I love to travel, and I dare say it is one of my biggest hobbies. Occasionally, I get to leave the shores of the country, other times I just travel within the United States. After all, who does not love spending time in new places, exploring new cultures and experiencing the world through the perspectives of others?
Still, when I ready myself for my next trip, my major focus is on safety in every sense of the word. With instability rampant in various parts of the World today, it doesn’t hurt to be extra careful. Research on security risks to ensure my physical safety is, of course, important, but people tend to overlook the online criminal activities that can come back and haunt you. Hackers and sniffers abound, crawling the Internet in a never-ending attempt to steal information, ruin people’s finances and lives in the process.
With that in mind, here are my lifehacks to make sure I am safe:
- Research your travel destination thoroughly: Some people scare easily, and because of that they avoid going to certain places or regions entirely. However, dangers often lurk in unexpected places. Traveling safely goes beyond avoiding war zones, with minor threats present in most locales. From theft to hold-ups (even in the States), find out what they are before you depart. After all, there are fantastic attractions all around the country and beyond. So, choose from any of them and find a place with lots of people, who are also there for the same reason you are, to have a real time.
- Travel light: Why it is called a vacation or a holiday is because you still get to come back home and get back to your normal activities. So, do not pack all you have got, leave room for things you can also acquire from the new places you visit. The bigger reason for doing this is that it also limits your vulnerability to theft and simply misplacing things. I have seen so many people lose track of their possessions because they had too many things with them.
- Get a VPN for secure online access: Wi-Fi is available everywhere. From hotels or inns to restaurants and cafes, public Wi-Fi options abound. However, these networks are mostly insecure, and even the providers cannot even vouch for its integrity. So, for secure and reliable access the Internet, get a VPN to protect your data from the criminal elements on the Internet.
- Experience the culture of your new environment: Some people travel to a new place and still do the old things they do at home. Eat the same type of food, watch TV and only leave the hotel room a few times throughout the vacation period. I believe there is so much to experience, and food, dance, and music are all different in many places, so I take any chance to enjoy different meals and dance to foreign music. This also tends to help you sightsee in more “local” areas. Tourists are often targeted by unsavory types in districts where foreigners gather. By opting to check out local culture, you are improving your safety at the same time.
So, with these lifehacks, you can enjoy your vacation (whether abroad or at home) with four fewer worries. Safe travels!