As the year ends, many of us are thinking about our travel plans for next year. While it’s great to plan ahead, we should also plan for any eventualities. We live in uncertain times and it’s wise to take steps to protect ourselves and our investment. Below are some steps to safeguard your travel. 

1. Pray – Prayer is the ultimate travel hack. Pray about where to travel, when to travel and who to travel with. If you have peace after you pray, go. If you don’t have peace, don’t go.

2. Use a travel agent. Discuss with your agent how they can help you in case of an emergency. You also want to ask about the policies on cancellations, refunds etc. If you are taking a group trip, the trip curator is often a travel agent and should be able to answer these questions you have.

3. Pay for trips with a credit card. Most cards offer protections such as travel insurance, trip cancellation insurance and baggage delay insurance.

4. Get travel insurance. I know, it sounds redundant since some credit cards offer travel protections. But you want to get travel insurance to cover things not covered by your credit card. Things like emergency and medical evacuations. Make sure you take a copy of your policy and all pertinent contact information with you.

5. Share your itinerary and travel insurance policy with a friend or family member back home. In case of emergency, this person can provide authorities with your itinerary or contact the insurance company if you cannot.

6. Enroll in STEP. Use STEP to notify the Department of State (DOS) that you are in another country. Enrolling provides DOS with your contact information so they can reach you in case of emergency. Between providing passport information when booking international flights and going through customs at the airport, they probably already know but it doesn’t hurt to be sure. And if you are traveling in an area that is experiencing unrest, this is a necessary precaution.

7. Read the fine print. Read the fine print on your travel package, the contract with the travel agent and your travel insurance documents. Make sure you understand the terms that you are agreeing to and that you have contact information if you have any questions. 

This concludes my 2024 vlogmas run! I hope that you found the content informative and helpful. I wish you and your families a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous new year and plenty of fun travel! Cheers to 2025!