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How to pack a suitcase or bag is a learned skill. Your best chance of packing just the right amount of clothes is to plan what you will wear each day or by activity re-using as many items as possible. Think a long sleeve shirt could be a light jacket over a t-shirt or be worn separately. Over-packing will also leave less room in your suitcase for purchasing gifts and souvenirs! Follow the below guidelines, and you’ll be expertly packed. You can learn to pack a suitcase quickly, here are our favorite tips.

 1. Use a Packing List!

When it comes to how to pack a suitcase expert travelers agree, it’s best to start your packing process days or even weeks ahead of your departure date; this gives you time to craft a complete list, plus purchase any additional items you might need. Start with a comprehensive published list and add or delete items. Creating a packing list is a fail-safe way to ensure that you won’t forget to bring something important. Here’s a packing list to get you started.

2. Follow the TSA 3-1-1 Rule

The rule is all liquids brought onto planes must be in 3.4-ounce (100ml) bottles or smaller and all placed inside a single, clear, quart-size zip-top bag. The bag limits how many liquids you can bring on board. Consolidating products into one bag and X-raying them separately from other carry-on items enables security officers to quickly clear all items. One-quart bag per person limits the total liquid volume each traveler can bring on board. Want to carry more liquids, and then pack them in your checked luggage. Everyday travel items that must comply with the 3-1-1 liquids rule include toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. 

This 1-quart bag with refillable bottles is a TSA Accepted Toiletry KitTSA accepted toiletry bag, helps you pack a suitcase

3. Know Your Airline’s Baggage Rules and Fees

Before you begin packing review your airline’s website and read its baggage policy. This is something you might even want to do prior to purchasing your plane ticket, especially if you’re checking luggage. Don’t forget to read their rules about carry-on bags either. Invest in and travel with a luggage scale, it’ll save you money, especially on your way home with the addition of souvenirs in your bag.

4. Put Essential Items in Your Carry-On

You must keep your valuable and essential belongings in your carry-on bag, not in your checked luggage. Your passport, identification, money, credit cards, jewelry, electronics, medicines other valuables should always be brought onto the plane with you use a document organizer and small bags to keep track of your valuables. If the airline loses your luggage (or if a TSA agent gets sticky fingers), you’ll regret stowing your expensive gear or meds in a checked bag.

5. Use Packing Aids-They Save Space

Experienced road warriors and frequent flyers agree that using packing aids and particular packing cubes really do make a difference when it comes to packing a bag! There are several styles. Select one or a combination of them, depending on what you’re packing. No matter what your choice, you’ll be more organized and have more space, we promise.

Compression Packers Create More Space

Compression packers for travel to help pack a suitcasePlace clothing into a bag, seal, and roll to move air out of one-way valve system. Now you’ve maximized your packing space by eliminating the air in your bag! These compression bags are ideal for compressing bulky items such as jackets, sweatshirts, coats, socks or dirty clothes. Compression Packers.

 Packing Cubes Keep Things Organized

White set of three packers, to help pack a suitcase

Each lightweight and breathable cube has a different size to keep items neat and easy to find. TSA friendly, the cubes keep like items (think socks and lingerie) together and reduce wrinkles since clothes won’t be sliding around your entire suitcase. The larger one keeps dress shirts looking crisp and fresh.

Select Clothes Which Layer and Mix and Match

When thinking about how to pack a suitcase, think about wearing layers. Short-sleeved shirts can go under long-sleeved ones. A long scarf is decorative and can double as an evening wrap and added warmth on the plane. Jeans or khakis go from day to night with the change of an athletic to a dress shoe or sandal.

2. Choose Knits, Wool, and Cotton

These fabrics tend to resist wrinkles and are versatile and stick to a few colors that mix and match. If you are going to a warm climate pack moisture-wicking synthetics you can wash in your hotel sink, hang up overnight and wear again.

3. Roll Softer Garments and Fold Stiffer Ones

Underwear, T-shirts, jeans, cotton pants, and knitwear won’t wrinkle when rolled tightly. Stiffer fabrics, such as starched cotton shirts, blazers, dressy pants, and skirts, should be carefully folded.

If you need more space in your suitcase and aren’t worried about the weight, roll your clothes (as this will take significantly less space than folding). If you do not need as much space and want to keep the weight down, fold your clothes.

