4 Common Sense Travel Safety Tips - My Family Travels
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Packing, planning, heading out, and arriving at a new destination are transitional moments when families should reinforce common sense safety.

Make your vacation a memorable one by taking a few simple precautions when you’re planning, packing, on the road, and at your destination. The National Crime Prevention Council wants to help you leave your worries – but not your common sense – behind when traveling, and suggests the following safety advice.

Packing & Planning

° Research your vacation destination. Decide in advance where you want to go and how to get there. Looking and feeling confident helps reduce the appearance of being a tourist and that’s important, because criminals often view tourists as the most vulnerable of potential victims.
° Take only credit cards that you absolutely need, and bring travelers checks instead of cash, or withdraw cash from an ATM as needed.
° Record information on the credit cards and valuable equipment that you plan to bring with you. Copy your passport and other important documents and secure the information in a safe place.

On the Road

° Carry your purse close to your body. Keep your wallet in an inside front pocket.
° Take your keys with you and always lock the car when it’s parked, even if your stop is brief. Keep valuables out of sight, preferably in the trunk.
° Stick to well-lighted and well-traveled streets at all times.
° Select ATM machines in visible, well-lighted locations.

In the Hotel

° Don’t leave valuables in your hotel room. Most hotels have safes for guest use.
° Keep your hotel room door locked, even when you are inside. Check all window locks, especially if you are on a low floor.
° Don’t let anyone in your room whom you don’t know. Verify any unexpected visit or delivery by calling the front desk and asking to see identification.

Family Safety

° Review your family’s safety rules with your children.
° Make sure that everyone in your party – adults, teens, children – has the name, address, and phone number of the place you are staying, and carries that information at all times.
° Set up rules for each day’s outings on where and how you’ll link up if you become separated. Agree on a meeting place, just in case.

For more information and tips on traveling crime-free, visit the National Crime Prevention Council webpage.

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