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In school we had an ex gang member tell us about his experiences with smuggling drugs amd he said one of the tactics they use is to slip a little bit of something in the bag of the person in front of them so security focusses on that person and he the actual smuggler can easily get through. sooo..... DEFINITELY WATCH YOUR BACK
The concern of someone adding something to your bag is valid. It's probably rare but I have heard of this happening to rental cars and private planes where "items" are discreetly hidden. Once in the target country if it gets caught at customs no risk to them and if it makes it through they can pick it up. Also, when you put a carry on in the bin above you, put it on the opposite side so you can have eyes on it at all times.
I know of one airline that doesn't allow straps. I use name tags that only show my name, the rest is hidden and would require removal of tag to read. Also a good idea to put info inside of bag easily found in case the tag should come off. Colored ribbons tied to handles also a good way to identify your bag.
Traveling around Latin America or from Latin America, I always pay at the airport to wrap my check-in. I read how one person in Mexico faced a nightmare after his luggage was compromised with drugs. When they wrap it, they fix a sticker to it that you can take a picture of it before checking it in. Serves as proof that you had it wrapped at the airport.
Yeah that's what my wife is afraid of too. Do you remember where you read the story? I was trying to find examples, but couldn't find any good ones. The closest thing was a scam that used to be popular in the Philippines - they'd drop some bullet shells in your bag and then when you arrived in the Philippines, law enforcement would make you pay a bribe when they found them.
I was in Mexico last week and used a bus to get back into America. I placed my guitar case in the back storage area and then searched it before I got to the xray machine just to be safe. I wish I remembered to lock it before I let it out of my sight! Fortunately nobody slipped anything in!!
If the bag has a zipper the pen hack can be used to open and close the bag without compromising whatever was used to secure the zipper. Just because your bags arrive with the ziplocks intact doesn’t mean no one opened it
Slipping things into your luggage is a true concern. You are asked if you have left your luggage unsupervised, and did anyone put anything in your suitcase without your knowledge. If it's without my knowledge, how would I know?
In Australia a woman travelling to Bali was stopped at customs and found that her bag had been used to transport drugs into Indonesia. She was sentenced to death which was appealed and changed to life imprisonment. She was 22 when she went on the trip, but was released on appeal from the Australian Embassy. She was 40 by the time she got home. A life destroyed
In the Philippines, customs personnel was slipping single bullets into the luggage of unsuspecting tourists and then, extorting them for bribes. Finally, when Western governments started including warnings about that activity in their travel alerts, the Philippine government cracked down on that activity. Many American tourists heading to Manila were seran wrapping their luggage shut.
Love your video! Only one little remark: TSA has keys to open this specific locks. That’s the purpose of using them in TSA-countries. So they can open them easily if they want to, and also don’t have to ruin your luggage. Other locks are usually prohibited there. Also writing your code on the lock is a free ticket for thieves, right? 😅 (or putting forbidden items in your suitcase like drugs, without you noticing). Your other tips are awsome!
In addition, I bring a hand held luggage weigher. I weigh the luggage before heading to the airport, mainly to make sure that the luggage is below 50 pounds. I also weigh the luggage at the baggage pick up area. That’s to make sure that the luggage is the same weight before I give it to the airline and after I get it back.
I was overseas for 9 weeks and bought a suitcase to hold all the souvenirs because I travelled carry-on only. I left the suitcase in a locked storage unit in London before heading to Italy. Two days before I was scheduled to pick up my suitcase, it was stolen. I had forgotten to put my air tag in it, but after watching this video, I now realize that might have been useless. Great tip about the speaker.
The best way to not have your valuables stolen is to NOT pack them in your checked baggage. I wear my luxury/jewelry items on the plane and pack valuables in my in-cabin personal item.
The thieves don’t know that until after they’ve stolen your suitcase…. Just like they don’t know, we have no valuables in our car until after they’ve broken the window
You'd think so, right? I also assume that they'd put bad stuff in their as they are loading/unloading the plane, when it wouldn't have to pass through security. But then again, I'm just guessing here!
