What to Leave Behind

• Make two photocopies of your passport identification page, airline tickets and itinerary, driver’s license, and the credit cards you plan to take. Leave one set with family or friends. Pack the other separate from your valuables.
• Leave a copy of the serial numbers of your travelers checks with a friend or relative. Carry a copy with you in a separate place and, as you cash the checks, cross them off the list.

• When you leave your homeland, you are subject to the laws of the countries you visit. Therefore, learn about their laws and customs before you go. Check the library, travel agent, embassies, consulates or tourist bureaus. Keep track of what is reported in the media about recent developments in those countries.
  

• Accommodations. Stay in larger hotels with more elaborate security. Safety experts recommend booking a room from the 2nd to the 7th floors – above ground level to deter easy entrance from outside, but low enough for fire equipment to reach.
• Air Flight Schedules. Take-off and landing are the most dangerous times of a flight so book non-stop flights when possible. Ask your travel agent about comparative airline and airport safety records.
• Legal Documents. Have your affairs at home in order. Leave a current will, insurance documents, and power of attorney with your family or a friend. If you have minor children, consider making guardianship arrangements for them.
• Credit. Know the credit limit of your card. Make certain not to charge over that amount. People have been arrested for innocently exceeding their credit limit. Know the credit card phone number from overseas and how to report the loss of a credit card.
• Insurance – Study the AVS policy which covers up to US $3,000 for loss or theft abroad.