How to secure your gear before traveling

A few months a guy stole my bag in a coworking space in Medellin, Colombia. I lost $7K USD in an instant. I was news because the word went around the city and also in the digital nomad community to a point, that people donated to help me.

The full story is on a video that I've just published.

Full disclosure: it was 99% my fault, not blaming anyone else.

In this post I'll share to you the lessons learned by giving some tips on how to secure your gear before traveling.

  • Pay your gear with credit card. Most credit cards companies have their own insurance for losses and as they track all of your purchases, it's always good to have them as a backup.
  • Activate Find My on all your devices. This is an advice for all Apple advices, but make sure you have them all set up before traveling. If you have internet connection while stolen, you might be able to find your device right away. If not, at least you can block the device so no one else can use it.
  • Add AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss for iPhone. Not everyone knows that the iPhone now has the add-on for losses by buying an small fee to get a new phone.
  • Register your products. Most gear companies have an account website platform where you can register your device with their serial number. If someone tries to sell your gear and you find out, you can use this to back it up and confirm it was yours all along.
  • Have a tracking device like Tile. Add an small device that you can track all your stuff (have it inside your backpack) so you can find your stolen stuff easily.
  • Have an travel insurance with electronics included. Travel insurance are mostly about health but you can add the electronics for an extra fee and at least, better peace of mind.

There you go. Hopefully by applying these tips you'll be better prepared for travelling.