Your Identity and Your Money - Are They Safe When You Travel?

We think a lot about the cost of our trips and plan well so we can afford them (including seeking out good hostels that will help us cut expenses).

But we don't always plan as carefully for keeping our wealth and well-being intact. And there are some really simple things we can do to make sure we don't end up in a fix, so to speak.

• Decide which credit card or cards to use and then make photocopies of the front and back of each one. Write the phone number to call if your card is lost or stolen on the copy of each card.

• Then clean all the rest out of your wallet and leave them at home.

• Copy your debit card if you plan to use ATMs. Write down your bank's customer service number, too.

• Using your ATM card is easy almost everywhere in the world, now, and it avoids carrying large amounts of cash and the inconvenience of traveler's checks.
  

• If you are carrying a passport, make a copy of the identifying pages of it, and write down the State Department's travel emergency telephone number 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). With your passport number and information you will be able to get an emergency passport at the nearest American Consular office.

• Bring the copies of everything with you. Don't put them in your luggage (in case your luggage gets separated from you!).

• When you get to your destination, put the copies in a safe, if available. If you must carry them with you, keep them separate from the originals, lest you lose both. A small purse you hang from your neck under your clothes or a belt bag will work.

Here's something new to help keep theives out of your purse: It's Alarming.

Travel smart!

Kristi

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