Second of two parts
© Ewa Kubicka | Dreamstime.com
Guarding against baggage theft starts before you leave home. Lighten your load to lessen the risk. Make your bags harder to break into. Ensure them against theft. Or just let a luggage shipper deal with it all.
Okay, you know there are crooks out there, looking to the chance to rifle your bags when you travel, but what can you do about it?
The first step is to travel light. The less you bring, the less you stand to lose. The valuables you do bring go in your carry-on bag or stay on your person, preferably out of sight.
Many travelers nowadays won’t check bags at all, mainly to evade airline baggage fees, but also for security. But that’s not always practical, especially on international flights.
Which brings us to choice of luggage.
Most folks travel with soft-sided, zippered luggage. It’s light, expandable and cheaper, often a lot cheaper, than hard-shell suitcases. As we saw in Part 1, however, it isn’t secure, even when padlocked.
Hard-shell suitcases are less vulnerable, but no case can stop a determined thief who has the skills, the access and the time.
But in this case, time is on your side.
The longer it takes a thief to break into your bag, the more likely he is to get caught. He wants easy targets.
Don’t give him one. Make your lightweight suitcase more thief-resistant.
What you’re looking for is anything that forces the thief to take extra steps — and extra time.
THE SARAN WRAP APPROACH
At some airports in the United States, and many more around the world, there are services that will very quickly envelop your entire suitcase, no matter what size, in sheets of tightly wrapped plastic.
Not only will the ballpoint-pen-in-the-zipper trick no longer work, but any attempt to break into your luggage will be plainly visible.
The downside: All those yards of plastic go into the garbage as soon as your reach your destination, and ultimately into a landfill. Not exactly environmentally friendly.
TALE OF THE TAPE
You can run a long strip of tape — duct tape, packing tape, anything that’s wide and stronger and adheres well — along the full length of your suitcase zippers.
Yes, the thief could pull it off, use his pen to penetrate the zipper, go through your bag and then carefully put back the tape, but that would all take time. For the thief, probably too much.
STRAP IT ON OR SOUND OFF
You can secure your bag with wide, lockable straps, so that even if the thief can get through the zipper, he can’t easily get his grubby little hands inside your bag. There are devices that limit how far your zipper can travel until you unlock them.
Once you’re away from the airport, there also are small but very loud alarms you can attach to your bag. If someone tries to surreptitously your suitcase, every one on the block will know it.
MAKE A MESH OF THINGS
There are lockable steel mesh covers that can enclose your entire suitcase or backpack. That same mesh cover can be locked to lightpost or some other immovable object once you’re away from the airport.
Even better, combine any or all of these tactics to give your gear multiple layers of security. In theory, a crook could get through all of them, but not quickly and not on the spot. He’d have to steal your whole bag and take it elsewhere to work on it.
Unfortunately, that happens, too.
There’s not much you can do about dishonest airport baggage handlers or TSA screeners, but airport authorities make a serious effort to keep them in check.
Baggage claim is a different story. Nowadays, baggage carousels they tend to go unguarded and claim checks go unchecked. Easy pickings for a thief.
Don’t think so? A couple of years ago, cops in Arizona found found more than 1,000 suitcases in one couple’s house.
All stolen.
There’s one basic way to thwart that kind of snatch-and-grab artist: Once your plane lands, head straight for the baggage carousel.
On domestic flights, you’ll probably get there well before it starts moving, which is perfect. On international flights, you’ll be delayed by customs and immigration, which can’t be helped. Either way, head immediately for baggage claim.
Once there, position yourself so that you can see every bag coming off the chute and the carousel is moving them toward you. The moment you see yours, grab it and go.
Beware of any kind of disturbance near the baggage carousel. Thieves may try to divert people’s attention — accidental falls or spills, loud arguments, whatever. Focus on collecting your luggage and getting out of Dodge…and its airport.
Look again at the stolen bags in that video. Nearly all of them are basic black. That’s not a coincidence.
One of the simplest things you can do to discourage a baggage carousel thief is to make your bags colorful — the more unique, the better.
Another tip: Don’t just fix a luggage tag onto the outside of your suitcase. Stash some ID inside, as well. If you catch someone trying to make off with your bag and they claim it’s theirs, get the attention of the cops, the tell them to open the bag and where you hid the ID.
Game over.
If he does get away from the airport but police find your stolen bag later, finding that ID inside will make it easier and quicker to return your goods.
If you fear your bags may get jacked despite all your precautions, consider insuring them before your trip begins. You can do that. But you need to read the fine print very carefully to understand what is covered and what is not.
There’s one last option, however — if you’re willing to pay extra for iut — that may trump all of the above: A luggage shipping service.
They take custody of your bags before your departure, and often have them waiting in your destination upon your arrival.
Further, most will automatically include a minimum insurance coverage for lost or damaged bags — typically up to $500 or $1,000, with more coverage available — and it’s included up-front in the cost of the service.
As long as people travel with valuables, there will always be crooks looking to help themselves to them, but a little forethought and preparation can make their lives a lot more difficult, and leave you with a lot of peace of mind when you’re out seeing the world.
ALSO CHECK OUT:
TRAVEL SAFE: Securing your luggage, Part 1
You and your luggage — on different planes?