Keeping your valuables safe while traveling may not be your first priority when planning a trip, but it should be up there toward the top of the list. You don't want to mar your vacation by losing money, or even worse, your credit cards and passport, when you're out having a good time. With rising financial insecurity everywhere these days, you can be sure thieves and robbers are going to increase in quantity and maybe inventiveness, too, as times get worse.
Where to begin in preparing to protect your valuables? Happy to say, there are plenty of good, often new, items out there in which you can entrust your most precious material possessions. Today, I'll report on three products from the PacSafe Travel Security people and one from Secure-It Security Systems:
Passport
A friend of mine lost his passport in Italy some years back, and on going to the American Embassy in Rome to get a replacement, was asked by a consular official the following control question: "Mr. Hawley, you say you live in New York City. Tell me, then, where is Carnegie Hall?" My friend replied, "I live just three blocks away. It's at the southeast corner of 57th St. and 7th Avenue." (You'll note he was not asked the old joke question; "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?", the answer to which is "Practice, man, practice!").
It may not be as easy to replace your passport these days. One thing you can do speed up replacement is to photocopy the two identification pages at the beginning of it, keep it separate but carry the copy with you in case of loss.
Better yet, don't lose the passport. Keep it in something like PacSafe's Walletsafe 100, which they describe as an anti-theft wallet. It's large enough to hold your passport, your tickets, credit cards, ID card, paper currency and small change. You can carry it constantly on your body, preferably in your pants pocket with the 15-inch black steel chain looped around your belt. The chain is said to be slash proof. The cost is $19.85 at www.corporatetravelsafety.com or 800/601-5711.
Even better is the Pouchsafe 200 Security Neck Pouch, with designated spots for your camera flash card and cell phone SIM card, and much more. There are external compartments for easy access to your passport and tickets, phone and pen while passing through security, for instance. $29 at same site. The same people make safes to be worn on ankle or leg, too.
Credit Cards
Somewhat easier to replace -- but almost impossible to live without when traveling -- credit cards should also be given the highest degree of protection. When I plan to use one, I put it in my left front pants pocket for the day, always replacing it in the same pocket. (This procedure came about after I inadvertently dropped a card on the floor of a London shop, a thief picking it up and trying to charge an entire setting of Wedgwood with it. Since I had reported its loss immediately, he was caught and arrested in the china shop itself.) If you don't want to rely on your pants pocket or a purse, I suggest a safe wallet that also contains your passport, such as that mentioned above.
Cash
When cash is gone, it's gone, so you should carry as little of it as possible, on a day-to-day basis, if possible. I keep my cash in my right front trousers pocket or in a money belt. When possible, don't put your credit card with your cash or next to your passport, for that matter, unless they're in an anti-theft device.
Shoulder Straps
PacSafe also makes the Carrysafe 300, a secure, lockable shoulder strap with its own built-in combination lock. You can use this to replace the usual cloth or plastic strap for camera or computer bags and the like. One end of the strap you secure with a screw-down, tamperproof fastening metal nut fastener, which locks to your bag with a locking lug wrench (provided). The strap contains steel wire cables, making it slash proof. $34.95 at www.corporatetravelsafety.com.
Portable Safe
PacSafe makes the Travelsafe 100 Anti-Theft Portable Safe, in which you can store your valuables before locking up the safe to an immovable fixture, such as a car seat frame, bed frame, exposed plumbing pipe, heavy hotel furniture, anything that cannot be moved. The pouch is made of steel wire mesh, the cable and locking device of cut-proof stainless steel NS polycarbons. You can put your camera, passports, etc. in here when you leave your hotel room or car, they say, though I would be inclined to keep my passport and one credit card with me in any case. Packs flat for travel, comes with three keys for the sturdy padlock. The cost is $37.50 at www.corporatetravelsafety.com.
A similar product and cheaper is The Beach Safe, which is intended for use at sporting activities. It can be secured to a permanent fixture such as lounge chair or pool/beach table, they say. At the gym, their ads aver, it's a great place to stow valuables in your locker or travel bag. With its own 4-digit combination lock and vinyl-covered steel cable, the case itself is constructed from polycarbon strengthened ABS. It sells for $19.95 at www.secure-it.com or 800/451-7592.
