Tag Archives: antitheft

Which Portable Door Lock / Alarm is Best for Your Travel Needs?

A sense of security at home or while traveling is important. If you live in a rental property, the landlord has access to your place, and it’s possible that former tenants might, too, if they still have a key. If you have roommates, being able to lock the bedroom door can provide an added feeling of security. Feeling safe when you’re at home, or traveling can sometimes be challenging.

The solution to these concerns over security and privacy is a portable door lock. A portable door lock or a door stopper with an alarm can offer peace of mind for you and your family whether on vacation, for an overnight stay, or at home. Do you have a student in a dorm? Are you staying in a vacation rental or cabin? Chances are that many of these locations reuse the keys and there is no telling who has a copy.

Portable door locks for home and travel

Portable door locks are essential upgrades for your security at home while traveling or anywhere you feel the need for additional personal security. Great for the traveler, renter, or homeowner who wants to guard against unwanted entry. These secondary security door locks are perfect as they protect and don’t damage the door or the door frame.

A portable travel door lock can only be applied to your door if you are in the room; it cannot be applied to your door if you are out of the room. If you’re waiting for someone else to return to the room, they will not be able to get in if you’ve applied one of these secondary door locks to the door.

There are several styles of portable or temporary door security locks on the market, each with different features. See which meets your needs.

Door Jammer Portable Door Security Device

Designed to fit a wide range of inward-opening doors, this portable door lock uses the principle of counterforce to help prevent the door from opening as force is being applied to the door from the other side. Attach it to your door, and no one can enter, even with a key! (Stops entry even with a master key) Easy to use, you slip this under the door to install and give it a few twists to keep it in place. Removes easily and quickly by pulling up on it. The door jammer is designed to work on various types of flooring – carpet, tile, wood, laminate, or concrete. Carry it onboard your flight – TSA Friendly. Read more about the Door Jammer.

Portable Door Lock

Made from heavy-gauge steel. The Portable Door Lock is effective on both lever and knob style doors. It works only on doors that swing inward toward the living space. This portable lock can be used on almost all internal doors that open towards the area to be secured. It makes the lock inaccessible from outside the room, even if someone has a key to the room. This secondary door lock works by hooking the claw on the stainless piece into the strike plate on the door frame, next you close the door, and finally, you slide the red piece tight against the door. Read more about the portable door lock.

Travel Door Alarm with LED Flashlight

This Door Alarm is easy to use and fits most hotel doors and windows. Hang the door alarm on the inside handle of your hotel door. It works on lever and knob-style doors. If the opening of the alarmed door is attempted, the contacts wedged between the door and door frame dislodge and emit a piercing 120-decibel alarm. It doesn’t stop the door from being opened but alerts you and the intruder of the breach. The benefit of this design is it can work on doors that do not easily accommodate other styles of secondary door locks. Click here to read more.

Door Stop and Alarm

This product does two things. First, it stops the door from being opened (other than just a small amount), and second, it emits an alarm alerting the intruder and you of the attempted entry. Great for home, think back doors, doors from the garage to the house, the front door, plus of course, travel. Have peace of mind in your vacation rental or hotel. This item requires a battery to emit the alarm, it will, however, still work as a door stopper if the battery is not installed or if the alarm is turned off. Read more about this clever device.

The Lock Locker

This device secures deadbolt locks. The Lock locker stops the deadbolt from opening even if a key is used. Stops copied keys, lock bumping, and lock picks. This device helps keep you safe at home, at hotel vacation rentals, and in cabins that have a deadbolt-style lock. The Lock Locker is specifically designed to lock and keep locked the common deadbolt. While criminals have many ways to enter a home they most often attempt to enter through doors first. Keeping points of entry secured should be the top priority for security-minded people. The Lock Locker is specifically designed to keep your doors with deadbolts locked while you are in the home. Click here to read more.

Door Brace

This item is designed more for homes than for packing and traveling with, although it can telescope down to 24 inches so it can fit in some larger bags. It installs easily under the doorknob to prevent it from being opened even with a key. This item uses the same principle as a chair placed under a doorknob for security. Learn more

Addalock

This portable door lock installs in seconds and is easy to travel with due to its compact size. It can be used on most doors that are hinged and swing inwards. A cost-effective solution for security. Learn more

Door Knob Lock-Out Device

It can be used in any situation where you want to prevent others with keys from unlocking the doorknob to your space after you leave. This lock-out device is often used in evictions, rentals, home sales, on job sites, in-home, in-offices, and more. This knob lock-out device is used to prevent access to a standard doorknob. Here’s more information

Portable Motion Detector and Alarm

Portable Mini Motion Detector Alarm

This portable motion detector with an alarm is designed to be set up to catch motion like a door opening or a patio sliding door moving. Once it does detect motion it emits an alarm. The alarm alerts you to the breach with its motion-detecting 100dB alarm if someone enters the protected area and hopefully will scare the perpetrator away. This unit can be placed anywhere, which is ideal for travel, or you can mount it on the wall or ceiling for a more permanent solution. This alarm unit can protect a zone up to 15 feet out and 60 degrees vertically and horizontally. Read more about this device.

