A.I.C. Insurance Agency Offers Vacation Tips to Protect You and
Your Family Milwaukie, OR Feb. 28, 2005 – Vacations should be a
time spent having fun and relaxing. By taking a few extra
precautions while traveling, you can prevent yourself, or your
friends and family, from being a victim of crime. A.I.C.
Insurance Agency and Travelers, a leading provider of auto and
homeowners insurance, offer these safety tips to help you, your
friends and family have a fun and safe vacation: • Do not carry
large amounts of cash. Use traveler’s checks that can usually be
replaced within 24 hours. • Use ATMs only during daylight hours.
If you must use one after dark, try and find a well-lit, busy
area such as a grocery store. • Leave copies of trip information
with a friend or family member at home. This includes credit
card numbers, passport numbers, plane tickets and itinerary
information, and phone numbers for your credit card companies. •
Keep credit cards, cash, passport, and plane tickets separate. •
Wear a “money purse” underneath your clothes that contains
passport, phone numbers for credit card companies, and a small
amount of cash, should your wallet get stolen. • Carry a “dummy”
wallet in your back pocket containing $20 which, if you were to
be mugged, would satisfy the robber without draining all of your
funds. • Have your mail delivery stopped while on vacation. If
you have a neighbor retrieving mail and newspapers while you are
away, ensure that they will be there every day. Nothing says an
empty house like a stack of mail or newspapers at the front
door. • Do not assume your personal documents are safe in your
hotel room. Lock them in a safe while the room is unoccupied. •
Have separate ATM, debit and credit cards and make sure that you
need a PIN for in-store use of a debit card, not only for the
ATM. • For women, do not hang purses on the back of bathroom
stall doors. It is very easy for someone to reach over the door
and grab it. • Leave your regular checkbook at home. If your
checks are stolen, it’s difficult to cancel them and track their
use as you would a credit card. Plus, if someone reorders checks
in your name, you won’t realize it until you receive your bank
statement. • Only carry credit cards that you will need on
vacation. Leave cards for particular department stores or things
like gas cards at home. • Remember that your credit card number
is on your plane tickets, so treat them as you would a credit
card. • Cover ATM key pads when entering your PIN. People could
be watching over your shoulder, or even from a distance, and
then later attempt to steal your wallet and use this
information. • Use common sense when traveling. Do not draw
attention to yourself as a tourist. Avoid reading maps in a
busy, high-traffic area, carry your camera in a tote bag rather
than the carrying case, and do not flaunt large amounts of cash
when removing money from your wallet or pocket. Your homeowners,
condo or renters insurance policy may cover loss or damage of
your personal items while traveling, up to specified limits.
Take time before you go on vacation to compile a personal
property inventory, which helps determine replacement cost of
lost items. Document each item’s year of purchase and original
price. Items that may exceed policy limits, such as jewelry,
cameras and golf equipment, need additional protection such as
Travelers valuable items insurance. To ensure you have the
coverage you need, contact your independent insurance agent.
Established in 1995, AIC Insurance Agency is an independent
insurance agency offering a full range of insurance products
including auto, home, life, commercial, and more. For
information and quotes on insurance coverage, please visit AIC
Insurance Agency at 14000 SE Johnson Rd. Ste.210 in Milwaukie,
OR, or call 503-653-8287. Travelers, the second largest writer
of auto and homeowners insurance through independent agents, is
a member of St. Paul Travelers, a leading provider of property
casualty insurance and asset management services. For more
information, visit www.travelers.com
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