Before you go:

• Email copies of important documents to yourself. This includes a copy of your passport and other important documents.  Be sure somebody at home has copies of these as well, along with your itinerary (how much of that you disclose is up to you).
• Register with the US State Department (or your countries equivalent).  You may want to sign up for email alerts if you are traveling in a particularly dangerous region.  Check your particular country for travel alerts.
• Always have a stocked first aid kit. Check it before you travel and be sure it goes with you out the door.
• Stay healthy and check with the Center for Disease Control for vaccination information and other health related concerns.
• Compile a list of emergency numbers.

As you go…

• Stay in well lit places and avoid traveling alone at night.  During the day, avoid isolated areas or regions known for violent crime.  The degree in which you’d ever be in danger varies greatly from city to city, so research your own destination for tips on what areas to avoid.
• Avoid scams. “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.”  Almost every major travel destination in the world attracts scams of some kind.  Avoid gambling with locals unless you know them very well.  Types of scams are varied greatly, so again, research your own destination for specific scam warnings.
  

  Image by S Wilson

• Party safe. Avoid getting intoxicated in unfamiliar settings or with strangers.  If you want to go out clubbing or to a bar, go with a friend or limit your drinks.  Know your own limit and don’t pass it.
• Use protection. This typically means a condom, but dental dams and diaphrams work too.  This should be true even on the home front.
• Always be aware of your surroundings. This will help prevent you from getting robbed, falling into open manhole covers, getting hit by buses, and a slew of other bad things.
• Use common sense.