{"id":3966,"date":"2019-01-08T17:46:28","date_gmt":"2019-01-08T21:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/?p=3966"},"modified":"2019-01-08T17:46:28","modified_gmt":"2019-01-08T21:46:28","slug":"5-ways-stuff-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/5-ways-stuff-safe","title":{"rendered":"5 ways to keep your stuff safe while abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wherever you travel, safety is key, and that includes protecting your stuff.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re traveling with a group, carrying luggage, holding a guidebook, and\/or speaking a different language, it can point you out as a tourist. And depending on where you are, this could make you a target for pickpockets. <\/span><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t want to always be looking over your shoulder when you\u2019re traveling, but taking some simple precautions could help you breathe easier and avoid a loss that could derail your trip. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here is some time-tested advice for how to keep your belongings safe while you\u2019re traveling:<\/span><\/p>\n

Protect your luggage<\/b><\/p>\n

At Explorica, we always make sure the hotels where you stay are safe and that you can trust that your belongings are protected. Most will either offer a safe in your room or the option to leave your luggage with the front desk. However, there are still a few things you can do if you\u2019d like to take extra precautions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Never keep expensive belongings in your luggage, but if you do, or if you\u2019re concerned about theft, you can invest in a hard case with a secure lock. <\/span><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re at the airport, make sure you keep an eye on your luggage at all times. If you\u2019re holed up for a while or you make a stop and sit down with bags or luggage, try to keep a hand on it or tie one of the straps to your clothing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Secure your wallet or purse<\/b><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re abroad, it\u2019s best to carry cash in a money belt or neck wallet rather than a <\/span>purse or a wallet<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you do wear a purse, be sure to wear it across your body, not just on one side, shorten the straps, and make sure you have a hand on it at all times in crowded areas. If you carry a wallet, keep it in your front pocket. Never leave these items unattended.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another measure to keep thieves from opening a bag is by using a carabiner to clip a bag to your body or to keep the zipper closed. <\/span><\/p>\n

Use a decoy wallet<\/b><\/p>\n

You should definitely <\/span>use a money belt<\/span><\/a> or a neck wallet for your most precious items, like IDs, passports, credit cards, and bulk amounts of cash. However, you also don\u2019t want to have to access this secure spot every time you pay for something. It\u2019s annoying, and it also exposes your hiding spot.<\/span><\/p>\n

For that reason, we recommend using a secondary wallet\u2014even a Ziplock bag\u2014to store items that you\u2019ll be accessing all the time but that you wouldn\u2019t miss if you lost. Put small amounts of cash in there, plus other things like chapstick or tissues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Secure your phone<\/b><\/p>\n

While traveling, chances are you\u2019ll want to have your phone in your hand or in an easily accessible pocket for taking pictures. While this makes it <\/span>more likely to be stolen<\/span><\/a>, if you want to take lots of photos then your only real option for protecting it is to be vigilant. <\/span><\/p>\n

Make sure your phone is password-protected so a thief couldn\u2019t access your information, and back up photos and other saved items whenever you get the chance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Avoid putting your phone on the table at a restaurant\u2014especially an outdoor one\u2014and, if possible, wear a jacket or a shirt with a zipper so you can keep it secure while also being able to access it easily.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bonus tip: Know what pickpocketing looks like<\/b><\/p>\n

Anyone can be a pickpocket, even a child, and they can discreetly unzip items even while you\u2019re wearing them. Thieves will also do things like <\/span>pretending to bump into you<\/span><\/a> and apologizing while they pull a wallet from your pocket, or using children to create a diversion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pickpockets wait until the opportune moment, which is usually when you\u2019re distracted by something else. Your best bet is to stay vigilant and make your things a lot more difficult to steal for a no-worries trip!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wherever you travel, safety is key, and that includes protecting your stuff. If you\u2019re traveling with a group, carrying luggage, holding a guidebook, and\/or speaking a different language, it can point you out as a tourist. And depending on where you are, this could make you a target for pickpockets. You don\u2019t want to always Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173,63,172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parents","category-students","category-teachers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3966"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3968,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3966\/revisions\/3968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}