We all have expectations of enjoying ourselves when we travel. We imagine taking great pictures, eating great meals and having memorable experiences, and rarely do we take much consideration to things that could go wrong. Really wrong.

What I’m talking about isn’t missing a dinner reservation or waking up too late to catch the bus to the caves (that second one sounds specific because we’ve done it), but rather something bigger. Big problems. The type of issues that cause one’s pulse to quicken, either because the ramification is that the entire trip and/or your trip home could be down the tubes.

The truth is, we should have expectations of an expansive, wonderful experience when we travel, but the unexpected can (and does). Lucky for you, we’ve ventured out, made a mistake or two and brought back a handful of nuggets to put your mind at ease and avoid the big mistake.

Losing your passport

This one is so easy to prepare for, so easy to avoid and the solutions makes so much sense that it makes it surprising that losing one’s passport is still as much of a problem as it is.

Nothing is more unnerving, and more avoidable, than losing vital information while you’re traveling.

Here’s the key – make two photocopies of your passport (front and back) and keep them in separate locations away from your actual passport. In other words, if you’re keeping the passport in your bag in a hostel or hotel room and you step out, only to come back and find that your bag is gone, having a photocopy of your passport in two separate locations outside of where the actual passport is located will save the day. Have one in your wallet, and keep another under your mattress, for example. If you take your passport with you, leave a photocopy with your travel companion and one in your bag back at the room.

Why? The consulate in your destination will be able to track your identification much easier and quickly provide you with safe passage back home if they can immediately check the numbers on your passport against the records in the system. The likelihood is that very few of us know our passport numbers and expiration dates by heart, and even if we did it’s still a poorer form of support than having an actual copy of the document.

To make absolutely sure, you can also take a selfie of you and your passport (passport next to your face and open to the document page where all information is legible) and email the copy to yourself or a friend in some manner as a back-up. If you did all of the steps above it might take you ten minutes, but safe you more grief than you can really fathom.

The moral of the story is this – treat your vital documents like very important information on a server. BACK IT UP.

Missing your flight to your destination or back home

The view from here is always better!

This requires a lot less advice if you’ve traveled before, but if you haven’t traveled before you should know this – you’re going to be slow in the airport. Don’t cut it close when it comes to your departure times.

If you haven’t traveled much, you’re probably going to be slower going through the airport. If you haven’t traveled internationally, you can bet on twice as long of a check-in process getting through security and finally getting to your gate. In addition, many international flights close their doors much earlier than domestic flights, and when the doors close, they’re closed.

You will almost certainly be slow getting through security if you have a lot of luggage, and haven’t read our tips on how to backpack virtually anywhere you go. It takes time to get through security if you’re new to international travel, and a good rule of thumb is to arrive three hours before departure.

In the worst-case scenario, you’ll get through security faster than you anticipate, get to the concourse bar and get to enjoy a beer or two before you take off!

Getting lost or stranded

Getting lost is easier to avoid that getting stranded, per se, but they can both happen and can both be unnerving. Neither is a major issue 99% of the time, but there are a few things you can do to avoid the problem, and a few keys to remember if it does happen.

The main way to avoid it is to do just a little planning. We’re wildly spontaneous through most of our trips, but getting lost walking around Barcelona is quite different from the Amazon. Know when is a good time to be doing whatever it is you’re doing. More importantly, know when isn’t a good time. Know transportation routes, know public transportation and always carry some extra cash on you for the unforeseen cab ride you might have to take.

If you are stranded somewhere, remember that panicking helps nothing and that a mind under stress us much less effective than an alert mind that’s in solution-finding mode. Understand where you are, calm yourself, retrace yourself, ask for help when you see someone and always try to travel in groups or with a partner to any area that you aren’t familiar with.

One more thing you may want to do is spend a little time learning a handful of sentences in the destination language in case you do get lost. It’s much easier to learn a short list of helpful sentences that will help you ask for help than you might think, and it can help you find your way back to your planned destination.

Running out of money

We use a general rule of thumb on trips – because almost everyone tends to overspend on trips, we try to stick to budget fun early in the trip. Nothing is worse and can spoil a trip than blowing most of your budget in the first few days, then look at two weeks in front of you where you have to skimp.

Back-load your budget, and budget at least 10% more than what you feel like you should. Sticking to great, free attractions and splitting meals are great ways to save money on foreign trips.

Getting sick

While this seems difficult to avoid, and it is in some ways, a few tricks will help you stay healthy on your trip.

Understand that you’re most likely to catch a “bug” on the international flight, because you’re in tight quarters with a lot of people for a long time. Prepare for that flight by drinking tons of water (an ounce per day/per pound of body-weight) for a few days prior to the flight.

Also, try to avoid bread or anything heavy the day before you fly. Really heavy foods combined with tight quarters and dehydration will drag you down and make it much easier to fall under the weather.

Losing your wallet/purse

Pick-pocketing happens. So do drunken nights. They, combined, are the top two reasons for lost wallets and purses. I venture to say the second of those two happens much more often, but it’s easy to still travel safely.

Try to avoid having your purse open in public (ladies), so that it can be easily plucked from by a passer-by, and don’t keep your wallet in your back pocket if at all possible (fellas). Keep things in your front pocket and don’t leave something sitting down out of eyesight.

Also, when you go out at night take as little as possible. Take what you need (and a copy of your passport, just in case), such as a debit card, identification and basically anything else you can keep close on your person. The drunker you get, the more fun you have, the more likely you are to lose something or leave something.

In the wrong place at the wrong time

Power is in knowledge. Know where the bad parts of town are, and don’t go there. Don’t walk in back-alleys at night by yourself in a city that has a bad reputation. You can have plenty of fun virtually anywhere, while taking smart, fun chances, without taking the dumb chances that get people in trouble. Visit anywhere you want, and be smart everywhere you go. Have fun, but be smart when you travel.

If you do happen to get confronted by someone that is undesirable, don’t be a hero. If you’ve had a few drinks, don’t start a fight. Ignore whatever negativity is around you and go on about your merry way.

Will you ever encounter any of these situations? Probably not. Traveling, even to some sketchy areas, is almost always much safer than you think. In fact, most bad situations are simply because of a lack of forethought or a mistake made on part of the traveler.

The truth is, in most places the locals want you to have a good time, too. They want you to have fun, spend money, come back, spend more money and help their city grow. You probably want the same.

With these few tips, you don’t have to worry about even the slightest chance that something might go awry. If something do have problems while traveling? You’ll know what to do and how to get through it!

Travel on!