One Simple Storage Tip Can Keep Your Carry-On Bag Safe From Thieves On An Airplane

Try to imagine that you're a thief. Yes, it's weird, but give it a whirl. You like to steal things, like jewelry, electronics, and credit cards. You're perfectly comfortable picking pockets and rooting through other people's purses. You have no qualms about walking off with personal items. It's lucrative, of course, and you also get a thrill out of every successful plunder. Not everyone can pull this off undetected. But you can, and you revel in it.

So here's the question: Is a passenger jet a great place to steal someone's belongings, or a terrible place? On the one hand, a plane is crowded, busy, and full of irritable passengers. To commit a crime, you'd have to execute it in extremely close quarters, with lots of potential witnesses. You know only a tiny fraction of planes have air marshals aboard, but what if there's one on this flight? And what if someone spots you? On the other hand, most passengers keep to themselves. They try to respect overhead bin etiquette and personal space. Most long-haul flyers fall asleep. If you're stealthy enough, you could open an overhead compartment, pretend you're rifling through your own bag, and snatch a goodie from someone else's luggage.

For this reason, passengers should keep their carry-on bags in the overhead bin across the aisle from where they're sitting. According to Lloyd Figgins, a security expert recently interviewed by Travel + Leisure, storing your luggage a little farther away keeps it within your line of sight. If the bag is any closer, you might not see anything — especially if you have a window seat.

Packing for travel is always a matter of strategy: deciding how much to bring, what type of luggage works best, and what items to store in which suitcase or satchel. As airline luggage fees become more expensive, many people use simple tips to travel with just one carry-on bag. To keep things uncomplicated and frugal, this minimalist approach works very well, but it does put all your eggs in one basket. If anything happens to this one bag, you could end up with serious problems.

Keeping your bag within your line of sight will give you peace of mind since you can monitor exactly who opens that bin and what they appear to be doing. When you board the plane, you may get some pushback for using the bin opposite from your seat; just offer the space above your head, which should be about equal to the space you're taking. Unless other passengers are extremely irritable or the cabin is packed to the gills, you should be able to propose this switch without any problems.

Another strategy is to keep valuables on your person, or at least close by, using travel clothing like hidden pockets and personal items (small luggage like a purse that can be stowed under the seat in front of you). For passports, cash, and electronics, your storage solution should be extremely secure. The ideal bag choice can help you avoid crazy airline carry-on fees, and proper carrying tips will make thieves think twice about targeting you.