Research the foreign country you are traveling to beforehand, paying special attention to crime rates. Call your hotel directly to ask about their security: do they have a night watchman? 24-hour security? Safes in the room or, at least, at the front desk?
Request a room between the third and seventh floors. This will prevent outsiders from entering your room via a window, balcony or patio, but will still allow you to leave the room easily or be rescued via fire ladder if a fire should break out.
Make four copies of your passport and itinerary. Take two copies with you--one to carry on you at all times, another to keep inside your hotel room. Leave the third copy with a point person back home who will be instructed to check in with on your trip. Keep a fourth copy in an obvious place inside your home, such as on a dining room or coffee table.
Minimize the amount of valuables you're planning to take on your trip. Keep expensive, flashy jewelry, designer clothing and other unnecessary valuables in a safe place at home.
Pack any other valuables in your carry-on bag. Keep it with you at all times.
Place your passport and any valuables that you don't immediately need in the safe at your hotel. If your hotel does not have a safe, place them in a zip-up bag and hide them in a remote location within your room.
Put your real passport and travel itinerary inside the pages of your book or magazine. Place them between separate pages if together they make the book appear bulky.
Divide up your money. Take only the money you'll need for the day with you. Place the rest of it in the safe or again between the pages of a book or magazine.
Empty out your wallet, taking only what you'll use that day. Credit cards, gift certificates, auto insurance cards that will not be utilized during the trip should remain in your safe or kept back home. This will make your wallet appear less bulky, making it less of an obvious target for crooks.
Place a copy of your passport and itinerary in your wallet. Do not carry your actual passport on you unless you're planning to travel to another country. For identification purposes, carry your driver's license.
Keep your wallet in your front pocket. This will allow you to keep a better watch over it and will prevent pickpockets from lifting it without your knowledge.
Keep your door locked at all times, and do not invite strangers into your room, even if you've formed a bond with them. Plan to meet them in the lobby or bar instead. A lot of robbers befriend their victims in order to gain their trust and, therefore, access to their valuables.
Make a note of how much money you took on your trip and how much you're leaving behind in the room. Check your valuables and count your money to ensure that all your belongings are accounted for.