  • Roll items as tightly as possible to achieve the space-saving effect.
  • Rolling does not necessarily make your clothes more wrinkled, you simply need to be careful that when you roll clothes, you do not roll in any wrinkles. Roll the item as flat as possible. Folding the item along its natural seams first will help.
  • Elastic items will be easier to roll without introducing wrinkles.
  • If you aren’t very good at rolling, avoid rolling items that wrinkle easily.
  • Rolled items need to be packed tightly, so this method should only be used if space is at a premium. If they are not tightly packed, they will unroll and wrinkle.

6. Wash Your Clothes on the Road

Vacation rentals often have laundry facilities, however, if you’re staying in a hotel, or taking a cruise wash clothes in sinks and hang them to dry, a blow dryer or iron can help get rid of any lingering dampness. Pack laundry soap sheets ( they can’t spill or accidentally pop open) and a portable laundry-drying line. Carry a stain stick in your bag.

7. Strive to Fit all Your Clothes into a Carry-on Bag

Limit yourself to what you can fit into a carry-on bag with wheels.  Your luggage will fit into the overhead bin of an airplane so you never have to check and risk it going on a different trip than you are. When you do reach your destination, you’ll enjoy the ease of mobility.

  • Carrying your bag onto the plane reduces the chances that it will get lost, broken, or stolen.
  • Save on checked bag fees

8. Use a Large Personal Item

We like to use a backpack in addition to a carry-on bag. You can use your backpack as a day bag at your destination too. pack any medications or can’t live without essentials in this bag just in case of the rare chance that you must gate check your carry-on. Plus wearing a backpack and pushing or pulling your wheeled carry-on keeps one hand free too.

9. Use Air Tags or Tile Devices to Track Bags

Apple’s Air Tags and Tile for Android phones are small discs that use Bluetooth on your phone to track items.  Not just for luggage. both carry-on and checked, they can be used to track bikes, cars, wallets, and just about anything where you can hide and secure the small battery-operated disc. By putting a tracker inside your checked luggage, you will be able to see exactly where your bag is when traveling. We have used trackers on our last few trips and had peace of mind knowing both our checked bags made it onto the plane. In two cases, it helped us find our bags in the sea of black bags at baggage claim. Now, the first thing we reach for after reaching for our bags is our Air Tags or Tile Tracking devices.

Apple AirTag 4 Pack How to pack

Apple AirTags for luggage and bags

Tile Pro (2022) 2-pack (1 Black/ 1 White). Powerful Bluetooth Tracker, Keys Finder & Item Locator for Keys,

Tile Tracker Device compatible with Android phones

More Advice on How to Pack a Suitcase

 Do not lock your checked bags except with TSA-approved luggage locks; otherwise, if your bag is selected for random screening, agents will have to break the lock to get inside.
Do not overpack your bag. If selected for inspection, TSA screeners will have difficulty closing your luggage, which will only lead to wrinkles and the potential for lost articles.

 Lastly, place any packed belongings you don’t feel comfortable with strangers handling in clear plastic bags.

 

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You Won’t Find Me!

Where do you hide valuables at home? Have you ever given it thought about where is the best, and worst, places to hide small valuables at home? Not everything fits in a safe, and what if you don’t have one.  All things considered, a safety deposit box in a bank vault is still the best place to keep jewelry and other valuables, but there are some places around your home that make terrific hiding places for important smaller items and cash.

Worst Locations at Home to Hide Small Valuables

There are some places where experienced thieves are sure to look, such as inside top drawers, underneath any drawer, and behind wall art in the den or bedroom. We suggest you take care to avoid these obvious, or rather popular, caches.

It’s a good idea to wrap items in plastic before stashing them. Most of our suggestions are for small objects that can be held in your hand or cash. Take time to look around your place for spaces where you can hide things unobtrusively. You want places that are easily overlooked and will not be disturbed accidentally by a house guest, cleaning person or anyone else who may enter your home like a pet sitter.

The following suggestions are less obvious places than the ones mentioned above, but remember that a determined thief with enough time will probably find what you have in your home. What you’re doing here is buying time, hoping that any burglar will be disturbed before getting to your good stuff.

