Travel Tips on Staying Safe while Traveling during COVID

Mary Yohannan on

How to pack a suit case

Travel is starting back up!  At Life is Better Traveling we have seen a huge increase in the amount of bookings for travel in 2021.  People really want to travel even if that means a long weekend at a hotel. However, our clients do have concerns about the safety protocols of their hotels. So we have put together some tips on how to stay safe when staying in a hotel?

1. Call the hotel – You should make sure to find out what the actual hotel you are staying at is doing to keep things clean.  The hotel chain may have their cleaning polices on their main website, but it doesn’t mean that all hotels are following those practices.  You should call the actual hotel and ask them what they are doing to ensure there is no contamination between guest. 

2. Wipe down your suitcase – if you just came off an airplane you might not even be thinking of all the surfaces your suitcase has touched.  It is a good idea to wipe down or spray down your suitcase before even bringing it into your hotel room.  Don’t forget to get sanitize those wheels and handles.

3. Take off your shoes – I know it is normal for some people to wear shoes around their house.  Your hotel room is your house when your away from your home so you may want to wear your shoes around your room.  Unfortunately, your shoes hold onto a lot of stuff including viruses.  That stuff then is all over your hotel room.  Anything that falls on the floor is subject to getting contaminated. 

4. Do your own sanitation – The hotel staff have many rooms that they need to clean so they may miss cleaning a remote control here and there.  I would recommend bringing your own sanitizing wipes to wipe down some of the commonly touched areas including:

  • Remote controls
  • Phone and end tables
  • Door Handles
  • Toilet seat and handle
  • shower and sink handles
  • desk top and any pens
  • books/brochures in the room
Wiping down remotes

5. Bring your own toiletries – I know that I use the toiletries at some of the hotels.  Many of them are great brands so why not!  Right now, might not be the best time to use all of the toiletries.  I would avoid using any toothbrushes, toothpaste, shared shampoos, conditioners, or soaps, and glassware or silverware that the hotel provides to you.  I would personally bring my own cups and throw away silverware, along with everything else I need. 

These are just a few things that can help you have peace of mind when traveling.  When in doubt wash your hands and sanitize. 

Need help planning your next vacation? Nervous about traveling with the new regulations? At Life is Better Traveling we have a team of travel agents who are ready to help you plan. We have been staying on top of the new rules and regulations so you can have peace of mind when you travel. Contact us today by simply filling out the form below.

5 Travel scams to avoid when traveling

Liz Hough on

Travel Scam #1: Free Items – Be aware of people who approach you with “Free” items, especially items that they try to put onto your body such as a bracelet or necklace. Many times the person will put on the bracelet and then demand money from you. When you don’t pay them they start to make a scene drawing attention to them and you. 

  • What to do: Avoid having people put anything onto your body and when someone tells you that it is “Free” believe that it is NOT “Free”

Travel Scam #2: Taxi Drivers – Taxi drivers get a bad reputation but that is because some of them do have a bad reputation. There are two scams I would like to let you know about with taxi cab drives.

Be aware of a taxi driver who refuses to turn on their meter as soon as you get into their taxi cab. Sometimes they will tell you that you can get a better rate only to take you on the scenic drive and you end up paying a lot more. Also, taxi cab drivers will start to ask you a lot of questions to get you talking while distracting you from knowing how long you have been in their taxi cab. Again, when they are VERY interested in knowing about you they are also increasing the meter which means costing you more money.

  • What to do: Make sure to have the driver turn on the meter before you start to move to ensure that the meter is actually working. Find out in advance which taxi cab companies are reputable. If the driver starts to ask a lot of questions, tell them you are tired and just really want to get to your hotel.

Be aware of the taxi cab driver who tells you your hotel is overbooked or closed. Many times, they will tell you this and then make a recommendation which is a more expensive hotel, and they pocket a large commission.

  • What to do: If your hotel is truly overbooked or closed your travel agent will let you know in advance or your hotel will contact you directly. If you have not received information from either one of these two places, then your hotel is ready for your stay. 

Travel Scam #3: ATM Scams – These are becoming more and more popular. Sometimes a “friendly” person will come up and tell you that you can avoid the service fees. They tell you to cancel out and put your pin number in again so they can show where to avoid the fees. While this happening another person close by is gathering your information from a reader. Also, someone might approach you after you have left the ATM saying that you dropped $20 or 20 Euros. Don’t take the money, this is scam. They want to know where on you your wallet is so they can bump into you later and take your wallet is located. Men, always put your wallet in your front pocket.   

  • What to do: Do not let anyone distract you at the ATM. If someone comes up to you while at the ATM cancel your transaction, take your card, and leave. Also, don’t let anyone know where on you your wallet is. 

Travel Scam #4: Hotel Calls during sleeping hours – Be aware of scammers who call your hotel room saying they want to confirm the credit card information that they have on file. They may tell you that they have this card with the last four digits of something you don’t have, which then prompts you to give them the correct credit card information. The hotel collects your information during booking and at check-in or check-out. They will not call you in your room to collect information. 

  • What to do: If you do get a phone call to your room, politely tell the person that you will come downstairs to give them your information. If they tell you that you don’t have to do that they can do it all over the phone, tell them you prefer to do it in person or not at all. 

Travel Scam #5: Free Food – Be aware of the free food that is brought to your table. In the U.S. we are very accustomed to having bread brought to our table while we are waiting for our meals to arrive. However, when you are in a foreign country many times the waiter will bring you various small dishes of appetizers like pickles, cheese, etc. They will tell you that it is part of your meal but when the bill comes you have various extra charges for those appetizers sometimes as much as the meal. 

  • What to do: if the waiter comes with something you didn’t order then question what it is and why they brought it to your table. Do not accept anything that you didn’t order and if they put it on the table and leave, take it right back to the kitchen. 

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation.  Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs. 

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Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

 

 

 

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