Easy Safety Devices for Travelers
Welcome back to Mountains 2 Seas! Thank you for being here. As I mentioned last week, we would like to share with you the handful of small devices that we have with us from when we travel.
Most of these devices are simple and easy to use and don’t take up a lot of space or weight. If you are a solo traveler, these will especially come in handy and hopefully give you a little peace of mind if you’re in a new place on your own.
I have picked these things up over the years after learning from friends and mentors more knowledgeable than I. The first time Ash did a couple trips on her own I wanted to know she would be okay and safe and these simple tools gave me peace of mind and her as well.
Without further ado, let’s dive in!
For securing your room
A door wedge and a portable door lock
The wedge is simple, rubber, clears security with no issues and is incredibly easy to use. All you do is wedge it firmly under your door when you are in your room and it’s an easy extra deterrent.
The portable door lock looks complicated but is super simple to use as well. Just place it between the bolt and the strike plate and secure with the chain. If you want an extra little upgrade, they make some off these with built in alarms that will chirp of go off with a noise if someone is trying to slip the lock. This is one we like the best.
We know that hotels are safe by land large, and this may seem like overkill, but we actually know some people that have used the portable door lock before and it saved them from a room intrusion. This is especially good for solo female travelers.
Protecting your valuables
There are tons of ways to protect your things while you travel, but here we are only going to share the couple that we use regularly.
These come in a variety of styles but we like the water bottle one the best. Mainly because it is a fully functional water bottle that you can use while you travel. Once you get to where you are going, you can place extra cash, sd cards, jewelry and more in the base.
These are simple retracting cable devices that are stronger than they look. It won’t stop a determined thief, but most thieves are looking for an easy grab, not something they have to cut. Having one of these is good if you are sitting down at a crowded cafe and you want to put your bag down at your feet and not worry about a grab and go situation.
For personal safety:
A personal alarm is a simple device that clips to your keyring, jacket zipper pull, backpack or purse.
It’s a very straightforward device that takes up zero room, and if you are in danger all you do is pull the device off its connector and it makes a terrible racket, drawing people’s attention to you. Affordable and compact, this is perfect for when you are out and about on your own.
Last in the personal safety line, we’d like to talk about a Kubotan.
A Kubotan is a simple object that you hold in your hand and use to strike with if someone is holding you or reaching for you. It doesn’t do lethal damage, but causes a sharp pain or numbness that can allow you to get away quickly.
Disclosure: we do not condone weapons or violence, especially when you travel, but this is a simple device that if you really find yourself in a situation, gives you an opportunity to get away without inflicting major harm.
Ashley likes to wear hers as a hairpin when she travels and it works for that as well!
This is one of those things that works for group travel, solo travel, guys or girls or anyone. Just YouTube a tutorial and you’ll see why we suggest this as a good safe item to carry with you in new places.
When traveling in new places, always be aware of your surroundings and keep yourself and your friends safe. This is not a post to alarm or scare but to share simple steps to keep something from happening to you. You’ll always hear about it, and most people think it won’t happen to them but unfortunately these things do happen. The more aware you are, the lower your chances become.
We truly hope that when you travel, none of these things even come to mind. We also hope though that a couple of these things make it into your travel kit so that you never feel unsafe.
Travel safe, travel smart, and enjoy the adventures you’ll have!
