Debt Repair and Credit Repair Tips

In these stressful financial times most folks need vacations more than ever. And they also would like to save a lot of money if possible. An economical solution is to take the family car and drive to and from your holiday destination instead of flying.

If your plan is to drive, it may also make sense to take a number of steps to protect yourself and family from auto theft. Having some car thief steal your car or your luggage, and other items of value in your trunk could really disrupt what was supposed to be an enjoyable and fun-filled trip.

Even if you take all of the numerous precautions to prevent auto theft when you travel, very determined professional car thieves can still manage to steal any vehicle if they want it badly enough. Can you remember the car theft action movie Gone In 60 Seconds starring Nicolas Cage? However, you can still dramatically reduce the odds of becoming a victim of auto theft to almost zero.

Almost all of these auto theft preventative measures are common sense and will cost nothing to do. So it may make a lot of sense to implement them not only when you travel by car on your holidays, but also in your every day driving.

First, to start with, you should never take for granted that you are immune from auto theft when traveling, or that your vehicle is not worth stealing.

Keep in mind that thieves might be after more than your vehicle, luggage, or any valuables that might be inside your vehicle. They might only want an older car to take a joy ride in or for its parts.

They may also be after your vehicle documents for identity theft purposes, or they could be thinking of robbing your residence while you are away on vacation. Where would they get this important information? From the vehicle registration and auto insurance papers which are usually conveniently located in the glove compartment.

The best way is to eliminate this problem is to keep these documents on your person at all times when traveling on your vacation.

The second best way is to reduce the problem by hiding these documents really well in the trunk. Some police forces in high auto theft crime areas of cities recommend this. Don’t forget to tell everyone who is traveling with you where these documents are located in the trunk.

Here are some more ways you can lessen the chance of having your holidays ruined by car thieves. If you can manage to implement a number of these suggestions, you can dramatically lessen the odds of becoming another victim of auto theft when you travel.

Make sure you always shut you cars windows tightly and lock your car on every occasion you leave it parked, even if it is only for a minute or two.

A real invitation to lose your vehicle is leaving it idling and unattended. Its just not cool to do it. Don’t even think about doing it.

Similarly, don’t leave your vehicles keys in the ignition or hidden anywhere in car. That includes a second set of keys. Car thieves will easily find any keys hidden in the usual places very quickly. Keep an extra set of keys with you.

Do not leave any thing of value in your vehicle, even if they cant be seen from the outside of your car. If you can, take them with you.

However, if you have no choice but to leave valuables in your vehicle, at least make sure that they are locked inside your trunk. When you do this, check first and look around to make sure that nobody is watching, or better still, stop, pull over, and put them in your trunk before you arrive at your intended destination. Prying eyes can be anywhere.

When you park your car in public areas, turn you front wheels either to the right or left before turning your ignition off. This engages the steering wheel lock mechanism located in the steering wheel column which could make your vehicle somewhat more difficult to steal.

By engaging the emergency brake after you have parked and turned the motor off, you may also make your vehicle harder to tow away.

For front wheel and rear wheel drive vehicles you should park them differently when in an underground parking garage. The front wheel drive autos should be parked with the nose in and rear wheel drives with the nose out. Then turn your tires to the left or right. Again, this may make your vehicle harder to tow away.

It is always better to park in an attendant supervised parking lot rather than an unattended one. If its a place or lot where there is valet parking, just give the attendant your door and ignition key. They do not need any other keys on your key chain.

In public areas near dusk and at night, always park in well lit places that have a lot of pedestrian traffic. Keep in mind that most auto thieves work at night.

If possible, avoid parking next or near to any obstruction, such as a large truck, fence, hedge, or anything that blocks an unobstructed view of your vehicle to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

When you are staying in a place that has gated, secure parking, be sure that the gate has completely closed after entering or leaving so that a thief doesn’t sneak in to the parking area behind your vehicle.

If you happen to see any suspicious activity such as a person or group of people hanging around or near your vehicle you should call the police.

Here are some anti-theft devices that you can install for maximum protection. You may already have a few of these products installed in your vehicle.

You should use a highly visible after-market steering wheel lock bar. Most car thieves will likely move on to easier prey. Other less visible after-market anti-theft products are gas pedal locks, brake pedal locks, and armored collars that fit around the steering column which protects the ignition. And for the manual shift vehicles you can also use an after-market shifter lock. These products are all effective but not as highly visible to prying eyes.

Another thing that you can do is get your mechanic to install a hood lock that will prevent easy access to your vehicles battery as well as its security system.

A loud vehicle alarm system and a highly visible alarm sticker on your windshield is worth its weight in gold especially when its combined with the addition of some of the other anti-theft security options.