Hide it Easily – Quick Hacks to Hide Valuables at Home

Look for easily accessible places, which are also easily overlooked by the casual observer. Some good examples of these places are:

  • Bulk dry goods such as jars of rice and flour can hide small valuables and be kept out of the way on the back shelf.
  • Aspirin or brown pill bottles inside the medicine cabinet can be a good bet.
  • Packages of frozen vegetables can be thawed, and refrozen with items inside them.
  • Tennis balls with a small slit in them will return to their original shape. Squeeze the ball to open and stuff, then place back in the container.
  • Vacuum cleaner bags (clean ones) can hide an envelope of cash inside them.
  • Stuffed animals can be cut open (gently, and not around young children) and used as unlikely containers. Cut along a seam, stuff and re-sew Teddy before returning him to his friends.
  • Ceiling light fixtures can be unscrewed, and small valuables may be placed within the electrical box underneath.
  • Composite “rocks” that are hollow are common for hiding keys and can be placed outside in the garden or a planter with other rocks.
Fake rock designed hide small valuables

Fake rock designed to hide small valuables

  • A portable safe that you tether down with a steel cable and lock closed is ideal for slightly larger items. It’s virtually cut-proof, and you can tether it to a bed frame, plumbing under the sink, or a similar difficult item to breach. Typically, burglars want to be in and quickly. Even if they find this safe, they won’t be able to remove it or open it without specific tools and time. It’s a great security bag you can use at home, at the office, or while traveling.

Last-Minute Places to Hide Small Items and Money

Linen closets – inside folded towels
Place an envelope with cash between your bakeware
Inside your shower curtain rod
Inside a flashlight
Inside your Christmas decorations box
Inside plastic Easter eggs
Inside a DVD case
Inside a decorative pillow
Inside a pocket of a hiking backpack at the back of the closet
Inside your high school yearbook
Inside a board game
Inside a travel mug

Consider a low-cost diversion safe. Get a couple and one for a friend; they’re clever and make great gifts too.

 

Create a More Permanent Hiding Spot

These places require a bit more preparation to become effectively hidden containers.

Book safe: glue most of the pages of an old, uninteresting hardcover book together. Use a coping saw to cut a hollow area out of the middle. Drill starter holes for the saw. Then glue the box made with the pages to the back cover and let dry thoroughly. Stash on your bookshelf among other books or buy a “book safe” and place it among other books.
Steps and flooring have natural hollow spaces underneath. Carpentry skills are required to effectively create a seamless surface that escapes detection.
Hollow-core doors can have sections cut out of the hinge edge to give access to space within the door. Use the cutout piece as a plug.
The tops of poster beds unscrew. Hollow spaces can be drilled out in the posts themselves.  Commercial wall and floor safes should be installed by a professional, and are effective at drastically slowing down the unprepared casual thief from accessing your valuables.

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Theft At Airport Screening Stations

Theft at security checkpoints continues to be reported at airports around the world. Theft at airport screening stations is most prevalent in foreign countries or domestic airports without stringent TSA screening protocols. And the bigger the crowd and the greater the activity around the security checkpoints the better too. Therefore your valuables and property are at most risk in these locations and during these times. While this is not a very common type of theft, it can be devastating because it typically includes the theft of passports, wallets or other valuables you keep in your carry-on and are essential for travel. Imagine losing your phone or wallet at the beginning of a trip!

 

Two Types of Thefts Happen at Airport Security Checkpoints

Airport screening stations and security checkpoints lend themselves typically to two different types of thefts.  One is set up or planned and the other is a theft of opportunity.

The planned or setup theft method involves two scammers working together as a team. The team targets you and right before you enter the screening line, both of the scammers walk in front of you in the security line. The first thief scammer goes through the security checkpoint screening without issue, however, the second one, known as the stall, holds up the line by spending time removing items from his pockets.  Sometimes he even drops change on the ground to slow things down by fumbling the picking up of the coins.

He causes this stall or distraction only after you and he both have placed your carry-on bags onto the x-ray conveyor belt but before walking through the metal detector. This allows him or her to get to the bags as they come out of the Xray tunnel and before you have a chance to retrieve your bag. If your is small it can be picked up and placed inside another bag.

A second common method of theft is as you are delayed getting through the body scanner someone in front of you picks up a small item belonging to you like a wallet or phone which you have placed is a small open tray designed to hold keys, phones, and similar items, and places it in his larger bag and walks away with it hidden from your view. Sophisticated thieves may even hand off the stolen item to an accomplice.

How Do You Prevent Theft at Security Checkpoints?