What Makes a Good Portable Door Lock?

A portable door lock should be small and lightweight so it fits in your carry-on luggage. That way, you will always be inclined to pack it. One personal trick I use to make sure I always travel with one or two of these devices is to keep my travel door locks with my toiletry bag, as I always pack that.

The device should also be easy to install. If it is easy to use, installing it every time you close and lock the door will become a habit, and that’s what you want for your or your loved one’s peace of mind.

Any portable lock you select to travel with should meet your expectations for strength and effectiveness. And that might change as you apply your door lock to different doors. One design of a portable door lock may be more or less effective depending on the door and/or door frame you are using it on. Be prepared and have a couple of security on hand.

Final Thoughts

This selection of portable door locks will work in various scenarios, some better than others, given the door’s configuration. If you’re serious about security, you may need to select two of these devices so you’re prepared for the different styles of doors you will encounter.

Please Note: Using any door stop, door deadbolt, chain, or similar device could delay emergency personnel from entering the room in case of emergency. Consider all scenarios prior to engaging these types of devices. The purchaser assumes any and all risks and takes full responsibility and waives any claims of personal injury, death, or damage to personal property. Always read and follow the manufacturer’s usage brochure.

More Articles You May Like

You always need to be vigilant about your safety and security even in top hotels and resorts. While most properties do have security programs in place to protect their guests, you still need to know how to protect yourself and your family in case of an emergency as well as when just undergoing ordinary activities such as staying in and leaving your room. These are the top hotel safety tips that frequent travelers and experts agree on. These safety rules are simple and easy to follow. If you’re traveling with children, share the rules with them and make sure they practice them too.

Upon Checking In

Request a room that’s not on the ground floor. Security experts agree that staying between the third and sixth floors – where rooms are high enough to avoid easy break-ins and are low enough to be reached by fire engine ladders in the event of an emergency is ideal. Be sure to also make your room location preference known at the time of booking and when confirming the reservation.

Entering and Leaving Your Hotel Room

Don’t keep your room key in the key folder handed to you at the front desk upon check-in. The room key folder typically has your room number written on it. If you accidentally lose or leave your key folder with the key in it, then anyone finding it can access your room. Our advice is to only take the key with you and leave the folder behind in the room.
If you’re going to leave your room and don’t need housekeeping to come in then turn on the TV and hang the do not disturb sign on the outside of your door on your way out. Now you’ve left the impression that someone is in the room who doesn’t want to be disturbed. This decreases the chance that a stranger would try to enter it.
Your mother told you, and she’s right, never open the door to a stranger, especially if they claim to be a member of the hotel staff, and you’re not expecting them. Ask them to wait and call the front desk if they sent someone up and then verify their identity.
To keep hotel staff or anyone with a pass key or code from entering your room while you are in it pack and use a Door Jammer as a secondary lock. The Door Jammer is not only a travel security item but a handy security item for home, office, and dorms too.

Door Jammer portable door lock for resort safety

The Door Jammer works by transferring the force of the door swinging open to the floor and preventing it from being opened

The Portable Door Lock is also a great option. It works on inward swinging doors like those of a hotel.

Addalock portable door lock safety at resorts

A portable door lock is also a great option. It works on inward swinging doors like those of a hotel.

5. Read the evacuation plan and make sure everyone in your room knows it and knows where you all would meet up in the event of an emergency.

Internet Security

Once you’ve entered your room, you might feel a bit safer than in the lobby or a public place in the resort or hotel. That sense of safety translates to internet safety too. Yet your internet may not be any more secure than in an airport or coffee shop. In reality, you’re still using a public Wi-Fi hotspot. When connecting to the hotel Wi-Fi tell your computer that you’re connecting to a public network. The objective is to set your computer firewall to its maximum. Your best option is to use a wired internet connection instead of Wi-Fi. Never access banking or other personal websites from a public network.

Valuables in Your Hotel Room

Protect your valuables by using the hotel safe. Increase the security of the hotel safe by using a separate and additional safe lock with it.

This external lock gets placed onto your hotel room safe to help stop people with passcodes or passkeys from opening it

Two reasons for the additional lock:

A little-known fact, but many hotels do not accept liability for items left in a guest room safe, the an additional external lock increases the security of the safe.
The mere presence of an additional lock should deter a thief from attempting to break into your safe and move on to a room safe without an additional layer of security in place.

Final Thought on Resort and Hotel Safety Advice

Follow these six tips to enhance your safety and peace of mind while on vacation. make sure to share this advice with those you’re traveling with too.

