By Becci Coombes of www.girlstravelclub.co.uk providing travel accessories, essential gear and advice for women travellers.
1 Hanging the “Do Not Disturb” sign on your hotel door when you go out should help deter thieves.
2 Elasticated bandage can make a great little hidden money/card safe. Wear a section doubled up round your ankle or calf and tuck your notes in it.
3 Keep some change in a small purse for paying for taxis, drinks etc. so you don’t have to sort through wads of cash in public!
4 Make sure you keep luggage labels covered, or tucked into a pocket so thieves can’t read the address of the property you’ve just left empty; I also always pin an extra luggage tag on the inside of my bags in case the outer ones get ripped off by some brute of a baggage handler!
5 One of the key ways to stay safe is to look like you know where you’re going and have spent your whole life sauntering confidently through foreign streets; even if you have no idea where you are, then go and relax with a drink in the nearest coffee shop so you can study your map at leisure.
6 Take a tiny dynamo torch. Put it by your bed as soon as you unpack so you’ll be able to find your way out in the dark if you have to, and make sure you check where the nearest exit is before you go to bed.
7 Elastic bands are great for keeping your kit tidy. Secure your flipflops together, keep your journal safely closed, and roll all your clothes up and band them to save space.
8 Keep a tiny compass in your bag, so that even when lost in the most complicated of backstreets or markets, I can find my way out to the nearest main road.
9 Ziplock plastic bags are perfect for wet swimming costumes, leaky suncream bottles or to keep your passport and photocopies nice and dry.