Going away on vacation
should be an enjoyable experience but everyone
has a horror story to tell. Perhaps your hotel
room was robbed, or perhaps a careless spouse
accidentally gambled away more money than they
realized, or perhaps you simply lost your
wallets somewhere between the airport and
hotel. Here are 10 ways to make sure that your
trip is a success in spite of those obstacles.
1. Use a hidden wallet to carry most of
your valuables and identification.
2. If you feel comfortable sending it in
the mail, mail a money order or a traveler's
checks to yourself at your hotel so that even
if you lose some of your money, more will be
coming.
3. While you don't have to be too strict,
you should have an agenda and leave it with
someone at home. This way, if something
happens in the area where you are vacationing,
your loved ones will be able to have a fairly
good idea of where you are.
4. Keep copies of identification at home,
even if you take the originals with you.
5. When you go on vacation, choose one
credit card to bring, rather than bringing all
of them. This way, if your wallet gets stolen,
you will minimize your losses.
6. Another option is to choose a preloaded
credit card, which is really more like a debit
card that you put money "on" so that if you
end up losing your wallet the thieves cannot
wreck your credit rating.
7. Bring important phone numbers with you
on your trip and put them in two different
places. Bring a phone number that will cancel
your credit card; if you're traveling out of
the country bring a phone number to reach the
embassy; bring phone numbers of close family
and friends who can help you if you get into
trouble; and bring phone numbers of the hotel
and car rental company as well.
8. You'll want to have your travel
insurance information. Be sure to keep a copy
of your travel insurance at home as well as on
your trip so that a family member can access
it if necessary.
9. Bring basic medical information with
you, like blood type and allergies, and make
sure that the medical information is
translated into the primary language of the
place you are going to so that
non-English-speaking doctors will have no
problem understanding the situation.
10. Know what kind of insurance is covered
on your credit card, if that is how you are
using to paying for your trip. For example,
some credit cards cover car rental insurance,
but may not cover it in the country are you
are going to. Be sure to know what insurance
you have before you leave.