  1. Don’t walk through the metal detector before your bags
    When flying with a companion make sure one of you has cleared the detector before your valuables get placed onto the conveyor belt, that way the person on the other side of the x-ray machine can keep an eye on and pick up the bags immediately as they pass through. When you don’t have a travel companion and there are unavoidable lines, delay putting your luggage and laptop on the conveyor belt until you’re sure you’ll be the next person through the metal detector. And, as you move through the detector, keep your eyes on the conveyor belt and watch for your luggage and laptop to come through at the other end, while keeping a ‘sharp eye’ on what those in front of you are picking up.
  2.  Place pocket contents inside your bag
    Avoid putting loose items of value typically carried in your pocket in a tray and letting it pass through. Place all valuables in a zippered pocket of your carry-on luggage. If you travel with a carry-on bag that does not have any external pockets, then plan ahead and place them on your bag prior to getting in the security line. If you travel with a laptop bag then place your small valuables in it.
  3. Wear slip-on shoes
     Wear shoes that you can easily slip off and quickly put back on so as not to be distracted away from your valuables as the security station.
  4.  Get through the checkpoint as a trusted traveler
    Join a trusted traveler program like TSA Pre Check or Global Entry to facilitate moving through screening with the least amount of hassle.
  5.  Plan for delays at security
    Arrive at the airport earlier than you have in the past to avoid being rushed and possibly flustered by security checkpoints

Anti-theft or security carry-on luggage

The most secure luggage design for carry-on luggage or a checked bag has two key features. First, it should be made of a solid material like PVC, polycarbonate, or similar materials. This solid material is puncture-proof. The next must-have feature is that the bag clasps shut. Zippers can break and can be breached by a crook using a pen to poke through the teeth of the zipper. A quick guiding of the zipper pulls over the puncture hole and then reseals the breached zipper. Bags with clasp closures typically have locking clamp-style locks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thefts at beaches and pools increase during the busy vacation season when tourists and locals flock to the water. Here’s how to protect your valuables at the pool and beach while you go for a swim or stroll. Hoping your wallet, cell phone, camera, or other valuables will still be there when you return from your dip is not a good strategy.
Protect your valuables at the pool

You’ve probably left your phone or wallet unattended while going for a short dip. You probably didn’t think you had an alternative but to leave your property unattended or guarded. You might have even been clever enough to “hide” your valuables under a towel, but in the blink of an eye, an opportunistic thief could have picked them up.

How you can protect your gear

Waterproof waist bag

The quick and low-cost solution is to pack and wear a waterproof waist pack or neck pouch while swimming to protect and keep your gear near. Both the waist pack and the neck pouch keep your valuables on your person for peace of mind.

HEETA Waterproof Fanny Pack, Waterproof Pouch Dry Bag 2/3/4 Pack for Phone, Adjustable Waist Strap and Screen Touch Sensitive for Swimming Kayaking Boating. Waterproof Fanny Pack,Waterproof Pouch for Phone Passport Wallet Purse with Waist Strap,Floating Waterproof Bags for Travel Beach Swimming Kayaking Boating Pool Accessories

Locking Tote Bags or Safes Protect Gear

Cool Bag Tote to hide and secure valuables at the pool and beach

If you have a lounge chair, then a packable and portable beach safe or locking beach tote like the anti-theft Coolbag Tote you can tether to the lounge chair may be the ideal solution. These larger bags are great because you can use them in other locations, such as your hotel room, to secure valuables there, too, increasing their versatility.

Thefts at beaches – also called beach blanket thefts, happen all around the world.  The more crowded the beach, the higher the rate of theft. The problem tends to be more pronounced outside of the US at beaches which attract many people. One example is in Rio de Janeiro, where in years past, it was not unusual to see gangs of young people suddenly sweep over the beach, snatching up phones, bags, and valuables and then scattering in all directions with their loot, making it difficult for authorities to capture them.

Video of Beach Thefts in Rio de Janeiro

The no-cost solution for protecting your gear water-side is to head to the beach with at least another person so someone can always keep watch of valuables while the other is in the water, but this is not always the most fun or practical way to enjoy the water. At the beach, your best solution is a waterproof pouch or waistpack you wear on your person.

Water-Proof Body Pouches
Do you think the best way to protect your valuables while swimming, snorkeling, or jogging along the shoreline is to have them on you? The newest styles of waterproof gear are extremely reliable and rated for water-fastness. No soggy passports or ruined phones! And with so many styles to choose from, you’re bound to find just the right style of the waterproof pouch to make your next water adventure worry-free.

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How to hide money on your body. Today’s money belts are not your father’s money belt. A money belt can be your most important accessory when you’re traveling, especially when visiting busy and popular tourist attractions. It is in these locations where pickpockets and thieves are most likely to target their marks. A money belt depending on its size and design is used to hide money, cash, passports, and other valuables that you don’t want to lose. A money belt is a personal item and is not a “one size fits all” by any means. The new models of hidden money belts have anti-theft technology plus various designs and sizes, so you’re sure to find one just right for you. Hide money on your body, or other valuables such as your passport to and enjoy the sites knowing you’re foiling thieves and scam artists.

