Family vacations are a fun and wonderful experience. However, it’s normal to be concerned about safety issues especially when traveling with children. Here are a few tips that will help keep the stress level down.
Airport Safety – Always keep an eye on your luggage and never leave it unattended. To avoid someone else picking up your carry-on bag, try not to place it on the conveyor belt until you are just about to walk through the metal detector. Once you put it on the conveyor belt keep a close eye on it.
Hotel Safety – Keep valuables in a safe and always know where your closest safety exits are.
Road Safety – It’s a great experience to drive in another country but it can also be very stressful. Before your trip, get information on what driving is like in your destined country. Once there, pay close attention to all road signs, if the signs are in a different language this will make things more difficult.
Rental Car Safety – Practice with your rental car controls and features before driving it out on the road. Make sure you don’t leave your maps, hotel documents and guidebooks in the car. If it’s possible, keep a working cell phone with you at all times.
Sight-Seeing Safety – Children aren’t aware of the dangers around them and won’t act any different in unfamiliar surroundings. Place a safety card in your child’s pocket including your name, contact details and hotel information. Don’t wear expensive jewelry or carry expensive bags, cameras or laptops. It’s a good idea to actually carry your cash, identification and credit cards in your pocket and not in your main bag. Be especially careful with your bags when sitting down at restaurants. It’s a common scam for thieves to steal bags from right under someone’s seat when they’re dining and happily preoccupied chatting. Stay on the main roads and near people at all times. Try not to wander down unfamiliar roads or alleys even if you’re tempted to find a short cut.
Stay safe and have fun on your next family vacation.
