Hey, do you guys carry any security gadgets with you while travelling abroad? I haven't done it yet but I have seen many travelers using anti-theft travel gears and all. I have a safety app by Protelec checkmate Alarms installed in my phone. I have installed it as a precautionary measure since I go on lone trips and hitchhiking to many remote places in Canada. But I don't have any apps that can be used abroad. Can you guys suggest one?
I don't use any security gadgets; and my bag(s) don't have locks. The only security measure I take is to use security codes to lock my laptop and cellphone, preventing unauthorized use. I always carry my passport with me in a money belt or secured inner pants pocket, or leave it in a hotel safe. My passport is my most valuable possession. No passport = no travel. In more than 40 years of travel, I have only been successfully pickpocketed once (my right front pants pocket was cut and the wallet removed while using public transportation in rural China); and I've only been robbed twice (once at knife point in the no-man's land between Pakistan and Afghanistan; and the other while sleeping in a Paris youth hostel). I no longer carry a wallet; and use a money clip. The best way to prevent theft is to be alert and aware of your surroundings. I often travel alone.
The best security you can have when travelling is common sense. There is no security product that can protect you from much of anything. Most security products of any kind really only give you a FALSE sense of security.
Don't pack anything you aren't willing to lose. Don't walk down dark alleys at night, etc. All common sense. But at the same time, don't become obsessed with the possibility of something happening to you. In most places in the world, you are no more likely to be a victim of crime than you are in your home town. What anti-theft gear do you walk around at home with? If I go for a walk locally with a day pack slung over my shoulder, I don't have a lock on it or use a pack that has a steel mesh lining it. Do you?
It's way, way more than the vast majority of travellers require, but I sometimes have a very high-end laptop, still/video gear and a pile of cash.
Nothing is theft-proof of course, but it's tough enough to stop most simple crimes of opportunity so it gives me a little peace of mind, especially in dodgy accommodation.
Otherwise the usual common sense and some street smarts is all anyone requires.
Cheers,
Terry
"I go on lone trips and hitchhiking to many remote places in Canada."
I think if you choose to wander alone through remote areas hitchhiking that activity increases your chance of some of potential danger. Hopefully only just robbery and minor pushing and shoving and not a twisted sex pervert.
- Traveling in remote areas maybe have an extra (charged) phone with you too. Maybe a cheap $10 - $20 TracFone or similar device good for simple things like calling the police! (Wrapped to keep it dry of course!)
In hotels an old fashioned method is a Coke can with pebbles in it balanced on a door knob helps warn you ahead of time. When it falls and rattles you are warned!! A wedge kicked under the door of a hotel helps keep people out. At least long enough to give you time to get dressed and prepared for good or evil.
Password and pin numbers for electronics is a good idea. But if you put yourself in risky circumstances maybe keep valuables to a minimum. Do you really need an expensive computer when traveling remote trails or wandering around foreign cities?
One thing I have for some travel clothes is an extra pocket sewn in the inside of my pants. Extra money goes in that pocket. (In a plastic bag to keep it dry.)
Old fashioned stuff works too! If you travel overseas have a back up source of spending money. Such as extra debit cards and credit cards for emergencies that might come up. Have medical insurance too. (Get hit by a car or bus, eat some bad food, rent a bike and crash it, etc.)
Traveling overseas always safeguard you passport. (Keep it dry too!) I photocopy the info page and any visas and keep those copies separate. I keep copies my itinerary and other need to know information in an email that I send to myself and save. Many places have some sort of internet shop where you can pull up your email and copy any data you need.
[ 20-Aug-2016, at 04:57 by karazyal ]
Karazyal makes a good point. Wrap your passport and money in a plastic bag to keep them dry. A water/moisture-damaged passport will cause problems when entering some countries, such as China.
I always bring a laptop on trips, keeping my journal and budget on it. Since I take a lot of photos and videos, I also use it to transfer those to a portable hard drive or flash drive. This year, I started bringing a smartphone as well. I enrolled in Google's Project Fi, which uses T-Mobile's international plan for overseas calls and data. It doesn't work everywhere, but it works in enough places to be helpful, particularly where there is no Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet, but where cellular service is available. The cost is modest. Keep in mind that cellphone towers need electricity to operate; and in some places, when the electricity is out -- and back up power is exhausted -- cellular networks no longer will work. Some carriers will be better than others. In India's border areas near China and Pakistan, the government-owned telecom, BSNL, is the only one that provides coverage, if at all.
I travel a lot in remote places, some of which have limited or no public transportation. So hitching a ride is a solution. Just ask; and your request might be granted. Shared taxis also may be available. Ask Gudmudsen's "West Africa Road Blog," on Travellerspoint.com this week, has an instructive tale. In fact, if you need or want something while traveling, it always pays to ask. Take nothing for granted.
As mentioned before, be alert and aware of your surroundings. Keep informed. Change is constant in travel as is elsewhere in life.
[ 20-Aug-2016, at 05:54 by berner256 ]
Thanks for sharing this thread.
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