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Travel Safety

Maximise your chances of staying safe on your travels with our quick guide

The world’s a dangerous place… actually, it isn’t really. Bad things happen all over the planet, but the fact is that the majority of travellers suffer nothing worse than a hangover or a spot of Delhi belly on their trips. That’s not to say you shouldn’t take precautions and be prepared – and if you follow our starter tips, you’ve got a great chance of enjoying a trip that’s memorable for all the right reasons.

1. Make sure you have good travel insurance. You probably won’t need it – but you’ll regret not having it if anything untoward does befall you, whether it’s accident, illness or crime. Travel insurance should include at least £2 million-worth of medical expenses / repatriation, and a 24-hour emergency assistance line.
2. Do some research. If you turn up in a destination completely green, and spend your first ten minutes in the bus station leafing intently through a pristine guidebook, you’re a sitting target for thieves and scammers. Whenever you arrive, try to know the route to your hotel or transport option, plus a few word of the local lingo to get you there. Also, check the latest political and social situation on the Foreign Office website before departing.
3. Be wary of accepting food or drink from strangers on buses and trains. There are exceptions – that nice family on the train in Sri Lanka offering to share lunch is probably being genuinely friendly – but in recent years increasing numbers of travellers, especially those travelling alone, have been drugged and robbed. It’s also worth being more careful consuming alcohol than you might at home – plenty of accidents and incidents happen to travellers while under the influence.
4. Secure your valuables. Keep essential documents – passport, airline tickets, insurance docs, etc – in a moneybelt under your clothes, along with credit cards and most of your cash, leaving small stashes of money scattered around your clothes and baggage, with some in a decoy wallet or purse. Make copies or scans of documents and email them to yourself, as well as leaving copies with someone at home. And don’t leave valuables lying around on beaches or in unlocked hotel rooms – if there’s a safe or secure storage, use it.
5. Be sensible when choosing transport. Road accidents are common in many countries: vehicles may not be roadworthy, driving standards can be poor, animals wander across highways and roads themselves can be potholed and truly dangerous. Try to assess the standard of a vehicle before buying a ticket; don’t sit on the roof, even if the locals do; and think carefully before travelling overnight on buses. Apart from anything else, you’ll miss the scenery and may be tormented by music or the dreaded videos turned up to 11.
6. Take local advice. Wanderlust articles, guidebooks and websites can be great for providing ideas and basic practical information, but there’s nothing like getting the lowdown to check the best bar, the parts of town to avoid after dark and the safest bus company. And if you have a guide, listen to them, whether they’re telling you what not to eat or how to avoid being eaten.
7. Look like a local. Those zip-off trousers and that fake Diesel t-shirt might be cool, but they mark you out as a tourist. Buy a local newspaper, consider toting your guidebook and water bottle in a carrier bag instead of a snazzy backpack, and walk confidently, rather than glancing around to get your bearings. If you need to check a map, step into a shop to do so.

And remember – it’ll probably never happen to you... but it's best to be prepared and make sure it doesn't!