Security while traveling is important. Tourists look like targets to many bad actors.
Locks
Long ago, we were taught to attach TSA locks to our luggage. On this trip, that would be a bad idea.
On previous trips, I’ve attached TSA-approved locks to my luggage on my final leg as I returned to the United States. When I collected my luggage prior to going through USA customs, I discovered that the zipper on my luggage had been destroyed. The foreign agents didn’t simply cut my flimsy TSA-approved locks, they broke the zipper. This has happened not once but twice. Once when returning from a safari in Africa, security agents broke the outer zipper and the inner zipper on my camera case.
In lieu of a luggage lock, I will be using “tamper-evident security seals”. I have 10 leftovers from previous trips. You can break these with one finger without damaging the zipper. This will be more than sufficient for the 6 times that I will be checking a suitcase. (Two checked bags to/from Dubai; one checked bag to/from Chennai.)
I could use my TSA-approved luggage locks when I’m not flying but there are not as secure as you might think. It’s astonishingly easy to obtain a TSA master key. They can be bought over the Internet for less than $10. Similarly, it’s easy to download 3D-printer models and create your own master key. Assume that any professional thief has one.
My solution is to use non-TSA locks and never keep anything of value in my suitcase.
Border Searches
Official government policy is that CBP and ICE agencies can search your electronic devices without a warrant or probable cause. Police can’t but federal agents at or near the border can. This has been upheld in numerous court cases.
I keep my cell phone and tablets protected with a 6-digit passcode. Federal agents can require you to unlock your phone but they can’t require you to enter other passwords and they can’t connect your phone to the Internet during their search.
As scary as this sounds, I’m at zero risk. My text messages, social media accounts, and email are all quite banal. The only information that needs to be protected is my LastPass app that stores all of my passwords. It stores them in an encrypted format that always requires a separate password to access them.
My best protection against searches is that I’m boring. My passport was recently renewed and has only one stamp in it, namely Mexico. I’m just a retired old white guy. Not likely to raise anyone’s suspicions.
Pickpockets
Dubai is among the safest cities in the world. (The UAE legal system is based on Sharia laws. Public floggings have only recently been suspended.) Most of the population is made up of foreigners. Any crime would immediately result in a jail sentence or being deported. I never wear jewelry, not even a watch. Unless there’s money literally hanging from my pockets, I will be safe.
India on the other hand has a long history of violent crime including terrorism. However, the worst incidents are in Kashmir or near the Pakistani border. I will only be in southern India where pickpocketing is the main crime against tourists.
Over the years, I’ve had many, many run-ins with pickpockets. I wear special pickpocket-resistant gear. My pants and shirts have hidden zippered pouches. I keep my valuables in a crossbody bag. It’s puncture-resistant and cut-resistant. It cannot be stolen without life-threatening force.
Pickpockets have never succeeded at getting anything other than my “mugger money”. For those that don’t know, mugger money is a small stash of paper money that is not well hidden. If I’m ever attacked by a mugger, I hand him this money so he won’t hurt me. I’ve never been approached by a mugger even though I have frequently traveled on dark streets, late at night in sketchy locations,