Tourists make tempting targets for thieves. As a stranger in the location and potentially carrying valuables, travelers can be at increased risk of pickpocketing or other theft.
Luckily, there are a number of ways in which you can keep your most important belongings secure. Here are my experiences with some of the common anti theft travel gear.
1. Money pouch
A hidden money pouch is often the first thing that comes to mind to protect your cash, passport, and other important items. Typically worn around your waist and underneath your clothes, it may seem like the perfect solution.
Personally, I’m not much of a fan. Before my first big around the world trip, I thought this was surely the best thing since sliced bread, but in 22 months of travel I honestly rarely wore it I know some people swear by these money pouches, but there are a couple of reasons why I don’t like them:
- Firstly, picture yourself digging for something somewhere under your shirt… you just end up drawing attention to yourself.
- Personally, I think they are not truly comfortable. I’m always aware of wearing it, especially if I’m in a summer destination and only wearing a t-shirt on top. It makes me feel like a police informant wearing a wire.
- While useful against opportunistic theft, it won’t work against outright robbery.
Still, I think a money pouch or money belt can be a decent solution, especially for securing things while in transit.
I’ve been on a number of night buses and trains in developing countries where it made me feel more assured that even if someone were to snatch my bag, I would still have my passport and money.
2. Security padlock
A simple padlock can be a surprisingly handy piece of anti-theft travel gear.
This is especially so if you plan to travel to developing countries, where local guesthouses and B&Bs typically do not have rooms with a safe, but may offer a security box.
If you plan to stay in backpacker hostels anywhere in the world, then a padlock is even absolutely essential. Hostels typically only have lockers for you to store your important belongings — and it’s up to you to have a lock!
Your place of accommodation is usually a safe place to keep your valuables — at least, if you can secure them there. When I go out for sightseeing, I only bring some cash I need for the day, and I prefer to keep my passport, bank cards, and remaining cash at my hotel or hostel.
Tip: get a number padlock so you don’t have to worry about losing the key!
Some backpacks also have main compartment zippers that you can lock with a padlock. Some suitcases also let you use a padlock to secure them. This adds one extra measure of security against opportunistic theft.
3. Wire lock or wire mesh
Wire locks can be useful for anchoring your bags to a pole or other fixed object so they can’t be stolen as easily. The wire is usually quite thin however so anyone with the right tools can easily break them, but they are mainly intended to prevent opportunistic theft.
The normal wire lock is basically a combination padlock but with a metal string that you can pull out and wrap around a pole or other fixed object. I’ve used this to connect my luggage to a rack or pole on longer overland journeys.
You also have wire mesh locks that allow you to wrap your entire luggage in metal wires and attach this to a fixed point. I haven’t used one of these yet but they seem like they could be a good deterrent.
4. Secret luggage compartment
Some luggage comes designed with a secret compartment. For example, my Pakt Travel Backpack has a small invisible zipped compartment on the back, just big enough to fit a passport, some money, and a bank card or two.
Of course, this does not prevent someone from stealing a bag wholesale. However, it does prevent someone rifling through your luggage from quickly finding your most important items. While you are carrying the backpack, these items are also in the most hard-to-reach place, preventing anyone from just unzipping a pocket and picking it.
Although I probably wouldn’t buy new luggage just for this feature, it’s good to keep an eye out for a secret compartment like this if you’re purchasing a new backpack or suitcase.
5. Anti-theft money belt
Want to know my favorite anti-theft travel gear? It’s this.
A money belt is simply a belt containing a secret compartment. It may not be spacious enough for an ID or bank card, but it does let you stuff some banknotes inside without anyone noticing.
I like this solution is because, in my experience, it has passed the test! I once got robbed in Rio de Janeiro and while the thieves got away with a small coin purse I kept in my pocket (containing just a few dollars worth of reais) they never found the $100 worth of bills stashed in my belt. (Muahahahah!)
Unlike a money pouch, it’s not awkward to wear, so I’m a big fan of using a money belt for storing some emergency cash.
