One way to avoid both health and financial disasters is to buy medical insurance. Fortunately, in most parts of the world medical care costs only a fraction of what it costs in the United States. Of course, the quality is sometimes not as high either, but it is adequate in most places for routine care. If something serious happens, and you are not confident of local medical standards, seek care in a better private hospital in the country’s major city or return home.

Many health care plans offer coverage while traveling overseas. The problem is that many of them require you to pay the bill up front. You are then reimbursed later. You can try to locate an insurance program that pays the hospital and doctor directly, but this may be impossible in many parts of the world. Check to see what kind of coverage your current policy offers for overseas medical expenses. You might also prefer a policy that covers the expenses if you need to be flown home for medical care.

The plan I use, World Nomads, is affiliated with Lonely Planet. They pay health care providers directly. You don't have to wait for reimbursement.

The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT) offers a worldwide network of English-speaking doctors. These qualified doctors have agreed to a flat fee schedule to treat IAMAT members. They also have information on widespread infectious disease incidence for malaria and other diseases in countries around the world.

Health Precautions in Developing Countries

There are numerous health risks, most of them minor but irritating and inconvenient, when traveling in developing countries. Many are tropical countries with high incidence of mosquito-born diseases such as Malaria, at least in remote areas. Insect repellant and mosquito nets are essential in these parts of the world. The most likely health problem you will face is diarrhea, a traveler’s nemesis that can strike anytime and anywhere. Just a change in food or environment can prompt this malady. In countries with poor water supply stick to freshly cooked food except for fruits you can peel yourself.

A good, concise book on this topic is Staying Healthy in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It’s small enough to fit easily into your luggage yet detailed enough to be useful. It includes information on safe eating and drinking, basic first aid, infectious disease and obtaining and using medication.

Travel Insurance

Besides the health insurance already mentioned two other types include medical evacuation and trip cancellation or interruption insurance. Medical evacuation insurance pays the cost of flying you home if you are so sick that you cannot take a normal airline passenger seat. Arranging for an air ambulance, with an attending nurse or physician to accompany you, can cost well over US$10,000. The insurance is also expensive and may not be available or cost much more if you plan on participating in rigorous activities such as mountain climbing or scuba diving.

Some travel experts recommend trip cancellation and interruption insurance, but I've never bought any and don't recommend it. It would reimburse part of your costs if, for example, you purchased advance tickets for an around-the-world trip and had to suddenly cancel and return home because of health problems or family emergency. Of course, you won’t be covered if you just change your mind or get homesick. Coverage may even include cancellation of travel because of visa denial. Most airline tickets can be rescheduled without additional cost or with a relatively small fee of US$25 to US$100. The longer your trip the more you are likely to need this type of insurance. Remember that the two most likely causes of trip cancellation are the hospitalization or death of a family member and injury due to road accidents.

Computer Insurance

If you already have insurance coverage for your computer equipment, check to make sure that coverage extends to overseas travel. If the coverage is nonexistent or inadequate, a company that specializes in insurance for computers and other equipment is SafeWare. They have a minimum coverage of US$4,000 for US$200 per year. Their overseas rates are considerably higher than for domestic. Their coverage includes hardware and software replacement costs for loss incurred by theft, fire and accidents. Jade Stanley, an British company, has a worldwide insurance package that covers laptops, digital cameras and PDAs. A thousand dollars of coverage goes for around US$120.

Hotel Safe Deposit Boxes

Hotels use two basic systems for their guests. Better hotels will provide you with your own key and box. Some hotels have a combination box in your room, but most have the boxes in the hotel lobby behind the reception desk. It takes two keys to open the box, yours and one maintained by the hotel. This is the preferred method. The other is simply to seal your valuables in an envelope and place it in a safe with all the other valuables. Some hotels using this method require you to also write an inventory of all your valuables. You must update the list every time you take something out of the safe. I much prefer having my own key and individual box. If the hotel doesn’t have this service, I look around for one that does. Many hotels do not have individual safe deposit boxes, especially less expensive ones. Few hotels are dishonest. Even so, I feel more comfortable with my own box and key.

