Travel security luggage/gadgets

• travel door latch
• travel door/window alarm

what are these for?

I know some don't bother but I put luggage locks on my checked bag and larger carryon (during a long haul flight if in the overhead bin). No they won't prevent a determined thief but will certainly deter or slow one down. The lock on my checked bag has a feature that indicates if the lock has been opened by TSA.

No specifically security, but many museums and sights now have smartphone apps instead of audio guides you pick up at the site. If you plan to use one, download it at home where you've got secure, fast wifi.

Hi
The rfid sleeve blocks the radio signal scanner from reading the info in the chip of the credit card, ATM card or passport. The scanner is used by criminals to steal credit info and ID .
A while back an attempt was made to compromise my ATM card by criminals-luckly the police caught them before they caused damage so now I'm extra cautious.

The door latch lock is a physical gadget that is placed on the door latch from the inside and prevents the door from opening even if it's not locked.

The door alarm is wedge shaped and placed at bottom of the door and emits a loud sound if the door is opened (battery operated).
The widow alarm does the same but it's shaped differently.

Happy travels

Hi
Periscope.
Near an ATM that I intended to use I noticed two individuals just hanging around, chatting with each other but not leaving.
Something about them didn't feel right so I called the local police which arrested the individuals.
The police told me that had been after this group for about 2 years, they were particularly happy to have caught them with the scanner.
They were 4 in total, the two that I saw, a driver and another individual that would take the scanner from the two to the car.
Afterwards the bank got involved to make sure that my account/info was not accessed and new card issued.
I went to court but my testimony wasn't necessary because one of them turned on the others.

Happy travels

I often travel solo. I used to carry a door wedge, just a rubber one without the alarm. I found that all European doors I was faced with did not work with it…this was over a 5 year period. A lot of flight attendants use the door lock, and I would think that makes the wedge redundant. If I were to suggest anything else, I would suggest the door motion sensor that hangs on the door knob, which I think you have…I periodically have eyed this, but have not tried it (my daughter had left this behind after college,) …maybe instead of the door lock. Many European doors do not have an interior door chain. So I think the door lock you are referencing should work well, but I have yet to purchase one. The only thing that bothers me about the door lock is if emergency personnel had to get into the room to aide me, so the door alarm might be better for that or just plain old items that will create noise if a person tried to open the door. I have been known to place a chair in front of the door or something that will make noise if the door is opened.

To alleviate the window problem, request rooms on the second floor or above. And should you get stuck in a 1st floor room, bottles that will fall and make noise would work.

The only other thing I can think of is for your daily money or credit card, either have a wristlet so you can attach it to you during payment process instead of putting it down accidentally during payment process or a lanyard type thing attached to your purse.

As you, I really like pacsafe/travelon and such type products as they are so well organized and makes it so you don’t need to jury-rig a simple bag, as I found jury-rigged bags more embarrassing and cumbersome to use. Tried it. However, regarding my purse, the best thing I do is to never take it off when I leave my hotel room as I am probably my own worse enemy and my exposure is more for me losing something.

I also find with this set up, I freely engage strangers or let them engage me as I am pretty impenetrable. I have had extensive conversations with people, that others seem to be afraid of because I am secure…and they would have misjudged them or…I play the ring game back to them, etc.

Women who travel alone need to have safety more in mind than couples or men traveling solo, IMO, so consider the source when reading any answers on here. Have a wonderful trip!

PS, I also use the paper rfid blockers in spite of the naysayers…I would hate to be a member of the small percenters getting read. But, they also keep my cards from getting demagnetized during travel and my passport clean/neat.

Hi,
I (F) am also security conscious while traveling, as I am often solo for part or all of a trip overseas.
I use rfid sleeves everyday at home for my cards.
When away I wedge a chair against the door at night, or put something on the floor there that will make a noise if stepped on.
I make sure doors and windows are locked while sleeping.
I have a personal alarm with me at night and when out.
I prefer not to be on the ground floor, but up higher is no guarantee of safety sometimes either.
My good friend and her husband were chaperoning a teenage soccer team in Italy a few years ago, and on the last night had the passports of all the kids in their keeping.
They were in a second floor room, no balcony, in Florence, and left the window cracked open at night.
He is quite deaf, and she had earplugs.
In the morning, the window was wide open and all the passports and money, including theirs, were gone.
They didn't hear a thing.

I'm with the OP...I think any security precaution you take for yourself is a very good thing.
Happy travels.

I don't have a door lock but definitely use the chain or the little lever they sometimes have. In part because of thieves but also because years ago in LA we checked into a hotel and were given our key cards. This was pretty new technology then. I opened the door, started down the small hallway past the bathroom before realizing the room was still occupied and a guy was asleep on the bed. I quickly backed out and don't think he was even aware of what happened.

aulopone, where did that ATM adventure happen?

cj-traveler, I too walked in on an occupied room (Orlando) with my brand new swipe key. Scary for both of us!! If I feel a little uneasy in my room, i'll put a chair in front of the door, and place some empty cans or bottles near points of entry. I also pack a Leatherman multi-tool which has a 2 inch blade if I really feel at risk. I also let my wife sleep between me and the intruder, so they get her first (just kidding)....

aulopone and Wray, is this the door/window alarm you are referring to? Another thing I didn't think about as a first time solo traveler.

I used boring white rfid sleeves last trip but bought new cute ones for this trip. If nothing else, they protect the cards from rubbing together in my money belt, Lo's favorite Stashbandz.

I too use a Travelon purse, but changed to extra small one to alleviate pressure on my neck. I added more snaps inside and out. I used a medium size purse last time but cobbled together snaps which worked but were ugly.

I also added safety snaps to my daypack because my camera bag will be in it and I can't see what's going on behind me no matter how alert I try to be. That worked last trip.

