Millions of travelers will take to the roads and skies in 2018, especially during the summer. Visiting family, seeing landmarks and historic sites, or activity trips full of tours, climbs and other physical pursuits will draw many of us out of the comforts of our A/C. In a perfect world, all of us would be there and back again with nothing but great memories. Unfortunately, our world becomes increasingly imperfect and that weighs more on the minds of travelers these days than ever before. How to keep yourself, and your family, safe in unfamiliar territory?
Travel within the US often means a road trip. AAA recommends that you always perform a safety check on your vehicle, even in normal conditions. Checking your tires, lights, belts, hoses, fluids and wipers are especially important when travelling long distance. If you get your tires from a major chain that has branches or affiliate stores nationwide, be sure to keep the information handy in your glovebox. If your tires are still under warranty, you should be able to get any problems handled more easily and at a pro-rated cost depending on the extent of the problem.
Travel abroad is still exciting and can be done on a budget. Increasingly, where you go is the main concern.
The State Department has a plan to help monitor their citizens while travelling or living abroad called the STEP Program. This program will alert the local consulate you are travelling to their particular destination and give you alerts to help plan. They can also contact you in an emergency situation. If you haven’t needed to think about it before, or it’s been awhile since you crafted a safety plan for travelling, consider brushing up with an online class like Travel Heroes. This will update your knowledge and give you a personalized, downloadable plan to take on your next adventure.
Of course, keeping up with the latest TSA information and knowing how early to get to the airport adds travel stress. You can apply for TSA Precheck status, which will keep you from needing to go through the main lines. With Precheck, there is no need to remove shoes, laptops, liquids or light jackets before moving through screening. An in-person interview and fingerprinting is required for approval, so make sure to start that process well before you plan to travel at https://www.tsa.gov/precheck It should also be noted that most, but not all, airlines and airports participate. Look at the lists provided in the above link to determine if you can use this service at your preferred destination(s).
Little things can make a big impact as well. Planning for avoiding stress at the accessory stage can help make your whole experience smoother. Dark luggage, sporty brands and possibly even leather, look great being zipped across an airport terminal – by you and thousands of other travelers! Nothing helps find your luggage faster than to make sure you don't have to quickly check the tags of several bags going round and round the belt because yours doesn’t look like anyone else’s. If you already have luggage in good shape, unique ID tags, patches or other modifications will help you to spot your bags quickly as they arrive.
Less is more when traveling. It is hard for some to do, but especially what you carry on the plane should be minimal. The advice is to never carry anything someone else asks you to and don’t leave luggage unattended. The less you have to keep an eye on and the smaller your baggage, the less of a target you become. As full as airlines stuff their planes these days, it’s also great to know you might have a smidgen of leg room left in coach!
Wherever you decide to go, however you travel, we at Zeckos hope you have a great time and come back with fun stories to tell your friends and family. Feel free to send us photos of our products in action through our Facebook or email us!