Sometimes I don't even bother having the hotel put my valuables in their safe. A lot depends on the confidence I have in the place, and whether I have stayed there before, and how much cash I am carrying. If I don't put my valuables in the safe, I'll either leave them in a locked travel bag in my room or carry them with me.

Protecting Laptop Computers from Theft

The high value and relatively small size of laptop computers make them a tempting target for thieves. Some thieves operate in pairs in airports. This problem is particularly bad in the United States. One of them gets your attention by distracting you with a bump, “accidentally” dropping something near you, or a good-looking woman will ask you for directions. Another person will grab your laptop and disappear into the crowd. Keep a hand on your computer at all times when in transit and never leave it unattended. Most travelers use carrying cases designed specifically for laptop computers. They are convenient but make it easy for thieves to identify you as a person carrying an item worth a lot of money. I use a sturdy, all-purpose daypack with my laptop in it while in airports. Never put your laptop in with your checked baggage.

There are a few schools of thought on protecting your laptop while staying in hotels. I keep it locked in my bag. Another safe but less convenient method is to keep it in the hotel safe. Always get a written receipt if you choose this method, especially if you are staying in a small privately owned establishment. If you keep it in your suitcase, don’t advertise the fact that you have a computer. Hide it and any other tempting targets like video cameras away before any hotel staff come into your room. A hotel maid can make less than US$100 per month overseas, so a computer or video camera can seem like a treasure to her. Few, though, are dishonest.

If it is a hotel offering Wi-Fi, then it is obvious the hotel knows you have a laptop so it defeats the purpose of hiding it from the hotel staff. In this case, I'll just leave my laptop out on the desk or table. I talked to one traveler who said he wouldn't carry a laptop because he didn't want to buy a new one every month, fearing it would get stolen often. He looked bewildered when I told him I'd been carrying a laptop on my travels for 10 years and never had anything stolen except a little cash I absent-mindedly left in my laundry. Some people will always be paranoid.

Travel Protection Gadgets

Another method is to buy a gadget that lets you chain your suitcase to an immovable object like a bed or built-in object in your room. This may make it more secure, but it also advertises that there is something valuable in it. A few laptops have a built-in lock connector. Kensington Technology manufactures cables and locks for securing your computer to immobile objects. There aren’t many suitcases or cables a good knife or pipe-cutter can’t cut through no matter how big an object it’s chained to.

Companies like Sharper Image sell all-purpose combination travel alarm/flashlight/etc. You can hang the thing on your doorknob or suitcase. If the person who enters the room or moves your suitcase doesn’t type in a code within so many seconds it sets off an alarm. This could be somewhat useful if you don’t mind being in the room while the housekeeper cleans up, or you could hang it after the housekeeper has taken care of business. Otherwise you could have one very startled housekeeper.

How to Avoid Pickpockets

In most places of the world thieves use stealth and trickery rather than force to part you with your valuables. A common form of theft is the pickpocket. Never carry your cash and credit cards in a wallet in your hip pocket. That is way too easy a target. Carry the cash you plan to spend that day in your front pocket. Keep the rest in the hotel safe. Sharper Image makes a combination money clip/wallet that is big enough for a few credit cards. It’s perfect for carrying in the front pocket. Another method is to carry a wallet on a string around the neck that fits under the shirt. This is popular with women travelers. Larger amounts of cash should be kept concealed beneath the clothes. Eagle Creek makes under the clothes wallets that wrap around the ankle, the waist or around the neck and under the shirt. I prefer the ankle if I am wearing long pants, or the waist device if wearing shorts. The around the neck style is easy to see protruding beneath a shirt.

In many places, especially developing countries, pickpockets can be clever and young. Their first attempt on my cash occurred around 3AM in Manila while I was walking back to my hotel in a nightlife district. Two boys, one about nine and the other about five, approached me. The older one was selling peanuts. He rushed up to me, pushing his peanuts against my left side, distracting my attention, while the small boy shoved his little hand into my right front pocket where I kept my cash. I caught him by the arm with his hand in my pocket. What could I do except scold him? It was a clever strategy, picking on targets likely to be drunk that late at night. An adult had obviously trained them.

The point is to always be aware of your money. Keep your hand close to the pocket with your money. Put your hand in your money pocket anytime someone suspicious approaches or bumps you or you are in a place so crowded that people are pressing against you.