Travellers' tips for safer journeys

By JIM EAGLES

It can be a mean world out there, so a sensible person takes a few precautions.

Unfortunately these days, you need to lock your door when you leave home, and if you're travelling overseas you need to be even more careful.

You aren't necessarily more likely to lose your luggage or your wallet when you're in another country but the consequences could be serious.

So what should you do?

Over the past few weeks, Travel readers have sent in lots of suggestions on how best to safeguard against forgetfulness (your own) and theft and incompetence (other people's).

Cheryl Whitham, of House of Travel Northland, reckons a good start point for any trip is a packing list "so you can assemble everything at the last minute and also as a backup if you need it for insurance".

Like many experienced travellers, she also recommends that anyone who needs glasses should take a spare pair or a copy of the prescription. "This," she says, "is the most commonly lost item."

Not least, one presumes, because it's hard to find your glasses if you need your glasses to see and you don't know where they are.

Warren Johns, who has given a lot of thought to travel security, strongly recommends that all travellers run off photocopies of their passport, airline ticket and a sheet including important addresses, credit card numbers, bank details, travellers cheque numbers, and so on.

Then, he says, "put copies of the papers in your hand luggage and the pouch or money belt where you keep your passport".

Several other readers suggest the additional precaution of leaving a copy of such a list at home with someone you can contact.

Whitham advises a couple travelling together to "make sure each person has everything they would need if they were travelling solo - travellers' cheques split between you, copies of documents and so forth - just in case something happens to one of you".

She also recommends putting things you can't do without - toiletries, make-up, medicine, glasses - in your hand luggage. That way "if your luggage goes missing you can cope for 24 hours if you have these things. An underwear change and a sweater for a cool place or T-shirt for a hot place are also lifesavers if you and your bag part company".

Denise de Groot, writing on behalf of a discussion group at North Shore Hospital, offers the advice: "If travelling with a family, divide everyone's clothes, etc, among all the bags so it is less of a disaster if a bag goes missing."

Several readers advised labelling luggage inside and out so if it goes astray it is more likely to be returned.

Johns has more ideas for avoiding thieves, especially pickpockets. Travellers should have a pouch around the neck for passports and some cash. In humid climates, keep your passport in a plastic bag. Then "use a money belt around your waist, worn under the clothing, for most of your cash, travellers' cheques and airline ticket".

One particularly intriguing idea is to "create deep pockets by sewing 5 to 10cm of strong material to the bottom of your money pockets".

I have met people who appeared to have short arms and long pockets and used it to avoid paying their way, so I imagine it could also foil thieves.

To avoid the risk of being stranded as a result of theft, Johns suggests keeping some cash in a plastic bag in one of your socks or shoes.

You should, he adds, "carry your money and passport on you at all times, including when going to the toilet in the middle of the night" and "sleep with your valuables in your pillowcase underneath your pillow".

Several readers suggest distributing money around several pockets so if a pickpocket does strike you won't be cleaned out.

But there are worse things than pickpockets. In countries where theft from travellers is endemic - parts of South America for instance - Anna Keen advises: "Put chicken-wire in the bottom of your backpack so they can't put a knife into it and slip out half the contents before you notice. That happened to me and was not nice."

Johns also reckons that is a good idea but warns that the straps of your pack or day bag may be also slit.

To avoid that "buy some flat metal chain or wire from a hardware shop and sew the chain to the top of your straps or thread the wire through the straps".

In addition, he says, backpackers should take a metal chain and padlock to secure their bags to the train or bus luggage rack.

These days, credit card failure can also be even more disastrous than theft of a few belongings and several people suggested precautions against that happening while you're overseas.

Chris Mercer, of House of Travel on Oxford, in Hamilton, says husbands and wives should get separate credit cards. "If you have a secondary user on your card and one gets stolen you won't be able to use the other one."

Anyone with a lot of credit cards, she says, should spend $35 a year and register them with a security company. "Then if your cards get stolen it is only one phone call to get everything cancelled."

Maurice McKeown has had personal experience of such disasters.

"I received a new Visa card, went overseas without trying it, and it didn't work. When I got back the bank said, 'Oh yes that often happens.'

"On another occasion I broke my card clean in half on the way to the airport. It was in a security pocket in the front of my trousers and caught on the steering wheel of the car as I got in.

"For many years since I have been trying to break an obsolete card cleanly in two pieces as an experiment. It seems to be impossible, yet it happened to me.

I contacted the bank who said they could send me a new one. It would be in a couple of weeks of course."

After those experiences his heartfelt advice is: "Always try a new card before you go overseas and try to carry two credit cards, perhaps a Visa and a MasterCard on the same account, in case one goes wrong."

If the worst happens and you do get robbed, Johns suggests taking a copy of your travel insurance policy and a claim form with you "or you'll never remember all you're supposed to do if you need to claim".