If you arrive at the airport and your bag has not shown up, go to the airline counter to claim. There they will take note of your contact details and also tend to offer you a bag with some basic things, for example shampoos and creams. To avoid this type of occurrence it is important to label the suitcase well and remove all labels from previous flights. You can also carry a spare change in your carry-on luggage just in case.

If the airline denies us boarding due to overbooking on our flight, it must reimburse us for the ticket, offer financial compensation and alternative transportation. By law, airlines are obliged to reimburse people for flights with excess reserves but do not always assume their obligations in these types of situations. Actually you can also request the transfer to the destination on a different date that suits you better, however it is essential to process all this procedure at the airport itself and be clear about what the airline will do to prove the overbooking.

From unexpected detours to irregular or non-existent taximeters, the truth is that tourists who end up losing money are immense. Many are transported to unexpected places or confronted with an astronomical tariff. So before calling a taxi, it is important to have an idea of the route and the time needed to reach the destination, a solution is to check it in Google Maps for example. And it is also essential to verify if the vehicle is equipped with the taximeter and if it works.

If you lose your passport, the first thing to do is to report to the local police and find a consulate in the city you are visiting or in the nearest one. There, they will help you with all the necessary procedures. To avoid this type of problem, it is important to bring an authenticated copy of the passport (sheet where the photo and the name are) and keep the original in the hotel room. You can also send a copy of the passport to your email before traveling.

As in the loss of the passport, if your wallet has been stolen, you have to contact the police as soon as possible. You must inform the bank so they can cancel your credit cards. If you travel accompanied you can ask a relative to send you money to the account of the person with whom you are on vacation.

In addition to the theft of your wallet, you may be able to have your credit card cloned. If that happens you should immediately notify your bank to cancel it and make a report at the nearest police station. If this happens to you, it is important to have another card (only for emergencies) in order to continue paying what you need in your holidays.

During the trip you can be approached by a local inhabitant who wants to offer you a bracelet or a necklace for example. And in spite of looking like an inoffensive act, the truth is that at the moment the gift is accepted the person who offered it demands a payment. If you do not pay, it is common for that person to keep trying in order to create confusion. That's why it's best not to accept gifts from strangers.

Many people usually travel without health insurance, but in case of illness it is always better to have an insurer that can help us with all the necessary procedures to avoid eternal paperwork. You must avoid going on your own to a doctor and call before to know what kind of agreements there are so that everything is paid by the insurance.

By way of obtaining cheaper travel it is usual to buy everything in advance, but the longer the advance the greater the possibility of having some type of unforeseen when traveling. The most frequent reasons are related to health problems or labor issues. If you are forced to cancel your trip, the insurer will take charge of the cancellation costs, but only if the cause is justified correctly and included among those detailed in the insurance conditions.

Those who want to guarantee their safety during the holidays can also resort to the services of private detectives since these professionals are used to doing research about illegal situations of tourist housing (when you try to rent a residence for the holidays), analysis of tourist destinations, security needs and recreational prevention, studies of the urban context and tourist attraction and also research on insecurity and the effects on tourism activity.

The main needs of people, conscious or unconscious, in the choice of leisure and free time, are originality in the offer, quality, price and also security.

Sindia Alves and A. Oliver

Anthropologist and Detective

of Oliver Detectives