As you begin to plan your vacation for the summer, it is important to keep in mind certain vacation safety tips that will not only protect you and your family while on vacation, but will also protect your home and assets from potential danger while you are gone. Oftentimes, the summer season has a high risk for home break-ins due to the commonality of vacations, so it is important to arm yourself with vacation safety knowledge in order to combat these statistics.

The following guide from Florida Keys Guide outlines some vacation safety tips that may be applied to any type of vacation in order to keep vacation safety in check. You will see vacation safety tips on how to keep your home looking lived-in while away, and also how to avoid injury and theft while on vacation.

Vacation Safety Tips!

Here you will find some vacation safety tips that we hope you can utilize on your next vacation to the “Keys”!

Although some of these tips may not seem relevant to the Islands, they are safety tips for traveling anywhere and it’s always good to lean a little to the safe side.

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Whether you are planning a trip to Disney World or some unusual vacation to the outback, there is never a guarantee against crime or accidents. But fortunately, there are ways you can minimize your exposure to both.

Simply do some research on your destination, plan ahead, create a family safety plan and take a proactive approach to your vacation.

Vacation Safety Tips

Break Down Your Plans into Three Stages

1. Plan your Departure
2. Plan Your Traveling
3. Travel Smart

Plan Your Departure!

• Consult with a reputable travel agent. Avoid the ones who offer everything and then rush you to make your decision and send them your money. There are scam artists everywhere.
• Have family, friends or neighbors watch your home while you are gone. Make sure they can get a hold of you in an emergency.
• Leave your house looking lived in. A car in the driveway (even a neighbor’s) is a good idea.
• Make sure someone is picking up your mail and newspapers daily!
• If you will be gone for a while, have someone cut your grass. Make it look like someone is there.
• Do not leave a set of hide-a-keys outside. The bad guys know where to look.
• Set household lights before you leave. Timers are great!
• Consider trip insurance. You can get insurance for anything such as scuba insurance, lost luggage and more importantly, injuries.
• Make photocopies of your passport and make a list of your credit card numbers. This will speed up the replacement of your lost or stolen items.

Plan Your Travels!

• Let someone know your travel plans and itinerary. Let them know when you change it. It’s nice knowing somebody back home is watching after you.
• Stay in contact with them on a predetermined schedule.
• Plan how your money is to be divided and carried.
• Traveler’s checks are great for covering yourself against loss.
• Credit cards provide you security against bad purchases and poor service.
• Never flash money in line or at the counter. People are watching.
• Always be on the watch while traveling. Use your sixth sense!
• Have a plan for the unexpected. Consider the various scenarios such as breakdown, theft, lost luggage, delays and etc. Have a plan for dealing with them.
• Use your business address instead of your home address on your luggage tags and never leave your luggage unattended.

Travel Smart!

• Again, never flash cash and never carry large amounts of cash on you.
• While in your rooms, keep the doors locked and dead-bolted.
• Never open the door to strangers. (Just like at home)
• Never leave purchases on the car seats in plain sight.
• Rental cars stick out like sore thumbs. Keep your valuables on you or locked out of site in the trunk.
• Always be aware of your surroundings while traveling. Know where you are at all times, and know how to get where you are going!
• Stick with the groups in unfamiliar places. There is safety in numbers.
• Never just dress to the nines because you can. If you want to look like a rich tourist, there is always someone who will notice.
• Use room safes or safety deposit boxes provided by the hotel. Store all valuables out of sight, even when you are in the room.
• Know the escape and fire routes in your hotel. Know how many doors there are to the exits in case of fire and smoke.

We hope you can use some our vacation safety tips. Bottom line, just use common sense and always remain aware of your surroundings. Most travelers that get into trouble could avoid it with just some simple precautions.

Another great site for vacation safety tips is the state department travel advisory.

Remember that if you are planning to use your credit cards while on vacation, you should call your bank and credit card providers to inform them of your departure plans. That way, they will know not to freeze your accounts if you are making purchases from a foreign location, but they can also keep an eye out for any suspicious activity and assist in your vacation safety.

One of the biggest risks found in going on vacation is leaving your home unattended. Many thieves target homes that are known to be vacant, so one must be careful to follow the above vacation safety tips in order to avoid home invasion. It is important to avoid posting your vacation on social media sites, because this could be picked up by someone looking to break into your home. Be sure that someone trusted (such as a neighbor or a friend) can watch your home while you are away.

Insurance is one way to help avoid disaster in case something does go wrong during your vacation. While following these vacation safety tips will most likely make for complete vacation safety, sometimes vacation safety can be out of one’s control. Please contact TJ Woods Insurance to learn more about how our insurance plans may help cover any liable assets during your vacation. We would also be happy to provide you with more vacation safety tips.

Do you have any other vacation safety tips to share? We’d love to see them in the comment section below.