Today you have a choice of traditional belts with a zipper to hold just bills, wallets you wear on your leg and hide under pants, and even more styles which you wear around your neck or waist and tucked under clothing. These styles are made of breathable material, are lightweight, and have built-in anti-theft features. Don’t want to wear a hidden money pouch or belt? There are a number of other ways you can hide money on your person, read on.

Most common places to hide money on your person

In socks and shoes  – Slide a few folded bills into your socks if they go beyond your ankle. If your socks are low profile you should place your money in the foot bed of the sock so that you are actually stepping on it. The most secure and convenient method for hiding small valuables like cash or a credit card is in a sock that has a zipper for you to close to secure your valuables.

 

Around your ankle or lower leg – If you’re wearing long pants, a leg wallet is a great solution. Some leg wallets slide on like a sock, while others have elastic or bands with velcro to secure the wallet to your leg. Almost all are designed to fit on your lower calve or just above your ankle. So to keep the leg wallet hidden from view you should be wearing long pants. Even if it is visible a pickpocket or thief couldn’t reach it and steal the contents without you noticing it. The law of least resistance says the thief will move on to another target.

In your underwear –An alternative solution is to put a bit of cash into a small plastic bag and slide it down the front of your underwear –as long as your underwear fits snug. One thing to consider is that the plastic of the baggy against your skin will most likely generate perspiration and become uncomfortable. Some travel underwear now includes a sewn-in hidden pocket.

 

Under your jacket or shirt – The Hidden Travel Shoulder Holster Money Belt Underarm Wallet for Credit Cards, Passports and Phone is a great solution as you can wear it under your jacket or shirt. This clever wallet is 100% non-metal as well, so it won’t beep when you pass through a metal detector like at an airport.

In a hidden pocket in pants – You will have to be a little creative with where you put the pocket and handy with a needle and thread. A small pocket can easily be sewn into the bottom of the inside of a pants leg and can go completely unnoticed. This would be ideal for cash or a credit card. Two other good locations for attaching a hidden pocket are next to the zipper or near the waistband. Both are highly likely to go unnoticed. This kind of pocket can be secured at the top with a little Velcro (one strip on the inside of the pants leg and one on the piece of pocket material) a safety pin, or snaps. If you’re looking to safeguard your passport, then a hidden moneybelt may be your go-to travel accessory.

 

Even without hidden pockets and anti-theft wallets, the following are tips to help to limit the loss of valuables in case of robbery

Carry only what you need – If it’s safer to stash things at your hostel or hotel than on you then do that.  Use your judgment, sometimes it will be safer other times it won’t. If not a portable travel safe that you can lock down in your lodging accommodation may be just what you need to guard valuables.

Divided up your valuables – If you do have to carry valuables on you while traveling then divide them up and store them in at least two places. It hedges your bet that if someone finds or gets some cash from one location on your body they may think they’ve got it all and move on.

Diversion wallet – Keep some of your more valuable possessions in an obscure pocket or hidden wallet like one of those mentioned above and have a ‘fake wallet’ with a few dollars in it to give to the crooks should you be approached.  You could even go as far as throwing it onto the floor in one direction and running in the opposite one.

Use pockets that you can secure the opening closed – You’re more likely to lose valuables to stealthy opportunists such as pickpockets than you are to a robber, or hold up, – so don’t make it easy for the pickpockets. If you have pockets with zippers, buttons or Velcro, get into the habit of using those instead of open pockets – and get into the habit of re-securing them afterward. The more difficult the pockets are to open the more secure they will be! Better yet, use wallets designed to thwart thieves that attach to your clothing with a chain or travel money belts specifically designed to hold a phone and passport.

Final thought on hiding money on your person

The objective is to enjoy your trip with peace of mind and not overly focus on your valuables. Before you depart on your next adventure, do some research and see all the new styles of anti-theft wallets and bags. Don’t forget protective gear for your devices to help you get that peace of mind and the most out of y our trip.

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Do you sleep with peace of mind knowing your hotel room door is really locked?  Are you doing all to stop burglars from opening hotel room door? You may think it is hard to get into a hotel room without a key, but given the right tool, a little bit of time, and depending on the lock it can be done and done quickly. If the burglar or intruder has a passkey or passcode it is even easier and faster.

The Best Way to Stop Burglars From Opening Your Hotel Door

Pack a portable door lock to augment the hotel room door lock even before you start packing your clothes. It’s actually best to travel with two devices for your safety and the security of your possessions. The first device will help keep intruders out of your hotel room, and the second recommended item will secure your valuables.

