This Week: How to stay in-touch and also protect yourself overseas… How to safeguard your ammo supply… Details about Spy Driving… And, how to not get pick pocketed.

 

Summer is here and many folks have their vacations planned. A lot of us will go to the beach and some of us will end up taking a dream vacation overseas.

 

And while packing for Myrtle, Nags Head, or Ocean City is quite easy, there’s more you want to take into consideration when leaving the U.S.

 

So whether you’re headed overseas this year or a few years from now, here’s a list of items you may want to consider adding to your packing list.

 

1. International Cell Phone

Depending who your wireless carrier is, you can make arrangements to change your plan and use your phone overseas (for a gazillion dollars a minute.) However, I prefer to purchase an international cell phone for a couple bucks that way I don’t care if it gets lost or gets beat up in my luggage.

 

An example of an inexpensive phone to get for traveling overseas is the LG A275 Black Unlocked GSM Dual SIM QuadBand Cell Phone. (You want a cell phone that is an unlocked GSM phone.)

 

 

Once you get your unlocked cell phone all you have to do is purchase an international SIM card to insert into the phone. One good company to use is Telestial and you can get both SIM cards and phones from them.

 

2. Pocket Wallet/Safe

Needless to say, pickpockets are a huge problem in lot of the world, especially in Europe. Do not walk around with your wallet in your front or back pocket as you normally do in the U.S. Also, do not get one of those neck wallets that hang around your neck under your shirt. Thieves can see the wallet string around your neck and it’s a dead giveaway for where you’re hiding important items.

 

Instead, consider getting an ankle wallet or something that hangs down inside your pants such as the Shacke Pocket Vault. Also, don’t keep all of your eggs in one basket, meaning you may have an ankle wallet with some cash and items and the rest of your cash is in a pocket vault tucked in your pants.

 

3. Cheap Laptop

You may have to do a little bit of work (like I always do) when you travel overseas. And you may not want to haul your large laptop with all of your important information.

 

Instead, get a cheap laptop that you can afford to lose in a worst-case scenario. A good example of an inexpensive travel laptop is the Acer Chromebook 11. It’s a no-frills laptop that’ll cost you around $150.

 

4. IronKey

 If you’re traveling overseas, assume that when you’re not in your room the hotel staff is going to go through all of your personal belongings (this is especially true in France.)

 

If you don’t want people to be able to access any important information or documents you have then you want to use the IronKey. This was initially developed for intelligence agencies to protect classified material but now it’s available to consumers.

 

This comes with military encryption and you can purchase it with various storage capacities. Best of all, this is a small USB drive so you can carry it with you in your ankle wallet or pocket vault. (You want to keep scanned copies of your passport, drivers license, credit cards, medical cards, etc.)

 

5. Small Water Filter

Here in the U.S. we often take for granted how fortunate we are to be able to turn on the tap and have a drink of water whenever we’re thirsty.

 

This is not the case in much of the world so depending on where you are going you will want to bring some water purification tablets and also pack a small water filter. One filter I really like is the Sawyer Mini Water Filter System.

 

Obviously, those are not the only five items you need but it’s a good start for when you’re heading overseas. Don’t forget to bring a Tactical Pen, to wear your Escape & Evasion Gun Belt, and to have a door-stopper alarm to put in front of your hotel door each night.

 

And most importantly, don’t forget to do a lot of research about the place you’re going so you know the safe spots and the places you definitely want to avoid.

 

The Mailbag

 

From Robert Y: What else is available for a frequent traveler (besides the tactical pen)?

 

A: See some of the items I mentioned above. Also consider a sock full of pennies. (It sounds crazy, unless you’re the person getting hit in the head with it.)

 

From Joanne A: So I read that you require 12 people for the driving experience and are only doing private parties, at this time. What would be the price be per person, or for the group, if you rather? I would need to know a price point to recruit additional people to make up the 12. Looking forward to hearing from you,

 

A: The price is $1,600 per person and the full details of the Escape & Evasion Driving Experience (along with videos) can be found at the Spy Driving page.

 

From Steve C: Jason – A great fire safeguard for your ammo supply is to place a welders blanket over that cube of ammo. The “blanket” can withstand 2000 degrees heat or more depending on the quality.  Doubling up the blanket by folding it in half first is a no brainer.

 

A: A great piece of advice, thank you for sharing it.

 

From Hon W: Hello Jason, Can the FFL business be run out of California? I currently live in Texas but I am in the process of moving to Plumas Lake, California and I am interested in your FFL business package but I am unsure if California will allow such a business run with out an actual brick and mortar store.

 

A: Yes, you can run this business in California and I show you exactly how to do that. For complete details on the Retirement Gun Business Guide, click here.

 

From Stella L: Our son is a retired SF medic, and I so appreciate what he has done and continues to do, and when I read about Spy Ranch, I was very excited to see that someone has actually done what should be out there for responsible citizens!

 

A: Tell your son thank you for his service. Also, I obviously 100% agree that “Spy Secrets” just shouldn’t be for those who work for the government but that all of us need this information to keep us safer.

 

Stay safe,

Jason Hanson