Overcoming Travel Fears
February 21, 2009
This week I have not progressed too far in the planning stages. Instead of planning, I have been thinking about fears that I have about travelling.
1. How much do I pack?
After reading Lauren M’s blog I started to worry about packing. I know I don’t have to worry about it for a while, but how big should my backpack be, and how full should I fill it? Searching tips I found that my backpack should only carry 20-30 pounds. Another interesting tip is to pack all similar colours so that my clothes will all mix and match.
2. Should I bring cash, travellers cheques or credit cards?
I worry about running out of cash, carrying too much cash and being charged crazy exchange rates on my credit card. I found out that most people use ATM’s while bringing a small amount of cash and some travellors cheques. One tip I found is to make sure that I have a chequing account because a lot of ATM’s in Europe do not have a “savings” option.
3. Theft on trains.
Because we are taking the train to many places, how can I ensure that my backpack does get stolen? I will have to purchase a lock for my backpack and try to have it near me, or sleep with it on trains as much as possible. I will need to have a “carry-on” bag with essentials in case something happens to my backpack, and I will have to keep all of my personal belongings on me. The tips I read were to be as safe as you can, but ultimately if someone is going to rob me, they will.
I feel a little more at ease about some of my worries. I still can’t wait to go.
When I was in France, one of my friends had her purse stolen, and another friend caught a woman trying to pick-pocket him. It might be a good idea to invest in a money belt. You can keep all of your valuable stuff in it and sleep easy knowing that you will wake-up if someone tries to get into it (or at least I hope you would wake-up because you wear it underneath your clothes).
As for cash, I just used ATMs while I was in both France and Italy. I never had to worry about having too much or too little money.
I am thinking about making a trip to Europe, probably next year since I haven’t even start my planning. But your fears are fears that I hadn’t even thought of, especially that of getting robbed. I know it does happen, but the thought of having to sleep with your backpack on a train is pretty scary.
A friend of mine was traveling through 18 different countries over the course of 6 months. He got his passport stolen while at a bar, which apparently is more common than most people realize because they are worth a lot of money. Make sure you always have your passport in a safe place at all times because the complications that arise trying to get a temporary passport will put you way out on your budget.
Keeping your passport on you does not ensure it won’t get stolen. It was on him when it was taken. I would go along with Megan’s suggestion. He made the same suggestion for money.