If I could attach my luggage to my hand with a chain like they do in the movies, I would. When you travel, there are so many places where you can lose your items — the airport, bus, taxi, hotel room, at the museum, walking in the street and so on. 

Depending on what you lose, it can range from a minor inconvenience (e.g. your water bottle) to a disaster (e.g. cash or travel documents). So here are 6 tips on how to keep your phone and valuables safe when traveling. 

1. Keep The Most Important Items On You 

Your most important items are usually the smallest — your phone, passport, and cash. So they should be easy to keep on your body whether it’s harder to lose them. This way, you also won’t lose anything important if your luggage gets lost. As long as you have your cards, travel document and phone, you can deal with any emergencies. 

For even more safety especially from pickpockets, put them under your clothes in a pouch or money belt. 

2. Use a Luggage Tracker to Prevent Luggage Theft

Luggage trackers like the Apple AirTag are often used to prevent lost luggage at airports. But they can also be useful in preventing luggage theft. 

But don't just attach an AirTag to your suitcase or put it inside. Determined thieves can simply get rid of the tracker. Instead, use the trackers with anti-theft holders (like these ones on Amazon) that make it harder to remove the AirTags. 

3. Activate Anti-theft on Your Devices

Many people discover too late that their phone has anti-theft features. When you are trying to recover your stolen phone is when you realize you didn’t activate these features. 

So go to your phone’s or tablet’s settings right now and check if it has any anti-theft options that you need to turn on. For devices like laptops that do not have built-in anti-theft protection, you can attach a tracker.  

4. Be Alert in Public

Often, theft of items in public happens because you are not paying attention to your stuff. This is totally understandable. You are probably in an unfamiliar environment trying to find your way around, or maybe you are having too much fun exploring.

But try to be more watchful. Never let go of your backpack and stay aware of your surroundings to avoid being pickpocketed. It’s also a good idea to generally avoid very crowded places; it’s where you are most likely to lose your stuff. 

5. Use the Hotel Safe 

It’s common for valuables to be stolen at the hotel, typically by staff. Locking your luggage can reduce the risk of this happening but a determined thief will still find a way into your suitcase. 

If the hotel you are staying at has a safe, use it to keep your most important valuables. 

6. Pack Light 

Wait, what does packing light have to do with keeping your valuables safe? Let me explain. 

When you overpack, you typically include more valuables in your luggage. Thus, there are more opportunities to lose something important. 

Secondly, it’s tedious and tiresome to lag around a heavy suitcase. You will be less watchful and might occasionally leave it unattended. This is unlike a light carry-on or backpack that you can easily keep close to you all the time. 

Packing light not only makes your trips easier and less tiresome, it also reduces the risk of losing something. 

We have a guide on how to pack light or ultralight. Some of the best tips include packing multipurpose items, carrying clothes you can wear multiple times (like our self-cleaning no-stink clothing) and using organizers like packing cubes.  

Final Thoughts

Many frequent travelers who have never had anything stolen from their luggage say it’s because they don’t put anything valuable in their luggage. 

If you take away one top from this article, let it be this one — keep the most important items on you and not in your suitcase. Use a pouch, money belt, your pockets or backpack to keep important stuff close where you can keep an eye on it all the time.

It’s also a good idea to have a backup plan in case the worst happens. Even the most watchful travelers can get stolen from. Have someone you can call for help, a backup card or cash hidden somewhere else (maybe a hidden compartment in your luggage) and photos or photocopies of your documents in case you need to replace them. 

We also recommend researching where you are going so that you can be better prepared. For instance, some places have plenty of pickpockets, others are known for their local scams and so on.