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Category: Travel

How To Protect Yourself In London From Phone Snatching

You may have seen recent videos like this one from London, England where brazen thieves on e-bikes snatch people’s smartphones out of their hands in broad daylight. It’s a quick crime that’s been reported over 73,000 times in a recent 12 month span. Despite the headlines though it’s an classic crime and the tactics to avoid it are nothing new.

What’s Phone Snatching?

Phone snatching is a type of theft that’s just what it sounds like: someone grabbing your phone out of your hands and making off with it. In London the increasingly common tactic is several thieves working together on e-bikes in busy areas who quickly and quietly come up on someone texting, talking or just holding their phone. It’s a quick grab and by the time you notice they’re speeding away down the street.

london phone snatching

Phone snatching also occurs on metro platforms where thieves can grab your phone just as the doors close. Again, the tactics is snatching, whether it’s a phone, purse, or backpack so here’s how to protect yourself.

Avoid Being A Phone Snatching Victim

There’s often a spotter looking out for people texting, talking, or simply walking with their phone held in hand. The crooks are looking for distracted people so the first line of defense is when you’re not using your phone, keep it in your (front) pocket or purse. When you need to text or make a call “pull over” away from the center of the sidewalk so there’s some physical barrier like a way on your back. This cuts off the angles someone can attack you from or just have a look around and get to a less crowded spot.

Same thing goes for when you’re taking photos. When you are looking at your phone it’s most vulnerable so try to be mindful of what’s going on around you. Also, knowing where phone snatching rates are highest in London can help you increase your own awareness.

What To Do If Your Phone Is Snatched

Now if your phone does get snatched make sure to report it as soon as possible. Then, as quickly as you can, log into Find My Device on Android or iCloud for iPhone to mark your device as lost. You’ll also want to update your phone service carrier as well. If your phone was unlocked when it was snatched then be sure to change all of your passwords as soon as possible. That includes email, iCloud, social media, and cancel all of your credit cards and report them stolen if they were on your phone through Google or Apple Pay. I would also let your friends and family know in the meantime that your phone was stolen and to ignore any suspicious calls or texts from you until you’ve had a chance to reset all of your passwords and get a new phone.

Prevention is key to avoid being in this situation so no matter where you are in the world, be mindful when you take out your smartphone, know the local areas more prone to snatching theft, and create a backpack security system.

How To Properly Wash Your Water Resistant Gear

We’ve all had a new outdoor jacket that can wick away rain better than you can handle most problems in your life but like your existence, over time its ability to remain resilient fades. Fortunately for your jackets and other water resistant gear, unlike your life, there’s a relatively simple fix.

Here’s the only way to properly wash your waterproof or resistant hats, jackets, pants, and other clothing.

Water Resistance Comes From Two Places

Tiny threads that are finely woven together are your first line of defense against water. The way this works is those threads are close enough to effectively act as a barrier against water droplets, which have a tendency to stick together (a phenomena known as cohesion). As you wear and potentially stretch those fabrics, the small gaps between the fibers tend to widen over time. Another ally to the physical barrier, which can also get broken down if it’s wet long enough, giving the water time to absorb, is a water resistant coating.

This coating, which can be a mix of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, breaks down with washing. You can however restore water resistance and do it without PFAS as well.

How To Wash Your Clothes

For anything that you bought which has or had water resistance, you’ll want to wash that separately but not with regular laundry detergent. The supplies you’ll use are Nikwax Tech Wash and TX Direct. The Tech Wash is used to actually clean your clothing so depending on the size of the load (try to limit to 2-4 large items at most) use the measurement suggestions (100-150mL) on the bottle and then wash using warm water on a gentle or synthetics cycle.

the northface triclimate

Once the first Tech Wash cycle is done, you’ll then do a cycle with TX Direct. The TX Direct replenishes the water resisting coating of your clothing and can be done using warm or cold water.

Air Dry For Best Results

Using a drying machine is not recommended as this can deter the coating from setting evenly on your clothing and also damage the threads, further reducing water proofing efficacy. For any stains you can spot clean with Tech Wash before throwing it in for the machine cycle. Remember, use these products for only your water resistant gear like a The North Face Triclimate and for shoes and boots, Nikwax makes a waterproofing spray.

Beware Of Traveling To Certain Countries With A Garmin InReach

The Garmin Inreach is a small device that uses satellites for communication and very common gear for hikers, bikers, and other people who travel far from the reach of cell towers. GPS communicators are small, less expensive, and more common than they’ve been in recent years. All of those factors mean many are traveling with them without being aware devices like the InReach are banned in many countries, including India.

