6 Essential Travel Safety Gadgets to Pack

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "Earplugs. A good pair has saved my sleep and sanity many times!"

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.

Travel Motto: "Don't be boring."

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle (when the first class private suite isn't available)."

E-mail her at cteel@smartertravel.com.

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Safety is probably the last thing on your mind when you’re packing for a trip, but it should factor into your packing list, especially if you’re traveling solo. Adding a few small gadgets to your bag, like a portable door lock or a carbon monoxide detector, could save your life on your next trip.

Don’t leave home without these six essential travel safety products.

Sabre Portable Door Lock

Ensure no one can access your hotel room (even if they have a key) with the Sabre Portable Door Lock. This small but mighty gadget works on most doors and prevents intruders from getting in from the outside.

No tools are required to use the door lock, which can be set up within minutes.

Travel Carbon Monoxide Detector

Cases of carbon monoxide poisoning at hotels have been in the news recently. Hotels may not always have working carbon monoxide detectors in every guest room—so protect yourself by bringing your own.

Kidde’s Carbon Monoxide detector is small and can be set up anywhere, plus the battery lasts for 10 years (so no need to worry about making sure it’s charged).

Personal Safety Alarm

Solo travelers should pack a personal safety alarm that they can use in a threatening situation. This alarm by Birdie can be worn on a keychain for easy access. Pull the top pin to activate a loud siren and flashing strobe to draw attention to you and scare off attackers.

Hidden Camera Detector

Worried about being watched in your vacation rental? Pack a hidden camera detector to find any audio or video devices in a room, no matter how small.

Read our guide on checking for hidden cameras for further tips on how to find secret recording devices.

AAA Road Trip Kit

If you’re headed out on a road trip, especially to isolated locations, you should always pack an emergency kit in your car. This kit, created by AAA, has everything you might need if you get break down or get into an accident.

The compact carrying case houses 76 preparedness items, including a booster cable, air compressor, poncho, and bandages.

Power Bank and Emergency Light

Two side-by-side close ups of the NRG Emergency Light and Power Bank — Amazon

Having a dead cell phone can certainly be a safety risk—you won’t be able to call for help in an emergency or navigate yourself out of a bad situation. Pack the NRG Emergency Light and Power Bank, which can fully charge your phone or other electronics.

It also doubles as a flashlight, another essential item for your emergency toolkit, so you can utilize it during a fire, earthquake, or power outage to light your escape path out of a hotel room.

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