Q:

What are the safety precautions when backpacking?

Don’t carry too much cash or wear too much jewellery. If you have to carry valuables, stash them in your front pockets and keep cash to a minimum. Use credit cards or travellers’ cheques that require passport authorisation to cash out. You can wear a money belt, but split your cash with your travel partner or keep some locked away in the safe in your hotel room.

Before you travel, do some research on the crime rate in the cities you plan to visit and avoid the high-risk areas. If there are places of interest that you’d like to visit in these areas, go in a group – there’s safety in numbers. If you’re tracking back to your accommodation late at night, stick to major roads or well-lit areas. Do not take shortcuts that lead into dark alleys just to save a few minutes.

Also keep photocopies of your passport at hand, but leave the passport itself in the safe. Photo identification cards should suffice if you need them. Finally, always carry the address of the consulates and contact numbers of the police and relevant authorities with you.

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