Five Tips for Safeguarding Your Personal Belongings While Touring by Bike
There are safety measures to take while touring by bike. One of the most important is traveler’s insurance. It protects your personal belongings from loss or damage and your body if it becomes injured during your tour.
It also covers trip interruptions and cancellations, trip delays benefits including meals and accommodations, and baggage delays in the event that you arrive but your luggage doesn’t. A real necessity, traveler’s insurance is a safety net that protects your travel investment. It’s something that many bicycle tourists purchase when they book their travels.
Other things you can do to protect your personal belongings while touring by bike include:
- Making a list of things that you’re carrying on the tour with you before you leave for your trip. It’s not always easy to detect if something is missing. Jet lag and time zone differences can cause you to feel tired or off course. Having a list in hand that you can check off before you leave for your trip and check off a second time before returning home makes a big difference. It will prevent you from forgetting anything you want to pack and helps you see if anything is missing before you depart, so you can report the loss to the travel insurance company.
- Carry all personal documentation on your person. It’s advisable to make copies but keep those in your bag. You’ll want your passport, driver’s license, and tour itinerary on you. Invest in a comfortable waist or neck pack to wear while riding but keep it under your clothing so you don’t attract the attention of thieves.
- Don’t ask other people to watch your bike or your belongings. Only do so if you have a family member or friend traveling with you. This prevents any mishaps from occurring while you’ve stopped to snap a photo, use the restroom or get something to drink. You’ll have scheduled breaks throughout the day so make sure you use them with the idea that someone else who is trustworthy is available to watch your belongings when you can’t.
- Leave the irreplaceable items at home. If it’s just too precious or costly for you to replace, leave it at home. You don’t want to risk losing it on your bicycle tour. You can always opt to buy a cheaper camera to take with you or use the camera option on your smartphone to take photos.
Err on the side of caution when safeguarding your belongings while touring by bicycle. You can never be too careful. Even then, things happen so it’s best to have a safety net with your purchase of traveler’s insurance. Ciclismo Classico recommends MH Ross for your travel insurance needs.