- 1). Check the travel advisories at the State Department's travel website before you leave home to get the latest information on the place you're visiting. Register your trip with the relevant embassy on this site just in case something happens.
- 2). Take only the necessities in your wallet. Keep cash to a minimum. Travel with two debit cards, two credit cards, your health insurance card and your driver's license. Put all of these in a travel wallet that either rides around your waist or hangs around your neck.
- 3). Write down the numbers of the credit cards you are taking and the phone numbers for the companies, but do not write your name or address on the paper. Put this in a place separate from your wallet.
- 4). Make photocopies of your passport. Keep your passport and the paper with your card numbers on it in the hotel safe or locked in your luggage. Carry the photocopy of your passport and credit and debit cards. Check the regulations of the country you are in. Some countries require you to have your original passport with you at all times.
- 5). Learn the local laws and customs of the area you will be visiting before you leave. Some countries require women to cover their hair. In other countries, phrases or gestures that are harmless in the United States may be considered a grave insult. Knowing these things before you leave will save you some grief on your trip.
- 6). Make a plan for getting from the airport or train station to your next destination. The last thing you want to do is be fumbling with all your luggage, a guide book, and papers with reservations on them when trying to find a cab.
- 7). Take only transportation from an official stand or station.
- 8). Once you arrive at your hotel, check in and get any maps they may have. Do not be concerned if they don't return your passport right away. In some countries, such as Italy, they routinely hold it for the first night in accordance with laws requiring the registration of foreign guests with the local police. This is part of why you brought photocopies.
- 9). Check with the hotel before you go out about the route you plan to take to your destination. The employees at the hotel will be able to tell you if you are taking an undesirable route. Be aware of your surroundings at all times and do your best not to look like a tourist. Enjoy exploring but try not to wander alone after dark. Carry with you the name, address, and phone number of where you are staying so you can communicate where you want to go.
- 10
Use your credit card for as many purchases as possible. Call your credit card company before you leave home to let them know you will be out of the country. Otherwise they may freeze your account for suspicious activity. You have more recourse if a purchase goes wrong with a credit card company than if you use your debit card or cash.
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