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Travel safety is so important, and while there are those who become so anxious over minutia that it ruins their ability to enjoy the trip, there are far more people who let important safety practices fall by the wayside. You don't need to constantly be looking over your shoulder while you're traveling, but you do need to be aware and engaged!
As a former Secret Service agent, Evy Poumpouras has traveled all over the world for work, and unsurprisingly, that taught her a thing or two about traveling safely! Though we can't all travel with a Secret Service entourage protecting us, we can at least heed the advice she recently shared on the Today Show to break some of our unsafe travel habits!
With the summer travel season gearing up, and international adventures on a lot of people's agendas, Evy Poumpouras hopped on the @todayshow to make sure they're not making risky travel mistakes- starting in their wallets!
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Safe Spending Advice
Her first tip about not carrying more than $100 USD in cash is a pretty standard one. Though there's benefits to having emergency cash on hand, having lots of it can potentially make you a mark and can put you at risk of getting mugged. But Evy claims people are making another big monetary mistake: using their debit cards instead of a credit card . Her reasoning for using credit cards is the same as not carrying lots of cash- you don't want to be out real money if it gets stolen!
"Let the credit card companies be out the money," Evy advises. "Don't put yourself through that psychological drama of someone taking money out of your personal accounts."
Using (Or Not Using) Tech To Stay Safe
Evy also focused on how travelers can stay safe by using - or sometimes strategically not using - their tech. Her warning against using public wi-fi (including free hotel room wi-fi) is one tech-savvy travelers are likely familiar with, as these systems are easily hackable. If you do need to hop on public wi-fi, though, Evy advises using a VPN to protect yourself- or better yet, use a hot-spot on your phone if that's an option.
Same goes for making social media posts : "Don't post your photos!" Evy stresses. "[Only] after you get back!" This goes double if your social media accounts aren't private, as bad actors can use your photos to dox you and find you, or even learn that you're not home and burgle your empty house. Those brag-worthy photos will still be in your phone when you get back!
Evy did share one app recommendation, though, one that was new to me: Geosure. According to Geosure's website, they analyze safety data and security risk signals on a " hyper-local, block-by-block basis ," so you can assess the safety of an area down to the street. If you're trying to decide where to book a hotel, or what areas you can safely walk through at night, this app is incredibly useful. I've already added it to my travel app folder!
Other Travel Safety Tips
These are some great pieces of travel safety advice, but Evy's suggestions only scratch the surface. On TikTok, @theremac shared an additional tip that I not only endorse, but frequently apply to my own travels: "I've found the best way not to be a target is to dress simple, act like a local, and have a plan before we go out so we're not using our phones to look for places."
There's nothing wrong with being a tourist, but the less you stand out like one, the less likely it is that you'll be a mark for sketchy scammers and other bad actors. It's also why I keep personal information close to the chest around strangers, especially when traveling solo. I'm not above telling a few white lies while traveling if it means I won't make myself vulnerable!
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