My luggage was rummaged through when I got to destination in Orlando. My combination was even changed. I went on RU-vid and found out how to get it open. Now I hear it’s probably not TSA which could be but I’ve heard from lots of people who have had the same thing. Even when I came home I dropped it off 2 hours early I guess you shouldn’t. I carefully packed it cuz I had a couple body scrubs large, the bubble wrap wasn’t even on it and everything was a jumbled mess. Orlando MCO needs cameras where luggage is sitting. They have large rats there. I don’t believe TSA did this, more like another employee in a hurry who won’t take the time to not mess it totally up. This has happened to me several times. I guess you should report it everyone so they will realize they have rats.
The point of locking a zippered bag is to prevent the bag opening up during transport, not security as the pen hack is a thing that thief’s are well aware of
Classic Audrey Hepburn movie has Audrey Hepburn playing a blind woman who is being stalked because heroine was placed in her luggage and they are now trying to get it back. Definitely will make you a little more paranoid.
Putting your lock codes displayed by the lock is NOT a good idea. Now any baggage handler can get into your bag and not just the TSA. Don't buy cheap luggage with cheap locks so TSA will not break them accidentally.
It doesn't seem like TSA cares if you have cheap luggage or expensive. If they wanna get in, they might break the locks (I still don't understand why). Best advice in my opinion would be a luggage cover which would make it a hassle for a baggage handler to get into. Or just avoid putting anything valuable in checked bags if possible.
@@ProjectUntethered I think some of those workers just get a kick out of doing mischief they can get away with. Gives them a sense of power or something.
You forgot to mention that you should cover the top layer of your luggage (when opened) with visibly "soiled drawers". If they want the stuff, they'd better really want it in that case.
One word of caution with saran wrap... if you're using luggage that is pretty generic in colour and design (black, grey, navy blue), do more than just tie a bright ribbon around the handles to distinguish it from all the other generic coloured luggage. The Saran wrap covers the handles making it harder to distinguish one generic luggage from another. On my last international trip, another traveler took my luggage instead of theirs due to this. I was the last person standing at the carousel watching this other saran wrapped luggage go round and round that looked similar to mine but wasn't mine. I just knew some idiot didn't check when they took my luggage. And having to talk to the airport staff when I didn't know the language was painful (despite having roaming and a translator app installed). It was lucky that my now father in law worked for customs and knew the airport's process for dealing with these things and I was able to get my luggage back within 24hrs. I guess the moral of the story... don't buy generic looking luggage, or ensure that there are enough stickers/large name tags showing through the saran wrap that makes it obvious to someone that the luggage is not theirs.
@@ProjectUntethered Before leaving the airport, I told the staff that the one remaining luggage on the carousel looked like mine but wasn't. Given it was almost an hour since all other passengers had left, they took that luggage for safe keeping. I'm assuming they either used details on that luggage to track down the owner to see if they had taken my suitcase, or the owner realised eventually that they didn't have their own suitcase and contacted the airport about returning mine and finding theirs. I may have taken a photo of that luggage's tag too. Either way, the airport staff had my details and my father in law's contact number (since I didn't have a local number) and I had a contact number/case number for chasing up on the matter too. The annoying part was that we weren't staying in that city and the next day, we were taking a high speed train over 250km away. Else I could have gotten the luggage back much sooner. It all worked out luckily. Luckily my wife uses non-generic designed luggage. I may have to follow her lead.
Well, when it comes to your luggage tag, you should put a printout of your return contact info inside your back and bare minimum on the outside like your name and phone number.
There is a “new” lock that’s supposed to insure TSA has to relock it in order to get their key back -- not true. And you’ll need a key to lock it or use it if they leave it open.
OMG, my GF, who is from Brazil told me the other day about protecting yourself from smugglers putting things into your luggage. I laughed at her and said she was being paranoid. I'm still not convinced this is a real thing, but maybe I'm naive.
I feel ya. On one hand, it doesn't hurt to be extra safe. But on the other hand, I had a hard time finding any real stories of this actually happening. And even if it did happen, you'd think baggage handlers would put it in and take it out after it has passed security, right?
Exactly, why use someone elses case which might get picked up and taken away before you could intercept it and remove your $$$$$ package. You'd put a false case into the hold and remove it at the other end. The only stories Ive seen of this are people who claimed that "someone else must have put the drugs in there because "it wasnt them". TBF there are a few documented cases of real drugs, put there by .. wait for it..... drug control (or whatever they are called). They put real drugs into some innocent peoples cases in order their dogs could intercept them. ... and they missed a few LOL. Dumb on so many levels. Even if found and removed without your knowledge youd then forever after be stopped and asked why your case has strong traces of drug X in it? The only people who've messed with my lugagge were TSA. they cut off a TSA strap (with TSA lock) and a TSO combo lock. How do I know it was TSA? They put them back in the case. When i complained TSA actually said this must have been done by a thief and not them. hahahah I now travel carry on only..