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Be careful about not having your passport on your person when travelling, I completely understand why its best to leave it somewhere safe , like a friends house ( like I did in Paraguay), but if you get pulled over by the police and your a gringo wearing a cowboy hat , the first question you will hear is , “pasaporte porfavor”, in my case I didn’t have it with me AND I noticed my girlfriend acting very strangely , very nervous, so when the police began to confer , she whispers , “I’m sorry , I forgot I have a gun under your seat”, ( I was driving). Great, so now I have 2 things to be concerned about. Anyway, the cop comes back and tells me they will allow my girlfriend to go get the passport , but I have to wait with the car . Ok fine, but what I didn’t realize is we were celebrating the fact that she had convinced me to stay another month, my problem was that she did the convincing at the airport AFTER my passport had been stamped with that days departure date , not realizing the implication until she arrived with my passport , the officer tells me or rather asks” why are you illegally here, your passport says you left today?” to make a long story short , we were instructed to follow them to the closest “precinct” in some ghetto or impoverished area where I really felt unsafe, and after some wrangling , I paid the officer 250 cash American to make it all go away, my girlfriend actually got the money from her bank, then was brought into a private office and they frisked her for wires and looked through her purse for any recording equipment, when this officer was convinced he wasn’t being filmed , he took the money and I was free to go, at 3:15 in the morning. I still will leave my passport wherever I am staying , but I do so now , knowing if we “turn a corner” and La Policia have a check point there , it will make for a long night.
Wow haha Glenn, your comment is quite the journey…
Lol, I just got one of those little money pictures at a street market in Cusco, Peru. Love it…like you said, comfortable and not obvious, but easy to access. I’m currently almost six months in Chile (small village named Yerbas Buenas) and having English online saving up to travel next year. Great posts, I’m getting addicted to your blog. Thank you for all of the excellent and relevant info you provide!
Hah nice to know I’m not the only one to use one of those little pouches 🙂 Thanks for reading Sean, glad my blog is proving useful!
How do you secure your camera when you bring it with you on day trips? Say at the beach and you want to go swim. Do you lock your day bag to a pole?
Thanks for all the useful information!
Hi Marek. Love your blog, brought your book. Planning on sending you a much longer message later due to how much awesome info I’ve got from you but currently scrambling to get ready for my trip!
Quick question – how did you keep your laptop secure in hostels when there was no locker/safe available? Did you just use your retractable cable lock you had for your daypack and leave it locked to a pole or something? I’m debating on getting either the cable lock or the PacSafe TravelSafe 5L but not sure if that’s overkill. Any advice would be much appreciated!
Hey Rish. Glad it’s helpful! To answer your question, I’ve found secure lockers in most hostels, so usually this isn’t a problem. In rare cases where there isn’t, I’d leave it at reception or in a secure storage room when I’m away. (Sometimes I also stay in a private room that can be locked, which means I don’t need a locker or anything.) The retractable cable lock comes in handy sometimes for securing your bag in a shared space. Portable safes or wire meshes are nice but also tend to be heavy/bulky, so you might decide it’s overkill…
My father’s always wearing a belt pouch. No idea where he bought it, I definitely have to ask him!
I’m in the love ’em camp on security pouches.. hardly notice it’s there. In terms of anti-pickpocket strategies, I like the idea of internal plastic hardware sewn inside pockets and bags to which pouches can be attached. Too many steps are needed for pickpockets who rely on stealth and speed. Here are some examples of what’s possible: http://packinglighttravel.com/travel-tips/luggage-and-packing/anti-pickpocket-gear/
Some great tips, I am going to have to look at getting some of these for sure. I thought about getting an exomesh Pacsafe cage that goes over the whole of the bag. Do you or anyone else have any thoughts on these?
I don’t have personal experience with these, but perhaps someone can chip in with their 2 cents. I have seen such meshes only on rare occasion on the trail, perhaps because they are fairly big/heavy. They’re not a common sight but I do imagine they offer better security than other solutions.
Wire locks can be easily cut. I prefer the conventional locks!
They are indeed super thin and will only ever work against purely opportunistic theft…
Security lockets always work with me. I pin it to my backpack and it feels much safer to travel 🙂
I never heard of a bolt holster before, doesn’t look like a bad idea though. I definitely prefer leaving as much stuff behind in my accommodation when I go out though. Even at home in the UK I prefer not to carry cash when I don’t have to.