You’re making plans to go to some destination for business or personal travel. It may be within the country or international. If you’re like me, you are not usually thinking about travel safety tips you need to keep in mind. You’re focused on maximizing your time – booking a favorable flight departure time, knowing your optimal ground transportation options, picking a place to stay that’s conveniently located, making restaurant and activities reservations, etc.

But unexpected travel emergencies happen – before you leave or while you’re away. I’ve missed flights and arrived hours later than expected because of weather (track your airline flights to avoid delays). My luggage has been lost by an airline so I didn’t have anything to wear to a convention.

I’ve encountered many streets in various cities that were shut down for a range of reasons. That slows you down. My own attention span wandered off the plan on a trip for so long that I missed a couple meetings. I have gotten sick on several trips, from various viruses to food poisoning. And I faced a bed bugs scenario.

I once canceled a business trip overseas because of political conditions. Another time a trip was canceled in advance by my host for reasons of political conditions.

I’ve been spared other travel safety situations, such as a family emergency. I haven’t lost or experienced theft of my credit cards, identification card or passport (keep a copy in your wallet). But these and other things can happen. Local crises can be caused by crime, threats, a natural disaster or even a local strike.

Point is, an infinite number of situations can impact travel plans at one time or another. Here are some travel safety tips:

Draft a Detailed Travel Itinerary

Keep a list that details the timeline for your complete schedule, from when you leave home until you return. This should include any bookings for ground transportation, airlines, hotels, booked reservations, hired services and scheduled meetings.You should also have a list of medications you take, allergies and health conditions (keep this list in your wallet or purse along with your medical insurance info). And speaking of wallet, remember to make sure your driver’s license and auto insurance coverage are up to date. I have a friend who traveled and she didn’t).

Stay Calm

Try your best to go with the flow when things change while you travel. If you miss a flight or the If something disrupts your plans, it’s easy to get upset. If a more serious crisis occurs, it’s even more important to stay calm and follow emergency procedures that gets put in place for your safety.

Pack Well

Prepare in a way that will keep your travel items light, but ready to serve if you end up staying for longer than planned. For your luggage, pack smart. I have been guilty of overpacking for unexpected travel activities, and usually didn’t use any of it. I’ve learned to keep clothing options simple – a single set of colors that all interchange (shades of black and white and gray can be great!) and just an extra set of shoes. For your carry-on, remember to include enough medication to cover several additional days of travel, any preferred basic toiletries, a change of underwear, disinfecting wipes/hand sanitizer and cash!

Leverage Your Mobile Device

Use the maps or other app to help navigate locations. Share text messages with your family, friends and colleagues to share quick updates about Activate your location services feature if you haven’t already – it can help your friends and family to have details of your whereabouts if you don’t have time to notify them directly. And download all apps associated with your travel booking. Local cities all usually have an emergency services app that they use to convey emergency updates and you should download that before you go. If you’re traveling outside the country, it’s really smart to have the details of the local consulate office (the U.S. Department of State offers travel safety tips before you go and suggests you download the Smart Traveler app for Americans).

Keep a List of Travel Contacts for Your Activities

Know the phone numbers for your travel agency and all services noted in your travel itinerary. Each will have their own policies, often have 24/7 traveler support for emergency situations and many will try to extend some level of flexibility. (Their apps all likely have an option for emergency situations, too.) Don’t forget to add to your list the names of personal and/or business contacts who you will be visiting. If you have personal travel insurance for your trip or booked through your company, know that number and what levels of support are available to you.

To be sure, most of the time you won’t have anything to worry about other than making the most of your time away. But it’s important to keep some travel safety tips you in mind in case of airline flight issues, ground transportation conditions, unexpected health scenarios, family emergencies, natural disasters, political crises, crime or just good old fashioned oversights.

Have you had an unusual travel situation happen? Share your travel safety tips with me.