Vacations should be a time spent having fun and relaxing. By taking a few extra precautions while traveling, you can prevent yourself, or your friends and family, from being a victim of crime. Long & Foster Insurance, a leading independent insurance agency that represents many of the nation’s top rated insurance companies, and Travelers, a leading provider of auto and homeowners insurance, offer these safety tips to help you, your friends and family have a fun and safe vacation.

• Do not carry large amounts of cash. Use traveler’s checks that can usually be replaced within 24 hours.
• Use ATMs only during daylight. If you must use one after dark, find a well-lit, busy area like a grocery store.
• Leave copies of trip information with friends or family at home. This includes credit card numbers, passport numbers, plane tickets and itinerary information, and phone numbers for your credit card companies.
• Keep your credit cards, cash, passport and plane tickets separate.
• Wear a “money purse” underneath your clothes that contains passport, phone numbers for credit card companies, and a small amount of cash, should your wallet get stolen.
• Carry a “dummy” wallet in your back pocket containing $20, which, if you were to be mugged, would satisfy the robber without draining all your funds.
• Have your mail delivery stopped while on vacation. If you have a neighbor retrieving mail and newspapers while you are away, ensure that they will be there every day. Nothing says an empty house like a stack of mail or newspapers at the front door.
• Do not assume your personal documents are safe in your hotel. Lock them in a safe while the room is unoccupied.
• Have separate ATM, debit and credit cards and make sure that you need a PIN for in-store use of a debit card, not only for the ATM.
• Do not hang purses on the back of bathroom stall doors because it’s very easy for someone to reach over the door and grab it.
• Leave your checkbook at home. If your checks are stolen, it’s difficult to cancel them and track their use. Plus, if someone re-orders checks in your name, you won’t realize it until you receive your bank statement.
• Only carry credit cards that you will need on vacation. Leave cards for particular department stores or things like gas cards at home.
• Remember that your credit card number is on your plane tickets, so treat them as you would a credit card.
• Cover ATM key pads when entering your PIN. People could be watching over your shoulder, or even from a distance, and then later attempt to steal your wallet and use this information.
• Use common sense when traveling. Do not draw attention to yourself as a tourist. Avoid reading maps in a busy, high-traffic area, carry your camera in a tote bag rather than the carrying case, and do not flaunt large amounts of cash when removing money from your wallet or pocket.

Your homeowners, condo or renters insurance policy may cover loss or damage of your personal items while traveling, up to specified limits. Take time before you go on vacation to compile a personal property inventory, which helps determine replacement cost of lost items. Document each item’s year of purchase and original price. Items that may exceed policy limits, such as jewelry, cameras and golf equipment, need additional protection such as Travelers valuable items insurance. To ensure you have the coverage you need, contact your insurance agent.

For information and quotes on insurance coverage, please visit www.LongandFoster.com/Insurance.