Whether you are a snowbird or a year-round resident, you will probably travel away from your Florida home at some time. Of course, you want to make sure that you, your belongings, and your home are safe during your travels. Recently, a travel consultant offered several important travel safety tips we should all consider before our next trip.
Keeping your home safe while you are gone is the first step. Even if you stop the paper and mail, you should have a neighbor or nearby friend who will keep an eye on your home and pick up any papers or items that are delivered despite your best efforts. Make sure your doors are locked. Pay special attention to sliding doors. You may wish to put something along the bottom track so that the doors cannot slide.
Before you go, contact your credit card company and bank to let them know when you will be gone and where you will be going.
You should also have your doctor’s information with you. If you have a medical condition, make sure you have a letter from your doctor stating you are under medication, especially when traveling abroad.
If you are renting a car, make sure there are no scratches or dents before you leave the parking lot and to take photos of any that already exist… and learn how to operate all equipment of a rental car before leaving the lot.
You may wish to bring along a night light if you are going on a cruise or staying in a motel room. You should also disinfect frequently touched items such as TV remote controls.
Hotels never have employees show up unannounced at your room. If someone knocks on your door, call the front desk before opening the door. Hotel employees will never request credit card or personal information over the phone while you are there.
If you are traveling by plane, consider TSA pre-check. You may also wish to make paper copies of these documents, one to take with you and another to leave with a trusted neighbor or friend. Before you leave, make a list of all of the items in your checked luggage or take a photo of the contents. Use a ribbon, unusual luggage tag or other unique marking of some sort to make sure that no one mistakes your bag for theirs.
When you are at a new location, try not to broadcast that you are a tourist. Looking at maps and wearing baseball hats and tee shirts might make it easier for would-be thieves to identify you as a potential target. It is safer for men to carry their wallets in their front pockets and women to carry a cross-body purse.
Ybor City: History Made Fun
Ybor City: History Made Fun By Kai Rambow Did you know that: (1) Tampa’s population exploded from 700 to over 7,000 in a year; (2) Tampa was the cigar capital of the world; (3) Tampa was the first place with universal health care? It all started in Ybor...
“Thanks, Dad”
“Thanks, Dad” By E. Adam Porter Editor, News of SCC & South County There’s a picture on canvas, hanging over the stairwell to my bedroom. When I see it, I think, man, I look tired. And then I smile. Not because I look soggy, bedraggled, and...
2021 Renaissance Festival Fun For All Ages
After COVID-19 restrictions forced the 2020 Bay Area Renaissance Festival to close early last season and shuttered many shows across the country for the past year, the theme for the 2021 Bay Area Renaissance Festival was, “We can’t wait to celebrate!”...
A Groundbreaking Event
A Groundbreaking EventBy Cathy Meyerhoff, SCC History Society Though May 10, 1961 may not ring any bells with most local residents, it is important. On that day ground was broken for the retirement community of Sun City Center. Nothing is recorded about...
SCC Celebrates Earth Day
The Sun City Center Audubon Society celebrated the 51st anniversary of Earth Day on April 22 at the SCC Community Association’s West Campus Nature Trails. The weather cooperated beautifully with clear skies, a light breeze, low humidity and temperatures in...
Boys & Girls Club School Supply Drive
The 2020-21 school year begins on August 10, 2020, and the Wimauma Boys & Girls Club needs your help! They are now accepting school supplies through Monday, August 3, 2020. Collection sites include: Sun City Center United Methodist Church1210 W. Del...
Florida Re-Opens: Phase 2
As of Friday, June 5, 2020, all but three Florida counties – Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade – have now entered “Phase 2” of reopening after the COVID-19 outbreak. Here’s a breakdown of what that means in a handy chart provided by Gov. Ron DeSantis’...
The JUNE 2020 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS
In this issue… We celebrate our healthcare heroes, review updates to the COVID-19 guidelines, shine the spotlight on a local disaster relief crew, look at life during lockdown, plan ahead for emergencies, review hurricane preparedness tips,...
Thank you.
By E. Adam Porter, Editor Out of an abundance of caution, in these challenging times, for the good of the community, we have all come together to read sentences that begin like this entirely too much over the past month or so. Let’s start over with what...
The May 2020 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS
In this issue… We review COVID-19 updates and get some information on testing, thank our SCC Emergency Squad and Security Patrol volunteers for staying “on the job” through the pandemic, and take a look at how some of the talented and creative...
Vesta Thanks Community Volunteers
Vesta Thanks Community VolunteersPlease help if you can, and if you need help, keep reading. A huge thank you to those who participated in our efforts to feed health care workers, first responders, and volunteers in the Sun City Center area. Over 270...
0 Comments