When talking about traveling, safety is a big topic. Crime happens all over the world; there are no good or bad countries. In an unfamiliar place, you cannot take anything for granted. Since you won’t get back up and home support, you have to be more careful.
Keep your eye on your surroundings and your personal belongings at all times and while talking to strangers, use good judgment. As people store their personal information online, identity theft crimes become a big problem, and while traveling, this risk becomes even more significant. About thirty-three percent of fraud took place when people are on their trips and away from home.
Best tips to travel safely
Some of the tips for staying safe while traveling are:
Avoid using public Wi-Fi.
According to the report, public Wi-Fi makes it easy to hack the information stored on your laptop and mobile. When traveling, less than half of respondents avoid using public Wi-Fi. In most hotels, public Wi-Fi is given for free, but it’s recommended not to use public Wi-Fi.
But because of the reason that how can they check their transaction like credit card statement or bank transaction they use public Wi-Fi which put them in trouble in future. The report advised using their Wi-Fi hotspot by getting up a portable router. To do this, you only need a local sim data card, which you can purchase from any electronic store.
Add tracking tools, and password protect the phone.
Mobile phones store sensitive information, such as email, personal photos, even credit card information are also there in your phone. According to the report, only forty-eight percent of respondents protect their phone by putting the password in it. It makes it easy for thieves to access your information.
The report said only twenty-six percent of respondents had added tracking devices to their smartphone. Because of this, they can easily find their mobile in case their mobile gets stolen. The report also advised not only to set up a password to unlock your electronic device, but you should create a unique and strong password and change it regularly.
In addition to this, also install wiping software and location tracking. So you can easily track down your mobile location or destroy the data if it is in the wrong hands or stolen.
Don’t post agenda or location on social media.
According to the survey, only thirty-two percent of people avoid status updates or posting photos online while traveling, and only twenty percent of respondents disable geotagging on pictures.
Sharing your location and agenda on social media allows thieves to keep an eye on you, making it easier for them to keep track of where you are and commit a crime. Instead of posting about your trip, the report said, wait for some time once you reach home safely, then post as much as you want.
Only bring what you want; lock what you do.
If you are traveling abroad, keep your passport, and you; always avoid bringing your birth certificate or social security card with you. Instead of carrying all your credit and debit cards, choose only a few, which helps your trip.
And in case if you bring sensitive documents along with you while traveling, make sure to lock them up in a safe place like in a hotel room or any other secure location.
Keep a record of an important document.
The report said to write down all the information from your debit card, credit card, medical insurance, driver’s license, and other important documents before you go on your trip. So that if any important document or wallet do get stolen, you will quickly figure out who to call and what to tell them after a theft.
Monitor reports and credit cards
Monitoring credit reports, bank and credit card accounts were seen as helpful in detecting suspicious activities. Monitoring financial transaction is challenging, is said to fifty-three percent of respondents. And to catch fraud for them, eighty-one percent trust banks and credit card companies. However, you must monitor your account by yourself to catch a thief.
People think that it’s a challenging task to monitor their accounts. For them, it’s an even more challenging task when they are away from home. To check your online accounts by your smartphone is a bit harder and lengthy process, especially when you are traveling and out of your normal environment.
Protect your home while you’re traveling
Stop mail delivery before you leave home for your trip. An overflowing mailbox is like a huge sign on your house that says, “no one is home.” While you are gone, this will ensure that your important documents aren’t stolen from the mailbox. Stop mail delivery through an online postal service; nobody will take your mail and open it, especially tax statements or bills.
Conclusion
If you follow the guideline, you will keep yourself and your family safe and sound during your trip or traveling. You will avoid identity theft and security breaches while traveling. Recovery from identity theft takes a long time and a negative impact on your life.
A survey found that fifty-five percent of people victimized by identity theft took from weeks to more than two years to resolve issues related to their identity. The negative impact of this impacts their long and short-term financial goals. So to get rid of all this, it’s advised to take necessary precautions while traveling.