{"id":24302,"date":"2016-02-06T06:19:59","date_gmt":"2016-02-06T11:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/canadianbudgetbinder.com\/?p=24302"},"modified":"2025-01-23T05:51:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T05:51:13","slug":"travelling-tips-before-boarding-plane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalskyweb.co\/canadianbudgetbinder.com\/2016\/02\/06\/travelling-tips-before-boarding-plane\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Expert Travelling Tips To Read Before Flying"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/span>Estimated reading time: <\/span>17<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay safe and secure while travelling with these valuable tips and tricks. Protect yourself and your belongings on your next adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Travelling Became My Bucketlist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Travelling worldwide was on my bucket list in my 20s, and although I’ve been to many places such as Iceland, Thailand, Spain, and Portugal (to name a few),<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve learned quite a few travelling tricks along the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I always made sure to arm myself with all security because the last thing I needed was to end up dead, injured, stranded, or without my valuables. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, I made the wrong choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travel insurance is necessary when travelling abroad, even on a quick trip to the USA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talk to your insurance company to see if you need additional coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you think nothing can happen, think again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning To The Same Vacation Destination<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our friends recently travelled to Mexico for a two-week holiday after celebrating their first wedding anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They married in Cuba but thought travelling to different destinations made more sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t blame them because the last thing I’d want to do is travel to the same resort or country over and over unless I wasn’t finished with the original trip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, you may have more tourist spots you want to explore than you had the first time when visiting a second time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t go back a second time because the world is too big, and I knew that if I didn’t travel, I might not get much of an opportunity as I got older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being well-travelled opened my eyes to pickpockets, theft, and other potential travelling nightmares nobody should incur. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wedding Disaster While Travelling To Destination Getaway<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our friend Sheila (not her real name) was mortified when she realized she had lost her wedding ring somewhere on the resort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She couldn’t remember if she had left the ring on the bathroom counter or in the bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no theft, but she made the biggest mistake, bringing expensive jewellery while travelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since she couldn’t remember where she left or potentially lost the ring, she had to fly home without her wedding ring and band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travelling can be overwhelming for anyone, especially those who are first-time travel virgins, because there is so much to take in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valuable Travelling Lesson From A Bride<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although her travel insurance covered the replacement cost of her wedding ring, the situation turned out fine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She will always feel that her new wedding ring differs from the one her husband put on her left finger at the altar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, she also learned a valuable lesson about travelling with jewelry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people think using a safe room is the best way to protect valuables, but that’s not always true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stolen Valuables From the Resort Room<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Recently, a couple from Regina, Kelly Morrison, her husband Steve, and two children had a nightmare at the Memories resort in Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was discovered that their valuables were missing from their room safe, which were supposed to be protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was supposed to be their dream vacation for 2016 turned into a nightmare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can pay extra at a resort for a safe room to protect your passports and any other valuables and cash instead of walking around with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon returning to their room, the couple quickly realized that their safe was broken into, so they spoke to the resort staff to try and sort the matter out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This turned into a long, frustrating holiday for the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On the morning of Jan. 30, Morrison opened their hotel room safe and found her wedding rings and money was nowhere to be found. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said about $170 Cdn. and 130 Cuban convertible pesos (worth slightly less than $200 Cdn.) was missing.<\/p>\n– Yahoo News <\/a><\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Who had access to that hotel room and stole their cash and valuables? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the sounds, they were either not believed or asked to keep it quiet from the media, which did not happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right away, I thought, oh no, you used the room safe, which is supposed to be secure but not always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Close Call While Travelling To The Dominican Republic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. CBB went on vacation to the Dominican many years ago and found their room safe and wide open, but nothing was taken from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no money in the safe, only a couple of expensive articles of clothing and reading material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She doesn’t know if someone heard them coming, if they rushed off before locking the safe, or if they didn’t care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing was sure: someone with a key or some superpower opened it up.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stashing Cash In A Safe Is Not Always Safe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you lock your money in a private safe or hide it under a mattress at home, a thief will likely find it and remove it if possible<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A safe is not always safe but it can be a deterrent if it’s very heavy to carry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our friend earns extra money selling items she finds good deals on second-hand and stashes cash in a secure locked in the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She says she doesn’t want to put all her cash in the bank and would like to keep some at home for a rainy day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That could be very wrong if her house were burglarized unless she had a fireproof safe<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least in most resort hotels, you can’t run off with the room safe typically kept in the closet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leave Valuables At Home When Travelling <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I was doing the majority of my travelling, I left almost all of my jewelry at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love to wear bracelets and necklaces, but I have not taken them off once. