Detective Kevin Coffey, a travel risk consultant and corporate trainer who is CEO of Los Angeles–based Corporate Travel Safety. He recently retired from the Los Angeles Police Department, where he served 35 years and founded the Los Angeles International Airport’s Crimes Investigations Detail. CorporateTravelSafety.com
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It is a fact—crooks target tourists. The products listed here can keep you and your valuables safe when traveling. Reminder: Carry only one credit card and the cash you expect to need for that day on your person. Store a second card, any remaining cash and your passport in your hotel room safe.
Hidden pocket. Tucking valuables into a storage pouch hidden on your person reduces pickpocket risk. Three options…
Money belt, also known as a waist pouch, straps around your midsection and is hidden beneath the bottom of the shirt or top of the trousers. Example: Venture 4th Travel Money Belt, $24.95.
Neck pouch hangs from a neck strap inside the front of a shirt. Example: Zero Grid Travel Neck Wallet, $18.99.
Belt-loop wallet hangs inside the trousers behind a trouser pocket, suspended from a strap that loops around the belt. These are difficult for pickpockets to spot, yet wearers can access them unobtrusively by pulling on the strap. Example: Shacke Hidden Travel Belt Wallet, $13.99.
Portable safe. These are not conventional safes. They’re ordinary-looking bags and backpacks that have locking closures, steel mesh hidden in their fabric and steel cables hidden in their straps. They can be locked to something strong, such as a metal part in a car or a pipe in a hotel room. Examples: Pacsafe Travelsafe Gii, three-, five- and 12-liter sizes, $79.85 to $129.95…FlexSafe by AquaVault, a three-by-three-by-seven-inch pouch for small valuables such as cash, keys and sunglasses, $59.95…Loctote Flak Sack Sport, a stylish backpack, $129.
Antitheft purse or backpack. These have locking zippers that make it challenging for a pickpocket to remove a wallet and thin metal cables hidden in their straps that prevent purse snatchers from slashing the strap. Some have a detachable strap that allows the bag to be secured to the back of a chair while dining. Examples: Travelon Classic, a large purse available in black, grey or navy, $34 to $53…Baggallini Securtex, a small purse available in numerous colors, $43 to $83…Travelon Urban Anti-Theft Backpack, available in black or slate, $60.
Portable door lock or jammer. The locks on rental-property doors and even hotel-room doors can’t always be trusted. A portable door security device can sound an alarm if someone tries to enter or can prevent the door from opening at all. Examples: LuckyStone Upgraded Door Stop Alarm, which sits at the base of a door and sounds an alarm if the door is opened, $8.99…DoorJammer Portable Door Lock Brace, a small device that prevents a door from opening inward, $29.99.