I know that some of you may be familiar with the term “Bug Out Bag” from the Survivalist. But I have developed over the years what I call a Travel Bug Out bag. And it all can fit in a waterproof credit card sized case around your neck.
I recommend every traveler carry this Travel kit with them on their person at all times, while on vacation (especially out of the country). This is especially important if you are traveling solo. But even if traveling with family, every adult should keep their own Travel Bug Out Bag with them. Parents should keep the info. for the kids if they are young. Women don’t say, well I’ll keep this for my husband in my purse. Or let your husband keep your information and his with him. What if you get separated from your spouse or partner during an emergency. You need to discuss in advance, and have a plan of where to go in a disaster, which may be to just get to the airport or get to the nearest Embassy for our home country.
Have Travel Bug Out Bag with you even if you on a beach excursion. Don’t say, Oh well, I’ll keep all this info. in my hotel room. You never know if something may happen and you are not able to get back to your hotel, get to your phone, or your phone battery could be dead that has this information. This information and emergency cash and cards need to be with you just in case there is some big emergency and you need to leave the country you are visiting with just the clothes on your back. And you can put all this information in a waterproof case around your neck if you at the beach, or in you purse or wallet (for guys) if you are around and about town.
Waterproof (credit card sized swim case). It could be the slightly larger one, but I like the credit card sized because I can keep it around my neck when I’m at the beach or doing an excursion. I also recommend getting a solid color one, instead of the clear one, so no one can see you have money in it.
In this Travel Bug Out Bag, I recommend you keeping the following:
- Color Copy of your Passport with the page open showing your picture and passport number and expiration details, etc. (MOST IMPORTANT). Make sure it is a Color Copy, if at all possible.
- Another ID, Iike your driver’s license (optional, not as important as your passport copy)
- 1 Credit Card
- 1 Debit Card
- Money (Cash) – Not a lot, but enough to get you a taxi to the airport and a meal or two. This should be in the visiting country’s local currency. Enough for a day or two of food and money for a taxi ride. I’ll let you decide how much money you need to carry with you.
- Return Flight Dates/Times and Airline Reservation Number(s). Create a document that condenses those large pages of your flight information, into a small document that is just about 1/3 to 1/2 sheet of paper. Print it out and put in your waterproof Travel Bug out Bag case:
- Print out of the addresses and phone numbers of your country’s embassies. I am an American, so I print out the US Embassies where I’m visiting.
- Dates and Times of your Travel
- Airline
- Reservation Number (not the booking agency Itinerary number, but the Reservation Number you need to give to your airline, so they can locate your flight information. This is usually a
6 digit long number that is a combination of numbers and letters.). This is VERY important to have on you. - Print out a list of all the hotels and their addresses you are staying at during your stay.
- Print out of the closest Embassy for your home country. I’m a US Citizen, so I print out the addresses and phone number for the US Embassies near where I will be.
- Your Travel Insurance Policy Number and their Contact Numbers. Depending on where you are traveling to, you may want to verify that they will accept your insurance policy or they will expect cash payment from you before the doctor will see you. Check with your insurance company to see if they will reimburse you for medical expenses incurred in the country you will be traveling to (assuming you are doing international travel). If they don’t, it is a good idea to go ahead and have the peace of mind of getting the travel insurance. You have spent so much on the trip. Is saving $200 or $300 more worth the risk of possible financial ruin if you have to bear the cost of a medical evacuation to the nearest hospital, and that helicopter ride costs you $75,000 or $100.000. Don’t take the risk, you will sleep sounder at night.
I’m not an alarmist. But in this day and time, this is something that will make you feel at ease and that you can control any unexpected situation. It is like how you feel on a cruise after you get on and they give you the fire drill and you know that you will have a life boat. You can then relax and know what you are supposed to do in an unlikely emergency situation.
And for those of you who are so tied to your phone that you say, As I said earlier, don’t count on your phones in a real disaster. Also don’t say, I have all this info. in my hotel room with my other papers. You might not be able to safely return to your hotel. That is why this info. should be kept on you at all times, so you can at least make it to the Embassy or the airport and leave the country you are visiting and make it back to your home country safely.
It is just something to give you peace of mind in this every changing world. Some people believe that you should keep your passport on you at all time while on vacation. I personally feel you should keep a color copy of your passport on you at all times, and have your actual passport locked up in your hotel safe.