Smooth Arrival

No matter how you arrive at a travel destination, whether it be by boat, plane or train  it can be a stressful situation.   Tourists are some of the most vulnerable people because they do not know their way around, and they look lost, are very excited to be there and not always paying the closest attention.

As a new arrival (tourist) you will most likely have all of your cash, cards, documents and anything else valuable on you right at that moment.   What makes it even worse is that if you have never been there before there are always people who are willing to “help”.

As a traveler you must take every precaution to protect yourself, your family and others traveling with you.  This way you can avoid any potential problems.  After all you do not want someone to “help” themselves to your belongings, when you have just arrived.  That would ruin your trip.

Here are a few tips that should help you when arriving to your destination:

• Before you embark on your vacation do your research!  Try to get as much prior information as you can about the area, especially your point of arrival… the airport, train station, or port/marina.  Having this knowledge will help you to have a vague sense of where you should be going to catch your taxi or transport.  If you are unable to locate much information make sure to ask the customer service person at your place of arrival.   They should have common knowledge of the local area.

• Whenever possible, I recommend that you take the airport limousine, or a hotel pick up for your first transport.  Until you know how safe, honest and reliable the taxis are it is best to be cautious.

• While we are on the topic of taxis, never take a taxi that seems just to be hanging around, offering its services when there is a taxi queue available.  There may be a legitimate reason that they are not included in the queue.

• Try to keep your wallet and valuables safely secured in a handbag or in one your hand luggage.  Whenever we travel we use this  Silk Money Belt it is perfect for sticking your passport, identification, money, and a few other small trinkets in.  You then strap it on and your shirt and pants go over it.  It very effectively conceals everything you do not want others to see.

• One of the most valuable tips is this, change some money into the local currency before you depart. This gives you one less thing to worry about, and will allow you to have money upon arrival without having to pull out large amounts of money at the airport.  Make sure when you change the money that you get some small currency.  If the currency is different than what you are used to it may be difficult for you to know how to count change and depending on the service provider they may not be able to make change for large bills.  Make sure to keep some of that money readily accessible in a pocket or something for your ride, a little food or drink, and most of all away from the majority of your well earned money… that should be safe in your concealed money belt.

Most countries really are very safe, but there are always those one or two that it is very advisable to take to take as many precautions as possible.  No matter what, the most important thing is that you have a great holiday and do not worry about the small things such as losing your money.

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