Vacation season is in full swing this time of year and sadly the crooks know it also. We never want to be the victim of a crime, but on vacation is especially tough. You can take some steps and make plans ahead of time so that you can relax and enjoy your trip and have a worry-free vacation.
- Do not rely on only one form of payment. I like to have a credit card or two, some cash, and I prepay for things as well. If you rely on one credit card and it is stolen that can cause a big problem on your trip.
- Keep those different payment methods apart. For example Hubby never carries cash in his wallet, that goes in his pocket and his wallet goes in a different pocket. Hubby also wanted me to add if you are going out on a boat to not keep those important things in your pocket – they can easily fall into the water and sink to the bottom of the lake or sea!
- Use the in-room safe if one is available. They are usually in the closet and are small, but can be very handy. Do not be afraid to call the desk if you need help figuring out how to use the safe.
Do not use public Wi-Fi hotspots, including the hotel’s, to access your online banking. I recommend using telephone banking if you need to do anything while on vacation. Get those numbers and keep them handy before you leave on vacation.- Avoid using your debit card linked to your everyday checking account as much as possible. If it is fraudulently used it can wipe out your access to easy cash.
- My credit card companies have called me, fairly often, when I go out of town and they see multiple charges away from home. If you get a call like this ask to call the credit card company back. Hang up, then dial the number on the back of your credit card and verify with them that you are on vacation. Calling them back helps to avoid fraud phone calls.
- Carefully check receipts as you go along and keep them together. Then cross-check those with your statements when they come in the mail.
- Once you are back home, change any computer passwords for banking or other such sites, including email, that you may have used on your trip. This is just in case your password was sniffed while you were on the trip.
- Along with protecting your money, you also want to avoid identity theft while traveling. Identity Guard has more tips on that.
- One final thing you can do is to enroll in a service like Identity Guard and kID Sure. I use both of these services (they provided me the service and I have been using it for several months) and am really pleased at how well things are monitored. Along with tips to help you protect yourself, they also watch to see when, where, and how your information is being used and keep you informed. Catching a problem quickly is going to save you a lot of hassle!
Have you ever had a problem with lost or stolen money or credit cards on vacation? Was it something that you might have been able to prevent looking back now?
Disclosure: This service was provided to me for review at no charge. In addition I received monetary compensation. All opinions are my own.
© 2012, Robyn Wright. All rights reserved.
