These tips can help you avoid theft as you go backpacking

Disclosure: In any review for a product or service, products or compensation may have been provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” and "Terms of Use" tabs for more information.

Most frequent travelers often assume that they are immune to getting robbed since they have a lot of experience in backpacking. Having such a mentality can make you disregard the importance of travel security. No matter how many times you take a vacation in a year, you should never let your guard down when it comes to issues to deal with security. 

Research reveals that a significant percentage of travelers deal with losing their luggage from time to time. Thieves are always on the lookout for small daypacks belonging to travelers on boats, buses, or trains. You should, however, learn how to stay safe when travelling to avoid such incidences. The following tips can help you during your next journey. 

Enhance backpack security

The choice of the backpack that you choose to travel with can determine how vulnerable you are to theft. You should, therefore, take your time to choose one that offers some level of security. For instance, choosing a backpack that has some secret compartments can help you secure some small items such as your credit cards. Though such compartments cannot prevent someone from stealing the entire bag, they can make it hard for a thief to access crucial items easily, especially if they are in a hurry. 

If you don’t get a bag that has such features, you should consider upgrading backpack security by getting padlock for it. If you like travelling alone, you can reduce the chances of being robbed by investing in a simple padlock for your bag. Getting a combination padlock can boost convenience for you since you don’t have to keep on worrying about misplacing the keys. A small padlock can help you lock some individual compartments on a large backpack. 

Alternatively, you can also boost backpack security by getting a wire mesh for your backpack. Wire locks come in handy while travelling with big bags since they can help you anchor bags to fixed objects such as a pole. The wire mesh can easily prevent an opportunistic thief from getting away with your bag. A good wire lock is a combination of a metal string and padlock. 

Check on your packing

Packing is a skill that every frequent traveler should learn. Rather than packing a lot of things without following any order, packing the most critical items deep is the secret to secure travelling. This can hinder a thief from accessing them quickly. Be careful when packing such things beneath since you don’t want any valuable item to get damaged during your journey. 

Ensure you disperse valuable items throughout the bag so that you can enhance the weight distribution. This can prevent you from struggling to carry the bag, especially when you have to walk for long. You can pack clothes on the upper part of your backpack such that if anyone opens it, they will not find any valuable item on the surface. 

Carry a few things

How long are you planning to go out of town? This is a question that you should ask yourself since it can help you determine what to carry and what to leave behind. If you are only travelling for a few days, you should try as much as possible to carry only the necessities. Bringing along less valuable items can also reduce the risks of getting robbed. For instance, you could bring along an old phone on your trip rather than your expensive iPad. You don’t have to carry your precious jewelry with you, especially when travelling to a new place. This habit only makes you an easy target to rob.  

Pack any valuable item on a separate bag

Apart from the main backpack, you should always have a small bag where you store any expensive item you cannot leave behind. The small bag should also be with you at all times, even if the main backpack is not. If you have to sleep on the train, ensure that you connect yourself with the small bag physically to prevent theft. For instance, you can intertwine your hands through the bag’s straps or hold the zip area while sleeping. Any movement of the bag as you sleep should wake you up. 

Make use of a money belt

Do you often bring along a bank card to help you with some of the travel expenses? Though this can be quite convenient, you should be careful with how you store it. Consider getting a money belt that can help you secure your cards, money, or even passports quickly. This is a belt that often comes with a secret compartment for easy storing of such items during travelling. 

It can keep your valuables out of sight and reduce the risk of getting robbed. The problem with this is that the money in such a belt cannot always be readily available. When you are public, you would feel quite uncomfortable digging around the crotch area for your cash. To avoid such awkward moments, store only emergency money and cards that you rarely use in the money belt.

If you don’t want a money belt that you have to wear below the waistline, you can choose one that is designed to be worn across the chest. You can always bring this along with you when you don’t feel comfortable leaving some of your valuable items in a hotel room.

Wear a jacket that features some zippered pockets

Not every traveler likes carrying around bags with them throughout. If you can relate, you can still boost the security of your items by wearing a jacket that has a lot of zippered pockets. This can help you keep things such as your phone or cash on you during transit. Some of the jackets that are marketed for travelers even have passport pockets that boost security and make you more organized. With such a jacket, you will not have to worry about your passport falling out of your bag. Follow this guide on travel security as you travel today and enjoy your peace of mind.

Speak Your Mind

*