Articles You May Like

How to Keep Your Passport Safe – Tips for Travel

Your passport is your key to proving citizenship and is the document that the US and other countries use to recognize you and to let you enter the country, therefore you must safeguard this critical document. Always take measures to keep your passport safe Anyone traveling abroad, especially for the first time, should take a few minutes to read up on important passport security tips. Keeping your passport safe at all times, around the clock while you’re out of the country will get you home, no problem. Equally important is being aware of passport scams that you may encounter. Your passport is your key to traveling the world, as well as getting back home. It’s also a hot commodity on the black market so being aware of the latest scams to steal your passport is highly important too.

A passport is an internationally recognized travel document that verifies your identity and citizenship. Only the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Embassies and Consulates have the authority to issue or verify U.S. passports.

You Need A Passport to Re-Enter the United States

Most foreign countries require a valid passport to enter and leave. Some countries may allow you to enter with only a birth certificate, or with a birth certificate and a driver’s license, but all persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air, must present a valid passport to reenter the United States.

A stolen passport can cause a lot of problems for you when it’s time to come home. Not only will you not be allowed to travel, but you could also lose your non-refundable airline ticket and face additional unexpected travel expenses while you try to get it replaced. Finally, you may even return home to find only to find your identity has been effectively stolen, and a mounting debt problem to manage.

Before You Do Anything Make Sure You Know When Your Passport Expires

Do not leave it until the last minute to check when your passport expires. Many countries require a passport to be valid for at least six months beyond the date of entry into the country. Therefore, if you are planning to travel and your passport is due to expire in less than a year, you should renew your passport before departure. You should also make sure you have at least one clear visa page in your passport for immigration stamps. Here’s a tip set a calendar reminder approximately 11-12 months prior to your passport expiration date. That way you’ll have enough time to renew your passport without having to pay to expedite fees.

If You Apply for a New Passport Also Apply for a Passport Card

The Passport Card is a substitute for traveling with your passport to Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, and the Caribbean by land or sea. It is not valid for international air travel to and from these countries. A passport card is not valid to any other country than those just mentioned in the world. A passport card is the size of a credit card and fits nicely in your wallet. If you want to keep it on your person while in countries other than Mexico and Canada as an official identification card, you can while keeping your passport secured in a hotel room safe. Like passport books (for adults) a passport card is valid for 10 years. If you already have a US passport, and you now want a passport card as well you may be able to apply for a new passport card via the form DS-82.

What to Do Before You Leave

Back-Up Your Passport Before You Leave Home

Scanning all the pages of your passport (especially the personal details page) can help speed up the replacement process your original passport is lost or stolen. Once you scan your passport, place it into your Dropbox or Google Docs account so you will have worldwide access if needed. The objective is to quickly and easily prove your identity so you can obtain a new passport at the local embassy. Additionally, be sure to include any long-term visas in case you wish to re-apply or replace one. Another option is to take photos of your passport pages and keep them on your phone. This option is a bit riskier if your phone is lost or stolen and is not password, or fingerprinted protected.

Does Someone at Home Have a Copy of Your Passport in an Emergency?

Although having a scanned copy emailed to yourself or in your Dropbox account should be sufficient, leave a scanned copy of your passport with a trusted person (parents, friend, lawyer) who can be counted on to respond and act quickly to your call for help.

Place Emergency Contact Information Inside Your Passport

Put emergency contact information inside your passport in case someone has to access it in an emergency you are sick and unable to speak. You can enter the information on page 4 of the passport.

Tuck a Paper Photocopy of Your Passport into Your Travel Partner’s Luggage

This is for those times when internet access isn’t reliable or when your passport disappears. Alternatively, you can keep a photocopy in your room safe and, of course, a copy on your phone.

Cover Your Passport

Sometimes you may travel to a country where you may not want to let everyone know you are an American so keeping it covered may be a good idea. Not only does a cover keep your passport in good shape, but a blank passport cover from another country can be used to keep things low-key and to keep people guessing. The best passport covers have RFID shielding too, learn more here.

Carry Your Passport on Your Person Only if Needed

You should only carry your passport with you when you need it – otherwise, it should stay locked up. If you’re going to take your passport with you, always keep it in a location that is hard to get to. If you carry it in your purse or travel bag, keep it zipped up in an internal pocket within your bag. Don’t carry it loosely in your bag where a pickpocket’s hand can gain quick access to it. Never keep your passport in your back pocket. That pocket is called the “sucker pocket” for a reason. The very best way to keep your passport safe is to carry it on your person in an anti-theft pouch or money belt that is hidden under your clothes.

Belt with expanding zippered pocket to securely hold passport and more

Belt with expanding zippered pocket to securely hold passport, hide under a shirt

Security Neck Pouch hold passport and more, were it under a shirt

Here is a selection of anti-theft money belts and wallets.
Here is a selection of anti-theft travel purses with special anti-theft zippers.
Here is a selection of travel bags and security day packs with anti-theft features.

