After a series of terrorist attacks in Europe and following the migrant crisis which started in the summer of 2015, Europe may seem that it’s world’s away from the safe heaven it used to be. But that’s just not true. Media has always exaggerated and the fear caused by the media channels is not doing anyone any good.

We still travel, albeit we have focused more on our own country – Romania – in the previous year than on international travel. But we still flew to Italy for our wedding anniversary and went to Budapest last year for a music festival. And absolutely nothing bad happened.

Here are some tips to stay safe when you travel. We do use (most of) them.

Keep your important papers handy and safe

Scan your passport / ID card / insurance card and keep a copy on a flash drive which is always on you. Alternatively, find a secure cloud service to store the same information.

Give a close friend / family member a copy of your itinerary

Write down your itinerary, including the accommodation you are staying at. Set dates and hours to talk (use Skype or other similar software if you don’t want to rack up roaming fees on your cell). Make sure to let the person know that if you don’t show up for the call within a certain amount of time, something bad might have happened.

Have an emergency bag

I travel with a day pack . It is super easy to roll and keep in my carry on when I fly but once I am at the destination, it’s also my emergency bag. I have in it, at all times, everything I need to make a quick escape (documents, money, important information). Needless to say, this bag is always with me and is never left unattended. When I fly, I have the exact same information on me!

Use the inside pocket of the said bag

See how my day pack as two pockets. The front one usually has tissues in it. The inside one has the rest of the things. Plenty of times I wear it on my front rather than on my back.

Register with the Embassy in the country you are visiting

Ok, we don’t do this, but should I travel on another continent, I would. More so, put the Embassy’s number on speed dial or at least have it on your cell.

Hide cash in weird places

Ladies, do you know those cute key holders that come with tampons? Yup, instead of stashing tampons in them, hide the cash. Bras, socks, hidden pockets on your clothes are also good places to hide cash.

Don’t keep the cash and your cards in the same place

Use two wallets . If one gets stolen, you’ll still have the other. Add a mix of cash and cards in each and you may consider keeping photo copies of your documents in the wallets.

When you get to the accommodation, find out where the closest police station and hospital are

We went to Athens right after the riots in March 2012. We had a police station right at the hotel’s corner . It’s always a good idea to know at least where the police station is located and how far it is from your location. In Europe, 112 is the general emergency number so it’s easy to remember.

Listen to the local news

Make a point to list to the local news when you have some downtime. Just be aware of what’s going on. When we were in London in March 2012, Commonwealth decided to teach Syria a lesson. Needless to say, the airport was filled with police patrols on the day of our flight back home.

Trust your intuition

Nothing keeps you safer than your own intuition. If something doesn’t feel ok, it probably is not. Ventured too far into a shady area? Make a quick exit.

Always have a back up plan

Check out that emergency exit info you see in the accommodation. Always. In the airplane, pay attention and count the rows of seats to the closest emergency exit. If the restaurant you go out to in the evening is further than walking distance from the place you are staying it, make sure you know what options you have to get back.

Always keep your cell charged and capable of making phone calls

Make sure that either your SIM has roaming activated or your cell can use local SIMs. Always have enough juice left to make a call. Consider carrying a power bank with you.

Have an ICE number in your cell

ICE stands for In Case of Emergency and every single rescue worker knows about this. Tell the person you have added as ICE that you’d done so (especially if they tend to screen calls).

Carry medicine with you

An antihistamine (to treat allergies), imodium (for those moments when food and water wasn’t great) and the painkiller of your choice should come with you. You may also ask your doctor for a prescription of a large specter antibiotic if you travel for long.

Don’t forget about insurance

At the very least, your card should be insured for theft. Ideally, you should also have some sort of a travel insurance. Ask your bank if they offer something as part of your account package.

Don’t drink more than you can handle

Make sure you are never beyond the limit when you cannot control yourself. A cider or a beer is fine, but five cocktails may be too much.

Don’t look like a tourist

Keep the camera in the bag when you don’t use it and don’t walk with the map in your hands all the time. Pay attention to local customs and dress codes and try not to stand out. Good bye, fanny packs! Europe is quite easy to figure out in this respect, but : shorts with flip flops, cotton dress with badly matched sneakers, usually tend to scream tourist (and not a fashion challenged local).