Protect Yourself and Your Belongings When Travelling

Recent research from insurance company eSure has estimated the average value of gadgets carried by commuters and it’s astonishing.

Taking into account all the smartphones, MP3 players, iPads and laptops we travel with today, the typical commuter is carrying around £3,800 worth of gadgets, up by £593 from two years ago. A large portion of this is driven by the value of personal or work laptops with just under half of all people surveyed carrying a laptop on their daily commute.

Whether commuting, off on a business trip or travelling on holiday with family, it’s important not to let yourself be an easy target for thieves who are aware of the growing value of the contents of our bags. Fortunately there are increasingly low-cost ways to protect both yourself and your belongings.

Handbags, laptop bags and suitcases can easily go missing if you have to leave them for even a very short time. Obviously the first rule is not to leave your bag unattended but this isn’t always possible. Sales people and engineers often make site visits and have to leave their briefcases or bags in unfamiliar offices. For others it may be leaving your suitcase in a hotel lobby while awaiting your transport, or even just stepping back up to the coffee shop counter to get sugar for your latte. The most effective protection in these cases is a bag alarm that attaches to your luggage and emits a piercing siren if the bag is moved.

A good bag alarm is also useful to prevent distraction thefts. There are many cases of bags going missing from beside their owner when sat in a bar or restaurant. Any prospective thief will get a shock when they try and move a bag with a 100db alarm fitted!

Many people work on their laptops while out of the home or office – whether on the train, in coffee shops, the airport or hotel lobbies. Sometimes you need to leave your laptop even if only for a few seconds and that presents another opportunity for thieves to grab it. There are a growing number of laptop alarms that adhere easily to your laptop and are triggered by anyone trying to move it.

Finally, many thefts occur from hotel rooms, often overnight with intruders easily overcoming the poor door locks. Whether travelling on business or pleasure you can now get travel alarms that allow you to sleep peacefully in the knowledge that any intrusion will set off the alarm and wake you. These alarms fit easily to most doors and are easy to set. I’ve tried one of these during the day and even though I knew it was going to go off it was still loud enough to make me jump!

While your security is extremely important, it has been too expensive until recently to take full precautions like those above. But newer technology is cutting the cost of personal security. You can now get alarms like those described at very reasonable prices, making it easier to remain safe when travelling.