Travel safety tips for youth travellers: A guide for travel safety organisations
Travelling provides young people with enriching experiences, helping them explore new cultures and environments and broaden their perspectives. However, ensuring that young travellers remain safe and prepared throughout their journey is essential for organisations that specialise in travel safety.
This guide will focus on key travel safety strategies and recommendations tailored for organisations aiming to protect and support youth travellers.
Pre-trip planning
Organisations play a crucial role in setting young travellers up for a safe, enjoyable journey. Here are several proactive steps to encourage pre-trip planning:
- Travel insurance: Emphasise how medical and trip insurance offers security in case of accidents, health issues, or travel disruptions.
- Promote safety-rated destinations: Provide resources on safe destinations, particularly for first-time travellers. Highlight regions known for safety and accessibility to emergency services.
- Book through trusted platforms: recommend booking accommodations, flights, and transportation through well-known, secure platforms. This approach minimises the risk of falling victim to scams.
Arrival safety ‘to-do’ list
Upon arrival, establishing security and convenience helps youth travellers settle in safely and quickly. Travel safety organisations can provide these essential tips:
- Reliable connectivity with eSIM packages: Promote eSIM packages or local SIMs for connectivity, ensuring they can easily access information as needed.
- Financial safety tips: Suggest opening local bank accounts for travellers staying longer, or, for shorter stays, carrying internationally accepted debit or credit cards rather than cash. It is important to recommend banks or financial services that are reputable.
- Navigating local requirements: advise travellers on acquiring essential local IDs or temporary numbers, such as SSN or PPS, depending on their location. This helps them navigate services like healthcare or financial transactions effectively.
Adjusting to a new home
Adapting to a new environment, especially for an extended stay, can bring challenges. Here’s how organisations can help ease the transition:
- Support for culture shock and homesickness: recommend local clubs, hobby groups, or organisations that provide activities young travellers enjoy. These networks offer a sense of community and support.
- Online interaction tips: Encourage vigilance when interacting with people online. Educate travellers on common social media scams, such as catfishing, and emphasise the importance of verifying identities.
- Identifying local scams: Offer resources on identifying scams specific to the region, such as common tourist traps or financial scams.
Recommended safety products
Offering reliable safety products can be a strong differentiator for organisations working with youth travellers. Below are essential items and services organisations can recommend:
- Anti-theft gear: suggest anti-theft backpacks, locks, and RFID-blocking wallets to safeguard against pickpocketing in crowded areas.
- Safety wearables: Provide options for wearables that enable real-time location tracking or emergency SOS features, particularly beneficial for solo travellers or those in unfamiliar areas.
- Emergency support services: Ensure travellers are aware of emergency contact numbers for the local area, embassy information, and emergency hotlines for urgent situations.
By encouraging proactive planning, local adaptation, and equipping travellers with reliable products, organisations can instill confidence and ease in young adventurers, allowing them to focus on making lasting memories.