Too many "I"s here. You'd think I was an experienced traveler which I'm not. Learning a lot from everyone's experiences.

Hi

Wray
The alarm I have is static wedge and the alarm has to physically impact it to alarm.
Thank you for your suggestion a motion alarm, I'm going to look into it.

SJ
The incident you shared is another reason to take preventive measures to minimize risk so that one can enjoy the vacation.
As the saying goes " Security died of old age".

Phred
The ATM situation happened in Ontario, Canada but it could have happened anywhere
( ex: in Lisbon, Portugal, twice my wallet was stolen by pickpockets, in Michigan, USA, I heard gunshots from inside a hotel I was going to book - didn't stay).

Horsewoofie
Thank you for the links.
The door alarm I use is wedge type, for the window is two very thin pieces of metal that come apart when the window is opened thus breaking the electrical circuit from the battery and activating the alarm.

Thank you all.
Happy travels

I have used each of these items in different situations. Two different credit cards have been scanned. I’ve received the keys to an occupied room once. I’ve had a door that did not lock securely and in a different room a window that did not lock at all with no additional room available to be moved into. I love and regularly use the Pacsafe luggage and accessories. You are wise to plan and prepare. Doing what makes you feel comfortable is the way to go.

I started carrying a whistle with me when I am out of town if it is in the evening or I am in a secluded area. I keep it in my hand so that it is easily accessible. My adult daughter and I were walking to a restaurant in a busy area of Sydney, Australia in 2018 and a drunk guy in his 20s grabbed at me from behind. I wish I had the whistle with me at the time (what I really wish I had was a can of pepper spray, but that would have been illegal). I yelled at the guy and he laughed it off and he and his friends stumbled into a bar, but it was a frightening experience.

One thing to leave behind is being a naive American.

When someone in a train station gets too friendly in giving you directions, be wary. They're up to no good.
Be especially defensive when you're in crowds. Pickpockets, for example, like to trip at the bottom of escalators to make tourists fall into a big pile. Then they go to work on the pile. The police know who the thieves are, but they're accepted members of society in major European cities.
And don't carry a wallet to where it can be seen or felt. My cash/credit cards are deep inside my clothes.
When on public transit and in crowds, I'm very defensive to anyone within my space. And at 6'3", they pretty much leave me alone when I have a bad attitude. My wife often walks closely behind me too.

Another solo female traveler here.

Of all the items and suggestions, the only thing I do is put a chair against the door in such a way that it will wedge against entry or make noise if someone tries to open the door. I've lived, traveled and camped alone, in the US and Europe, off and on since my first job out of college in 1967 when I was 21. There's always a chance that something could go wrong, but so far I've been lucky, I guess. Now at 76, I'll be considering some of the suggestions being made.

One thing that always puzzles me is why people carry wallets at all when traveling. I don't carry enough (total of 9) card-like things on trips to need a wallet. At home I regularly carry 22 card-like things in my card holder. I don't really have a wallet anyway. For me, putting all the important stuff in a single place like a wallet or purse or daypack is just asking for trouble.

My first trip to Europe was in 1977-78. It was about 4 months. One travel tip that really stuck with me was to not put my traveler's checks all in one place, but rather in different places so that it would be less likely for them all to get stolen at once.

That probably has something to do with my propensity to wear a money belt like the StashBandz, wear pants with zipper pockets, wear coats or jackets with interior pockets, wear a small, cross-body purse that won't hold much and to leave anything I don't really need back in my room or apartment in a decent safe or hidden in my luggage.

A friend from work traveled a lot to Europe. She would take her normal heavily laden purse, with everything she had in it back in the USA. That worked okay for her -- until it didn't. She was sitting at a group dinner with her purse under the table at her feet. When the meal was over, she realized it was gone. Everything was in it, including her meds and well-identified room key.

By the time she got back to her room and was let in, the thieves had already ransacked the place and taken anything of value. Fortunately, that didn’t include her passport or meds. I'm not sure about credit cards.

In Lisbon, my husband and I saw the guys working the main drag in the center of town. As a younger male was walking facing us, he handed off a wallet to the guy in front of us walking the same direction we were. Blatant and obvious. The wallet was a man's, folded and bulging with its contents. My guess is that it was easily picked from a hip pocket.

On arrival in Rome, an escalator was suddenly stopped by some young men at the bottom who appeared to be having fun fooling around. You already know the rest. I'm sure some folks in the pile up at the bottom lost some valuables. We were at the top just about ready to get on when that happened, so we stepped over to another escalator and avoided the crowd.

There are lots of ways to both increase security and make us feel safer. What works for one person could be too little or too much for another.

Definitely use the VPN - never bothered with the others.

The RFID blocker wallet is a great con made lost of companies lots of money https://www.csoonline.com/article/3243089/the-truth-about-rfid-credit-card-fraud.html (one of many links)

I've never used a door or window alarm - but used to make sure I didn't leave anything valuable within easy reach of a window - that was in zero start hotels which often lacked a latch (or indeed glass) on the window. Its not an issue now as I upped my daily budget to more than $10

I once had a drunk manager try to get into my room in India- my door wedge slowed him down, and I had the opportunity to scare him off. Again I stay in places with deadbolts now - again almost all hotel rooms have these and I do use them - far more likely that someone will use their key in the wrong door and Ive had that happen a few times - completely inadvertant

Pacsafes are heavy to carry - I put my most valuable items (camera and laptop ) in doo protective sleeves and then put the sleeve in the oldest grubbiest, bet up no name bag I own. If its doesn't have a brand name on it no one wants to steal from it.

The most valuable thing I have is my money belt which attaches to my bra under my clothes and secures my important cash/cards/passport.