If you don’t want to invest in special travel security products and are using a bag make sure it’s a crossbody shoulder bag or a waist pack and keep the bag in front of you with all zippers and snaps closed up at all times.

If You Leave Your Passport, Lock it Up

If you leave your passport behind, and you’re relatively confident in the safe in your room, you can use that, but be sure that others can’t get into the safe while you’re gone. Many of the hotel and cruise ship safes are just not that secure. Use a hotel room safe lock for extra security, learn more here about the Milockie.

Milockie Hotel Safe Lock is a Tamper Evident Device for Your Room Safe

If your room doesn’t have a safe, leave it with the hotel front desk or hostel and have them lock it in their safe behind the front desk. Alternatively, if your room doesn’t have an in-room safe, consider packing a locking travel safe. you can use in your room or another location even at home. If you don’t want to buy a portable travel safe, lock your passport inside hard-sided luggage that you can lock to an immovable object in your room.

One Adult, One Passport

Some people make the mistake of keeping all the passports together and held by one person. That action simply means losing more passports at once rather than keeping them all safe. Each person who’s old enough carries their own passport. Spread out the kids’ passports among the adults to minimize the impact of a single theft.

Never Put Your Passport in Your Luggage While in Transit

Luggage gets stolen or pilfered by dishonest airline workers, hotel employees, and others who may have access to your luggage when it’s out of your sight. So we’re back to carry your passport on your person when in transit. Here’s an example of a passport security mistake. You place your passport in your carry-on luggage and board a shuttle bus from the airport to the hotel. Along the route, the bus stops at a destination before yours, someone gets off the bus and mistakenly (or by purpose) takes your bag. Since your luggage was in the rear of the shuttle van or bus, you did not see the mistake (or theft) and off goes your passport. Always keep your passport safe by keeping it on your person, or in a secured bag on your person.

Be Wary of Those Who Want to Hold Your Passport

This practice isn’t very common today, but in some places, foreign hotels will ask for your passport and keep it. In some cases, they’re required to report the information to local authorities. If you’re uneasy with this practice – and you should be – ask the establishment to accept a copy of your passport instead of holding the document itself.

RFID blocking money belt keeps passport, cash, cards hidden. Wear around your wiast and under a shirt or lower and tucked into your pants.

Fake Police Officer Passport Scam

Fake police officer scams have been around for a while – and if you don’t pay attention, you could easily fall for the scam. The thieves work on your inability to recognize what a real police uniform looks like – and in reality, could you tell the difference between a fake and real police officer’s uniform if you were overseas? These thieves will do whatever it takes to make you believe they are the police. They will engage in a conversation and ask you for your passport – as if a real police officer may. This is a scam to steal your passport. Fortunately, this scam is not a prevalent one.

Name on Passport and Airline Tickets Should Match

This is of particular concern for women who recently married and are traveling with tickets under their married name, yet have an older passport in their maiden name. The solution is to travel with tickets passport, and driver’s license all with the same name. Since 911 security is more rigid.

Check For Your Passport Regularly – In Private

Check regularly that you’re still carrying your passport where you think you are, but do this only in private. If you make it obvious, a thief who’s watching will know just where to look for it. Check in the privacy of your room before you leave for the day and use opportunities like visiting bathroom stalls to verify your passport is still secure.

Articles For You

In Paris Don’t Fall for the – Fake Petition Scam

The fake petition scam has been going on in France, Italy, and Spain for years because it is so successful. It’s a scam many first time visitors fall for because it starts out as what appears to be a legitimate conversation with a friendly local. You will usually find con-artists with clipboards at many of the larger metropolitan tourist destinations.

How the Fake Petition Scam Works

The con-artists target single travelers, couples, and small groups of tourists. If you are or see that you are about to be approached by clipboard-wielding young man or woman who greets you with a smile and genuine interest – know that you are very possibly being set up for any number of scams to relieve you of your money. After you sign the petition (and there are many compelling reasons or causes to sign) they pester you sometimes to the point of intimidation to make a “donation” now that you signed the form.

Fake Petition Scam

Victimized travelers have many different variations of how they fell victim to a scammer who targeted them with the “fake petition” scam – with some of the interactions being very unpleasant. The best advice is to avoid the fake petition scam in the first place. If anyone approaches you holding a clipboard, or holding a piece of paper that may even remotely look like a petition, do not let them engage you in conversation. Simply say firmly “non merci” and walk away. If necessary be rude, and do not let them engage you in conversation, because if you do, you might end up like the man in the video below.