You can watch the video above to see what happened to one traveler who was detained at an airport in India.

What’s An InReach?

Devices like the InReach are useful for maintaining communications where you might not have any reliable cell phone coverage, like when climbing mountains, hiking in the woods, or are diving for example. Having reliable communications is important for safety when you just can’t rely on a cell phone to make a call or send a message.

But bringing a satellite communicator with you internationally to certain countries is where a lot of travelers get into trouble.

Where Satellite Communicators Are Banned

On the purchase page for the InReach buried in the fine print, Garmin note that InReach uses the Iridium satellite network but that some countries require government permission or require a government issued code to activate satellite communication. Other countries completely restrict the use of satellite communicators, like India, Thailand, Vietnam, China and Georgia. Additionally, the United States embargoes satellite communicators from countries like Afghanistan, Cuba, and Russia.

Verify Your GPS Device

Those of you planning to travel with any kind of satellite communicator should check with the embassy of the countries you’ll be visiting to see if there are any restrictions. I would recommend you add some details like what specific device it is and why you’re bringing it, for example “I’m going to be hiking this popular trail or climbing this mountain,” and wait for a response.

new delhi airport

If your communicator is restricted, don’t bring it. If registration is required, make sure you get all of the proper permits and paperwork before you travel. And if they say it’s allowed, I snap a screenshot of the reply on your phone just so you have it in case there’s any question or trouble you come across.

Don’t make assumptions about the countries that allow or don’t allow satellite communicators. And in some places, like Mexico and Romania, services like SMS messaging are restricted. So make sure that you know any limitations and compensate for them so you can keep your outdoor activities safe. In countries where satellite communicators are restricted or banned, you may be able to rent one from a local authorized dealer. Some local bike shops, car rental locations, tourism offices, and hiking stores may be able to help.

iPhone and Samsung users also have the option to use the built in satellite communications in emergency situations. It doesn’t work as well as a dedicated satellite communicator and not available in every country but if it’s your only option, it’s better than nothing. In India having a Garmin InReach with you could lead to an arrest, detention at the airport, and in general a bad time. I can see though how people can make the mistake, these are small, useful, commercially availalbe and popular devices. But now you know to be careful when traveling with one so you don’t end up ruining your next trip.

What Travelers To The UK Need To Know About The New Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)

Starting on January 8th, 2025 the United Kingdom will be implementing a new electronic travel authorization (ETA) travelers will have to apply for before arrival. Here’s everything you need to know about the UK’s new ETA.

What Is The ETA?

The ETA is required for visitors who do not need a visa and will be traveling to England, Scotland, Wales, or northern Ireland. It is a security screening method that’s been newly implemented. You also don’t need an ETA if you have permission to work or study in the UK, are a British or Irish citizen, have a British overseas passport or are an Irish citizen (or dual citizen) traveling from Ireland to Guernsey, Jersey, or the Isle of Man.

In short, if you can travel to the UK without having to apply for a visa, you will now need an ETA. (Here’s where you can check whether or not you need an actual visa.)

How To Get An ETA

You can apply for the ETA using the UK ETA app available for Android and iOS, or directly through the ETA webpage. No matter the method you use the process is the same and takes around 10 minutes to complete. You’ll first enter your email address and be sent a verification code. Once verified you’ll have to snap a photo of your passport’s ID page and upload it to the site. Then you’ll either be asked for a face scan using the camera on your phone or laptop or be asked to upload a recent passport photo.

uk eta

Next you’ll answer several security questions including whether you have any criminal conviction, if you have a job, and if you’ve ever been denied prior entry to the UK. Finally you’re presented with all of your responses and passport information (that was automatically parsed from the photo you uploaded) to review.

Make sure the information, especially your name and passport number are correct and edit them if needed. After verification you have to pay the ETA fee, which is 10 British pounds (GBP).

Approval Times

Getting your ETA approved can take up to 3 business days but is often much faster. Once approved, you don’t need to print or bring any additional documentation with you, it will be available to passport control once you arrive. (You’ll also receive a confirmation email for your own records.) The ETA is good for 2 years and unlimited entries and is a new, small step for all visitors to the UK.

