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The holidays are a fun and festive time for the whole family, but they also involve a lot of movement and travel, like packing bags and hitting the road. Because people often leave home during the holiday season, it’s important to familiarize yourself with safety tips for traveling so you’re always prepared and protected.
Hold onto your holiday hat because we’ve got the inside scoop you might not have considered and the safety tips that will make holiday travel a breeze. When you follow good travel safety measures, you’ll have peace of mind to make memories with your family without the worry.
1. Use a Burner Phone While Traveling
A burner phone is a low-cost, prepaid mobile phone you can handle more casually because less personal data is available on it than your regular phone. Pop in a local SIM card, and voila — you’ve got a functioning phone without risking your personal device.
A burner phone could be a lifesaver. If you lose it or it gets stolen, your personal data remains safe. It’s also particularly handy in areas with spotty coverage or when you’re engaged in outdoor adventures.
2. Secure Your Home Before Your Trip
Before you leave, secure your main base — home sweet home! This doesn’t mean transforming your dwelling into a fortress armed with lasers. A couple of simple steps could deter potential Grinches.
Think about using timed lights to give the impression that someone is home, or kindly ask your neighbor to drive their car into your driveway occasionally. Cancel your mail or order a temporary mail stop to avoid piling up letters. An overstuffed mailbox is a lighthouse for intruders.
You could also invest in a modern home security system that you can manage remotely. This will allow you to keep tabs on your home, even from a chalet four states away.
3. Secure Your Personal Data
When it comes to personal data, you want to lock it down tighter than Fort Knox. Avoid using public Wi-Fi hotspots, and if you must, ensure you’re connecting via a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to add an extra layer of security to your online activities.
Consider turning off location features on apps that don’t need them and use strong, unique passwords for your online accounts — forget password123. If managing all these passwords feels like herding cats, use a password manager, which is like a digital vault for your login details.
You should also be especially wary of those holiday deals popping up in your inbox. Spot the phishing attempts by checking the email addresses, looking for grammatical errors, and avoiding clicking on unsolicited links. Always remember, cyber-safety is the best present you can give to your future self.
4. Staying Jolly and Healthy: Wellness Tips for Holiday Travel
Another component of holiday safety involves taking care of your body and overall wellness while traveling in order to reduce feelings of vulnerability. That starts with staying hydrated and eating well. While holly jolly holiday treats are irresistible, moderate those gingerbread men — opt for fruits, salads, and lean proteins, too.
Regular exercise is also key, and lugging around shopping bags doesn’t count! Try to embark on some active adventures, like a snowball fight or a dance-off to Santa’s foot-tapping tunes.
Also, ensure you have valid travel insurance that covers health emergencies. With global health situations constantly changing, extra precaution has become the first rule of travel.
5. Safeguard Your Belongings and Money
The first rule of thumb when packing: if you don’t want to lose it, don’t bring it. Less is blessed when it comes to travel and securing your belongings. Try not to be flashy with expensive items to avoid looking like a walking jackpot.
For money matters, choose credit over cash where possible — it’s easier to block a card than recover lost bills. Having backup funds stashed somewhere safe is smart, too. Finally, don’t keep all your bounty in one place. Load some on prepaid travel cards, keep a little cash handy, and have the rest in a secure account accessible internationally.
Putting a Bow on Holiday Travel Safety Tips
Home security, burner phones, digital safety, and money management are all essential practices for safe and healthy traveling this holiday. Sure, organizing your travel safety might not be as thrilling as choosing your Christmas tree, but it will undeniably help keep trouble away.
Nothing halts holiday cheer like a preventable mishap, so take a cue from the big man upstairs — make your list and check it twice. Here’s to a holiday that’s naughty, nice, and oh-so-safe!
Images: DepositPhotos