We have a saying in Croatia: sreća prati hrabre which can be translated as fortune favours the bold. During all my travels I have never felt unsafe or in danger. There were only one or two incidents that verged on the dangerous but I have been very fortunate in my travels so far. That does not mean that I was brave or bold particularly. To be honest I was probably very stupid on a few occasions but nothing bad happened because I had more luck than brains. Of course, I always adhere to several common sense rules: don’t walk alone in the dark, don’t use public transport during the night, dress appropriately, don’t accept drinks from the strangers (I haven’t complied to this rule very much 😉 ) don’t keep all your money in the same place, don’t give your hotel info to strangers, and many more.
However, we live in uncertain times nowadays and our lives can be changed in a split of a second. Nevertheless, I don’t think that giving up travel is the solution. I’ve travelled to Vienna, Stockholm , London and France since the beginning of this year and I have felt safe. But safety isn’t only important when you’re on the trip. There are a number of things you should do before you go on a trip.
So what are some safety precautions that you can take BEFORE you go on a TRIP?
1). inform your family/friends that you’re going on a trip and leave them your travel details (flights, hotel details, travel itinerary)
2). If you’re going on a longer trip ask somebody you trust to look into your house/flat once in a week
3). Don’t publicize on your social media that you’re not at home (I know, I too love to update my status on Facebook but it’s not the smartest behaviour ever if you consider home safety e.g.burglars have Facebook profiles too!)
4). Switch off all the appliances/heating/electricity/gas (and water if you’re going away for a longer period)
5). Get a travel health insurance
+ Take care of your pet if it can’t travel with you: organize a pet-sitter or take your pet to a pet hotel or to your family/friends
How do you stay safe when you travel? Do you have any particular safety tips? I’d like to hear from you.
Let’s be social Facebook / Twitter / Bloglovin’ / Google+
the Red Phone Box travels 
Great post, and no. 1 is definitely so so so important!
Kelsey x
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thanks:)
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I totally agree particularly with point 1); our family members were in turkey at the same time as the Istanbul airport attack they were flying home the same time as e attacks fortunately hey had given me their travel details so I know they were flying from Antalya, goes to show that such a simple thing of giving the details can prevent a huge worry for those back home! x
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I’m glad they were ok:)
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Love that Croatia saying! Definitely glad to know that I practice all 5 of them! It was hard for not posting on social media during traveling at first, but now, i have the habit to ditch away from the internet connection during traveling. Maybe Im older? 😛
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🙂 I also don’t really use much Internet while I’m travelling. I prefer to be in the moment:))
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The social media one is definitely hard to do for a lot of travel bloggers. Luckily, we have a police officer who lives next door and watches our house for us when we are away. We also have an alarm system that we have primarily because we travel.
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that’s great, double security:an alarm and a policeman:)
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By the way.. your blog is inspiring me, more and more to visit London 🙂
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that’s great! go, visit London, and then I’ll read about your trip to London:)
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I appreciate that you wrote a post on such topic. Usually we bloggers tend to focus on “good” experiences we have had and rarely replay the bad bits that happened (or could have happened).
Cheers!!
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thanks for stopping by:)
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I stay safe using common sense and follow my rule of ‘if in doubt get out’. So this may mean get out, get off, don’t join etc, but you get the message. Follow your instincts and enjoy all the world has to offer!
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those are great rules! always follow your instinct, do that too:)
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Sadly, it feels like nowhere in the world is safe nowadays.. I’d add just be alert and aware of your surroundings!
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yes, that’s a very good advice!thank you for your comment:)
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Great tips Tanja! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Lisa | http://www.fromdreamtoplan.net/
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thanks for reading:)
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I agree with the social media thing. Even on my blog I try to avoid saying exactly when I’m going somewhere, in advance. Better safe than sorry. Afterwards, I’ll write about it.
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yes, better safe than sorry:)
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Great tips, especially with social media, people like to show off and that may have the worst consequences…
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thanks:)
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