In 1858 my 3rd Great Grandmother cashed out her entire life savings and traveled alone by train with the money sewn into the hem of her skirt. She was on her way to start a new life in a new place, after having lost her husband the year before. Fortunately for her she arrived at her destination safely. None of the other travelers ever knew that the quiet, unassuming, little widow woman on the train was loaded. Fortunately for us it’s 160 years later and we have a lot better options for travel security accessories than people did back then.
We have so much more to protect these days than just cash. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all just travel around with our very own security entourage? But unless you happen to be rich and/or famous that’s not going to happen. And chances are even if you did have bodyguards following you around, they couldn’t protect you from identity theft.
Thieves have access to very sophisticated technology that works behind the scenes. They are like cockroaches that hide in the dark. You don’t even know they are around until one morning you turn the bathroom light on and find one running for cover. But all is not lost. The good guys have even better technology. They are always one step ahead of the bad guys, ready to stop them with one quick smack of a shoe.
Secure Travel Backpacks
Our ancestors were mostly simple people who traveled lightly. But we are a world of people on the go and we have a lot of stuff that goes with us. Leaving everything at home or at the hotel while running around town with only your wallet or purse is not always an option. And when you have children the “stuff” factor goes up considerably.
We’ve always brought backpacks with us on family outings. This has always worked out great. But lately I’ve learned that a plain old backpack isn’t always enough to protect our stuff, especially if we’re carrying expensive laptops or personal, sensitive information.
In my research I’ve found there are quite a few anti-theft backpacks on the market right now. Some are obviously going to be better than others. Bobby by XD Design seems to be one of the best out there. It’s also one of the costlier ones at $95.00 last time I checked. Travelon makes a classic anti-theft backpack that seems to be popular and a little easier on the wallet at around $60.00. Kopack makes an anti-theft laptop backpack that’s around $37.00. What I found so cool about the Kopack backpack is the zippers are hidden so there is no obvious way a thief could easily get in. There are even backpacks on wheels!
Anti-Theft Clothing
A skirt hem isn’t going to do it for us anymore (actually, it hasn’t done anything for us for decades, but I digress). Today’s thieves are more clever than ever when it comes to learning how to part you with your valuables. Fanny packs have been around forever and they work pretty well. But if you want more privacy nothing beats anti-theft bra’s and women’s underwear or men’s underwear with secret pockets.
These pockets are perfect for stashing small valuables like cash, credit cards, passports and things of that nature. And they are designed to be comfortable because who wants to walk around feeling like they are constantly being poked in the nether regions by their credit cards?
The other day I came across some anti-theft scarves. You would never even know they have secret pockets in them. Literally anything can have secret pockets in them. Tank tops, t-shirts, leggings, hoodies and even belts. No sewing required!
Anti-Theft Wallets
As technology has grown, so has the rise in identity theft. These days a thief doesn’t even have to physically steal your wallet in order to steal from you. With something called an RFID reader they can transmit sensitive information without you even knowing about it. By the time you found out it would be too late and the thief would be long gone.
In this day and age, it is practically essential to have products with RFID blocking technology. There’s Anti-theft wallets for men and women. There are even anti-theft shoulder bags. These are all designed with technology which scrambles the RFID signal so it becomes impossible for a thief to read your highly personal and sensitive information.
Anti-Theft Luggage
When I was growing up in the 80’s we had suitcases made with steel frames and little pad locks on them (just don’t lose the key!). Even a gorilla wasn’t supposed to be able to get into these things.
We can do a lot better than that now. Being the embarrassed guy, whose clothes are laying all over the conveyor belt because the airport hired a gorilla to work in baggage claim is the least of our worries these days. In answer to that we now have anti-theft wheeled luggage, duffle bags and even cute little anti-theft luggage locks for even more protection!
A Safe Traveler is a Happy Traveler
My 3rd great grandmother was lucky, not to mention brave. If things had gone bad for her there would have been little she could have done. It’s entirely possible I wouldn’t even be here to be writing this now. Now we have an army of companies who design their entire business around keeping consumers safe from theft and fraud. Because while that kind of crime hurts people individually, it also hurts us as a whole. It affects how everyone lives their lives. It’s good to know we have so many options, and we don’t even have to be wealthy to have them.
Do you know of any anti-theft accessories that I’ve missed here? We would love to hear about it in the comments below. What kinds of things are you doing to keep you and your family safe when traveling? We are planning to acquire a lot more of these anti-theft products in the coming months as our traveling is going to be increasing considerably.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites
I am quite entertained by this article as if I am watching a movie by James Bond. Thanks, it made me aware that such accessories exist.
As a traveler, I am interested in available one of the accessories particularly the anti-theft back pack. I even checked the link you gave and read the one that’s in Amazon.
There’s just one thing that I noticed: There’s no feature that includes GPS or tracking system if you lose the whole back pack. Yes, there’s a charging port, the zippers are hidden, cut-proof, but what if you lose the whole bag? It may be better if we can remotely track them so we can where the lost item is heading.
Wow a GPS on the back pack is an excellent idea! I’m not sure if that feature exists but I’ve never seen it. And I laughed at your James Bond reference!
This is a post that is really important to me because I know just how terrible it feels to get your stuff stolen right under your nose. Anti-theft backpacks are my go-to backpacks when I travel or when I go to places I don’t feel too comfortable at because of the crime rates.
Some of these backpacks come with the best anti-theft features that makes me feel really secure about the items in my bag. I think anyone in need of a backpack should make sure they go with anti-theft backpacks. They would definitely feel more secure and the ones you recommended in this post are spot on.
Awesome article, Barbara. You have touched upon an important concept, everyone must know. I’ve actually never cared about them before, but after reading your awareness based article. I’ll surely consider anti theft wallets, at least.
Your analysis is detailed and complete. I’m glad that I get to read this article. Your way of narration is extra ordinary.
Thanks a lot for sharing this useful information. Looking forward to more of such article.
Best Wishes
When you travel these days, security of your personal possessions is something that you have to think of. The smartphones, the laptops, the documents, and even luggage are all susceptible to theft. I have had a few instances over the years where I let my guard down and paid the price.
All of the areas that you mention are important, and the solutions that you have listed are not that hard to put in place. It just takes a little planning and proactive action on your part to be safe. These are not the days of your grandma, and sewing money in the hem of a dress or skirt will not cut it.
The wallet, backpack, and luggage are all areas that I have addressed in my own travel security efforts, and although it did require an investment (getting quality anti-theft articles can be expensive) I have had no further incidents since spending that money for the articles.
Good advice that you have laid out for readers and advice that they would be wise to follow. I say these days pay now or pay later. The pain in getting replacement documents or a laptop or smartphone can be huge. Why not be proactive as you suggest? It just makes sense.
I had no idea that there was an option to hide things in clothes! That’s so cool! And so is the backpack idea. I never liked fanny packs lol because they look so stupid. But the wallet and the backpack is something that I would buy. Your 3rd great grandmother was indeed very lucky!
I never liked fanny packs either. Yes she was very lucky!
In so many ways, I completely and totally envy your 3rd great grandmother. How simple were those days, to be able to look after your entire life savings in the hem of your skirt!!! Pros and cons obviously, having the necessity of carrying a mobile phone and laptop around with us can be inconvenient in some ways, but the present is a great time to live, with so much access to incredible technology that truly does make our life easier in so many varied ways. Having to work out ways to protect ourselves with all of this new technology comes with a few challenges, but all worth it in the end. Thanks for sharing!
I agree. Sometimes the simple life of the past sounds so nice (even though it had its own challenges). But I love living in this time when we have so many more options. Our ancestors never would have believed all the things we have today!