Author: Wendy VanHatten

Travel writer, author, editor, magazine editor-in-chief, traveler, co-founder of www.forkscorksandbrews.com
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Safety and Travel

Recently I read a post by Johnny Jet about safety and travel.

These are some excerpts from his interview with Kevin Coffey, a travel security expert. Kevin spent several decades as a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department and was responsible for the creation of the LAPD’s LAX Airport Crimes Investigation detail.

In this interview, he taught me numerous tips but none greater than what he calls his “What If?” Kevin’s tip is for everyone to do two things:

If you have a US passport, go to page 3 and fill out the In Case of Emergency page. In addition, he says to put either a sticky note or paper clip a piece of paper onto the inside cover with more In Case of Emergency information, mainly your cell phone number and those of your loved ones who are and are not traveling with you.

He also said it’s important to do this in the event that you’re traveling solo and you get in an accident or have a medical emergency. The first thing trained emergency workers do is go through your wallet to find contact information and if you’re traveling internationally, this will help enormously.

The Most Important Thing For Travelers To Do According To A Safety Expert
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Plan Ahead

As travel begins to open up, keep in mind everything may not be as you are used to it. It is more important than ever to plan ahead. Look over your reservations and spend some time making sure things are in order.

For instance, make paper copies of all your reservations. Why? It’s just one more back up for you. Plus, airlines may require different forms when checking in for a flight. This includes flight info, hotel reservations, and your vaccination record.

If you are like many travelers, it’s fun to stop somewhere you hadn’t planned. You see a cute roadside café or an interesting winery. Chances are now, you will need a reservation. Keep that in mind.

Schedules have always changed…especially when purchasing air reservations in advance. That may become intensified as airlines work through pandemic rules. Airports will probably have new rules as well. You could check to see what is different in airports you will be using. Be prepared to wear a mask at all times during the flight, unless you are eating or drinking.

Rental cars…very short supply as companies sold off some of their inventory during the pandemic. Check and double check your reservation. Again, make paper copies of all your reservation info. Be prepared to pay much more than you used to, as well.

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Vaccination Card Tips

Some tips I read from Johnny Jet about your vaccination card…

Instead of laminating it, put it in a resealable plastic badge holder from an old travel conference. You can always buy one if you’ve thrown your old ones away.

Another tip from a reader of his website says he is going to shrink his card to wallet size. Then he can carry it more easily. He also had several copies made, full size and shrunk. He can put those in with his travel documents.

By the way, he keeps his original in a safe place.

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Vaccination Card

Should you laminate your vaccination card?

According to several sites, it may not be a good idea to laminate your COVID-19 vaccination card. Why? The ink on the vaccination card can become illegible.

Some cards the label is placed on the card mentions the vaccine brand and lot number. Those have been printed on thermal printer labels. If you put that through a thermal laminator, they will be completely black and illegible.

Instead, CDC officials recommend making photocopies of the card and taking a photo of your original.