The Ridge Biflex Is A Familiar Slim Wallet With A Big Price

Ridge is a company whose first mainstream product was a metal slim wallet. They’re sleek but in my past reviews have noted the Ridge wallet is just a bit bulky and rigid to fit comfortably in some pockets, especially in jeans. Recently though Ridge have introduced the Biflex, a slim wallet made of leather a soft elastic that aims to be the flexible version of their flagship product.

Biflex Basics

The Biflex has two folds for mostly cards (up to 8) and maybe a few bills but there isn’t a lot of space for both. Ridge use an elastic band that’s held together with leather to create the fold style which is very reminiscent of the Trove Swift wallets. There’s a small half circle cut out on the front you use to push your cards up and out and on the back an oval cutout to slide the top card.

The front cutout works better, ideally when you keep at most 3 of your most frequently used cards in that front pocket. The back cutout on the Biflex doesn’t work as well because it gives you only access to push one card out at a time so you end up just grabbing all of your cards at once. It’s here where the Biflex might be a bit too minimal even for minimalist wallet enthusiasts and where some of the design features of a Trove (like a Swift tab) would come in handy.

Lack Of Color Options

It’s a bit obvious that Ridge are venturing into the soft slim wallet market (which is notably smaller than the hard-backed options) cautiously. Ridge currently only off the Biflex in three color options whereas their flagship Ridge wallet has dozens of color, logo, and customization choices available. The Biflex is also pricey for a fabric and leather based slim wallet compared to the competition. At $85 the Biflex is thin but the price a bit heavy compared to the competition. Unless you want the most minimal (and self-priced premium) soft slim wallet, the Biflex has a lot of competition that makes better wallets with more options.

Does Garmin’s Jet Lag Advisor Really Work?

Garmin smartwatches can tell you a lot about your body with real-time updates of heart rate, stress, calories, respiration and more. The higher up you go in their line the more data you get and recently Garmin has introduced a Jet Lag Advisor that takes that information to help with every travelers headache.

I tried Garmin’s jet lag advisor for several months and over 50 time zones to find out if it really works. You can watch the video above and read the recap below.

What Jet Lag Advisor Does

For Garmin watches that do support jet lag advisor (Forerunners 265, 965, Fenix series, and others) when you have a trip coming up go into the Garmin Connect app on your phone – it’s the only way to enter your trip data – go into training and planning, and then Jet Lag Advisor. Once there you can enter in any number of flights you have coming up. Note that if you’re taking a long flight but don’t cross any time zones, Jet Lag Advisor won’t be used and will let you know (although you can still enable it anyway).

garmin forerunner 265s

For flights that do cross time zones though, you enter in your departure and destination cities – Jet Lag Advisor tells you to ignore any layovers.

Before Your Flight

One the details are in Garmin Connect it will sync with your watch in the upcoming trip in the Jet Lag Advisor glance. A few days out Jet Lag Advisor will begin alerting you with recommendations on moving your body clock closer to your destination time. These notifications can be toggled on or off as you like with recommendations on when to avoid or seek light, take a nap, use caffeine, get some exercise or take melatonin as some examples.

When you’re actually traveling you’ll still get prompts but even more. A neat feature is the timeline both on your watch and in the Garmin Connect App that shows good times to eat or take a nap and at the beginning of each windows you’ll get a notification on your watch. It’s fun having the recommendations but when you’re traveling they often are just that – recommendations you can’t practically use at certain times when you’re actually in transit. Avoiding light when you’re waiting for your next flight on a layover wouldn’t be feasible for example. During these times I would put the Jet Lag Advisor as something fun rather than an actual coach you can use to adjust your body clock. But where it can actually help that I noticed, it when you finally arrive.

Kicking Jet Lag Upon Arrival

Once you’re at your destination Jet Lag Advisor reminds you of when you should sleep or not. It’s that common traveler dilemma when you get somewhere new and are tired but don’t know when you should sleep without completely throwing off your body clock. Jet Lag Advisor gives good guidance on getting your clock adjusted and coaches you during the first few days.

I use the Jet Lag Advisor most closely after I’ve arrived somewhere and will avoid napping or force myself to get outside or keep the lights on based on the watches recommendations. I’ve found Jet Lag Advisor does help reduce the amount of time you feel jet lagged. You’ll still feel jet lag of course but having a coach that keeps you on the schedule can help and if that doesn’t work, peanuts might be another jet lag cure.

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About Anil Polat

foxnomad aboutHi, I'm Anil. foXnoMad is where I combine travel and tech to help you travel smarter. I'm on a journey to every country in the world and you're invited to join the adventure! Read More

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