To make travel more enjoyable and less stressful (owing to how often things go wrong) it is often a good idea to re-iterate a few simple rules that can help prevent disaster. These things can often ruin a vacation and leave a bad taste in the mouth for a particular location; they can even be expensive! Nobody wants to spend time in a Police station while they are on vacation, much less being too afraid to go out. It is easy to drop your guard when you are on vacation and enjoying yourself but this is when you are most vulnerable so traveling safely relies on your common sense to guide you.

Whatever it is you are doing or wherever you are, when you get that feeling that something doesn’t feel right, that is your instinct; learn to listen to it. When you go out to discover new places, bars and restaurants, think about what you are taking with you; are all your credit cards, passport and airline tickets for example necessary where you are going? Consider just what you require for your trip out and take that, placing everything else that is of importance in your room or hotel safe.

If you place your cash, traveler’s checks and credit cards in various locations about your person, then there is less likelihood of pickpockets stealing all your financial assets and leaving you with nothing.

A follow on to this tip is to carry two separate credit cards instead of two from a joint account as this adds an extra security measure should one be stolen; this travel safely tip means this way you are not without a credit card. Some of the easiest possessions to steal are bags and cameras owing to the way people carry them without even recognizing that they are an easy target for thieves; ensure the straps are over the head and across the chest if you want to hold on to them.

Always avoid letting something hang from your shoulder next to the road as it is easy to grab something from the back of a motorbike as it passes you. Everyone has heard the stories of different confidence tricks that have happened to vacationers because they are relaxed and let their guard down but the truth is these people do this sort of thing for a living.

We can become complacent believing it will not happen or we are cleverer than them but this is how they make their living and in many cases the way that they feed their family every day. If you carry a bag of any kind, buy yourself a small padlock or combination lock as the few dollars you spend will be well worth it as it will deter the majority of sneak thieves. To prevent keys being lost or stolen try attaching them to a climber’s D-shackle that you can place on your belt or pack of some sort, this should help stop anyone trying to snatch them quickly from you.

Most guys (and some girls) will place their wallets in the back pocket of their jeans or shorts making them an easy target for pick pockets; so change your habit and place wallets in the front pockets or perhaps buy a bum bag or money belt. Many of the problems outlined above happen only when people let their guard down; traveling safely does not mean you have to be paranoid, just prepared and use common sense and you will have an enjoyable vacation.