See for yourself.
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#1 Must-Have Security Device is a Portable Door Lock for Personal Safety

When you are in the hotel room always use a secondary portable lock. Below are some suggestions to secure your hotel door for peace of mind. Lightweight and small the portable travel door locks secure hotel rooms, dorm rooms, and homes by preventing entry even if someone has a key. Fortunately, there are various styles of secondary door locks you can use for additional security. Here’s a quick review of a few of our favorites. Not all door designs are the same or you may consider two different types of secondary locks to travel with to stop burglars from opening your hotel room door.

The Door Jammer – Portable Door Lock

The Door Jammer is placed at the foot of the door. Should the door be opened the horizontal force of the door swinging open is transferred to the floor stopping the door from swinging open.

Door Jammer portable door lock, to stop burglars from opening your hotel door

The Portable Door Lock

The portable door lock is placed in the strike place of the door lock in the frame. It offers resistance if the door is opened even with a key it works on lever style and knob style handles.

New portable door lock

Door Stop with Alarm

This travel door stop is the only one with a built-in alarm. It’s a doorstop you use to stop the door from swinging open. Should an entry be attempted the door will swing onto the plate pressing it down triggering an alarm. The alarm is 120 db which is loud enough to scare an intruder away and to wake you from sleep. The device has an on/off switch so it won’t accidentally go off in your luggage.Door Stop and Alarm portable door lock, , to stop burglars from opening your hotel door

 

#2 Must-Have Travel Security Device is a Hotel Safe Lock or Portable Safe to Secure Your Gear

Is your gear safe when you leave your hotel room? Secure your values while you’re away from your hotel room by using a tamper-evident hotel safe lock for securing your valuables. Use a tamper-evident secondary lock such as the Milockie Hotel Safe Lock on the safe. Hotels have passkeys or passcodes to enter safes for guests who forget their code. The passcode or passkey could be used on your room safe while you are out of the room and you’d never know that someone had been in your room and opened the safe.

If your room doesn’t have a safe, or the gear you need to safeguard doesn’t fit inside the safe, then plan on traveling with a portable travel safe. If you prefer, use a portable travel safe to secure your valuables. The safes store flat in your luggage and can be used in cars, dorms, outside, at home, and in offices too, long after your trip is over. A couple of smaller and lightweight portable safes we like are:

Anti-Theft Portable Beach Chair Vault and Travel Safe. Packable, Lightweight & Slash Resistant. Use at the Beach, Pool, Waterpark, Cruise Ship, Portable Safe, Flexsafe for Smaller Valuables for Use at the Pool

Final Thoughts on Keeping Burglars From Opening Your Hotel Room

Be prepared to protect yourself and your valuables. Keep burglars out of your hotel room by planning to use travel safety devices designed for safety and security while traveling. The bonus is you can use any of these items at home too.

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Westerners visiting developing countries can often have life-changing experiences. Unfortunately, tourists can also find themselves as targets of crime or scams. These travel safety tips for visiting developing or third-world countries can help you have a safer experience.

Locals know that you have more money and valuables than they do. They also know you have less recourse if you are victimized. Consider these travel safety tips when visiting developing countries and investigate your destination before you travel.

Common Scams in Developing Countries

  • Fake police. People who own a police badge and even a uniform may be crooks in disguise. Be suspicious of anybody who asks you to show them your money or passport. Ask to be taken to the nearest police station before they search you or your belongings.
  • Drugged food/drinks. Don’t accept food or drinks offered to you on a bus/train/etc. They may drug you and leave you vulnerable to robbery.
  • Money changers. In most countries of the world, you don’t need to look for black market rates. Sometimes you are approached by people who volunteer to change dollars at very good rates. They will show you a roll of banknotes, then switch it with another roll of worthless notes while they take your dollars.

