I mean, I will pay for a locker five times,
ten times, 20 times,
if it means I won't have my phone stolen.
I think you would too.
Get the locker, don't risk it.
But, if you do, follow these steps.
(Music)
Hi and welcome back to the channel.
My name is Megan and, in today's video,
I'm going to be sharing with you my top-ten tips and hacks
to keep your stuff safe if you end up alone at the beach,
which is a common problem if you travel solo often such as myself.
Hope you will enjoy this video, give it a like if you do and subscribe,
because I'm back here every single week with actionable tips and hacks
to make travel just a little bit better for you.
I'm going to dive straight in to some creative ways
to keep you stuff safe while you swim.
I'll start off with the more practical, reasonable, recommended options,
and then slowly move towards the more risky stuff
that you can give a try at your own risk.
(Music)
Tip number one: Only bring the essentials.
I'm talking sunscreen, water, towel, hotel key…
If you are bringing sunscreen and you’re alone,
try to buy the spray-on kind,
unless you want to ask a stranger for an impromptu back rub.
Your hotel key can be put in the zipper pocket
if you have board shorts.
(Music)
Or one of my favorite travel essentials,
the flip belt, which you could just wear into the water with you.
(Music)
Or you can also safety-pin it to your swimsuit.
Better yet, ask them at the hotel front desk
just to hold it for you while you go to the beach.
If you must bring cash, only bring what you need
for that short amount of time that you are there.
Do not bring your whole wallet with all of your ID and your credit cards.
Leave your phone behind and bring a physical book with you
as opposed to an e-reader or other expensive electronic.
By following these tips, if someone does decide to steal from you,
they're going to be pretty disappointed.
(Music) (Cricket chirping)
Let's be honest, you're bringing your phone.
Now, if you have a car with one of the keypads,
your next best option would be to lock you stuff inside the car,
leave the key inside the car as well,
and just use your pad to keep the doors and everything safe and secure.
I know many cars still don't have this keypad
and you will have the key to worry about.
This is a little bit creative but hear me out.
Have a $5 copy of your car key made at a local hardware store.
Most newer cars have a transponder inside of the key
so this is what is needed to actually start the car.
If you have a cheap copy made, it's going to unlock the vehicle,
but it won't actually be able to start it,
so you could hide the real key somewhere inside of the vehicle.
This is a bit of a double whammy because now, this key that you have,
this cheap copy that unlocks the door, has no electronic parts to it
and you can take it in the water with you swimming, in a zipper pocket
or, again, safety-pinned to your swimsuit.
You can also consider just leaving the key on the beach because,
if someone does find the key,
they won't actually know which car it unlocks and,
if somehow they do find out and they get into your car,
they're not going to be able to start it.
(Music)
Let’s assume you don't have a car.
Your next best bet is to look at the beach that you're going to
and see if they have lockers available.
I'm not kidding guys, pay for a locker; keep your stuff safe.
It is worth so much more
than the couple dollars you will be paying.
Assuming there are no lockers,
make your own.
This one-time investment could save you so much money in the future.
There are anti-theft bags that you can buy on Amazon,
which should be similar to the way that you can have those little codes
that lock your luggage when you're traveling.
Buy one of these bags or take a zipper bag and put a little lock on the zipper
so you can't actually open it without unlocking it.
And I know someone can just run by and then grab your little zip zap bag.
So, the next step would be to use a bicycle lock
and lock it to a pole, to a tree,
even the lifeguard stand - if they'll let you.
(Music)
Bring your stuff with you into the water.
I already mention that you can do this with your hotel keys,
same goes for credit cards, debit cards…
It's not going to be damaged by the water, and then,
for electronics or money that would be, consider getting a wet bag.
There are wet bags for your phone, like this one,
for $10 on Amazon that go around your neck.
There are also ones that you can wear around your waist
or a sealed bag that you could put into the pocket on your board shorts.
This is a little bit risky.
I've never had my wet bag leak but I still feel a little bit sketched out
by bringing my electronics and my money with me into the water
or, if the cord were to break in ocean water, that is gone.
So, do this one with caution.
Now, we're getting on to the riskier stuff.
My next tip would be ask a stranger to watch you things for you.
I'll usually do this with a really nice-looking family
if they look like they're camped out there for the day.
Sometimes I'll even ask the lifeguard.
If you’re too shy or don't want to ask,
I'd say then strategically just place your things
in front of the nice-looking family or directly in front of the lifeguard.
A little quick "hello" or a comment about the weather
goes a long way and just creating that content...
Content?
Contact… Creating that contact,
and then they know that it's your stuff and would probably feel obligated
if they saw someone rummaging through it to pipe up and say “Hey!”
(Music)
I get it, you are a strong, powerful individual
and you will keep your stuff safe your own way, by yourself.
Here's the really risky stuff that you can try doing
if you insist on leaving your things unattended on the beach.
My next tip is to hide valuables in inconspicuous ways.
You could take out an old granola bar box
and you could stuff your phone inside of that
and then put it with your towel on the beach.
You could also take a sunscreen container - an empty one -
cut it in the center, clean out the inside, put your phone inside of it,
and then click it back together.
It’s unlikely a thief will be stealing your sunscreen.
(Music)
I know people that have taken this to the extreme
and they've actually used clean diapers,
wrap their phone up in it, and then left that on the beach.
Some of them even included a melted piece of chocolate
with their phone.
(Music)
Creative!
It wasn't stolen.
(Music)
My last tip is to bury your belongings.
You would do this by putting it into a plastic bag,
sealing the bag, burying a hole, putting it in, covering it back up,
and then using your towel or beach chair as a marker.
Now, this is incredibly risky, because if anyone is out to steal
and they see you doing this, it's a huge temptation.
You're basically waving a flag saying
“I'm burying treasure right here for you to come find
while I'm out in the ocean.”
Also, if someone does decide to steal your towel or your beach chair,
you no longer know where you hid these items
and that just sounds so stressful digging up the beach
trying to find your belongings again.
(Music)
My mind was blown when I initially discovered
these tips and hacks.
However, if someone is looking to steal, they've likely stolen before,
they've done their research and well, they know all of these tricks.
Even if you're staying at a beach resort and say, going in the lazy river,
remember to keep an eye on your stuff,
other guests could very well steal from you.
And honestly, I have never been stopped going into a resort that I'm staying at
or not staying at so, you never know who could be around.
(Music)
Paying for a secure option is generally worth the cost
of not having to aggressively stare down your stuff
from the water on the beach.
It is worth the peace of mind
and I can guarantee that your valuables are worth much more
than the cost of say, a locker or missed text message
if you leave your phone back home.
You can also read into the details of each of the hacks mentioned
on a blog post that I have linked down below.
Give this video a thumbs up if you found it helpful and subscribe
because I'm back here every single Tuesday with new tips and hacks just like these
and I would love to see you again next week.
Thanks again for watching, catch you soon.
Bye!
(Music)
Oh! Well, hello there! Didn’t see you.
I don't know where I was going with this and I promise I'll never do it again.