30 Basic Safe Travel Tips for Traveling Abroad

Ready for a trip abroad? Whether you’re planning a summer vacation with the family, a Swiss ski trip, or spring break with friends, traveling safely is likely top of mind. So it’s a good time to review some basic safe travel tips, as well as some pointers that may help you safely travel abroad in a quickly changing landscape. 

Safe international travel begins at home. The first seven tips focus on researching your foreign destination and planning your arrival — key steps to consider before departure.

1. Understand which language(s) are commonly spoken to determine if you’ll have a communication barrier.

2. Know what the local currency is and get an idea of current exchange rates.

3. Study the map around your accommodations and planned excursions. Perhaps bring a marked-up hard copy as backup and store it in a plastic zipper storage bag in case it rains.

4. Check the U.S. Department of State’s Travel website¹ for advisories and passport and visa information. Note the U.S. embassy contact information for your destination in case of emergency.

5. Subscribe to the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive updates about safety conditions in your destination country. It’s a free service.²

6. Arrive during daylight hours if possible. Getting acquainted with new surroundings can be easier during the day, and it’s easier to contact businesses during operating hours.

7. Consider planning transportation to your hotel in advance. Arriving in an unfamiliar locale can feel overwhelming at times, but a preset arrangement may reduce stress.

Many seasoned travelers understand the balance between bringing the right gear and overdoing it. The next seven tips focus on what to bring and how to pack it, so you can be a pro from the start. 

8. Consider only bringing documents that you need, such as passports, driver’s licenses, travel insurance information, and visas if necessary.³ Removing non-essentials from your wallet, like library cards or train passes, may help you stay organized and minimize the chance of loss.

9. You may want to bring the original documents and a backup copy. Keep them separate consider a combination of hard copies and digital versions for this purpose. You may also think about storing crucial original documents like your passport in your hotel room’s safe.

10. Consider investing in clothes with inside pockets and zipped closures. Avoid loose handbags, open-topped backpacks, and wallets in a back pocket. For example, consider a messenger-style daypack for small souvenirs and water but keep credit cards and ID separate.

11. Consider stashing extra cash in a hidden place in case a bag goes missing.

12. Bring a first aid kit with essentials like bandages, antiseptics, tweezers, and cold packs.⁴

13. Don’t forget any prescription or over-the-counter medications like pain relievers or allergy medicines. A doctor’s note to carry certain medication with you may help smooth security checkpoints.⁵

14. Device charging cables are vital, and remember that voltage adapters are necessary for U.S. electronics in some countries.

Ensuring you have access to funds when you need them is important when traveling internationally. Local currency is typically needed for smaller incidentals, like street food. Many other expenses can be charged on a credit card. The following five tips may help you safely manage finances abroad.

15. Think about keeping only as much cash as you need. Less is often more when it comes to local currency. Try to minimize leftover local currency at the end of a trip so you don’t have to take the time to exchange it back into your home currency.

16. Note that exchange rates may be more favorable through certain venues compared to others, such as your bank or credit union versus airport currency exchange vendors or kiosks.⁶

17. Consider a credit card with no foreign transaction fees so you can make international purchases without worrying about surprise fees on your next statement.

18. Consider bringing two credit cards on the trip. Perhaps carry one and you may consider leaving the backup card in the hotel safe, just in case one gets lost, stolen, or isn’t accepted. Cards with EMV chips may be preferred due to their enhanced safety features.

19. Notify your card issuer that you’ll be traveling. You’re technically not required to, but it may help you avoid headaches like declined transactions.

Technology can be an international traveler’s best friend. Here are four tips to get the most out of travel-friendly tech like smartphones.

20. Program important phone numbers and addresses into your phone. Not just family members; think hotels, airline, excursions, sights, and emergency contacts.

21. If you’re traveling for work or making online purchases, consider using a personal virtual private network (VPN) when on public Wi-Fi. The VPN may add a layer of cybersecurity by encrypting information for transmission.

22. Be sure your smartphone is loaded with helpful accessories and applications such as maps, weather, translator tools, flashlights, compasses, and calculators.

23. Keep your devices charged and consider carrying a portable charger and charging cables, especially if you plan to spend long stretches of the day away from your hotel. Using all those apps that help you translate and get around can quickly drain power.

The next three tips are good advice for any traveler, but especially important for solo travelers.

24. Bring safety equipment, such as a whistle, and consider attending a self-defense course before traveling. These small actions may have a big impact on keeping you safe.⁷

25. Keep in touch with someone back home. Consider to call, text, or drop a pin daily.

26. Consider registering your trip with the local U.S. embassy so they can locate you in case of an emergency.