[TRAVEL] Tips to Travel Safely

With so much snow lately, I have noticed a lot of trip cancellations and delays throughout a big part of the country. So I thought I would put together a list of tips to keep in mind so that you can travel more safely. You will notice that we try to re-tweet some of the airport weather warnings.

Check travel alerts and weather warnings from your departure location and arrival destination

Airlines and trains are usually pretty good at issuing weather warnings of delayed, postponement or cancellations. So be sure to keep up to date on that information all the time. There are so many ways to keep track of that information nowadays, including Twitter, airport websites, airline websites, etc., so that you do not have to depend only on the phone. I strongly recommend that you get familiar with all the different possible methods just in case one method is not accurate enough.

Be sure to always have your travel documents

This applies especially to people who are on layovers. You never know if you will be redirected somewhere, if need be. Having your passport on you is always best, even if you travel domestically. It just makes things faster when they need to get personal identification information.

Have emergency contact information handy

This applies more when you are travelling internationally. Be sure to know where the nearest Embassy or Consulate is, just in case of an emergency. Nowadays, the Internet is much more easily accessible anyway.

Have your driver’s licence handy

You never know what can happen, so having your driver’s licence readily available is always good to have because you never know when you might need to rent an emergency car to get you somewhere. It is just more flexible. It gives you more options rather than just relying on the plane, train or bus.

Pack Smart

Try to pack only what you need so that you can move more quickly and have a free hand when you need it. Try not to carry about too many valuables so that you do not have to stress about it. Packing any important documents, tickets, IDs or other vital documents in locations that you can more easily keep track of. For example, try not to pack any important items at the edge of your backpack where someone can more easily steal from you.

Duplicate your travel documents

It is always good to have at least two copies of all your travel documents in case of emergency or if your documents are lost or stolen. So be sure to separate the two copies of the documents away from each other. For example, if you are travelling in a group of 2 or more people, then more than 1 person should have a copy of all the documents.

Information people that you will be away

Let at least one friend or relative know your itinerary before you travel, so that they know when and where you will be in case of an emergency.

Be up to date on vaccinations

Check with your family physician or travel doctors to stay up to date on what vaccines you may need.

Travel insurance

I know a lot of us do not like paying this premium, but I much rather be safe than sorry. A lot of credit cards have travel insurance, so that’s already a good way to solve your problem.

What other ideas do you have in mind?