There's nothing that will ruin your day like being the victim of a robbery or theft, except being the victim of robbery or theft while you are traveling. At least at home you have a familiar support group that can help you deal with the issues and give you assistance until you begin to get your life straightened out again. While traveling, you lack the immediate support of friends and family and you are in a strange location, to boot.
Just as in dealing with personal defense, you need a plan. Here are a few tips that will help you begin to formulate your own personal travel plan.
When staying at hotels and motels, don't leave any of your valuables in your car. This holds true even if your hotel provides valet parking. You should take all of your valuables to your room with you. Some establishments provide small safes in each room, while others have a large safe in the management office. While this is better than just leaving stuff lying around in your room, I really prefer to have my valuables with me at all times.
Take the time to have photo copies made of any valuable documents that you are carrying. A copy of your driver's license and passport will be of assistance to you and the authorities, should the originals be stolen. Do you have the serial numbers of your cameras, firearms and other items, written down? If not, taking a few minutes to record them now could save you lots of heartache in the future.
It is also a good idea to create separate stashes of money and credit cards. You might carry some cash and a couple of credit cards in your pocket, while other cash and cards are carried in a different location. If you are traveling with your spouse, or another adult, split the cards and cash between you. Just make sure that none of the locations are such that a pickpocket can easily get to them. The old-fashioned money belt, worn around your waist and under your clothing, is an excellent idea and fairly inexpensive. The largest amount of your cash and credit cards should be stashed in the money belt.
Finally, you should avoid PDA. No, I don't mean public display of affection. I mean Public Display of Affluence. Being in a strange city is not the place to be flashing your diamonds, your Rolex watch or your mink coat. Such conduct will make you a target without your even knowing it. One should dress cleanly and neatly with the idea of fitting in with the other people in your immediate vicinity. The idea is to look nice, but not draw undue attention to yourself.
When traveling, a little prior planning will go a long way towards a successful, enjoyable trip. It is never good to be a victim, especially when you are miles away from home.
