Last Updated on June 20, 2022 by Brian Drew
When you are traveling or planning a trip, there are several things you should plan about well in advance. Right from booking the tickets to accommodation arrangements, a lot of pre-planning makes your trip smooth and easy. Everyone plans all the major details of the trip meticulously. But the finer details are often left out.
It is, in fact, the finer details that sometimes get you tensed on your trip. One such fine detail is the safety of your valuables and data. No matter where you travel, no matter how much luggage you carry, the safety of your belongings is one thing you should plan well.
Quick tips on theft prevention:
- Get durable anti-theft wallets and bags
- Cary padlocks and number locks to secure your bags
- Take a portable safe with you if possible.
Now that is about keeping your belongings safe from theft. Have you thought about keeping your belongings safe from water? Be it the rains, or when you travel to a beach or go canoeing, there are always occasions when your luggage comes in contact with water.
What are the things you could lose to water damage when traveling?
Data theft:
While we equate data to mobile phones, data also include your passport and ID information that can be stolen. A few points to remember:
- Keep your passports and boarding passes secure – you don’t really need your boarding pass once you’ve finished your journey, tear it and discard it.
- All other identity proof and documents you might carry a need to be kept secure too
- Your phones, tabs, computers – when traveling, you never know what electronic threats lurk. Ensure that all your electronic equipment has the appropriate online security installed.
Water damage:
- Protecting your electronic gadgets from accidental water splashes at the beach or even when it is raining outside while you travel
- Keep your USB drives, memory cards, and smaller accessories from water damage. Do not carry them in your pockets. Keep them inside small waterproof pouches.
- Securing your documents and passports from contact with water.
Valuables and data security tips and tricks:
To keep your valuables and data safe from water damage here are a few things you can do:
Dry bag – the indispensable gear:
Dry bags are such useful inventions. A simple Ziploc bag would do what you may feel. But only when you get a dry bag would you realize how indispensable it soon becomes. The top-rated waterproof bags come in a variety of different sizes and shapes.
There are those which are big enough to hold all your belongings and there are those tiny ones specifically designed for your smartphones. These bags come with strongly taped seams and are made of waterproof material. There are duffel bags, backpacks, crossbody bags, pouches, and several other types.
Most of these come with a typical roll-top closure that seals away water.
Types of dry bags:
- Smartphone pouches: these come with clear plastic bodies that allow you to use your phone even when it is inside the pouch. There are pouches that allow you to take your phone underwater too.
This would be useful in clicking underwater photos. These would also keep your smartphone data extra safe. So you would not have to worry about losing data even if your phone falls into the water.
- PVC heavy-duty dry sacks: These come with capacities as large as 70liters. So you can conveniently stash all your belongings in them. They also come with tough welded seams for extra durability. You could use these to keep your passports and documents safe along with your other belongings.
- Lightweight: These are ideal for those situations where you travel alone. These bags are light to pack. So you can pack them in your bag and use them when you need them. When there is a sudden need to keep your smaller gadgets or files safe, you can use these lightweight bags.
- Waterproof gadget bags: There are waterproof cameras and laptop bags. These are for smaller water splashes or mild rain. These might not work in preventing water damage underwater. But they can keep all your documents, passports, ID proofs, tablet, and other gadgets safe from minor water damage.
For the hardcore drivers, there are also dry-egg boxes which are quite similar but available as boxes that can be submerged in water. They come with tightly sealed cavities to hold your belongings. You can even roll all your files and keep them inside to protect your data loss from water damage.
Waterproof Portable safety lockers:
Portable safes are great but waterproof portable safes are even better. These can secure your valuables with a sophisticated locking system. At the same time, the waterproof construction would also help keep water away from your valuables. So you can protect your valuables and data from water damage as well as from theft.
Miscellaneous safety measures:
Even if you have not invested in these safety gears here are a few safety precautions to take:
- Keep your passports and IDs inside separate Ziploc pouches.
- Even if there is no sign of rain, even if you are not by the pool, keep all your valuables inside waterproof bags
- Avoid logging into your email from public computers unless really required. This would avoid data loss.
- Leave your smartphone and laptop behind in your hotel room when you go to the pool.
What to do if your smartphone has fallen into the water?
The smartphone is one gadget that you carry with you at all times. This is the one gadget that would also have a lot of personal information stored in it. From photos to personal messages, there is always a lot of sensitive data stored on smartphones. In current days, we do get a lot of water-resistant smartphones.
But what if yours isn’t water-resistant? What if you have accidentally dropped your smartphone in the pool?
You would not lose your data in most cases. Only when the damage is very severe if it results in some faulty circuit would you lose your data. In other situations, you can retrieve your data if you take the right measures.
- Take your phone out at once
- Switch it off and dry your phone with a dry piece of absorbent cloth
- Remove all removable parts on your phone like your sim card, memory card, removable battery, etc.
- Avoid using a blow dryer on your phone- this is one idea that many might suggest. But the heat of the blow dryer can fry your smartphone circuit
- If you have silica gel packs that are used to wick away moisture, toss a few of them in a ziplock bag and put your phone inside. You can also keep your phone in a bowl of rice. These measures are to draw out the moisture from inside the phone.
- It would take at least 3 days for your phone circuits to be completely dry- take out your phone then and start using it. You would thus not lose your data.
A final word:
No matter how cautious you are accidents are prone to happen. So be prepared and invest in the right safety gear. Accessories like dry bags are useful in a lot of different ways. Besides, they come in different shapes and colors as well. They are also convenient to carry and organize your essentials.
So you can also use them as a normal travel bag. This way you can be sure that your data and valuables are all safe from water damage.