Advice for Avoiding Scams Against Tourists

  • Avoid crowds where you have to slow down. Every time you slow down while walking in a street you become an easier target.
  • Be suspicious if somebody slows you down (eg, falls in front of you, his clothes get stuck in something, etc): it may be a pretext to facilitate an accomplice who is behind you.
  • Be aware of who is behind you. If the same person is behind you for a few minutes, be suspicious.
  • A decoy wallet may help distract the thief. The thief will target your very visible wallet, while your money is somewhere else (eg, in another pocket). Carry your passport and money in a hidden waist wallet.
  • Avoid traveling with big luggage. The bigger the luggage, the more visible you are, and the harder it is for you to defend yourself, chase a thief, etc. Backpacks can be easily opened even while you are walking. Travel with an Anti-theft backpack or bag.
  • Always ask for receipts at hotels when they make you pay in advance.
  • Always bargain the price of a taxi before entering it, even if it has a meter.  Always use taxis that are recommended and referred by the hotel you are staying in.  Always be wary of taxis you hail on the street.
  • In most countries of the world, it is inappropriate to approach strangers (especially women). Anybody who approaches you (no matter how big his smile) should make you a little suspicious.  Keep your guard up and be careful when talking to strangers.
  • Anybody who speaks English well and approaches you is suspicious by definition. I am aware of many occasions that person will turn out to be somebody who wants to make money out of you, either by being your guide or by selling you souvenirs or worse. If you refuse, they will turn nasty.
  • Again, be cautious of strangers. Once they force you to behave friendly, they have the upper hand psychologically. They know that you were raised to be nice to people who are nice to you.
  • In most countries of the world women never respond to strangers, not even if they like the stranger. For a foreign woman, it is never a good idea to respond to men who approach her. The appropriate behavior is cold silence and indifference. Even a “no” is viewed as beginning a conversation. A smile is the worse course of action (in some cultures means “I am saying no but I mean yes”).

Advice for Reducing Your Victim Potential

  • Walk fast all the time. Every time you stop (to browse in a shop, to write a postcard, to take a picture), you become an easy target.
  • Don’t wear expensive clothes/watch.  Your watch might be someone’s 6-month salary.
  • Try to dress as much as the natives (give the impression you “live” in the country, or at least try to blend in).
  • Dress as humbly as possible.

If Robbed

  • If you were robbed of something unusual happened in front or around you, don’t chase the thief, follow the person who generated the commotion: s/he is probably an accomplice. Don’t try to stop her/him until there is police nearby. If s/he is an accomplice, police will probably recognize her/him right away. Accomplices are often women and children.

If Attacked

  • Use violence only if the attacker is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Otherwise, you may be risking your life: he has obviously more experience than you.
  • In most countries, theft is an accident of life and police will not even make an effort to investigate, but murder, especially of a foreigner, is a major event. From the point of view of a thief, that means that he has no interest in hurting you: if he doesn’t hurt you, he’s likely to get away with his crime, but if he hurts you the entire police force of the nation will be after him. Unless you do something really weird, most of the time a thief who is after your wallet or luggage has no interest in hurting you, they want your money or valuables.

When Driving

The below does not apply solely to Third World countries but also here domestically.

  • Make sure your luggage does not show from the trunk.
  • If you are lost in an unsafe neighborhood, do not show that you are lost. Do not stop, keep driving and look at the map while driving.
  • Don’t rely on public telephones: if you are in a bad neighborhood, they are unlikely to be working.
  • The best protection is prevention: make familiar with the topography of the city before you start driving. If you get lost, you should at least be able to guess (without asking) in which direction you have to steer.
  • Get a map app on your phone.
  • Have an emergency number (can be a friend or local hotel) to call for help or advice.
  • Just don’t look like a tourist who is lost, helpless, and desperate. Look like somebody who lives around there and is about his business.

Additional Advice for Visiting Developing Countries

    1. Get Medical Insurance
      Medical care in developing countries is not up to the standards of care you will find here in the US. If you are injured or fall ill you need an insurance policy that will evacuate you out of the country.
    2. Do Cultural Research
      Before visiting developing countries do some research about customs, traditions, and language. Include religious beliefs and if they impact women traveling alone.
    3. Understand Personal Earning Levels
      Be aware of what locals earn. Err on the side of generosity if tipping or bargaining. The money means more to them than it does to you.
    4. Visit US Government Advisory Websites
      Travel safety tips for visiting developing countries keep evolving, so start your trip by doing your research before you travel.
      Visit US travel advisory website.
      Enroll in the Smart traveler program
    5. Visit a doctor specializing in travel medicine

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I’m sure you’ve wondered what is the best way to keep valuables safe at the beach or pool. Have you ever gone to the beach and wondered what should I do with my phone, camera, keys or other valuables while I’m in the water? You’re not alone and thefts are common, especially at popular and crowded beaches favored by tourists. beach tourists how to keep valuables safe at the beach

Keeping Valuables Safe While at the Beach

1. The only way not to lose something to theft is not to bring it in the first place. Well, that is not always possible.

2. The next step is to try to thwart the efforts of would-be thieves by keeping your valuables on your person (in a waterproof gear) while you swim or stroll along the shore.

3. The next option is to secure your gear in bags you can lock down to a stationary item like a lounge chair or umbrella. Be sure to see the videos below that capture how thieves operate and get inspired to protect your valuables too before you pack your sunscreen and towel.