The scam works this way. Once you sign what you think is a petition, the scammer will insist that you make a donation to whatever cause the petition is for. If you don’t give a “donation” the scammer will point to the paper you signed that says you have agreed to give a donation. If you still don’t give a donation, the scammer comes up with another trick, they will tell you that if you don’t give a donation they (the scammer – or as they may call themselves “petitioner” will have to personally give the pledge money to the cause you signed for. If you resist, other youths may come to their aid as a way to pressure you to pay. The scene can escalate from there in various manners, including the use of other thieves who may try to steal your bag as you are distracted by the argument.

How Fake Petitioners Operate to Rip Off Unsuspecting Travelers

Another variation is that the scammer targets unsuspecting tourists who are sitting down at a café table. The scammer looks specifically for someone who may have a cell phone or camera on the table and uses the fake petition scam as a distraction to steal it. The thief’s job is that when they walk up to your table, they need to engage you in conversation while they put their clipboard or papers on top of your phone or camera. The thief tries to do this in a way that you won’t notice what they are doing – again facilitated by engaging you in a verbal conversation.

After a short conversation, and with the hope that you were also able to get you to “donate” to their scam cause, the thief walks away with your cell phone or camera under their clipboard or other paperwork. Most of the time, these thieves are so skilled that it takes victims some time to realize they have been ripped off. The lesson learned here is to keep your guard up against overly friendly strangers and always be aware of your possessions when they are sitting on a table. A defensive strategy for travel is to always place your phone or wallet while sitting a table into an anti-theft waist pack. You can reach for it easily, but no one else can.

Don’t Be a Target – Learn From Others and Don’t Fall Victim to the Fake Petition Scam

Do RFID Wallets Stop Electronic Pickpocketing

RFID chips send out electromagnetic signals with all the information stored on the card for electronic readers to capture. In the case of your passport, they can even broadcast your photo. RFID technology is a good thing, but in the hands of RFID pickpockets, it can be devastating. So how do you protect yourself from electronic RFID pickpockets who use electronic readers? You need to use RFID-blocking wallets, purses, or other RFID-blocking gear. These items have metal fibers woven inside of them to block the RFID transmissions. You could also wrap your cards in foil to stop transmission, but that is inconvenient and cumbersome. So yes, RFID-blocking wallets can protect your identity from falling into the hands of thieves, crooks, and scam artists.

Protect Your Identity & Personal Information with RFID Blocking Gear

The latest travel wallets, purses, backpacks, and other gear have RFID shielding built into the material of the product for your security and peace of mind. Wallets, bags, and backpacks that contain this RFID blocking material look like ordinary wallets and purses. Depending on their design, the product may entirely have RFID shielding, or may just have dedicated pockets to RFID shielding. It is in these RFID blocking pockets where you would place your wallet or other digital ID. You are most vulnerable to pickpockets, both regular and electronic, in crowded situations or in places where you place your things down like hanging your bag on the back of a chair in a restaurant. The results of being electronically pickpocketed can be devastating, so consider outsmarting the bad guys with RFID blocking gear. For your peace of mind, see an extensive collection of RFID blocking travel gear.

RFID blocking money belt. Hidden under your shirt it’s easy for you to access, but not thieves.

Anti-theft crossbody day bag has built-in RFID protected pockets

Classic Men's Leather Wallet with embedded RFID blocking technology stops electronic pickpocketing

Classic Men’s Leather Wallet Embedded with RFID Blocking Technology

What is RFID and Why Do I Need to Block it?

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification Devices. Today they are found in passports and credit cards to help speed up transactions. They transmit your account information plus personal details. Handheld scanners can read these chips through wallets and clothing up to several feet away. It is a form of electronically pickpocketing or identity theft. Newly issued credit cards, passports, and other IDs have embedded RFID chips.

Do RFID Wallets and other RFID blocking bags stop pickpockets? Yes, You can protect your personal data with the use of RFID blocking wallets and RFID blocking passport covers. These items contain a metal fiber mesh that makes a “cage” around the chip that radio waves cannot penetrate. All US Passports issued since October 2006 have RFID chips in them. The chip contains all the data that is on the first page including your photo. A growing number of states (New York, Michigan, Washington, Vermont) are now issuing special driver’s licenses “enhanced” with long-range RFID chips.

How Does RFID Work?

RFID, Radio Frequency Identification, is the technology that lets you simply wave your credit or identification card, passport or license in front of a nearby scanner instead of having to slide the magnetic stripe through it. The electronic scanner sends a signal which is received by an antenna embedded into the card, which is connected to the card’s RFID chip, thus activating it. Unfortunately, criminals with minimal technical skills can construct their own clandestine RFID readers with a few simple supplies. These devices can steal your private financial information quickly and silently—all the perpetrator needs to do is come near your wallet with the hidden card reader.

Credit cards have RFID chips

Does my Card Have an RFID Chip?

