By Samuetta Hill Drew
This is the third traveling safety article in our series and there are several important safety pre-trip details travelers must address prior to driving or flying to their ultimate destination. With technology playing an integral part of our daily lives now, it has become important not to ignore those technological safety items which should be checked off your pre-trip checklist.
Starting with your home security system double-check to make sure your alarm system is working properly. Some security systems allow you to stop and start professional monitoring without any contract or penalties. Find out if your home security system allows you to turn on 24/7 monitoring while you are on vacation. This way you are able to keep an eye on your home the entire time you are away.
Make sure your closed-circuit television (CCTV) is functioning. It should have the capacity to store footage and will work if you plan to access it via the internet while you are away.
Check to make sure all your security lighting/motion detection is working. Purchase replacements, if needed, and have them installed prior to your trip.
Also, check to make sure your smartphone will work while you are vacationing. You do not want to experience any problems, especially if you are traveling to a remote area where cell phone use may be a little spotty or impossible. Cell phone use is likely at most destinations around the world, but you want to confirm your usage prior to your trip.
For domestic travel, you can check your cell phone provider’s coverage maps. If you want to be certain, contact them directly.
If you are traveling out of the country, you should alert your cell phone provider where you are going and when. Check if you need to take special steps or set up a temporary plan to ensure that you can use your cell phone without encountering any problems or getting surprise fees. You may also wish to visit your provider’s website for more information.
Alert your bank and credit card companies before your trip. Naturally, you want to be able to access funds for your day-to-day activities while on vacation. But withdrawing funds from an ATM thousands of miles away could look like suspicious activity on your bank account. This may prompt the bank’s fraud department to freeze your bank account which you definitely do not want any time, but especially while vacationing. This would result in your transactions being declined.
To ensure that you will not have a problem, notify your bank or credit union about when and where you will be traveling while vacationing. You can check additional travel tips for credit cards by going to the NerdWallet website.
Well, you are almost ready for that trip. Next week we will continue with more safety tips to help you Keep an Eye on Safety while vacationing.