(VIDEOS ARE AT THE BOTTOM KEEP SCROLLING DOWN)

Guarding Your Possessions at the Beach or Pool

  • The first thing you can do to protect your valuables is never to leave them unattended.  Especially when you go into the water or doze off to catch a few winks.
  • Store small, necessary items like your car key, spare cash and credit cards and even your phone or tablet inside a waterproof pouch you can carry on your person. Yes, you can go into the water with your phone on your person. Make sure your waterproof pouch is secured to your body as closely as possible so that a wave doesn’t pull it off.

waterproof waistpack guard valuables at the beach and pool

Check Prices keep phone safe at the beach

  • Waterproof waist pouches are better than waterproof neck pouches in the ocean as neck pouches are more apt to float off your body especially if you get hit by a wave.
  • Use a portable locking safe. Certain bags can be secured to a stationary item like a chair or umbrella, or another immovable object. The Pacsafe Travelsafe X15 Anti-Theft Portable Safe secures essentials in many environments including the beach or pool. You just need something to lock it to like a lounge chair or beach umbrella.

Alternatives To Keeping Gear Safe at the Beach or Pool

  • Don’t have the right anti-theft gear with you? Here are a few alternative measures to take.
  • Try to go into the ocean in shifts so someone is always watching the valuables.  If you can’t do this, read on for various suggestions to protect unattended valuables.
  • Set your towel down in front of a lifeguard tower when possible. The hope is that thieves won’t want to operate near someone who might catch them in the act of stealing while you are in the water.
  • Don’t leave your valuables exposed – if you must leave your valuables, at least, tuck them under a beach towel.  If the item is larger, dig down a little in the sand so the towel remains flat when placed over it. If you have electronics place them in a large zip-lock style bag and bury it, then cover with a beach towel.  The bag protects the electronics from the sand. If you do this, make sure the bag is completely sealed. We like weather and water-proof cases specially designed for 100%  protection against water and sand. These bags are stronger than plastic food storage bags.
  • Strike up a conversation with a family near you. Make sure the people remember you and don’t be shy about asking them to keep an eye on your stuff for short periods of time. If you’re generous about sharing things like cold drinks, you can generate enough goodwill to ensure your possessions are watched over even when you’re not there.  If you ask another beachgoer to watch your property, remember, you don’t know who they are, nor that they would watch your property as much as you would so make sure you think this idea through – but it is an option if you had no other choice and at least you are selected the person.  Most people really don’t mind, and they might even ask you to return the favor.
  • Take or rent a beach chair and use it to attach a portable safe to or place your beach bag directly underneath it, making it more difficult for a thief to grab it and run. The added cost of renting a chair or umbrella is better than having to replace valuables.

Great Packable Security Safes

The following two beach or pool safes lock to a stationary item (like a beach chair or umbrella) and they also lock closed to keep valuables safe while at the beach.
The beach towel with built-in sand resistant and water-resistant pocket is a less secure alternative, but ideal if you don’t have a chair or umbrella to lock a portable safe to.

SafeGo Portable Lock Box

beach safe Secures to umbrella or chair,keep valuables safe while at the beach

•  Durable plus water and sand resistant
•  Lock box has 3 digit combo + key access
•  Heavy-duty 17″ steel cable wraps around a fixed object
•  Rust-resistant, nickel-plated lock
•  Lightweight ABS plastic, easy to pack
Check price , keep valuables safe while at the beach

 

 

Flexsafe Portable Safe

Flexasafe pool safe on chair protects valuables, keep valuables safe while at the beach

•  Ultra slash-resistant portable travel safe
•  Water-resistant design
•  RFID  blocking
•  Re-programmable 3 digit combination lock
•  Light-Weight & easily packable
Check price for travel safe,keep valuables safe while at the beach

Travel Towel with Hidden Water/Sand Resistant Pocket

Beach towel with pocket to protect your possessions while at the beach

•  Towel with built-in water-resistant pocket
•  Conceals valuables while you’re sleeping  or swimming
•  XL size, 60″x 30″ weighs 8oz.
•  Made of quick-drying and ultra-soft microfiber
•  Light-Weight & easily packable
Check price for travel safe, keep valuables safe while at the beach

These Videos Show How Thieves Work at the Beach

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You really need to plan ahead and think about how to keep valuables safe while at the beach or pool before you leave on your trip. That way you can invest in a waterproof body pouch or a larger portable lockdown safe. While more expensive than a body pouch the flexibility of a safe is that you’ll be able to use it in a hotel room, car, vacation rental property, camping, etc. for years to come.

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