6 Accessories to Keep Your Items Safe while Traveling
You’re in Paris, just a happy-go-lucky tourist gazing at the Eiffel Tower when a stranger stands uncomfortably close. You stand in line and finally arrive at admissions. There’s just one problem — when you reach for your wallet in your back pocket, it’s gone. You have a not-so-sneaking suspicion about why that stranger, who is now nowhere to be seen, stood so close. But it’s a little late for action and your wallet-less.
So what do you do next?
The truth is, you’re a lot less likely to be robbed in most places than you’d expect. In fact, the majority of countries are a lot safer than they’re portrayed by the more sensation-driven media outlets. Having said that, I’ve had photographer friends who had $10,000+ of photo gear taken from them in Turkey and countless other stories of unfortunate events. It’s a reality that does happen every now and then, but oftentimes, it’s preventable. And boy, oh boy, is that a painfully expensive lesson to learn.
Now, in the middle of your travel plans, you have to file claims with your travel insurance company (you should have travel insurance, by the way), call your bank, cancel your credit cards, find an address where you can have new debit and credit cards mailed to you, have someone back home wire money to you to get by in the meanwhile and, if you’re passport was in your wallet, visit an embassy to be issued a new passport.
What an absolute blast! Nope, nope, nope. 10/10 don’t recommend.
Of course, stuff happens, but our team at The Remote Traveller has compiled a list of 6 accessories to keep your items safe while you travel:
1) Money Belt
A quality money belt is a sleek accessory to keep your cash safe without adding any extra layers or carrying it in a wallet or a bag. It’s also a simple way of concealing your dollars without leaving them in vulnerable pockets.
2) Slash-proof Bag
A well-known tactic thieves use is slashing your bag with a knife, which allows them to steal from you without you noticing — whether you’re wearing it or it’s on the ground somewhere. It’s a faster way of getting to your stuff most of the time than even bothering to fiddle with a zipper. Thieves can also slash the straps of your bag to run off with it. Slash-proof bags prevent any of this from occurring. The better ones have steel mesh within the fabric and the straps are too durable for a knife to cut through. The very best ones also have the means to strap and lock your bag to a table or a pole to stop someone from snagging it.
To top it off, you need RFID-blocking technology for all of the pockets to keep thieves from scanning for credit card information or other valuable info.
3) Personal Alarm
As a remote traveller, you’ll often find yourself alone. A personal alarm is a great way of, well, sounding the alarm in case of emergencies. While this doesn’t necessarily keep your items safe, our team added it to the list because if you aren’t safe, your items being safe is a moot point.
4) Waterproof Bag
A waterproof bag is ideal for rafting, boat trips, and your regular old rainy days. Plus, it means you don’t have to leave your valuables somewhere else any time there’s a chance you might get wet. Earth Pak waterproof bags are high quality and come in a variety of colors, but we also have another recommendation.
5) Bluetooth Bag Tracker
If you lose your luggage or your bag in the airport or leave it in a restaurant or worst case, it’s been stolen, the Tile Mate will help you track it down. This small bluetooth receiver stays inside your purse, backpack, or luggage, so you can locate it using an app. If you are aware your bag is nearby, log into the app and quickly send a sound alert. What makes it even better is that if you’ve lost your phone, double-tap the Tile button and your phone will begin ringing instead. It works both ways!
6) Traveller Security Waist Belt
Sometimes a regular belt does just fine, but when you’re travelling, a security waist belt can be a huge boost. They fit cards, passports, and other items a pants belt simply can’t. The Remote Traveller team recommends the Peak Gear belt for its rain-resistant properties and RFID-blocking protection. The RFID protection keeps thieves from using devices to extract contactless payments and stealing via other forms of virtual theft. The belt also comes with a $250 cover in case a criminal does manage to take your belt or any of the items within it.