This is the important part if your card is equipped with PayWave or blink, indicated by a logo on the front or back of the card, then it has an RFID chip embedded in it. The absence of a PayPass logo, however, does not mean that your card does not have an RFID chip—call the customer service number on the back of your card. If you cannot get an answer from your bank you should protect your cards anyway to ensure that you do not fall victim to identity theft. Imagine how the theft of your identity while traveling could negatively impact your trip! You should be concerned if you carry an American Express Card, Visa, Discover, MasterCard or a passport.

Here’s the best and latest selection of RFID blocking wallets and gear to stop electronic pickpocketing.

Video Demonstration of RFID Pickpockets

Cheap and Effective Security Solutions for Bags You Already Own

Here are a couple of easy, clever, and inexpensive solutions to lock your zippers to theft-proof the bags you love. If you love your purse, bag, luggage or backpack, and it doesn’t have built-in theft proof zippers you can use these items to add a layer of security to them. Use these solutions for keeping your zippers closed every day or temporarily. They will help keep your valuables secure and increase your peace of mind. You should be enjoying the sights, dining, shopping or relaxing and not worrying about thieves and pickpockets in a crowd. Lock your zippers to act as a visual deterrent to a thief scoping out a victim. If your bag looks more difficult to breach because of a lock, even a makeshift zipper lock, a thief just might pass you by and target another victim with an easier to open zipper.

Why Unlocked Zippers are a Problem

This video shows a woman who just got off the London tube and stopped by a store to do a little bit of shopping. While doing so, you will see how a brazen thief steals the victim’s wallet from her suitcase while she is standing just inches away. The CCTV video footage shows the owner of the bag looking at items while the thief unzips the front pocket at the top of her large black suitcase, puts her hand inside and steals the victim’s wallet.

Solutions for Locking Zippers Down

The Triple Lock is a versatile lock for luggage. It prevents zippers from traveling to re-seal punctures. Because of its unique design, it can be used for other functions too like locking bags together to make the carrying of them more difficult and thereby more difficult to steal. The triple lock can also lock a bag to an object or to a stationary or fixed item. Simply attach one loop to your bag handle and the other loop to a fixed item such as a chair, bed frame, drawer handle, or even another suitcase. An example of when this feature is useful is while you’re sleeping on a train or in a hotel or hostel and you want to lock your bag and have it stay put while you are unable to watch it. Learn more about the triple lock.

Protect your luggage with zipper locks

Zipper Locks are an effective solution to keep prying hands out of your purse, backpack, or travel bag. These gadgets work on bags or backpacks with a double zipper, that is, with two zipper pulls. This is because this clever little gadget holds the two zip pullers together so they can’t be separated to access the bag. To use, you depress the silver portion of the clip to attach and detach the locks to the zipper pulls. While it is easy for you to unhook the zipper locks if you want to get into your bag, there’s a good chance you’d notice a stranger trying to remove the locks. These are reusable and an affordable security solution. Learn more about zipper locks.

Zip Ties for Luggage or Bags Known as Secure a Bag Cable Ties, these are disposable, one-time-use zip ties. They come with nail clippers, which you use to cut the ties. Yes, you can now travel with nail clippers in your carry-on bag. The advantage of this security device is you can instantly see if the zip tie has been cut off. Use zip ties only if you’re not planning on accessing your bag frequently because each tie is a one-time use item. Also, consider if you do fly with one of these on your bag, the TSA has a right to cut it off, and once it is cut, the TSA can’t reapply it. If you’re locking a bag in a hotel, car, or even at home, the convenience of not remembering a combination or keeping track of a small lock key has its advantages. Learn more about zip ties.

Cable Luggage Lock for Double Zippered Bags

These are regular luggage locks. However, they work well with backpacks, or any bag that has two zipper pulls you lock together. The benefit of this lock is that you don’t need a key and it’s a strong visual deterrent for a would-be thief. Make sure your zipper pulls have a hole or eye that you thread the flexible cable through. Learn more about cable locks

Lock Your Luggage and Backpack Zippers

You may not always want to lock down your zipper pulls but in some situations doing so will give you peace of mind. We suggest using a couple of these zipper security solutions to help you keep your gear secure and out of the hands of thieves.

Safety Tips for Women

1. NEVER get into an attacker’s car if he pulls a gun and orders you to get into his vehicle. Most attackers don’t want to shoot you: they want you to get into the car so that they can drive you to a deserted place and do God-knows-what-else. Do not comply, and instead run away screaming. It is MUCH more likely than not that he will just move on to an easier target.

2. While driving, NEVER pull over if someone driving alongside you points at your car pretending something is wrong. If this happens, drive to the nearest well-lit and populated gas station and look the car over yourself (or ask an attendant). Believe it or not, many women have fallen for this for fear of their car spontaneously exploding in the middle of the road. Not likely.

