Posts Tagged travel security
5 Things I Always Pack – Beth Whitman
This month’s guest post with “5 things I always pack” is from Beth Whitman. She is the author and publisher of the Wanderlust and Lipstick guides for women travelers, the editor of WanderlustAndLipstick.com, and leads tours to Bhutan, India, Vietnam and Cambodia. Here’s what she carries with her when she hits the road.
1. SteriPEN
In an effort to reduce my garbage footprint when I travel, I always carry a SteriPen Traveler water purifier. I’ve used this on numerous trips to India, drinking the tap water (hint: it still tastes yucky) and have never gotten Delhi Belly as a result.
2. eReader
I still buy the print versions of guidebooks because nothing beats lying in bed at night and highlighting all the places I want to visit. But for leisure reading, I upload books to an eReader, like Amazon’s Kindle, so that I’m not wasting space in my bag on a heavy tome.
3. Eyeshade
I’m never without an eyeshade that I wear on the plane or in my hotel room when there’s too much light coming through the window. It’s cheap and takes up little space, but is such a lifesaver when I really want/need to sleep.
4. Cable Lock
Nothing beats the added protection of a retractable cable lock. I can lock my backpack to my bed on an overnight train or to a stationary object in my hotel room if I’m staying someplace where I’m a little concerned about leaving my valuables behind.
5. Digital Photo Storage
Of course I always have a camera with me. But, I learned a hard lesson (I lost – but later recovered – about 300 images taken in India) about backing up my images nightly. These are generally small units that have the capacity to hold far more images or video than I’ll ever take on one trip. I use one from Digital Foci.
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Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on December 30th, 2009
Grab and Go Emergency Kit
One of those nagging things I always think is a good idea but never get around to is having emergency supplies in my house and car. Every time I read one of those articles about what should be in either one in case of emergencies, I realize I have almost none of those things in the trunk or basement and start feeling guilty.
Today I take off on a nine-hour road trip into snow-covered Virginia and am going a little better prepared. The folks at 4SurvivalToGo sent me one of their compact emergency kits to try out, so with this and a shake flashlight I’m at least partially armed and ready should we hit a blizzard along the way.
This Grab & Go Kit is the dimensions of a trade paperback but far thinner, so it could fit in a glove compartment or be unobtrusive in a hiking backpack. It’s packed with lots of items though that could come in handy in an emergency. Here’s what’s inside:
duct tape
bleeding control gauze
antimicrobial hand wipes
face mask
emergency whistle
glow stick
rubber gloves
biohazard bag
It all goes inside a thick plastic waterproof pouch.
If that’s not robust enough for you, there’s a a larger 72-hour kit with a carrying case that is loaded up with more, like a survival sleeping bag, a rain poncho, a knife, and waterproof matches.
The Grab & Go kit retails for $20 and you can get it at the 4survivaltogo.com site. Sure, you could probably put together one of these on your own for less, but will you ever get around to it? I’ve learned I probably won’t, so this is a convenient way to compensate.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on December 23rd, 2009
Word-Lock Luggage Lock
I can’t think of one instance when I’ve used a combination lock to secure my checked luggage. Maybe when I was 20 and backpacking through Europe; I vaguely recall using a big ol’ school-locker lock to keep safe my backpack in various hostels. But, frankly, I figure that if someone really wants the stuff out of my suitcase, they’re going to get it whether the zippers are locked shut or not.
That said, you do hear some crazy tales about items being stolen out of checked baggage. So if you do feel like you’re checked valuables would be more secure with a lock, you might consider the easy-to-set combination lock from WordLock.
I like the idea behind this lock since four-letter words are so much easier to remember than four-number combinations. The instructions to set the combination are easy to follow. In fact, my 7-year-old (with the help of his 9-year-old sister) figured out how to change the combo I set (R-O-C-K) to D-O-R-K.
In case you can’t come up with your own clever four-letter combination, a list of different options comes with the lock instructions. Each dial has 10 different letters on it; not all 26 are available, so you are somewhat limited. (Even so, there are 10,000 possibilities.)
The lock is recognized by the TSA, and inspectors can use a universal key to open it if they need to inspect your luggage by hand — no bolt cutters necessary. (Note, however, that sometimes it’s the TSA inspectors doing the stealing.)
My advice: If an item is really valuable, put it in your carry-on luggage.
WordLocks are available at many big-box retailers; plug in your zip code here to find one near you. Or purchase online at Amazon.com for under $10. The lock makes a nice travel gift or stocking stuffer.
Posted by Kara in General Gear on December 18th, 2009
Flashlight Envy: 511 Tactical Light for Life
You can call this the father of all flashlights, or a torch for a men with big tools, but either way this 5.11 Tactical Light for Life is one manly way to see in the dark. Putting aside questions of compensating for something, how well does a $150 flashlight work?
