Rem Malloy

Security Tips for Travelers – Bike Cable

As a travel professional every now and then I hear a horror story, one that makes your hair on the back of your neck stand on end and it's always about getting ripped off. Somebody's wallet, somebody's purse, somebody's camera, somebody's luggage; usually the stories don't involve any violence or drama but more simple sneaky ways that today's thieves are finding to steal your stuff; ways that can easily be prevented with some countermeasures.

When I began traveling many years ago I carried with me $1000 Nikon camera, a $3000 laptop, $1000 camera lens, $2000 video camera, microphones cables, batteries and the lot; all part of my toolkit to operate and develop a successful tour operation. I was completely paranoid about getting ripped off, so being the industrious type I came up with a solution; one that anyone can try.

The biggest way that people get items stolen is what I like to call a "snatch and grab" this is where a thief will break a window on a rental car and steal whatever luggage he can find, break into a hotel room or while you're taking a nap on the train snatch luggage from the luggage bin. I came up with this idea when one time my mother and I were scouting out sightseeing places in Rome and happen to go out to the catacombs. A car pulled in front of us to park; it was a family who obviously had driven down from a northern European country and they had all of their travel belongings in their Volvo. When we came back to the car before the family had gotten back themselves we saw one window broken out and every single belonging of the family had been stolen. This was the single event that got me to think about ways to protect your items when you travel that easy, inexpensive and actually works.

I came up with this idea after that incident; here's what you do. Go down to your local hardware store and go into the chain and cable department, usually they have chains of various sizes and cables of various sizes on reels and you can cut whatever length you need. Get the thinnest bike cable that you can find; this is usually three fourths of an inch. Have the person in the department chop off 10 feet for you; also have them crimp the ends of the cable so that you have two secure loops at each end.

This single item has protected me and my valuables for many years; it's easy to carry, it rolls up nice and tight, doesn't weigh a thing and actually works. Here is how you use it; if you're in a car, loop one end of the cable around the sliding seat post of the front or passenger side seat and then the other end loops through all the handles of the luggage in the trunk or hatchback. If you don't know, most cars in Europe don't have trunks, they have hatchbacks which you can see everything in the back. After you loop the one end through the handles of your bag, secure it on top to itself with a padlock. I like a combination lock and not a key lock just because there's nothing to lose (like a key); make sure the lock and the cable are well visible.

What you've done, is created a deterrent. Just one extra layer that all the other cars in the same parking lot don't have; if the thief actually wants your particular luggage he can easily break the window cut through the handles of your luggage and take it, but he doesn't want just your luggage, he wants anybody's luggage that's easy to take and if you look at all the cars around that have luggage in them, none of them will have a cable lock. You've just created a deterrent that has worked for me for many years.

On a train, it's the same concept. You're not allowed to take your luggage to your seat but you have to store it at the end of each car or every other car in luggage bins; anyone getting on or off the train can easily take any bag from bin. Tie one end of the cable around the bars of the luggage bin and tie the other through the handle of your luggage. Chances are most thieves don't keep cable cutters with them so they would steal someone else's bag that doesn't have this device; so go back to your seat, relax and take a nap.

Same concept in a hotel, just wrap the cable through the handles of your luggage and around something fixed in the room like a sink pipe or bed frame. There you go, these simple deterrents are only that; a deterrent, making another level the thief must go through to get your stuff. I hope this helps and I hope it keeps you and your valuables happy for many journeys to come.

Article Tags: Bike Cable

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