What if You Forget Where Your Hotel is Located?
Do you think this is unlikely? How many times have you parked your car at the mall or the grocery store and forgotten where you parked it? Now how easy is it for you to get caught up in a day of wandering through Vienna or Atlanta or anywhere, and then having a mental block as to where your hotel is located?! It’s easy! So how can you prevent this embarrassing and frustrating occurrence?
Most Important: Keep a copy of your complete itinerary with you at all times in your money belt. The money belt ensures the most hassle-free trip. No loss of stolen money, tickets, passport, or itinerary.
The items you left back home with a trusted friend should include your complete itinerary. So another option would be to call your friend.
Or if you had a travel agent make your reservations, call him or her. Travel agents usually have a 24-hour emergency number for you to travel with. Hopefully you at least were carrying THAT in your purse, wallet, or money belt.
If you make it a rule to never leave your hotel without taking along its business card, a postcard, a brochure, or SOMETHING with its name, address, and telephone number on it, you will not have to deal with this problem in the first place.
Have a local map for every area you stay in. (These are available online; from the local city tourist office or chamber of commerce; from the state, province, or national tourist office prior to your trip; or via your portable GPS system.) If you can’t locate your hotel on the map, ask the desk clerk or concierge to circle your location on the map and keep it with you as you sightsee.
Luggage Identification Hints
Here are some luggage safe-travel hints when traveling by air, car, train, or on a cruise:
Although properly-labeled luggage will increase the likelihood of it being returned to you if it gets lost, it also can send out a message to criminals that you are leaving your house available for them to rob at a leisurely pace. The point is that many people put their name, home address, and home telephone number on their luggage tags, like a neon sign that says, “I’m not going to be home for awhile. Rob me!” Instead, use your office address, if you have one, or a post office box number (which is better). Also, put your office or a friend’s telephone number, since you might not be there to answer the phone if someone is trying to locate the owner of your luggage.
Another precaution: always put your complete identification information INSIDE your luggage as well . . . taped or glued securely as a permanent part of your luggage. Luggage tags can be accidentally pulled off, or destroyed by the weather (rain or snow, for example).
Credit Cards: How to Protect Them When You Travel
You’ll hear this from me over and over again; but I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to wear a money belt (whether it’s around your midriff, on your leg . . . there are many variations available) under your clothes. This holds true whether traveling here or abroad, or even if you live in a big city.
Inside the money belt, keep your passport, all tickets, most of your traveler’s checks, your credit cards (you don’t need to take ALL your credit cards on the trip), your driver’s license, your itinerary with confirmation numbers and phone numbers, and the key to your house. It’s not uncomfortable, and it won’t make you look heavier!
Yes; it’s a little inconvenient to have to step into a restroom for privacy when you know you’re going to need more cash or your passport or whatever. But think about how inconvenient LOSING any of those items would be. And don’t think it won’t ever happen to YOU.
If you have retrieved your passport or credit card for some reason, return it to your money belt as soon as possible. Don’t procrastinate. It’s not worth it. A mugger can grab your purse or briefcase and disappear in MOMENTS.
One more important tip: Before leaving on your trip, provide a trusted friend with a list of all your credit card numbers and the emergency number to call and/or online info (for each card) in case the cards are lost or stolen. Then, one call to your friend should get your cards immediately cancelled and reissued quickly. Give the same friend a list of all your traveler’s checks numbers and increments, plus a photocopy of your passport, detailed itinerary, and driver’s license, just in case the worst should happen.
REMEMBER: It’s always good to have a backup plan!!
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