3. ALWAYS lock your car doors while driving. I have read several cases where an attacker simply walks up to a woman’s car while she’s at a traffic light and jumps in with his gun or knife drawn. If you use Lyft, Uber or other rideshare arrangements the safety rules are quite different.

4. When having your car serviced, only give the attendant your car keys and detach the keys to your home. They have key duplicators readily available and generally, have your address on file.

5. STAY ALERT in parking lots. If you go to the grocery store at night, don’t be shy about asking for an escort to your car. Too many women are abducted from or even raped in parking lots. Be aware of your surroundings by looking to the left and right and behind you with your head up all the time. You may appear paranoid and look funny to others, but an attacker will think twice about approaching someone who appears so aware of what’s going on. Cars provide endless hiding places for attackers, both inside them and in between them. In addition, always look in your back seat before entering your car.

6. Just because a stranger may look innocent and clean-cut, doesn’t mean you should trust them. In my work, I see mug shots of attackers and sex offenders and – trust me – they do not look like monsters. They often look like they could be your friendly neighborhood guy. They are every age between 15 and 90, and probably beyond. Only a small minority actually look scary. I just read a case yesterday of a man with only one leg who beat up his victim with his crutch before he raped her. Who would have ever thought that a one-legged man would be a rapist?

7. Child molesters often end up being the last person parents would suspect of wrongdoing. In most child molestation cases I see, the perpetrator is someone close to home: the stepfather, uncle, sister’s or mother’s boyfriend, grandfather, babysitter, neighbor, a family friend, youth camp director, or daycare worker, etc. Although rare, even women can be molesters. In every case, the perpetrator seems to be a “nice guy:” trusting and good with children, without signs of suspicion. Families are often baffled or in disbelief that the person could be abusing their child. When it comes to your children and grandchildren, be suspicious of everyone, no matter who they are. And pay attention to what your child says and how he/she reacts to the mention of different people in their lives.

8. NEVER open your front door without positively identifying who is there. If you don’t have a peephole, get one. I’ve seen countless cases where attackers gain access to victims simply by knocking on their doors. Don’t let an attacker get into your home. He then has a private, relatively soundproof place to attack you. Prevent strangers from entering your home. Consider adding an extra layer of protection with a Portable Door Lock. A portable door lock should also be one of the first things a woman packs for travel. Keep an extra one in your travel bag or in your cosmetic bag so you don’t forget to pack it.

Share these safety tips for women with the women in your life, because it’s best to be as prepared as possible.

Are Hotel Room Safes, Safe?

Master keys, master key cards, and override codes in the wrong hands make it easy to open a hotel safe. Most new safes come with an override code of 0000 or 9999. When safes are installed in a hotel room, it is the responsibility of the hotel to change the override code that the safe comes with. Thieves and dishonest hotel employees who have access to your room can use the code to access your safe. Typically, one of a few codes, like 0000 or something similar, will open the safe. Learn what you can do not to be a victim of hotel room safe theft.

Milockie Hotel Safe is a Visual Deterrent and Tamper Evident Device for use on Hotel Safes

How Does Hotel Room Safe Theft Happen?

Theft from hotel in-room safes is not an everyday occurrence, but it does happen. Hotel guests do forget their safe codes or safe electronics may malfunction. Therefore, the hotel staff has to have some way to open a hotel room safe. Hotels all have a special “electronic backdoor” that allows them to use a special digital code, key, or electronic device to open the safe if needed. So you are truly not the only one with access to your safe. This short video offers a quick overview and shows how to open a hotel room safe.

Multiple Ways Hotel Staff Can Open a Hotel Room Safe, A Clear Explanation

Video – See How Easy it is to Unlock a Hotel Room Safe with Simple Tools

The video below shows that the metal nameplate on one brand of common hotel room safes can be easily removed, revealing a backup keyhole underneath. Using nothing more than a simple pocket tool and a short length of wire, the safe can be easily opened. The interesting part is when the safe door is then closed, it automatically locks itself again like nothing’s happened. So when a traveler returns to their hotel room, they’ll see that the safe door is closed and assume that it’s locked and secure.

Solution: Use a Hotel Room Safe Lock or A Personal Portable Safe to Safeguard Your Valuables

A secondary lock, the Milockie, is a visual deterrent in addition to blocking the opening of the safe door even if a passcode or key is used. The Milockie prevents the hotel safe door from swinging open even if the safe is unlocked and is kept in place with a padlock that only you know the code to.

Milockie Hotel Safe Lock is a Tamper-proof Overlay Lock for Your Hotel Room Safe

Alternative security solutions include bringing your own portable safe. Available in different sizes, a portable travel safe is highly effective. Most thieves are opportunistic. To breach a portable safe a thief needs a large wire cutting/bolt cutting tool that most hotel employees or others don’t have on their person.