Years ago I believe this happened to me. I was returning from a trip to Jamaica. When I got home from the airport and started unpacking I found that part of my luggage appeared to be cut with a razor (apx 6” cut). It was barely noticeable. When I called the airport they said this was common. They believe that at the airport I departed from an employee chooses a piece of luggage that is a distinctive color or shape. They place the item in (probably drugs) after you have checked the bag. They contact their counterparts at the airport you are flying to, so that the item is removed from your luggage before you pick it up.
You can never be too safe in countries known for smuggling, drugs, mules, or the cartel. Criminals continuously invent ways to beat airport security. Always stay alert and informed of any tactics. And, just because their efforts aren't mentioned in the news doesn't mean it's not happening. There is no such thing as being paranoid when it comes to smuggling or smuggler.
@@TutoneEarthling TSA agents are federal agent a**holes, and will gleefully and sadistically mess up your luggage for wasting their time by locking it up in the first place. Bolt cutters are much quicker than keys, FYI.
If your bag has a zipper no lock will secure it from thieves. The pen hack is a thing that any thief targeting airport bags knows about and will utilize
Years ago I checked my suitcase from Christchurch (NZ) to Auckland, Auckland to Singapore (overnight airside with overnight bag), Singapore to London Heathrow. On arrival I discovered that my suitcase had been unlocked all the way! No sign of interference thankfully!
A lock just buys you time. That's it. Not security so much. The "key" is to just not put anything worth stealing in your checked bag besides your clothes. So any valuable items should always stay on you (preferred) or leave them at home (best choice). I don't even lock my checked bags anymore (although I might start putting zip-ties o them when I drop them at the bag drop), but I also never pack anything valuable in them, and then when I do get on location, I'll use a non-TSA certified lock and in some cases, a tether cable which makes doing the pen trick harder (they can still get into the bag, but they won't be able to rezip it because I use a strong cable tether to prevent the zippers from being moved, so I'll know). I think it is a valid concern that someone might slip something into a bag, but keep in mind that generally from what I've heard most of the thefts occur likely between the time they go through security to the time they get put on the plane, so even if someone was to slip something in your bag, it may likely be after TSA / security has already checked the bag. So check your bag when you arrive to make sure that everything is there, and that nothing illegal was slipped in the bag (and/or before you return or go through airport security again). Never had this happened to me, and honestly, never really thought about it but I also don't fly with checked bags that much (maybe once or twice a year when I take my "big" weeklong+ trips). The story about the guesthouse is one reason I don't really stay at such places, or even hostels. In fact, I don't like the older hotels that require you to turn your key in when you leave (common in Europe with some of the older hotels or older buildings where they still use older-fashioned types of keys and not electronic keycards). The only thing about wrapping your bag in plastic is that TSA will probably not re-wrap if they need to go through your bag. Now it sounds like they only go int obags if they find things that are suspicious and need to be investigated, so this is one good reason to not pack anything unecessary in there (the only non-clothing object I might pack is a tripod).
The main reason you want to lock or zip tie your checked baggage is to ensure the zipper stays closed When I worked at the airport it was extremely common to see bags that opened up during transport from handling and the contents everywhere on the conveyor belt
I travel to Thailand several years ago and it was a non-stop flight, and I picked up my luggage at the luggage claim right away once I landed. However, I had to wait about an hour or so at the LAX airport for boarding. So, where do you think when did my new 15 brand name T-shirts got stolen? When I opened my luggage, there was a note from TSA notifying me that they checked my luggage. I used a lock with key and they cut it off. I rolled/packed those T-shits and placed underneath my old clothes. No need to check because there was nothing but clothing inside this luggage. My brother said it was because I locked my luggage and they thought I must have a valuable items inside.
Yeah it sounds like locks can sometimes have the opposite effect (assuming the thief has time to open). They might indicate you have something valuable.
