Gadgets, Tips & Fashion

How to protect your identity while traveling

 

• Stay Thin: Before you take on your summer adventure, go through your wallet and remove unnecessary credit/debit cards, as well as anything displaying personal information. Make copies of important documents before you leave, such as passport, driver’s license and travel tickets, in case something happens to them.

 

• Stay Secure: Hotel computers and unsecure Wi-Fi connections are easy targets for hackers and identity thieves. If you need to check your email, always ensure that you’re using a secure network. Never access sensitive information, such as your bank account, on these networks.

 

• Stay Safe: While you shouldn’t carry personal documents with you when you’re out and about, hotel rooms aren’t necessarily the safest option. Smartphones, tablets and laptops contain a huge amount of valuable data, so use room or hotel safes to lock these valuable items away.

 

•  Don’t Stand-alone: Stand-alone ATMs are more likely to have skimming devices. Stick with bank ATMs whenever possible.

 

• Beware Pickpockets: It sounds old school, but this does still happen. Pickpockets prey on you in high traffic areas such as malls, amusement parks and sporting events. Some are only interested in cash, but others are out for your driver’s license and social security number. Keep your credit cards and ID in a secure place, like a money belt. Don’t keep all your cash in the pouch though—spread it around with some in your wallet, some in the hotel room and some even in your shoe.

 

• No Checkbook Checkout: Checking account fraud is one of the most difficult types of identity theft from which to recover, and being far from home will only add to your frustration. When traveling, use cash.

 

** Safety tips courtesy of TrustedID -- the nation's most comprehensive identity protection service.

 

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More women flying solo

By Ginny Grimsley

 

So you’re a woman and you want to see the world – on your terms.join the crowd! More and more women are traveling alone or with girlfriends; an estimated 32 million in the past year, according to the travel industry association.

“It’s the new trend in travel and, really, it’s a no-brainer,” says Ruth Yunker, an intrepid solo traveler and author of “Paris, I’ve grown accustomed to your ways,” (www.ruthyunker.com), a humorous recounting of her extended stay in Paris as part-time resident, part-time tourist. “Women hold the purse strings, so to speak, and we don’t necessarily want to see and experience our travel destinations in the same ways men do.”

 

The numbers tell the story:

• 28 million single women ages 35 and older – a growing demographic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Earnings for women with a college degree have increased 31 percent since 1979 while men’s grew just 16 percent, according to the bureau of labor statistics. “We value our independence and we have the means to get up and go, so why not?” Yunker says.

If you’re a woman who has dreamed of taking off on a safari, jaunting across Europe or sampling fried seahorses in Beijing, Yunker offers valuable advice:

1. So you want to travel. you are dying to travel. you have a list of 10 favorite places you’re going to get to … one day. buy the airline ticket six months in advance. a non-refundable ticket. don’t fret. don’t get stopped by all the details. just do it. There. You’ve taken the first step. you can, and will, worry about all the other details later. but baby, with this ticket, you are now on your way.

2. Bring a few creature comforts from home. I bring my own pillowcase for the airline pillows, my ragged at-home comfy wear instead of new nightgowns.

 

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Top 4 Travel Gadgets for 2013

It’s no secret that there is new technology coming out all the time;  state-of-the-art gizmos that make our traveling lives easier.  While it’s difficult to keep up with all the latest gadgets and apps, here are four items that frequent travelers definitely must have:

 

SpareOne Mobile Phone

This is the only mobile phone ever that you can use anywhere in the world, using one AA battery – with a lifespan of 15-years! It recently won the prestigious Innovations Award at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Association convention. Best of all, it’s great in an emergency, with a built-in flashlight and a dedicated emergency services dial button.  Just plug in a local sim card wherever you are, and you’re good to go.  www.spareone.com

 

Trakdot Luggage Tracker

Are you tired of losing your luggage?  With the Trakdot Luggage Tracker, you don’t have to rely on anyone else to tell you where your luggage is. All you have to do is hook up this GSM chip-equipped monitor to an app on your phone, and you can pinpoint its exact location.  It’s not cheap, however.  You have to pay an annual subscription of $13 USD, on top of a $50 USD sign up, but it might be worth the peace of mind.  www.trakdot.com

 

Roku Streaming Stick

If you’re on the road and near a Hitachi and Insignia TV, with a USB plug-in port, you can get instant access to smart streaming technologies, including Vudu and Netflix. It’s being queued up to be compatible with more TV brands soon too, so stay tuned.www.roku.com.

 

The Verizon Jetpack

What does this gizmo do? It offers real-time data usage reporting on screen, an interactive status indicator and lots of router options. For just $19.99, the Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 5510L can help control and manage how much data you use. Click here.

 

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Are you a social media wizard?   

By Vicki Vaughn

Do you even know what social media is? Businesses can no longer ignore social media and what it can mean for their company. Whether you’re an avid traveler or a business that provides hospitality services, you would gain an advantage if you become familiar with social media and what it can do for you. The good news is that you don’t need a wizard to benefit either!

In short, social media is social interaction and technology that have been blended together to create a communication or a conversation of interest to others. The social interaction could be via a Facebook page that you own, or a business you patronize that has a Facebook page. It could be through other social media tools such as blogs, Twitter, or even LinkedIn. By using these types of media outlets, communications become more interactive and create a dialogue between businesses and their customers.

For a business, the reach is similar to traditional methods such as newspapers but at a fraction of the cost.  For customers, it provides additional avenues through which they can reach a business or discuss it and its products with other customers.

No doubt, many businesses cringe at the thought of customers being able to freely associate with each other and maybe find fault and post on a webpage for the world to see. However, a customer with a legitimate complaint can be used to the business’ advantage when a prompt reply by the organization is seen along with a reasonable remedy. The customer will be happy because someone has listened to them and has addressed the issue and the business will benefit from the goodwill they have generated for the world to see.

As a customer, you can post compliments as well as complaints. By sharing knowledge and experience with a business, customers will benefit collectively. When the comments are positive, a business will see their traffic increase. Customers will be knowledgeable about the business before they even set foot inside the building, enabling them to take advantage of whatever services, products, or special deals you have to offer.

Many businesses have expanded past their own website to include social media avenues of communication and have even hired bloggers to write about their organizations. To ensure that consumers are aware of these special arrangements, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has recently updated its rules to include social media marketing. If a commentator or blogger has received a free product or compensation of some sort, both parties are responsible for ensuring it is disclosed in a conspicuous manner for all to see. The comments made by the third party must not contain misleading or unsubstantiated statements either in order to comply with the FTC rules concerning deceptive or unfair advertising.

 

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