7 tips and tricks to help you stay safe and travel smart the next time you go abroad

Overseas travel can be one of the most fulfilling, enlightening and empowering experiences ever. It can also, if you're not careful, lead to outcomes that dent your confidence and put you off future trips. But if you're be fully prepared and use your common sense, you can stay safe and reap the benefits.

Check out our seven essential safety tips before your next holiday.

1 Photocopy important documents

Make and keep copies of things like your passport, visas, travel documents, medical insurance, and credit or debit cards. Keep one set at home (or in your accommodation), and one digital copy on your laptop or in your emails. If you lose your passport or travel documents, then these copies will come in handy when you go to your local embassy to get replacements.

2 Be aware of your surroundings

Try to be street smart when you are in a different country. Keep an eye on your belongings when you’re out and about so that you aren’t targeted by pickpockets, and try to avoid being in a strange place at night.

Respect late-night curfew laws, if they are in force; it’s better to be safe than be sorry. Before heading out to a bar, make sure you know what the law says about drinking age, and when and where you can drink. 

3 Keep your friends and family up-to-date

If you're faced with a sudden change in plans, tell someone. Keep friends and family up to date with where you are. Post something on Facebook or send a quick WhatsApp. It doesn't take a second and if people are concerned about you, or if, heaven forbid, something were to go wrong, you have cleverly left a trail for people to find you.

If you’re travelling with friends but going out alone, tell them where you are going and when to expect you back. They probably won't worry, but if you're long overdue, someone should at least be looking for you. Even if you are doing something a bit edgy, tell at least one person who is not involved. 

4 Party wisely