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paying for a safe was not in my travel budget. However, our room didn’t have one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn’t care because I always enjoy travelling with the least valuables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This may seem harsh, but when travelling, “Guard everything”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travelling With Inexpensive Clothing <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another thing I did was not bring my most expensive clothes and technology, such as a laptop or iPhone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never owned a cell phone until I bought my second house at age 21<\/strong><\/a> because it was cheaper than owning a home phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pay-as-you-go mobile phone worked because I’d put $100 credit on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I didn’t use rolled over into the following year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, this doesn’t happen in Canada. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I refuse to own a cellphone until prices come down or they change how pay-as-you-go is run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Update 2024: I now own an Android through Freedom Mobile<\/a><\/strong>, which is a fantastic deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travelling Home Upset <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’m sure you or someone you know may have some travelling nightmares to share, but like the Morrison, they will likely never see their jewellery and cash back again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a pity because it would have been nice for them to fly home only to find it was a misunderstanding and not a room theft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before going on holiday, tell someone you trust where you are going, when you will be back, contact information, and flight information just in case something happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are situations I’ve learned throughout my travels that I hope might save you from owning a travel nightmare story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Travel Insurance <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Always get the best travel insurance you can get in your budget range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talk to your homeowner’s insurance or renters’ insurance company to see if they cover anything while you are travelling, mainly theft and illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may even have travel coverage through your employer, so ask Human Resources or your manager to look into this for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first place you can lose your stuff is at the airport when you go through security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If asked to empty your purse, you could forget something and put all your jewelry and wallets in the scanning tray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost every time I travelled, border security would pull me in for a strip search. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If not, I would be asked to take off my shoes and socks, which can create a stressful situation when all you want to do is start travelling to enjoy your holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was sure it was because of my long hair and goatee mixed with my surfer dude look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It did become a pain taking my clothes on and off every time I travelled, although I understand they are doing their job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Jewellery and Valuables<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Never take expensive jewellery, laptops, or cellphones to any tourist destination spot unless you plan to be glued to them at all times or you are required to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you ignore this warning, be an intelligent tech owner, back up your stuff, add passwords<\/a><\/strong> to your cellphone, and activate the Track My Phone app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing is worse than losing all the photos and data you have saved on your computer or phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a resort has a room safe available, it may make you wonder why you need to lock your stuff up in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s not common practice in Canada when we stay at local hotels unless you secure something valuable with the front desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’d still be skeptical about doing this, but I’m not that posh, I’m afraid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many hotels I’ve been to don’t have safes in the rooms, which makes me feel comfortable during my holiday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A safe in my room tells me I MUST protect my belongings at the resort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would be best if you didn’t have to feel this way when spending thousands of dollars to enjoy time away from your everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more you flaunt “bling,” the more you will be a target for theft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one cares who you are if you aren’t a celebrity with tons of cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To them, you are just another tourist coming to spend money and to keep them employed, so leave the bling at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Photocopy Important Documents<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Always bring copies of your passport, credit card, and photo ID if something happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep it close to you, as someone could quickly go after this material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last thing you want is to have to call the embassy and figure out how you are going to get your butt back home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can’t fly without a passport!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Lock it up<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No matter how much trust I had, I never left my luggage and rucksack unlocked or strapped up in my hotel or resort room while travelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. CBB and I still locked and secured our luggage while travelling around the UK, staying in hotels while I gave her the grand tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I put straps on my bag and locked it with a zipper lock to deter anyone from muddling through my stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Tell<\/span> Them What You’ve Got<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When entering an establishment or club that required me to remove my jacket or hoodie, I would tell the person operating the door what I had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did this so they knew I knew of every item I surrendered to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best thing to do is not bring anything valuable or switch it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can purchase cheap costume wedding bands to wear on your finger from the Dollar Store, Temu, Amazon, or shopping mall instead of wearing real wedding rings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If someone tells you to hand over your valuables, give them the fake stuff and let them run off peacefully with their worthless score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Watch Over Your Shoulder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Never leave valuables lying around; always watch your back when walking the streets or at a resort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mostly, the locals are always amiable and helpful, but don’t underestimate it when travelling to a developing country or financially stricken destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There will always be someone who will do just about anything to survive, then again stuff like this happens at home in Toronto. