Safe As Houses

GPS-enabled devices are making it easier than ever to keep your accounts and valuables safe. Steve Dinneen looks into the best gadgets to give you peace of mind.

- Steve Dineen

If business travel is a way of life, security should be your number-one priority. Tech experts agree that cyber security will be the defining trend of 2017; for every connected device that makes your life a little easier, there’s a scammer hoping to take advantage.

On a personal level this can mean major headaches, but if you’re abroad for work, security lapses could be worth millions – or, at very least, your job.

Thankfully the tech industry is fighting back, coming up with ever more secure – and increasingly stylish – ways to protect yourself. The explosion of GPS-enabled devices means now you can be alerted if you walk absent-mindedly away from your suitcase, and track the location of your iPhone across continents. You can make sure your contactless payment cards aren’t being used to raid the contents of your bank account, and check that your home is safe from the comfort of your hotel room (and if you spot an intruder, even yell obscenities at them over wifi).

Technology may be the problem, but it’s also the solution – here are ten gadgets for your next trip…

WOCKET US$179 wocketwallet.com

Second only to having your passport stolen, on my list of travel headaches is having your wallet taken. The Wocket smart wallet is designed to make sure that never happens. It allows you to securely upload details of every credit, debit and store card you own on to the wallet-sized device, and transfer them at will on to a removable card, which you can use to pay for things. Select the account you need on the screen, use the built-in biometric voice activation to transfer the details and you’re good to go. If someone steals it, they won’t be able to break into it, but you will still have to buy another one.

BLUESMART ONE £399 uk.bluesmart.com