Here at Traveler, we have holiday travel tips for almost every scenario. The easiest and cheapest ways to travel with wine over Christmas? Done. How to simplify holiday travel with kids? You're covered. We even have thoughts on what holiday travel movies to binge when you can't sleep on a red-eye. (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, obviously.)
But what about the things we can't plan for? The wildfires and subway scares? How do you stay safe during the busiest travel time of the year? We put that question to Matthew Bradley, a 14-year veteran of the CIA who's now regional security director of Americas for International SOS, a medical and travel security risk services company.
"You can travel with confidence when you have anticipated the most likely scenarios and are prepared to handle them," he says.
Works for us. Here are ten of Bradley's tips for planning a vacation like a CIA operative.
1. Do your research.
Don't just show up somewhere and expect to be able to navigate it—investigate your destination in advance. Familiarize yourself with emergency numbers and note specific country restrictions like electrical outlet wattage, local customs, and holidays. If you're traveling abroad, helpful resources include the CIA World Factbook, State Department websites, and local news outlets. And remember those little things called guidebooks? They can help you anticipate specific risks like “avoid the walk across the bridge at night” and “take small change to pay the taxi driver," says Bradley.
2. Leave the diamond rings at home.
If there was a time to be even more ruthless with your "to-pack" list, this is it. "Anything worth more than $100 will be considered valuable in a developing country," says Bradley. "Anything that looks valuable, like costume jewelry, will be considered valuable by a criminal, and criminals won’t ask its worth or assume the traveler is too poor to afford the genuine article." He suggests you leave behind anything with sentimental value or that can't be easily replaced—"rare or antique items, or anything like diamond earrings and pendants that appear expensive. Consider bringing your wedding band and leaving the big diamond ring behind, or make sure the ring is insured for loss and theft." Watches, earrings, necklaces and any other item above $500 should be insured if you take it on the trip.
3. Stay in touch with family or friends.
This isn't just for holiday travel, but a good rule to follow in general: Leave a copy of your itinerary with at least two friends or family members, and tell them the best way to reach you. Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, or STEP, a free service for Americans to register their trip and get messages in case trouble comes up during their travels. (It also helps family members get in touch with you if they're having trouble doing so through regular channels.)
4. Arrive early.
The holidays are some of the busiest travel days of the year, and with that comes the inevitable delays. Allot plenty of time to get through security checkpoints, and keep an eye on your TSA wait time.
5. Pre-arrange transportation.
To safely get around a foreign city, Bradley recommends travelers use official airport taxis, taxis arranged by a hotel, and familiar ride-share apps like Uber. If you're planning on renting a car, familiarize yourself with the driving rules and customs in the destination before you're, say, pulling away from the airport. "A fender bender with a local is the quickest way to ruin day one of your vacation," he says.
6. Keep a low profile.
It may sound obvious, but avoiding wearing hot pink short shorts and Rolexes goes a long way. "Travelers should consider [that] they are guests in a foreign country and behave as they would if they were guests in someone’s house," says Bradley. This includes being respectful of local customs and dressing appropriately. If shorts in public are inappropriate, don't wear them. If women need to cover their heads, they should be prepared to do so.
7. Travel in groups.
We're all for solo travel, but unfortunately, solo travelers are more of an attractive target than a group of people. That doesn't mean solo travel is off the table. Instead, Bradley suggests solo travelers hire a reputable driver or consider joining a group for portions of a trip. Always let someone know where you're going and when you're planning to return—and then confirm with them when you've returned safely.
8. Book the right hotel room.
Use the in-room safe to store your valuables. Always deadbolt your room door when inside. Familiarize yourself with the exits, and choose a room toward the middle of the hallway and above the ground floor—rooms near the stairs provide an opportunity for an attacker to surprise the guest and make a quick getaway, while rooms near the elevator don't give guests much time to determine if someone is following them or just on the same floor, says Bradley. Travelers should consider packing a rubber doorstop to put under the door in case there isn't a deadbolt, as chains are easy to break. (Another pro tip? Slide a fork, facedown, under your door.)
9. Pay attention to your whereabouts.
In a foreign country, it can be hard to immediately know what's out of place. If you spend a few days in the same place, says Bradley, pay attention to details so you'll be better able to detect when something doesn't feel quite right. An example? "Seeing the same person repeatedly in different places at different times is unusual," he says. "This is also how we confirmed if someone was following us at the CIA."
10. Leave your passport in your hotel room.
Plan ahead, and take only as much cash as you need for the day's activities. Otherwise, take an ATM card to withdraw cash in small amounts if you need it. (Spare cash can be hidden in inside pockets, a money belt, or even inside a shoe or sock.) Keep spare cash, cameras, tablets, and laptops in the hotel safe or out of sight in bags in your hotel, and leave your passport in your room, too, unless you know you need it for identification.
"In more than 20 years of traveling, I have never heard of anyone whose passport was stolen from their hotel room. I have heard myriad stories of passports lost or stolen on the street. No passport, no exit from the country," says Bradley, noting that he uses his driver's license as an ID when he leaves a hotel. A copy of your passport is not usually necessary except in some developing countries. If unsure, travelers can ask the hotel if they need to carry a copy with them.