Amazingly well, actually. There’s a good reason this thing is aimed at cops, firefighters, and EMS personnel. It’s heavy duty, powerful, and feels solid in the hand. But so what, right? Lots of competitors can make that claim. What makes this 5.11 Tactical one really special is that it charges up in just 90 seconds—in your car! “No way,” I thought as I unpacked it and looked at the instructions. The very first charge took longer than 90 seconds: 100 actually. The second and third took almost exactly 90 seconds though. Eerie. And I actually watched it charge. I couldn’t help it: the blue light on the charger blinks slowly at first, then picks up speed as it goes, blinks like mad at about 75 seconds on, then goes solid blue. Climax time.
Sometimes a flashlight is just a flashlight, as I think Freud said, but get a look at the charger to the left. The Tactical Light for Life goes into that sheath when it needs to recharge. Light for Life results.
What matters is, this is a damn fine piece of machinery, with specs that are hard to believe until you test them out. There’s real innovation at work here that takes a tiny amount of electricity and turns it into hours of light. Consider these attributes:
- Lasts for four hours on one 90-second charge.
- Retains 96% of capacity after 50,000 cycles of charging and discharging.
- You could charge it once a day and still use it for more than 135 years.
- The LED bulbs are rated to last 50,000 hours (that’s 40 hours a week, for more than 24 years)
There’s a regular mode, a strobe mode, and a high-power mode for when you need a lot of brightness. It’s hexagonal so it won’t roll away while you’re changing a flat or putting in tent stakes in the dark. The charger comes with mounting screws to permanently drill the charger into your car interior. How hardcore is that? You can also order an AC adapter so you can recharge it in a wall socket as well (necessitating another insertion—of car charger male plug into female receptacle. Just a coincidence I’m sure…)
This isn’t airplane or “travel light” gear for sure, but it would be great to keep in the car, the RV, or the box of camping gear. You can literally use it for the rest of your life, then pass it on to the grandsons. Just make sure they’re old enough to know what to do with it.
(If you don’t believe this piece of equipment is coming from a serious company, however, check out the dealer locator page for 5.11 Tactical. You can pick this flashlight up at Copquest.com, 911Supply.ca, the U.S. Patriot Store, or DSTactical.com. )
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear on October 28th, 2009
5 Things I Always Pack – JohnnyJet
This month’s guest post of “5 things I always pack” is from John E. DiScala, otherwise known as Johnny Jet. His site has been one of my go-to travel resource sites for close to a decade now. Johnny travels around 150,000 miles and visits over 20 countries each year. He and his website JohnnyJet.com have been featured over 1,800 times in magazines and newspapers and on all the major TV networks.
I always pack: In no particular order, mind you …
1. My wardrobe essentials:
- A bathing suit because you never know when the occasion may arise.
- A sports jacket to look smart. 
- If I wear sneakers I bring dress shoes or vice versa. A reversible belt (brown and black). I’m also keen on the ScotteVest SeV jackets—they have multiple pockets (like 18-52 depending on the model) so you can hide your valuables.
2. My work gear:
My Toshiba Portege A600 laptop, with a 3M privacy shield (so no one can read what I’m typing) and a Sprint wireless card so log on to the airport domestically from anywhere (I rent it for cheap from RovAir.com)
3. Ear plugs and an eye mask
Ear plugs block the noise on a plane or in a noisy hotel room. I don’t like the cheap scratchy eye masks that the airlines pass out; instead, spend $10 or less and buy a fluffy one that will make you look silly but feel fresh. I have one from Lewis N. Clark.
4. Travel Journal
The moment I take my seat, I write down my destination, the date, the airline, the type of plane, seat number, the listed departure time, the actual departure time, flight time and miles. I know it’s kind of Rainman-esque of me, but I used to do it back when I was afraid to fly, to focus my mind on something else. But now it helps me with my story details.
I also jot down what I did, where I ate, how much I spent, transportation modes, weather. And on the last page, I put stamps of all the countries I visited (see the picture here). I get my journal from Graphic Image or Barney’s New York.
5. A box of chocolates…
…for either the gate agent and/or the flight attendants. They can make or break your flight.
John DiScala’s JohnnyJet.com has been named “one of the top best money-saving web sites for travel” by Budget Travel Magazine, while the L.A. Times calls it “one of the top 10 essential travel resources on the internet.” Every week, Johnny hosts a “travel website of the week” for several radio stations around the country, he writes weekly for Frommers.com and he has written for USAToday, The Boston Herald, LAX Magazine and Coast Magazine. Sign up today for Johnny Jet’s free weekly travel newsletter at JohnnyJet.com.
Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on October 8th, 2009