The best vehicle protection is a passive electronic immobilizer that disables the motor when the ignition is turned off. Its not an inexpensive device to get installed but is well worth it for your peace of mind. There are more benefits you may receive by installing an electronic immobilizer in your car. A number of auto insurance companies will offer a discount on your policy if you can produce documentation that you have had one installed. You may also get more money for your vehicle if you sell it down the road.

Last, but not least, you should make sure you have enough insurance coverage on your vehicle including theft and damage before you travel on vacation.

To quickly get cheap flights and luxury cruises at really great discounts, whenever you want to enjoy a leisurely, laid-back vacation, visit Travel Tips Guide for more information.

Well over seven million people in the United States last year alone were victims of identity theft resulting in about fifty billion dollars of fraudulent credit card, bank, and other financial charges. A large number of these victims were tourists, business travelers, and people on their holidays. Here is some valuable information that may save you a lot of grief when you travel.

It is very easy when people travel on vacation to let their guard down. They have a lot on their minds remembering everything they need to take care of before they go and what they need to take with them on vacation. Not only that, they want to relax, unwind, and have fun. Isn’t that what vacations are suppose to be all about? When they travel they don’t want to have to be on guard all time and constantly concerned about getting ripped off every second of their holidays.

There are three serious sources of identity theft that you should be aware of when you travel. They’re your wallet, laptop or PDA, and internet cafes.

Research shows that most identity thefts happen when people’s wallets are stolen, usually by professional pick pockets. Whether you travel on business or vacation you must guard your wallet at all times because you are at more risk than in familiar surroundings. Never carry your wallet in your back pocket – it’s not called the “sucker pocket” for nothing. It’s best to put your wallet in a fanny pack. A number of travelers prefer a fanny pack with a Velcro closure instead of a zippered one because you can hear it being opened. The usual places you will find pickpockets are in crowded areas such as airports, train and bus stations, hotel lobbies, restaurants, and sporting events.

Most people carry more personal information in their wallets then they really need. The first thing that you should do before you travel is to go through your wallet and take out any personal information items that you don’t need when traveling such as bank checks, check books, credit card receipts, bills, and memberships cards such as library cards. You also don’t need to take your social security card as you probably have that number memorized by heart.

Debit cards are a convenient way to take small amounts of cash out of ATM’s when traveling, but are also a great way for thieves to clean out your bank account if they ever get a hold of them. A good way to reduce this risk is to open up a separate account at your bank before you go and only put as much day-to-day cash in it as you think you may need for your holidays. Take only that one debit card with you.

Credit cards are protected by Federal law and are a much better choice to take with you as you are usually covered for any fraudulent charges incurred. If you are over charged or find an error on any of your credit card transactions when you travel, it’s easier to get the charges corrected or reversed from the card companies. You probably should take two credit cards in case one is lost, or compromised. You can also obtain a smaller, limited amount prepaid cash cards from MasterCard, Visa, and American Express that are perfect for daily use. You can purchase these cash cards in any denomination. It’s probably best to buy a couple of cards with lower limits of about five hundred dollars or less each. The credit card companies will replace any pilfered or lost funds. Leave your passport and major cards in your hotel room safe or the hotel’s safe along with any other personal info that you do not need from day to day.

Before you travel it’s a good idea to check that your credit cards do not expire while you are on vacation. And make sure to call your credit card issuers and let them know when and where you plan to holiday so they don’t have a seizure and cancel your card when they see credit charges appearing from some place like Timbuktu. Make note of these phone numbers and take them with you on vacation.

Another major source of identity theft starts with a stolen laptop. Well over six hundred thousand laptops are lost or pilfered in the U.S. alone, frequently from inattentive travelers in airports, restaurants, and hotel lobbies.

Before you travel, backup your laptop and put the backup disc in a safe place at home or in your safety deposit box at the bank just in case your laptop is stolen or lost. Put a small strip of colored tape on the top and bottom of your laptop and laptop case as most laptops and their cases look very similar in appearance. Write your name, destination address, as well as contact information at your destination on a piece of paper and tape it to your laptop just in case it’s lost at the airport. Don’t put your home address on this piece of paper. It’s better to use your business or work address and phone number. There are a large number of laptops left behind unintentionally. The lost and found offices at airports do not have time to try and gain access to every laptop left behind which are more than likely password protected anyway.

The third major source of identity theft may happen at any internet caf or public computer. Your personal information may be at risk even if you’re just accessing or sending e-mails. A key stroke logger which secretly keeps a record of all user names, passwords, and personal information entered could be installed on the computer. Even if public computers are not compromised they still store information you input in the temporary internet files and the history. Don’t access any bank or credit card account, or pay bills from these computers. Usually computers located in business centers of hotels and on cruise ships are safer to use than other public computers.

The bottom line is to always be vigilant when you are traveling. Have a safe and fabulous vacation!

To quickly locate and book cheap holidays, at the best price possible, every time you feel like traveling, go to Travel Tips Guide, for more information.