A weird travel safety tip that I absolutely swear by

Okay, this is an odd one, but bear with me. I am obsessed with travel safety tips because I love to travel but I’m also kind of a nervous person. I don’t want to ever be in a position where my safety is at risk, even while traveling the globe. As someone who lives abroad and travels full-time, I take safety very seriously.

I’m personally of the opinion that there is almost no safety problem that cannot be resolved with money. Should I be that way? That’s a question for your ethics professor. However, in the real world, money can get people out of the majority of dangerous situations. This leads me to this tried-and-true travel safety tip.

Travel safety tip: always, always have money on you

Personally, I never leave home without enough money to get me back quickly and easily. Whether or not that’s walking to the corner store by my house, or flying 6,000 miles away, I always want to have ample cash on hand to get me back to where I belong.

Sadly, money is power. Money is safety. Money talks.

I’ve gotten myself into some sticky situations while traveling because I did not adequately prepare, budget, or plan for contingencies. I also personally think that traveling is a luxury and a privilege, but one that should be carefully thought out and planned because things are just harder and more expensive the farther you get from home.

Keep your money somewhere hidden but accessible

What I like to do is keep a good amount of local currency hidden underneath my phone case. This sounds random, but I will never be caught anywhere without my phone. My phone is my most important tool and an extension of my very self. My phone has never been stolen because it’s never out of my hand. I personally believe that if everything else was taken for me but I only had my phone, I could conceivably get back to safety just by having my phone. However, having cash in local currency would make this much easier.

Typically what I will do when I get to a new country is go straight to an ATM and pull out a decent amount of cash. Usually around $100 USD to start, but this will vary by location. I keep some of it for spending, but I’ll typically put around $50 USD straight into my phone case. Sure, I have occasionally forgotten about it and then found it later, but I’ve also been in a sticky situation where it has absolutely saved my ass.

But why in the phone case? That’s a weird travel safety tip.

As I mentioned, I will never be caught without my phone. And having cash on hand makes people much more willing to help you in a bad situation. Need an emergency taxi? Now you have cash. Need a last-minute place to stay but can’t find an ATM or your wallet was stolen? Cash.

I’ll never forget the one time I got into New York City at 11 p.m. and I couldn’t check into my Airbnb until 2 p.m. that afternoon. That meant 15 hours of walking the city with a gigantic piece of luggage, zero sleep, and nowhere to go. I literally walked Times Square and rode the subway for 15 hours until I was able to check in and fall asleep exhausted, having wasted an entire day of my trip alone, tired, frustrated, cold, and incredibly unsafe.

Knowing what I know now, I would’ve absolutely gotten a hotel room for $80 and had a good night’s sleep before checking into my Airbnb (which I no longer use). Budgeting for contingencies, last-minute accommodations, or even flights out in case of a disaster it’s just good sense. Personally, I don’t think you can afford to travel if you can’t afford to plan for the contingencies.

Yes, your phone can absolutely get stolen. They are a frequent target for theft, and it can happen. But worst-case scenario, you’ll give the thief an extra few dollars. Best case scenario, you’ll have cash on hand that isn’t in a wallet (another big target for theft).

You have to consider your safety when traveling

Traveling makes you vulnerable. International travel makes you incredibly vulnerable. I don’t say that to scare you, but just to state the fact that when you are away from your safety net, your home, your community, your language, you are at a disadvantage. It’s incredibly wise to be extra cautious when traveling, which is why I post this travel safety tip that has genuinely helped me stay safe on several continents.

What is your best travel safety tip? 👇