Travel Safety tips

This story was first published on February 27, 9:40 AM Mauritius Standard Time, and will be updated as the story develops.

We’re well-practiced at carrying our driver’s licenses in the US, but it might surprise you that there are countries in Europe where it is illegal to venture out without your passport.

According to a recent Pew Research study, 51 percent of people think their pets are not just part of the family, but also say they love them as much as the human members of their families. And when you narrow it down to two-person households with no kids — as my husband and I happily have — that number skyrockets, with 65 percent of people saying they love their pets as much as human members of their family.

It was September, and at that point, I’d spent most of the year living in Siem Reap, Cambodia, after falling in love with the city as a backpacker. To make a living, I worked two jobs, teaching English to first-, second-, and third-graders in the morning, then waiting tables at a restaurant in the evening six days a week.

While traveling to a new destination means exploring new foods and cities, there’s nothing quite like stepping into a fresh hotel room. Whether you’re staying in a budget hotel or splurged on luxury accommodations, it turns out there’s a bit more ick in the room than you probably expected. TikToker and hotelier @queenevangeline25 recently went viral for the list of things she’d never do at a hotel, and it turns out the most significant issues have to do with cleanliness. While you might think to wipe down common surfaces like the kettle in the room, the dirtiest part of a hotel room might be where you rest your head.

When people talk about financial safety in Vegas, they’re usually talking about knowing when to walk away from the blackjack table. Recently, however, protecting your finances in Sin City has taken on a whole new (and even more serious) meaning. Over the past few weeks, some of Vegas’s biggest hotels and casinos were hit by a group of hackers who brought down gaming machines, disrupted websites, and stole a variety of personal guest and employee data at both MGM and Caesars, according to TechCrunch. The breach affected properties not only in Vegas, but the companies’ holdings around the world.

In October 2019, my husband and I booked a weekend getaway in the Pilanesberg, a Big Five game reserve in South Africa. Work had been really stressful, so we figured a trip to a nearby reserve for a few game drives (or safaris, as they’re commonly known) would be just what we needed.