Staying Safe On The Road

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Globe Runner

There’s nothing more important than your own safety. When you’re at home, you always make sure that you lock all your doors and windows, that you get taxis home from parties, and that you don’t make too much small talk with strangers. But for some reason, the second we start travelling, all that caution often tends to fly out of the window. Here are some tips on how to stay safe when you’re travelling…

Budget Carefully

It’s important to make sure that you don’t blow all of your money too quickly. It can be tempting to buy tons of souvenirs and to splash out on exciting new food, but the fact is that you need to make a daily budget and stick to it. The best thing about money isn’t what you can buy with it – it’s the freedom that it gives you. If you have spare money then you can leave that bed bug infested hostel with the scary hulking guy in the corner of the shared room, and stay in a nicer hotel for the night while you regroup. Money means that you can get a taxi home instead of waiting on a street corner for a night bus for an hour. Make sure that you budget for things like that as well as fun treats.

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Know The Area

Obviously it’s impossible to know absolutely everything about a city that you’re travelling to, but you should get to know the local public transport system to some extent so that you know how you’re going to get home whenever you go out, and you should also make sure that you have a local taxi company number in your phone in case you want to get home quickly. Google around on sites like www.travelsphere.co.uk to find out where you should go in the local area, and make sure that you talk to fellow travellers to figure out where you shouldn’t go by yourself, particularly at night.

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Don’t Carry Too Much

You should make sure that you’re as mobile as possible at all times – wear comfortable shoes and make sure that you haven’t over packed. Not being able to carry your backpack and move properly really isn’t a particularly safe way to be. When you go out in the evenings, make sure that your passport is in the money belt around your waist instead of in your bag, and that you aren’t carrying too much money. You should also ensure that all your expensive things are locked away at your hostel in a safe.

Trust Your Instincts

Your instincts are the most important things that you’ll travel with. If you feel uncomfortable in a situation, don’t feel any shame or embarrassment about getting out of there immediately. Your own safety should be your priority at all times, and your instincts might have picked up on something that the rest of your brain hasn’t quite caught up with, like someone sitting too close to you or looking at you in a threatening way. Make sure you use the cab number in your phone or hail a licensed taxi to get back to wherever you’re staying.