Register your trip with your country’s State Department

Registration of Canadians Abroad is a free service. It allows the Government of Canada to notify you in case of an emergency abroad or a personal emergency at home. The service also enables you to receive important information before or during a natural disaster or civil unrest. Other countries provide a similar service to their citizens.

Store your travel itinerary on your phone (or tablet or laptop)

Email your itinerary to yourself and then open the email while you still have Internet Access. As you tick off your various destinations, you can check back onto that same email whenever you have Internet access (Wi-Fi) and click on the addresses to launch a mapping application. If you turn to “Last View” you will be able to read turn-by-turn instructions, even if your phone is not tracking your location in real time.

Protect your identity on the road

If you need to use your smartphone head to a Starbucks or MacDonalds for free Wi-Fi almost anywhere in Europe and North America. But if you’re going to be using public WiFi or if you expect you’ll need to do some online banking or use your credit card online, it’s advisable to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

A VPN protects you from online identify theft. It also lets you safely use your credit card on public WiFi. Furthermore, it delivers English sites even when you’re doing a Google search in a country with a language you don’t know. Another benefit of a VPN is that you will have access to sites that are blocked in certain countries, such as Netflix. Finally, it protects you from having your online activities sold by your ISP provider. This includes data you put into web pages.

A VPN is a simple app that’s added to your computer, phone or tablet. Once installed all you need do is flick a switch when you want it on. There are free VPNs but they may either slow down the Internet for you or don’t come with the same level of security as a proper VPN. You may therefore prefer to pay as little as US$10 for a month of travel using a proper VPN. If so, look for one that is compatible with your devices. It should also give you the ability to use it on multiple devices at one time. In addition, it should not slow down the speed of the Internet. Perhaps most importantly, make sure it is easy to install.

Leave your treasures at home

Any valuables you must take should be kept on your person while in transit. These includes smartphones, laptops, tablets, e-readers, and cameras with pricey lenses.

Put important documents on a flash drive. This will enable you to access them if hard copies are lost and your electronic back-up fails. For overseas travel include a PDF copy of the face page of your passport.

Use your phone camera

Take a quick picture of your appliances just before you leave home. This will ensure you won’t worry that you forgot to turn them off. If you look at the photos later and see that something was left on, call a friend or landlord to turn it off for you. That will be one less worry on your mind while you are away.

Log your parking spot electronically. Instead of relying on your memory use a phone to take a photo of the parking lot section sign closest to your car. You can also record the info into a voicemail to yourself. Just don’t leave finding your vehicle to memory or chance, especially after returning from a long trip.

Don’t check security line lengths; check how fast the security agent is working.

It is the screener at the machine who determine shortest line time, not the people in the line, except babies and wheelchairs.

Get water on the other side of security.

Air travel dehydrates us considerably. However, you would never know it from how little water is provided by current in-cabin service routines. Traditional bottles can be cumbersome, but the collapsible bottle ‘flasks’ fill up to 16 ounces, and when empty are thin as paper

Guard your valuables

Whether man or woman, you should have a day bag into which you can fit all your important items. This includes things like your passport, your camera, your medication, your jewelry, your credit cards, your smartphone.

Never put these items into your general backpack. Never put these items into the luggage hold on a bus. Never put any of those items into your checked luggage on a plane. If you let them out of your sight, there’s a fair chance that they could be taken away from you forever.

Only take what you need and leave the rest locked up. There’s no need to go out for a walk in the city with all your credit cards, your passport, and the equivalent of $500 in cash. Take only what you need for the day. This may include around $50 and a debit card. Keep the rest locked up in your accommodation. If a professional criminal is determined to rob you, they will rob you, but most criminals are opportunistic. If you remove the opportunity, they’ll go after someone else who left his or her valuables out in the open, much more easily accessible to them.

Prepare for the worst with documents and secret cash

If the worst happens – your purse is stolen, your credit cards are suddenly maxed out, you get sick and need to go to the hospital – it’s good to have a backup plan.

Keep front-and-back copies of your credit cards saved to cloud storage like iCloud, Google Docs or Dropbox, as well as a copy of your passport. It’s a good idea to keep your bank and credit card phone numbers stored in a file as well. Photos you take along the way can also be backed up into the cloud.

In addition to the documents, keep at least $50 of your country’s currency hidden in a secret spot deep inside your luggage. Good hiding places include a tampon or a sock. In a separate spot, keep a backup credit card. If your purse or day bag is stolen off your body and literally everything is taken away from you, this will provide you with a temporary financial cushion.

Phone Usage

Determine if you will be able to use your phone abroad. Contact your phone carrier to ask which of the following options are available. You will then be able to do a little research to determine which option is most cost-effective and decide which you will choose.

1. Take your phone with you but use it only on WiFi;

2. Pay for roaming;

3. Purchase an international data package;

4. Use a new SIM card.

If your phone is locked or you don’t want to be waving around your $600 phone you might choose to take an old phone. Alternatively, ask about renting a phone at the same type of store that sells SIM cards. Prices and availability will vary.

You might also look for hotels that loan smartphones. Make sure you know the local term for smartphone so you can search whether this trend is catching on there. If it is, take advantage of it for local calls. It can also be used for navigating the city, looking up local business information, and using car service apps. Be sure to only use your own device for taking photos and for more sensitive data, such as email.

Consider using a messaging app such as Facebook Messenger to stay in touch. It is a cheap and convenient method for chatting among people who are in different countries. 

USB charging stations are common in airports and hotels. However, you may choose not to use them for phones and tablets because they can be modified to steal data from your device.

Make a list of your Emergency Contact information

Ensure a list of emergency contact numbers is readily accessible. The list can include your own personal contact information, the name of an emergency contact back home, and any other pertinent phone numbers you might need. For example, you might include the toll-free number for your credit card company in case your card is stolen. Similarly, if your plans are interrupted you may need the information necessary to activate travel protection benefits.

Old adages are considered wise for a reason. “It’s better to be safe than sorry” is one of them.