Travel warning: Credit card cloning is back, but here’s how to stop it
If you thought your new credit card and a fancy RFID-blocking wallet will protect you from credit card scams when you travel, I’ve got some bad news for you.
Safe Travels
A biweekly column about travel safety and how to protect yourself when you’re on the road. Safe Travels is sponsored by Travel Guard, which offers broad coverage, including travel medical expense, trip cancellation, and more. Whether across the country or the globe, Travel Guard has you covered.
Should you buy travel insurance at checkout — or skip it?
You’re minutes away from confirming your dream vacation. You’ve selected a flight, hotel and rental car. And then you see the question: “Add travel insurance to protect your trip for just $89?
Your credit card isn’t as safe as you think when you travel. Here’s the fix.
Eric Finkel thought he’d dodged a bullet on a recent visit to Vietnam. His hotel “accidentally” charged his credit card $1,500 instead of the correct amount of $66. The staff immediately cancelled the erroneous charge right in front of him.
This is what you need to know about your neighborhood before you travel
When his cab pulled up to a rental apartment in Lisbon, Walter Meyer knew he was in trouble. The building was crumbling, and the neighborhood looked sketchy. Even his taxi driver — a local who’d probably seen it all — seemed to hesitate before rolling to a stop.
This is the most dangerous thing you can do when you travel
It never crossed my mind that the most dangerous thing in Nairobi would be on the road. A mosquito carrying an exotic disease or a hippopotamus, maybe. But when I boarded a bus — and then gripped the seat in front of me in panic as it nearly collided with several vehicles on the road — I knew I was wrong.
Ski patrol won’t save you from a $30,000 rescue bill. But this might.
When it comes to skiing, it may be impossible to have too much travel insurance coverage.
How to find the best packing cube and use it to outsmart an airline
One of Wes Wakefield’s favorite travel hacks is a packing cube. These small, inexpensive accessories can help you fit more clothes into your luggage than you probably thought possible.
The truth about drinking water abroad that could save your next vacation
You’re sipping a margarita at the beach in Mexico when you realize the ice may have been made with tap water. You brush your teeth in Bali, accidentally swallowing a drop. Hours later, you’re chained to a bathroom, your dream trip collapsing like a house of cards.
Your next trip could be riskier than you think — here’s why (and how to adapt)
Colombia has been at the top of Seann Malloy’s bucket list for years, so he recently started planning a solo trip to Cartagena and Medellín. He looked forward to sipping tinto coffee at a cafe and strolling the beach at Playa Blanca.
Holiday travel safety: Here’s what could go wrong — and how you can avoid it
What are you afraid of this holiday travel season? Missing your flight? Losing your luggage? Getting stuck in bad weather?