Lets Talk About Travel Safety

With Solo travel becoming so popular these days, unfortunately it can be a bit glamorized. I am all about independence, however very few people talk safety. So I wanted to share an experience I had while I was on vacation in Rome that taught me how careless I was regarding my safety.

So my friend and I were in Rome eating pizza strolling past St Peters Basilica and this man approaches us, and acting very strange. He was never violent but was standing super close to us, and the more we tried to get away from him, he kept finding ways to stay close. He kept trying to give us these bracelets for free. When we turned them down, then he started telling us this sob story about how he was a new father, trying to show us pictures of this baby. So my friend is polite, I’m NOT, so I made it REAL CLEAR that story time was up and told him to back off, and finally he did. After he left we were talking about happened, then I panicked and I thought oh no…. he was trying to steal our credit cards. I’m sure many of you know there is technology around that if someone stands within so many feet they can steal your credit card info. So I immediately went into damage control. After saying a quick prayer I realized how unprepared I was for that moment. Here are a few tips I learned so hopefully you will be better prepared.

1. ALWAYS invest in an international cell phone plan. Many people will swear all they need is What’s App. That a lie. What’s App only works if there is WIFI. So unless your emergency happens while you are tucked away in your hotel room What App won’t work. More than likely you will be on a tour where there is NO wifi, and waiting a few hours for the tour to end before you can go back to your room can seem like an eternity in an emergency. Trust me the roaming charges you would get calling credit card companies, family or even emergency services are well worth the price of the international calling plan.

2. Buy a RFC/NFC enabled wallet. These are special wallets that protect your cards against the technology that allows people to steal the info off your cards. 50% of experts say this is a waste, but in my opinion its better safe than sorry! Here is a link to some on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/nfc-wallet/s?k=nfc+wallet

3. Consider locking your credit card. Now let me clarify, locking your card is NOT cancelling your card. It simply locks so that no one can use it. When you are ready, most card allow you to lock and unlock your card from the app on your phone. This way forbid your card is stolen, you won’t have to panic because it will already be locked, My advice is to carry cash, I know many people will probably object to this, however when I go overseas, I try to use my credit card as little as possible. CONVERT YOUR MONEY BEFORE YOU GO!!!

4. Passport protection? Should you invest in a special passport cover? Not necessarily because since 2007 all US passports come with a special covers to protect them.

5. Look in to travel MEDICAL Insurance. I know Travelocity and Expedia tries to threaten you with TRAVEL insurance when you book, however that is mainly if you cancel your trip, or miss a flight. Few people talk about TRAVEL MEDICAL INSURANCE. Most major insurance companies have a temporary travel plan. For more info please visit www.travel.state.gov

All in all, I won’t let this incident stop my quest to see the world. Weapons may form, that doesn’t mean that have to prosper. Don’t let anything Reign on you parade!