Typically a portable travel safe folds flat so that you can pack it in your luggage for use at your destination. Most safes are made of puncture or cut-proof fabric and cinch closed with a steel cable. Some portable safe have wire mesh reinforced sides. It is these features that make breaching the portable safes extremely difficult.

Portable Safe Cinched and Locked to a Stationary Item, Like a Chair or Bed frame

Hotel rooms safes may not be as safe as you think

Portable Safe for Small Valuables Like Phones and Wallets

An additional benefit of a portable safe is that you can use it outside of your hotel room too. They work in rental cars, attached to pool chairs, bikes, or even at home.

Most Common Types of Hotel Room Safes

Electronic Keypad Room Safe

This type of safe is commonly found in mainstream hotels and resorts. This style of safe has several features that limit thefts from it. That’s because it requires a handheld computer device to open the safe. These safes require the attachment of a handheld PDA with either an infrared USB or cable. The units store up to 50 entries, incorrect PIN entries, and it’s all-time and date stamped. These can be attached to a PC, where audit reports can be printed for police and insurance purposes. These units DO NOT have a hotel override, it reveals the guest PIN.

Electronic Keypad Safe With Keypad Override Access

These types of hotel room safes require the use of an override *sequence*, not just a PIN number. This type of safe is almost as good as the one previously mentioned, as it contains a removable chip, which can access all the same data as above.

Electronic Keypad Access With Manual Safety Key

These room safes are not as secure as the previous two. This style requires the moving of the safe to enter a key and override code. They record the time and date of the override entry but nothing else. Refer below as to who *should* hold the spare key.

Manual Key Safe With Safety Key Access

This is a very old room safe model and is becoming rarer as time passes as hotels remodel and replace them with newer electronic versions. Yes, they do have spare keys, but reputable hotels don’t keep them accessible – even to management. It’s often kept in a fire-safe with either the general cashier or hotel management – we would hope – but many times who knows where this key is and who has access to it?

Where Do Hotel Room Safe Thefts Occur?

Thefts from hotel safes usually involve dishonest hotel employees, and these types of thefts seem to have a higher rate of being reported in hotels outside the United States. To read some of these hotel in-room safe theft stories reported by travelers, click on this TripAdvisor link.

Which Portable Door Lock / Alarm is Best for Your Travel Needs?

Portable door locks for home and travel

What Makes a Good Portable Door Lock?

Final Thoughts

Upon Checking In

Entering and Leaving Your Hotel Room

Internet Security

Valuables in Your Hotel Room

Final Thought on Resort and Hotel Safety Advice

Articles You May Like

How to Keep Your Passport Safe – Tips for Travel

You Need A Passport to Re-Enter the United States

Before You Do Anything Make Sure You Know When Your Passport Expires

If You Apply for a New Passport Also Apply for a Passport Card

What to Do Before You Leave

Back-Up Your Passport Before You Leave Home

Does Someone at Home Have a Copy of Your Passport in an Emergency?

Place Emergency Contact Information Inside Your Passport

Tuck a Paper Photocopy of Your Passport into Your Travel Partner’s Luggage

Cover Your Passport

Carry Your Passport on Your Person Only if Needed

If You Leave Your Passport, Lock it Up

One Adult, One Passport

Never Put Your Passport in Your Luggage While in Transit

Be Wary of Those Who Want to Hold Your Passport

Fake Police Officer Passport Scam

Name on Passport and Airline Tickets Should Match

Check For Your Passport Regularly – In Private

Articles For You

In Paris Don’t Fall for the – Fake Petition Scam

How the Fake Petition Scam Works

How Fake Petitioners Operate to Rip Off Unsuspecting Travelers

Don’t Be a Target – Learn From Others and Don’t Fall Victim to the Fake Petition Scam

More Articles You May Like

Do RFID Wallets Stop Electronic Pickpocketing

Protect Your Identity & Personal Information with RFID Blocking Gear

More Articles You May Like

Cheap and Effective Security Solutions for Bags You Already Own

Why Unlocked Zippers are a Problem

Solutions for Locking Zippers Down

Lock Your Luggage and Backpack Zippers

More Articles You May Like

Safety Tips for Women

More Articles You May Like

Are Hotel Room Safes, Safe?

How Does Hotel Room Safe Theft Happen?

Multiple Ways Hotel Staff Can Open a Hotel Room Safe, A Clear Explanation

Video – See How Easy it is to Unlock a Hotel Room Safe with Simple Tools

Solution: Use a Hotel Room Safe Lock or A Personal Portable Safe to Safeguard Your Valuables

Most Common Types of Hotel Room Safes

Electronic Keypad Room Safe

Electronic Keypad Safe With Keypad Override Access

Electronic Keypad Access With Manual Safety Key

Manual Key Safe With Safety Key Access

Where Do Hotel Room Safe Thefts Occur?

Additional Articles You May Like

Resources