years to fix.
The first thing to do is to install a VPN for windows or Mac (depending on your operating system) on your devices and laptop so that when you’re accessing public wifi, which you’re likely to do when you’re away at some point as you’ll find it in airports, cafes, hotels, and so on. If you do that, you’ll keep your data protected because your internet connection will be encrypted, making it impossible for hackers to get any information.
It’s also a good idea not to use public computers at all if you can help it, but if you do have to, never use them for sensitive things like checking your bank account or logging into any other kind of financial institution – the devices themselves might contain malware or keyloggers, and you’ll be in trouble if that’s the case. Even if you are being careful, it’s also a good idea to monitor your accounts regularly just to be on the safe side – the last thing you’ll want is to try to pay for something and not be able to because you’ve had money stolen, or to get a notification from your bank that a bill couldn’t be paid because you didn’t have the funds (even though you should).
