Your honeymoon is the perfect opportunity to travel to a location you love or one you and your beloved have always wanted to visit. However, it also comes with some unease about leaving your usual surroundings. After choosing a destination that’s known to be safe for tourists, keep these travel safety tips in mind while planning your honeymoon and throughout your trip’s duration.
1. Pack Cautiously
When you’re packing for your honeymoon, you may want to leave your expensive accessories and jewelry at home in favor of his and hers matching ring sets to serve as placeholders. Wearing a travel engagement ring or silicone rings lets you clearly show you’re married without having to rock your fine jewelry. You might not be thrilled with the idea of taking off your wedding ring not long after your partner puts it on your finger, but the last thing you want is to lose it or see a thief run off with it. Even if your ring wasn’t expensive, it still has significant sentimental value.
You should also leave other expensive items, such as designer purses and electronics, behind at home. Not only could they make you stand out, but you don’t want someone to be tempted to steal them from where you’re staying or from right out of your hands. Avoiding these worries will allow you to focus more on enjoying your travel.
2. Take Travel Precautions
One of the best travel precautions you can take is to learn about the unsafe areas where you’re going. Crime statistics and travel advisories are usually easy to find online. If you can’t find recent information, consider posting in a public forum for tips from the locals. This is an easy way to find out where the high-crime areas are and where you’re better off staying and visiting.
Regardless of where you’re headed, you should avoid going out at night unless you have reliable and safe transportation. Even if you have others with you, it may not be the safest option, especially in areas where there’s not a lot of foot traffic.
Speaking of transportation, your best option is to ask for help from employees at the hotel where you’re staying. They can recommend reputable and safe local options or will arrange transportation for you, such as a hotel shuttle. If you’re planning on taking the shuttle, make sure you know its policies, such as pick-up and drop-off times, so you won’t be stuck trying to find your way back to where you’re staying.
3. Fit In With Your Surroundings
Instead of holding a large bag, such as a tote, it may be better to inconspicuously carry around as few items as possible that can fit in a small clutch you can hold securely under your arm. Another option is to put the items in a backpack you wear in front of you rather than on your back where it’s easily accessible to criminals. You may also want to consider wearing a money belt under your shirt or donning a regular belt with a hidden money compartment.
Make sure to look like you fit into the area as much as possible because standing out as a tourist is one of the easiest ways to be targeted by criminals. You should like the locals as much as possible instead of wearing what you normally would at home. Thoroughly research and understand the culture, so you don’t unintentionally do something that locals would perceive as disrespectful.
4. Safety in Numbers: Join Guided Tour Groups
Taking guided tours during your honeymoon rather than going off on your own is also an excellent idea. If you’re staying at a hotel, they can usually provide you with recommendations for guided tours in the area, might set up the tour for you or may even offer them through the hotel itself. You can also do your research beforehand in case you want to book in advance with a company that has an excellent reputation.
You should avoid drinking much alcohol during your honeymoon, even if you’re with your tour group. It may be tempting to let loose, but it might not be the safest option, especially if you’re in an unfamiliar area. Criminals often look out for tourists who have been drinking alcohol because they tend to be more vulnerable, so they do whatever they can to take advantage of them.
5. Keep in Touch With the Folks Back Home
Another important thing you can do is to stay in touch with your family and friends while you’re on your trip. Yes, you’re on your honeymoon, but it’s better to stay in contact with loved ones so they can sound the alarm if something goes wrong or doesn’t seem right. Send pictures, let them know where you are and consider sharing your phone’s location tracking with a couple of friends or family members so that they can see where you are at all times. If you’re traveling internationally, you should also notify the embassy of your travel plans.
Don’t forget to make copies of your travel documents and put them in a safe place that someone you trust has access to in case you need them. If something should happen to your originals, it may be much easier to rectify the situation if you have copies than if you don’t.
Plan Your Honeymoon Well in Advance to Include Safety Measures
The sooner you start planning your honeymoon trip, the more time you’ll have to decide where you want to go and purchase the items you need to travel there unharmed and stay safely under the radar after you arrive. When you return home safe and happy with your spouse, you’ll feel glad you took the important steps you did.
