If you’d like to know what travel accessories are available to make your trip easier, safer, and more comfortable, here are some great products.  These items should be available at most luggage and travel accessories oriented stores.  

 What are compression bags and can they save a lot of space when you pack your luggage?

If you use space saving clear plastic compression bags when packing your clothes, you can save up to a whopping 80% more space in your luggage.  They can be used over and over again for many years of very easy packing.

What is a non-slip security wallet and how does it work?

One accessory you should consider buying is the non-slip security travel wallet.  It is about the same size as a regular wallet but it has non-slip rubber on one side which will rub against and catch on the inside of your pocket if it accidentally slips out of your pocket, or if someone tries to pick your pocket.  Always put your wallet in your front pocket.  Under no circumstances should you ever carry your wallet in your back pocket.  Professional thieves the world over call it “the sucker pocket”. 

Here’s a neat trick!  You can convert your wallet into a non-slip one by putting a few wide rubber bands around it.  Another solution that will help with the pickpocket problem is a chain-equipped travel wallet which you can attach to your belt. 

The secret waist wallet is a wallet that compliments the non-slip travel wallet.  It fits nicely under your shirt or blouse, but is still easily accessible.  It is not a good idea to lift your shirt or blouse up and open this wallet in public as you never know who is watching, like a would be pickpocket, or robber.   It is best to open it discretely where no one can see you doing it, such as in a public washroom stall.

A leather money belt that has a zippered, concealed pocket on the inner side of it, is a great security travel product.  You can hide a key, paper money, or small foldable documents in the secure, zippered pocket.

There are stay-up, elastic security socks that have a concealed, zippered pocket on the inside of each one of a pair of these socks.   These socks would be extremely difficult for a pickpocket to get at.

Another unique accessory is the RFID blocking passport document holder.  This radio frequency identification holder helps to protect your passport and other documents that can be electronically compromised from snooping data-stealing hackers.

A combination and key accessible combo luggage lock makes it possible for the custom’s officials to unlock your checked luggage for inspection with a special skeleton key, then lock your luggage up again.  You can then dial the combination and you can open your luggage.  This can save you a lot of time and money replacing regular locks that custom’s agents would normally have to break to gain entry to inspect your luggage.  Another real plus with these combo locks is that you do not have any keys to worry about losing or replacing.

You can carry a personal, battery-operated security alarm that emits a loud, piercing sound that may help ward off a robber or mugger.  Another product that is inexpensive and that will produce the same effect is a referee’s whistle, which you can hide under your shirt or blouse, attached to a string and hung around your neck.

A battery-operated hotel room intruder alarm is a great hotel room safety device.  There are two types of these alarms.  One alarm hangs on the room’s door knob.  Any slight movement of the door knob or door will trigger the alarm.  Another alarm is the doorstop kind which you can push under the door’s bottom edge.  If someone tries to open the door, the alarm will go off.

Women travelers can buy an innovative security purse that has a steel cable sewn in the strap.  This will foil a thief who makes an attempt to cut through the strap and run away with their purse.

Easy to inflate, easy to carry, the pocket pillow measures approximately 6″ x 4″ x 1″.  It inflates to about 19″ x 15″, and makes a comfortable pillow when you need to rest your head or sleep.

Make sure that you protect your eyes when traveling in sunny climates by wearing sunglasses that carry both a UVA as well as a UVB certified protection label.

A handy little book light that clamps on to the edge of your book enables you to conveniently read in dim light or total darkness.  It also allows you to read in the dark without disturbing your sleeping travel companion. 

If you are backpacking you should consider wearing a steel-mesh equipped backpack.  These great backpacks have a security steel mesh sewn into the bottom and sides, the most vulnerable places where a thief could slash it with a knife.  When this happens, everything tumbles out, and the thief and his accomplices grab anything of valuable and run away in different directions.  

You should keep in mind that you will probably need adaptor plugs and converters if you are traveling to certain countries.

One large travel accessories store, Magellan’s, has an award-winning catalogue that has everything for travelers from adaptor and connector plugs to secret security wallets.  You can order a catalogue online, at Magellans.com

Tilley Endurables, a legendary manufacturer of sun-protective travel clothing and accessories,created the world-famous Tilley Hat.  They specialize in making stylish, comfortable, and practical outdoor hats and travel clothing.  Most fabrics they use in manufacturing their hats and clothing carry a certified UPF 50  rated label, which is the highest rating for sun protection available.  You can get their sun-protective clothing and accessories catalogue by going to their website, at Tilleys.com.