I know we all want to have a great trip but it’s wise to be aware of potential pitfalls and hazards.  But don’t fret, it’s obvious that to have the best time when travelling that  we need to be in top condition and stay this way.  As usual, a small degree of organisation coupled to some research will go a long way towards your trouble-free enjoyment of that well-deserved break!  Safety considerations are always a priority in my Europe travel planning.

I bet you didn’t expect a helicopter to land on you when skiing! By Joe Shlabotnik

Our natural instincts caution us to be more wary when in unfamiliar surroundings, and it is most important that we should trust and rely upon them when in an unknown environment. In any case, remember that most accidents happen at or near home, and one of the reasons for this is that we are more relaxed and our guard tends to be down in places/circumstances that we (think) we know and understand.

Most people take a light-hearted approach to holiday safety. Although they are cautious, they do not spend too much time thinking about the negative but focus instead on the positive, interesting and exciting, shutting away any concerns that may arise. On the whole, this is a successful approach, as they tend to relax and have a good time.

I don’t advocate going around constantly worried about all real and imaginary possibilities of coming to harm but when in doubt and if something is not immediately obvious or intuitive simply don’t do it before taking advice from a trusted source.

Here are Europe a la Carte’s top 10 tips for safe travel.

PRE-TRAVEL

1. Health: Travel is both physically and mentally demanding. Make sure you are up to the task, possibly seeing your doctor before you travel. Check online with the foreign ministry’s travel advisory, and if necessary get vaccinated. Get the appropriate exemption forms for the country you are visiting (e.g. UK citizens may be entitled to a certain level of emergency health care in most the EU counties – for some advice visit). Pack painkiller, anti-acid and diarrhoea tablets.

2. Contact Information: Inform people at home where you will be, make some contact during your travels (phone or email) and give a date of return. Roaming mobile phones, PDAs and laptops/netbooks make keeping in touch much easier and inexpensive.Leave a photocopy of your travel documents with a family member of friend.

3. Clothing: Should be appropriate for your destination and the type of activities that you plan to do. Sturdy shoes and hats add to your protection.

4. Insurance: Never travel without travel insurance which should be with a trusted provider and ensure that all eventualities such as damage to belongings, medical bills, costs of repatriation etc are covered. Don’t stint on cover level, it could be to your very high cost. Annual insurance cover for those travelling often usually works out cheapest.

WHEN TRAVELLING

4. Security and Health: Never let your bags out of your sight, do not carry anything for people you don’t absolutely trust. Take plenty of liquid (but no alcohol) and exercise your legs by walking between the aisles during flights. Try to arrive at your destination during daylight/working hours.

AT DESTINATION

5. Be aware of potential risks: Do not self-impose a false sense of security and do not make yourself a target. You can still suffer from weather (including ‘good weather’, e.g. sunburns/sunstroke) and accidents. Leave valuables in the hotel safe, so as not to advertise yourself as a tourist, make an effort to look and behave ‘local’ – it makes good sense anyway!

Some driving hazards can be quite cute! By exfordy

7. Walking around: Travel in a group and avoid natural and man-made hazards. Safe areas are obvious. However, it is sometimes easy to cross into unsafe zones without realizing it – exit these as soon as you get the inkling – vandalism, excessive quiet, groups hanging around are all signs to look out for.

8. Food and drink: A wonderful part of the travel experience is to sample local delicacies and drinks. However, what the locals may well be used to could be a source of great discomfort for the unwary traveller. Whenever uncertain use bottled water. Only eat at clean-looking restaurants and start with tiny amounts of food that you are not familiar with (the Greeks must know of this, otherwise they wouldn’t have invented the meze). Once you are more ‘acclimatized’ you can expand your repertoire to include those exotic morsels.

9. Entertainment: If you are not normally a ‘raver’ at home, stick to your good habits! If drinking alcohol, only do so in a group and in moderation, with due consideration to the additional effects the local climate can have on you.

10. Meeting strangers: It should be part of the holiday experience to make new friends, both amongst fellow travellers and locals to the destination. It is usually much easier meeting people in the relaxed atmosphere of a group, or even when single. However, it may be more difficult to make first contact when travelling as a couple as people tend to assume that you want t be left alone. As usual, if someone intends you harm it should become obvious quite quickly. Use your instincts to avoid trouble and only frequent places you feel safe at.

We do hope that these tips will enhance your holiday experience. Leave a comment if you feel that we have missed out on anything important.