15 Travel Safety Tips

From the Newark Police Department

It’s travel season. Here are some helpful tips to keep you and your family safe while traveling:

1. Don't answer the door in a hotel or motel room without verifying who it is. If a person claims to be an employee, call the front desk and ask if someone from the hotel staff is supposed to have access to your room and for what purpose.
2. When returning to your hotel or motel late in the evening, use the main entrance of the hotel. Be observant and look around before entering parking lots.
3. Close the door securely whenever you are in your room and use all of the locking devices provided.
4. Don't needlessly display guest room keys in public or carelessly leave them on restaurant tables, at the swimming pool, or other places where they can be easily stolen.
5. Don't draw attention to yourself by displaying large amounts of cash or expensive jewelry. Leave the fancy jewelry at home!
6. Don't invite strangers to your room.
7. Place all valuables in the hotel or motel's safe deposit box.
8. Don't leave valuables in your vehicle.
9. Check to see that any sliding glass doors or windows and any connecting room doors are locked.
10. If you see any suspicious activity, please report your observations to the management.
11. What's the safest hotel floor? Always try to get a room on floors 2-8. A room on the ground floor will be more easily accessible to criminals from the outside. A high level - such as the 20th floor - may be quieter, but in case of a fire, there's little chance firefighters could reach you with even their tallest ladder.
12. Dressing safely: Blending in makes you less of a target than if you announce your home country by wearing your country's flag or national colors.
13. Instincts: Trust your instincts and don't venture through side streets, even if it seems like a convenient shortcut. Criminals like to strike in secluded areas. If you stick to the well-traveled streets, you'll be less likely to have criminals approach you.
14. Carry your wallet in your front pocket, or better yet, get a money belt or a passport holder/wallet you can wear around your neck (but be sure to keep in under your shirt when you can). Be aware that people who are jostling you are potential pickpockets.
15. Clean out your wallet before you leave home. Don't carry any more credit cards than you need. Make sure you leave your Social Security card behind.

Source: National Crime Prevention Council. www.ncpc.org