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can never be too safe with your valuables, so anyone travelling to Canada or the USA would do the same and protect what they own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Learn Basic Local Language Skills When Travelling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Never go alone or go to places that are hidden away or you are not familiar with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding or speaking a bit of the local language may also help you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my spare time, I studied basic conversation for every country I travelled to, which the locals appreciated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought it was pretty cool, too, because I felt at ease knowing that I could communicate without using a translator all of the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A cheap translator or book is always excellent, so you know what you agree to when someone is talking to you. Not everyone speaks English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Research Your Destination<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I loved to mingle with the locals whenever I was travelling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I quickly learned it was wise to research where I was going so I was well-informed and didn’t look like a tourist who could be taken advantage of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you know a local living where you are travelling, plan to meet with them and ask them for tips while visiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Fake <\/span>It Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you are ordered to hand over your wallet and belongings, use fake rings, a second wallet with expired business cards, and a few dollars in cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can even get a cheap phone that is light to carry in the same pocket or bag to deter them from thinking you have an expensive iPhone that you’d probably not rather lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think like a thief and protect yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Give <\/span>Your Belongings An Identity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your luggage goes missing, always leave information about who owns it and how to contact you if it is found with no travelling destination or name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’d also add a reward to make the return more enticing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11. Alcohol, Drugs, Partying and Sex<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This may be tough for some vacationers, but protect yourself or stay in groups when you are drinking or doing something illegal. (it happens)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may find you lose everything you own and maybe more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always hold your drink to make sure no one drops anything into it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never smoke something that you didn’t bring or roll yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another thing is to be skeptical of the people being extra-nice to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan on sleeping with strangers, you just met…watch your back and your valuables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don’t want to wake up drunk after a fun night in the sack or partying on the beach only to find you no longer own any valuables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12. Don’t Leave Your Room Without This…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you wear expensive or sentimental jewellery such as watches, rings, and earrings, always keep it on your body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This includes cash because once it’s gone, it’s gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No amount of media coverage will bring it back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it will bring awareness to others traveling and may have to find out the hard way when their stuff has gone missing, like the Morrison’s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13. Stash <\/span>Cash<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Never keep your money all in one spot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I did was I chose three spots to keep cash just in case I was robbed, beaten, or a theft occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may sound like I was overprotective, but you never know what can happen when travelling to a foreign country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14. Go <\/span>For The Hard Stuff<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most thieves want easy access to your belongings, which means they favor zipper access. Avoid being a target and buy the hard shell luggage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My wife has luggage like this and told me why she chose it over a zipper bag, which I had never thought much about, but now it makes sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15. Caution: <\/span>Using The In-Room Safe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Never leave your passport lying around; if you trust the safe, stick it in there, but don’t be upset if it goes missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ensure you have copies of all your essential documents hidden in a separate spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

16. H<\/span>ave Fun And Enjoy Your Vacation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Travelling always brings new challenges and risks, especially if you are not familiar with a country and what the locals are like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the kindest faces can be sly, so never let your guard down while travelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of all, don’t let these tips scare you away from enjoying your holiday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The worst thing is being uninformed about what you could face while travelling to a new country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discussion: <\/strong>What other tips could you add to protect your valuables while traveling to this list? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please comment below, and if I’ve missed some, I’ll add them above and quote you!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Mr.CBB<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBB Week At A Glance<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This week has been jam-packed, and I’ve hardly been able to get much done around the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early in the week, we attended a birthday party for our 4-year-old nephew at Chuck E. Cheese, which was a first experience for the wife, our son, and me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meh, it was overpriced, and the pizza sucked, not to mention the horrible birthday cake they provided with the package! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other than that, our son had fun playing some of the games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will continue with a second birthday bash for him tomorrow after work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There will be a pig roast with all the fixings, sweets, party trays of veg, cheese, meat, lasagna, salads, and meatballs<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m running out of breath thinking about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I may end up undoing the pants for this one. It’s heavy-duty eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other than that, we took our little guy to the gym to run around with his friends, which is always successful and worth every penny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We took an eventful trip to Costco the other day, too, as I learned a bit more about the popular bulk store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an upcoming blog post, find out my thoughts and whether we plan to buy a Costco membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the work front, I’ve been putting in extra hours with my team because when an emergency calls, I’m the guy who always seems to fix the problems, so I stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excellent<\/span> Posts Published On CBB This Week<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve missed any of my blog posts this week, I will share them all below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n