Gap Year and Volunteering Abroad Safety Travel Tips

One of the exciting parts about traveling is the unknown factor. When you in a foreign country, in different cultures or just away from home it’s always exciting to experience things that are outside ones comfort or cultural zones. Unfortunately these unknowns can be a negative thing too, crime is a very real thing and is something that one must be aware of.

WorkTravelSA.org has compiled a couple of abroad safety travel tips that will hopefully be of some use to any new travelers or volunteers.

1. Research

It’s always a good idea to do a little online reading on the country you planning to visit. A simple Google.com news (news.google.com) search on the country will also help in getting a better understanding of any possible political/government instabilities in your destination country.

2. Theft

Cellphones
Unfortunately this is a reality in any country and it’s a good idea to be prepared
for this. What we recommend is to make a list of important contact numbers that you will need to cancel cellphone contracts. A extra tip - it’s good practice to make use of password protection on your cellphone, which can prevent high phone bills. Each cell phone also has a unique identification code known as the IMEI code (pressing *#06# on your mobile will show it’s IMEI number) - keep record of this number in case your cellphone provider requires it.

Credit Cards
Credit cards are very useful when traveling but can also be a threat. Once again it’s a good idea to keep record of some contact numbers in case the credit card gets stolen.

3. Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is a must for anyone leaving there country. What is important to note is that gap year /volunteering travel insurance is different to your normal annual vacation insurance. It’s vital that you make sure your travel insurance company covers you while performing your gap year or volunteering tasks.

Highlight any health issues that you might have, these are all factors that can effect your insurance and if not mentioned it could prevent insurance payouts. Remember when you in a foreign country you don’t want to have unnecessary hassles, especially when it comes to your health. So communicate as much as possible to the travel insurance people.

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