Safe Travels – Know Before You Go

In this holiday season, we’re all used to getting a parting “Safe Travels!” message from friends and family as we head home after visiting Aunt Margaret in Baltimore or Uncle Fred in Philadelphia. However, especially for those taking advantage of the holiday business shutdown to squeeze in an international vacation, it’s worth considering the real risks of travel; i.e. what’s really risky, what’s not, and what you can do to manage these risks.

Let’s start with the obvious: you are incredibly unlikely to be the victim of a terror attack, unless your holiday plans include Peshawar or Kabul. Even if you’re hoping to visit Jakarta, Mumbai, or other hotspots in the news, the biggest risks you’re likely to face are lost or stolen baggage, health problems, and law enforcement issues. These issues are considerably less newsworthy than international terror, but an appropriate strategy is worth considering before you depart.

When it comes to lost or stolen baggage, basic travel insurance is your best bet. Given the scope of the problem, especially in certain developing countries, airlines have increasingly dialed back their responsibilities in this area, making insurance all the more important. Some premium credit cards offer coverage when the flight has been booked with the card, but the program often has many conditions attached and a high deductible (or low cap) to boot. In addition, it’s wise to pack all valuable and electronics in your carry-on bag. Recently a friend packed her pocket camera in her checked bag while connected through Johannesburg, only to find it missing when she arrived at her destination. The same happened to my friend on his way back from Budapest (even worse since it was after the trip, with all the photos inside). Not to mention the kind of thing that happens right here in the USA: witness the bust of jewelry-stealing baggage handlers at JFK airport last year. This kind of story is all too common worldwide.

Staying healthy while traveling is always critical to having a great vacation experience, and here it’s also wise to carry basic travel insurance that covers access to care worldwide, as well as transport to First World facilities if you’re somewhere that doesn’t offer high quality care. In some cases, full evacuation may be called for. Luckily, many policies offer the option to tailor the extent of your coverage based on your travel plans. (The same goes for travel health coverage of “hazardous” sports like skiing, snowboarding, mountaineering, rock climbing, bungee-jumping, etc.). In addition, a visit to a travelers’ health clinic before you depart can be important if you’re visiting the developing world, and the nurse there should be able to provide you with appropriate vaccinations, prophylactic pills for diseases like malaria, and antibiotics like Cipro (which I’ve personally found to be a great catch-all treatment for stomach bugs). Just keep in mind that vaccinations and a course of malarone or mefloquine may run you several hundred dollars and may not be covered by your own health insurance (which seems crazy). Check the CDC’s Travelers’ Health section for more information on which vaccinations are recommended for each country.

Finally, if you’re planning on visiting a foreign land, try to gain an understanding of the laws and customs of the place. In many regions, this won’t be much of an issue. However, if you’re planning on chewing gum in Singapore, think again, and whatever you do, don’t chew gum and then throw it on the sidewalk —- you’ll be risking jail time. Similarly, if you’re in Israel, make sure you’ve obtained a license before you ride a bike. And if you’re a woman in China, don’t be caught walking naked around your hotel room — it’s only legal in the bathroom!