Is There Something in the Water?

Every year, more than 3.4 million people die from a water-related disease. Nearly all of these deaths occur in the developing world. 780 million people lack access to clean water, which is equivalent to 3 times the population of the United States. These statistics are extremely alarming especially when clean water and access is not scarce in our home country. As humans, we need water on a daily basis to survive. In the 21st century, it is really hard to believe that clean water and access to it are still not a common thing.  

Water safety is a major concern for people planning to travel abroad. Before traveling, one should research their destination and see if it has potential water safety issues. If the water is somewhat unsafe, travelers will soon find out their body cannot take the water. In an article by Everyday Healthy, it says that the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe all have pretty safe drinking water. 

While abroad, sticking to water from water bottles should work pretty well. The water in the bottle is usually purified and imported from various countries. However, water is used in many other things such as the ice cubes, washing the fruits and vegetables, brushing your teeth and showering. These all contain or have been processed through water in some type of way. The key is to research your travel destination and make sure that water is safe and sanitary. The other option is to make alternatives for obtaining water, so that you don't get dehydrated. 

For spring break this year, I travelled to Cancun, Mexico for a week long trip. I was excited for the clear ocean, beautiful weather and being with my closest friends. However, I did not know what I was in for when I came to find out water was scarce and a hot commodity. US citizens are not used to the water Mexico has and are very prone to getting sick from it. I could not drink the water from the sink nor the shower. The only safe method of water consumption was from bottled water. During the week, I got very dehydrated and my feet and fingers began to swell up. This feeling is extremely painful to the point where I could not even wear sandals! 

Protect Your Pockets

Did you know that each day an estimated 400,000 pick pocket incidents occur around the world? This statistic puts pick pocketing as one of the most frequent crimes inflicted upon tourists. You may think you’ve done a good job at disguising yourself from appearing as a tourist, but pick-pocketers do it for a living and are great at spotting tourists.

Being robbed is miserable regardless of where you are, but is even worse when you are in a foreign country: Especially if you are stripped of the only copy of your credit card, or even worse, your passport. Therefore, it is imperative that tourists are aware of the regularity of pick pocketing and do the best they can to avoid becoming a victim.

Unfortunately, pick-pocketers have mastered the tricks of the trade and have more than one trick up their sleeves. There are many approaches to pick-pocketing, so the best thing for you to do is to always be aware of your belongings and your surroundings. While I was abroad, I was extremely paranoid about pick-pocketers and always walked around with my hand on my satchel. Another satchel tip is to wear the satchel with the pockets facing inside, rather than the outside. This ensures people don’t have easy access to zippers or pockets. I know it may not be the most fashionable way to sport your satchel, but I promise it is worth it!

So, remember, pick-pocketers are everywhere and especially present in Europe! Be sure to pay close attention to your surroundings so that you don’t end up with empty pockets during your trip!

Check out the list below of the ten worst cities for pick-pocketers around the world before you embark on your next adventure!

1.     Barcelona, Spain

2.     Rome, Italy

3.     Prague, Czech Republic

4.     Madrid, Spain

5.     Paris, France

6.     Florence, Italy

7.     Buenos Aires, Argentina

8.     Amsterdam, Netherlands

9.     Athens, Greece

10. Hanoi, Vietnam

Find My Friends!

Cell phones have become an integral part of our everyday lives. We hardly every let them leave our sides and panic when we accidentally leave them at home.  But in the case of travel safety, this can be a really helpful thing.  

Most, if not all, smart phones have the ability to track your location because of wireless internet services and data plans.  In the event of an emergency, this can be used to locate you wherever you may be in the world. 

When traveling in a group, which I highly recommend for inexperienced travelers, it is important to keep track of the individuals you are traveling with.  There are multiple phone applications that can be used to accomplish this, with the most famous being "Find My Friends". By creating an account, your friends can see exactly where you are in the event that you can not be found.  

This application was very useful on my recent trip to Panama City. In the event that we could not find somebody, before panicking, it was very simple to check our phones with this app.  In a city with thousands of college students on spring break, it was very important to make sure that nobody went missing.  The only negative aspect of this application is that our mothers tried to follow us to keep tabs on us as well.  And that is another story completely. 

Credit or Debit

When traveling abroad, one of of the first things you'd obviously need is money. Without money, a traveler would not get very far. Whether it be cash, credit or debit, it's important for one to acknowledge travel safety. 

Almost all banks and credit card companies will deny spending if you do not alert them of your travel plans. The first step is calling the help number listed on the back of the card, or on the bank's website. They will direct you to the proper person to aid in keeping track of travel plans. For my bank, I had to call and list every destination I considered traveling to. They asked how many months I would be abroad and said if my card was used in any country besides my listed England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy, and Germany, that they would deny it. They also warned if it went missing or stolen to call their toll free international line to cancel the card. 

There is no excuse not to protect your money while abroad. Another tip is to not carry too much change on you. Whether it be euros, dollars, or pounds, the more you have on you, the more you have to potentially loose. Many people get pick-pocketed or their purse stolen. It's easy to deactivate cards, but that cash will never run back. 

To try and avoid pickpocketing it's a good idea to have a purse or clutch that zips, buttons or closes tight and to keep it close to your side, tucked under the arm. All these precautions will keep you, and your spending money safe. 

It would be easy for a trip to get ruined if you lost your money, it was stolen, or your cards do not work. So take these tips, alert your bank, carry small change, and have a reliable purse to keep close. With these money travel safety tips, it will be easy to protect your cash, debit, or credit, and have a great time abroad.