Our Hilton Head vacation was the most incredible vacation we have ever been on. I just can not stop talking about it to all of my friends and family.
It is surprising just how often things go wring when you travel, perhaps through unfamiliarity but nevertheless these can be minimized by using some basic tips. Problems that could leave you with bad memories and a dislike of the local people, and maybe having to replace lost items; it could cost you lots of money and end up ruining your holiday. In serious cases, you may not even want to leave your hotel room or have to spend time sorting out the problem at the local Police station. Any advice you receive from authorities will always tell you to use your common sense if you want to travel safely especially when you are in a situation or circumstances that are different which is particularly true on holiday.
No matter what the situation is, trust what your instincts tell you as they are very rarely wrong. A big mistake made by many tourists is they take everything of value with them which makes it very easy for thieves and pickpockets to steal their whole identity in one go. Expensive and necessary items like identification tickets for example should be left at the hotel in their safe or the room safe if you have one; it is much easier to recover your vacation if you only lose a few important belongings instead of all of them. One easy thing to do to protect your money is not carry all of it around at once or leave it in just one location where a thief can steal everything you have quite easily.
Many couples who have not adopted the travel safely ethos will have 2 credit cards, both accessing the same account; it is much easier to use two cards, each accessing separate accounts so if one is lost or stolen, there is a backup. Some people just make it easy for snatch thieves who specialize in grabbing bags and cameras from unsuspecting tourists who have them hanging from their shoulder; to prevent this make sure the strap is over the head as well. Always avoid letting something hang from your shoulder next to the road as it is easy to grab something from the back of a motorbike as it passes you. From a criminal's point of view, large groups of tourists are just treated as easy targets and because they do this sort of thing all the time, they are extremely good at it.
The problem is we all think we're smarter than the scammers, robbers and pick pockets but the sad reality is that these people do it for a living and it's how many of them feed themselves and their families. Carrying a small backpack can be a good idea as it can be secured with a small padlock which although will not deter the determined thief, will certainly slow down and prevent the majority from trying their luck.
