8 Essential Passport Safety Tips

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8 Essential Passport Safety TipsPassports open the door to a world of opportunities. Without one, however, the door to those opportunities could be closed in your face. If you lose this all-important document, you maymiss out on a travel event, or have great difficulty returning home. How can you keep your passport safe?

8 Essential Passport Safety Tips

Treat your passport as if it is irreplaceable, keeping it safe with the following tips:

  1. Put your passport under lock and key.
    Top business travel agencies know today’s travelers must be mindful of safety in all arenas, keeping a watchful eye out for travel scams, and properly securing valuables. When you are not out-and-about, be sure to keep your passport under lock and key. Keep in mind, however, hotel safes are not foolproof. A small portable lockbox hidden and attached to an immovable piece of hotel furniture may offer enhanced security.
  2. Keep it on you.
    When you need your passport, wear it on your body. However, don’t put it in your wallet, which could be pickpocketed. Use a wraparound money belt, wearing it beneath your clothing instead. Consider one that blocks RFID scanners to protect the information embedded on your passport’s security chip.
  3. Practice the ‘one person, one passport’ rule.
    This can result in losing multiple passports at once. The only exception: Kids. Spread their passports equally amongst adults.
  4. Bring a copy.
    Carrying a copy protects you not only from theft, but from yourself. Accidents happen, and it is not uncommon for valuables (including your passport) to get lost or misplaced on trips. Copies make it easier in the event you need passport replacement. Copy both the photo and signature pages. Keep the copy/copies separate from the original. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – divvying copies up keeps you from losing everything in the event of theft.
  5. Leave copies of your passport behind.
    Leave a copy behind at home and place a copy in your luggage. Always store these separate from the original. Proof of your passport image, signature, and number makes it far easier to obtain a replacement.
  6. Do not let anyone hold your passport.
    In some countries, hotels will ask to keep your passport as part of the area or business’ travel management Be wary of this practice, requesting they hold a copy instead.
  7. Check on your passport regularly.
    Check regularly to ensure your passport is safe – but do this in private. You never know who’s watching for opportunities to steal your passport.
  8. Know your options in the event of passport loss.
    The best business travel companies will recommend travel insurance with coverage for lost/stolen passport incidences. Some even cover emergency passport replacement costs and help you find area passport offices in the event your passport is stolen while away.

 

On your way to bigger and better places? Get there safely with the help of GTI Travel today.

https://traveltips.usatoday.com/keep-passports-safe-traveling-105777.html

https://www.travelinsurancereview.net/tips-and-advice/travel-safety-tips/passport-travel-safety-tips/

https://www.corporatetravelsafety.com/safety-tips/important-passport-security-tips/

https://news.airtreks.com/2011/10/5-indispensable-passport-safety-tips-for-travelers/

 

Top 10 Destinations on the US Travel Advisory List

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Top 10 Destinations on the US Travel Advisory ListWith a new year of business, comes a new year of business travel planning, and your business has a moral and legal responsibility to ensure the safety of traveling employees. Before planning work endeavors for employees abroad, it is essential to always verify the safety of travel destinations, especially when travel is to a foreign country.

How to Ensure Safety

The best travel management companies know how to keep your employees safe, staying abreast of the latest travel advisory levels. What are travel advisory levels? The U.S. Department of State issues travel advisory warnings based on international dangers, updating the status when changes occur with the concern/situation at hand. Conditions can change rapidly at any time, from natural disasters to political unrest, terror threats, crime, health risks, and more.

Travel Advisory Levels to Watch Out for:

The latest system, revised in January of 2018 to include every country in the world, breaks down advisory levels into the following categories:

  • Level 4: Do Not Travel
  • Level 3: Reconsider Travel
  • Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
  • Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions

Top 10 Destinations on the Most Recent U.S. Travel Advisory List

The U.S. Department of State strongly recommends AGAINST travel to the following regions, assigning them each a ‘Level 4: Do Not Travel’ in their most recent travel advisories:

  1. Venezuela (Updated 1/29/19)
  2. Somalia (Updated 12/26/18)
  3. North Korea (Updated 12/19/18)
  4. South Sudan (Updated 12/11/18)
  5. Iraq (Updated 10/18/18)
  6. Iran (Updated 10/10/18)
  7. Central African Republic (Updated 10/03/18)
  8. Syria (Updated 09/10/18)
  9. Mali (Updated 08/13/18)
  10. Libya (Updated 08/08/18)

Other countries designated a ‘Level 4’ risk at this time also include Afghanistan and Yemen, updated in July of 2018. All of those countries designated a ‘Level 4’ risk are environments suffering serious issues such as war, famine, political unrest, and other perilous dangers.

What to Do if Travel to Affected Regions is Necessary

The U.S Department of State and top business travel agencies recommend the following when employees must visit a country with a standing travel advisory:

  • Be SMART
    Talk to your corporate travel planning agent about STEP, the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. Enrolling in STEP is a free service and will ensure employees receive essential information from the Embassy about key safety issues, as well as facilitate location by the U.S. Embassy more easily in the event of an emergency.
  • Know Before You Go
    Review country crime and safety reports with employees before travel, staying abreast of the latest information by following the Department of State on social networks on Facebook and Twitter.
  • Keep in Touch
    Via social media, with frequent status updates.
  • Have a Contingency Plan
    Ensure employees take all necessary health precautions, as well as plan an evacuation procedure in advance that does not rely on the involvement of the U.S. government, considering emergency evacuation insurance.

Looking for a corporate travel agent in Philadelphia who watches out for your best interests? Learn more about GTI Travel today.