Travel by cruise ship is a safe way to see the world, for a number of reasons. The closed environment of a cruise ship provides a layer of safety from the outside world as do secure staterooms that keep trouble out. But being in a safe area and being safe are often two different things. Takiing a fresh look at travel safety, here is our updated list of travel safety tips and suggestions.
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Attend the Safety Drill- this is mandatory. It was mandatory before but a $20 bill could get you out of it. Now, cruise lines will disembark you right off the cruise ship with no refund and you will have to get home on your own.
Buy A Travel Vestlike the SCOTTeVESTwith RFID protection will keep all your valuables on you, hidden and protect you from those who might try to steal your identity electronically.
Update Those Apps-Must have smartphone apps include those for bank accounts, credit cards and others that you want to hear from if something goes wrong. The Mapquest app has saved me a number of times when lost in an unfamiliar city. A language translation app is a good idea and make sure it is one that works offline for constant translation.
Learn Some Of The Languagewherever you might sail to. Knowing some local lingo well, even just basic phrases like “how much?”, “please”, and “thank you”, help you look like a savvy traveler. There are plenty of others who do not go to the effort and are better targets for criminals.
Tell Your Bank And Credit Card Companieswhen going outside of your normal geographic area. That will prevent charges from the ship or a vendor ashore from being declined. Many financial institutions allow us to do that online now.
Be mindful of jewelry- Leave it home or lock it up in your cabin safe but by no means go ashore wearing gold or diamonds. Just like one might be careful in a new city or town on land, we need to be careful ashore at any port in the world.
Using the buddy system is still a great idea for everyone, especially teens and children. The important part of the buddy system that is often missed is to have one person responsible for another and know where they should be all the time.
Be Mindful Of Cash- Like jewelry, we don’t want others to know how much cash we might be carrying. Before going ashore its a good idea to have a budget for what we will spend that day. Carry no more cash than that amount in your pocket, leave the rest hidden somewhere else. The idea is to NOT be flashing a big wad of cash around in a foreign land.
Be alert or designate someone to be alert– This is for anywhere. Be aware of your surroundings, where exits are, where help could be found and be realistic about it: If you know you will have your head buried deeply in a book, so be it. Just have someone else be alert.
Use Ship Excursions- If for no other reason, the ship knows where you are. If late returning, they will know that too and come looking for you and the rest of your tour group. On a ship-sponsored shore excursion, the ship will not leave you behind.
Trust your instincts- We will be in many unfamiliar situations as we travel. The alternative is to stay home, lock the door, and never go anywhere. We could get run over by a bus walking across the street.
Be alert,use common-sense safety tips and trust that not everyone in the world is out to get you. Otherwise we close the door to some exciting cruise vacation travel opportunities that can make for some fabulous memories.
Travel by cruise ship is a safe way to see the world, for a number of reasons. The closed environment of a cruise ship provides a layer of safety from the outside world as do secure staterooms that keep trouble out. But being in a safe area and being safe are often two different things. Takiing a fresh look at travel safety, here is our updated list of travel safety tips and suggestions.