8 indispensable gadgets for safe travel

8 indispensable gadgets for safe travel

Five sisters like me is wonderful. On your travels you will receive a lot of messages that check your whereabouts and well -being. And then you get a few messages. And then you get more.

Soon real-time updates will become potential dangers within a radius of 6,000 miles. "You camp on a beach in Fiji? Did you hear the couple who injured themselves on a beach in Thailand?" "Didn't you leave Vanuatu? There is an earthquake now." "You are in Chile? What about this huge volcano?"

Of course it is natural to worry about beloved people when they are gone. Occasionally, this concern is justified. To help you calm down, we have put together eight important things for safe travel, from emergency-sos systems to healthy maintaining health.

1. Recognize Gen3 satellite messenger

indispensable for: long -distance travel, sailing, hiking and extreme sports. Price: $ 160 (£ 103) plus a data plan on top

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I'm not worried, but every now and then I wished that Peter had more prosaic hobbies than mountaineering - like if he opened to the Norwegian Galdhøpiggen and I haven't heard of him for three days.

If you have ambitions like him, to climb the seven peaks (or actually know someone who does this), you should get a Spot Gen3. This gizmo in pocket format follows you in real time and enables you to send messages at the push of a button.

You can send an SOS with your GPS location to the IerCC (International Emergency Response Coordination Center) or simply check in with family and friends in areas without mobile phone reception. This can be a one-button "OK" that sends a preprogrammed text or an email with your location to up to 10 preset contacts or a custom message.

You can also configure your tracking in such a way that it sends your location at certain intervals (5, 10, 30 or 60 minutes or if you do something really extreme, every 2.5 minutes).

The technology of Spot has been attributed to over 3,500 rescues worldwide-approximately one per day since the introduction in 2007. With a basic price of $ 160 and a number of inexpensive data tariffs, it is an indispensable device for all adventurers.

Where to buy: Findmespot.com / Amazon

2. Lupo-Bluetooth tracker

indispensable for: find lost items Price: $ 47 (£ 30) for one; Discounts available on multipacks

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I was suspicious of Bluetooth tracking services for a long time after I was disappointed in the past, but Lupo seems to change. This small tracking gadget can be attached to keys, wallets, backpacks, jackets or other valuables and warns them if the item is removed from the range of 45 m (150 feet). Objects are connected to the Lupo app that sends the warning together with the last known location of the object.

It has a decent battery life (one year) in contrast to similar gadgets on the market that last about six months or, like Tile, have to be completely replaced.

The lupo can also be connected to a computer. This mechanism automatically blocks your computer when it is outside the range. So if someone goes away, they cannot access their account, provided they still have their lupo.

A potentially great advantage is that the broader user community can help individuals to find lost objects near them. Of course, this requires a critical mass of users. In the meantime, the makers of Lupo are looking for a uniform system that would enable community tracking across all different Bluetooth tracking services that are currently on the market.

Where to buy: mylupo.com

3. Travelsafe portable safe

indispensable for: securing your equipment price: $ 80 (£ 50)

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I admit that we were often complacent in hostels and decided to put our passports in the back of our big backpacks instead of leaving them at the reception. Fortunately, we have never been robbed, but as we experienced in Colombia, there is always a first time for everything.

A better alternative is the portable safe travelsafe, a lockable bag in which you can secure your passports, a (smaller) camera, additional cash, credit cards, telephone and/or tablets. It comes with a "high-strength rust-free exomesh" between the inner and outside fabric, which means that it cannot simply be cut open.

An integrated locking device ensures a strong and permanent closure, while you can lock the safe with the cord strain on a stationary object. The only disadvantage is that it is quite bulky and can complain to the ultra -light traveler. We will probably leave it at home for short excursions in Europe, but on longer trips through countries that we know less (and Colombia).

Where to buy: pacsafe.com / Amazon

4. Steripen water cleaner

essential for: stay healthy price: $ 99.95 (£ 65)

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okay, I know we talked about this product over and over again (hey, steripen, do you need a brand ambassador?), But it's really one of our favorite devices.

I will not repeat everything we said in these articles, but in summary: The Steripen eliminates over 99.9 % of the bacteria in up to one liter of water in just 90 seconds, can be used up to 8,000 times and is simply rechargeable via computer, power supply or portable solar loader.

With a load, it can prepare up to 50 liters of water and did exactly that when traveling through the South Pacific and South America. We love it.

Where to buy: steripen.com / Amazon

5. Smartsun UV writer

indispensable for: stay healthy price: $ 12 (£ 7.60) for a 12-pack; Prices drop with increasing volume

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okay, I know that sounds like a product for children, but the many sun worshipers with miracles skin on the beaches of Brazil tell us something else. Smartsun bracelets are a practical way to display when you have to apply your sunscreen again or actually cover yourself and go into the shadow.

The bracelet changes the color if it is exposed more so that you can monitor your UVA and UVB recording. It is designed in such a way that it resists both in the pool and in the sea and imitates the reaction of your sunscreen. The ligaments are adjustable, i.e. fit both children and adults and are only suitable for one day.

I personally am quite demanding when it comes to a new application (after all, I am in my 30s), but Peter is carefree how it corresponds to his being. Now, like a child, he is told what to do and when it is to be done.

Where to buy: smartsun.se

6. Portable MSC Power Stick charger

indispensable for: long -distance travel, camping, hiking price: $ 19 (£ 12.95)

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This small USB charger was of an invaluable value on our many excursions into one or the other remote wilderness. Before leaving civilization, it can be loaded with electricity and then used to charge a variety of devices via USB.

It offers a full load for all smartphones, ereader and digital cameras, has an LED display with a remaining load and is only slightly larger than a lipstick enough to store it in your daily backpack.

We also have a waterproof MSC solar charger for charging all of the above when we are camping or away from civilization, as well as a waterproof MSC Aqua Trek power bank, which can absorb up to five smartphone loads and contain a built-in LED flashlight.

They were all extremely useful equipment on our Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu and during our time on Tonga's remote island of Mafana, so that we could keep our phones charged at any time.

Where to buy: Mobilesolarchers.co.uk

7. Emergency numbers

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essential for: personal security price: free

I recently discovered Emergency Phone Number, a super useful travel app that stores a comprehensive list of emergency numbers from all over the world. It is particularly useful for long -term trips to several countries where you would otherwise have to look up emergency numbers manually and save on your phone (or, worse, still, and do not have to look up at all).

With emergency numbers, you can make calls from the app and display your location while making calls so that you know exactly where you are. At the moment it is only available for iOS and of course depends on the mobile phone coverage. So if you are regularly in a remote place for a long time, you should also consider a spot gen3 (No. 1 above).

Sources of supply: Emergency numbers for iTunes

8. Chiefs personnel alarm

essential for: personal security price: $ 16 (£ 10)

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Here is another product that you believe that you will never need it - until you do it. The Chieftain Personal Attack alarm can be attached to a keychain, led through a jacket zip or attached to your backpack. If it is activated via the ripcord, there is a flash and a 140-decibel siren that can be audible at a distance of up to 800 m (2,600 feet).

Peter and I like to jog, but rarely on the street, because I am much slower than he and he and he doesn't like to lose sight of me in unknown places. The chief means that I have a practical way to warn him and everyone else nearby that I need help if such a situation should ever occur. It is worth the calm for a small price.

Where to buy: Chiefain Personalarm

Mission statement: Dreamstime

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