If you don't have a place to attach it to the actual bag, you can use other low-key spots like in a deodorant stick, in a rolled up pair of socks, in a gum container, etc.Then just have that sitting in a pocket somewhere out of the way :)
Probably best strategy to avoid any dramatic problems mentioned in this video is to use only the cabin backpack that you always carry with you… for overhead storage, wrapped in dedicated storm cover. I like osprey farpoint 55. Also it is the cheapest way to air travel as you don’t spend time and money on check-ins. I hope I have helped you 😅
I don't put my home address. Not only does it give information for baggage theives but gives everyone an address to break into your home while you are not home.
There's also some new players on the market Pebblebee and Chipolo. Works with Android "Find my Device" which basically means built in support no extra app needed, just like Apple trackers.
I put everything in a carry on. I also take one more shoulder bag I can put under the seat. I have never checked a bag and never will. Who has time to sit waiting for a bag on a carousel playing wait is that mine? That’s just me though. I pack well. I take minimal shoes that I can match to each outfit as well. I’m probably one of the only females that knows how to pack light
I totally agree with you. However, I've found for certain trips, it can be a bit of a pain. Like if you're traveling alone and have a heavy carry on backpack and personal item backpack...and you have lots of layovers or time in the airport. Kind of a pain to haul everything around for 24+ hours. One time I was trying to hold both my 2 backpacks while using the bathroom urinal because I didn't wanna set them on the dirty floor, and I had a little bit of a pee accident 😂 I suppose this wouldn't happen if you had a rolling carry-on though.
I have a question about the Saran Wrap thing. Can’t they still randomly search check-in bags if you wrap it at home, in-doing all your work and materials?
When checking your carry-on, be very alert about your small items. I keep my passport/keys/wallet on me in zippered pockets and when they went through the TSA checking, the agent missed them and gave me only my carry-on back. I noticed my passport going back through the conveyor and quickly grabbed it. With all the constant luggage to check, the agents are goingt to miss things so...be aware.
I use a cheap non TSA combination lock & put unusual bright colored ribbons on my checked bag. When I pick up my bag from the carousel I check to see if the lock is intact & check the zips on the bag to see if they look o.k. If someone has used the pen trick to open the bag they would need to unlock the combination lock to get the zip back together. I'm far more concerned whether someone has put something in my bag than taken something from it. If I saw something wrong I'd immediately report it to the customs staff.
NVR occurred to me that slipping something into my bag would happen BUTTTT it makes sense. You gotta export your illegal goods some kinda way. So YEAH, thanks for the plastic idea.
I no longer put my address or the address of the place I will be staying on the luggage tags. Now I just place my name, email and two phone numbers: my personal one from back home and another from the place I will be traveling to, either the eSIM, if it has a mobile number, or a friend or family member I will meet over there
Putting your full name and phone number is more than enough info for someone to find your full address. Name and email is less likely to be associated with a home address but it is also pretty common for even emails to become associated with a home address these days
@@MarcioHuser less than 30 seconds on the smart phone they likely have on their person and sell or pass along to hackers or identity thieves to utilize without looking for any additional information themselves which is still more effort than the average bag thief would likely ever do Vs the paranoia over the more far fetched scenario of an airport thief taking the time and effort to figure out where your address is and or being part of a criminal network big enough to actually take the time and effort to then go to your address and burglarize your home especially while traveling abroad in a foreign country Instead of just a quick grab for whatever valuables they can quickly grad from your bag and could
The main problem with wrapping is if you are traveling to a destination where wrapping luggage isn’t common your wrapped luggage will signal that there are potentially valuable items in it and they’ll simple steal the entire bag vs opening it
Airports have a saran wrap station for checked luggage (which could be a demand by the airline for carry-on being checked)? You still have to bring your own wrap? How much for a carry-on size vs a larger suitcase?🤔 I think your wife's concern is legit, even within domestic flights. Stranger things have happened.
You don't have to bring your own wrap if you pay for it at the airport station. Some of those stations seem a little pricey though. I think we paid a little under $10 last time.
You mentioned checked bags. Wait. Stop. Why would you even check a bag? Too many issues come from this, as a highly experienced traveler I dont believe in checking bags. They cant steal or break into or lose something that is not checked ;)
instead of showing your FACE, bette show us the thinks and how-to you recommend ! no offense though : you are good looking and love your casquette way round ...
