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active family travel,  family,  Giveaways,  Technology,  Travel

Beside-U Travel Bags – Safe, Secure and Fashionable #Giveaway

April 1, 2016 /

Beside-U travel bags are designed for both everyday use and travel use. Beside-U’s everyday, and travel friendly design makes these bags the perfect solution for any trip. They are attractive, reliable and just the right size for your personal or professional travel needs. Beside-U bags also feature a secure RFID ( Radio Frequency Identification) guarded pocket to protect your sensitive credit card information. That detail makes them my new favourite travel product. Let me tell you why.

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Beside-U Bags – The Name Says it All

I love Tap & Go™, and Interac Flash Technologies. I use Tap & Go™ at stores where they have it available as an option. It’s fast and efficient. BUT the other day I was shopping at a food store in my neighbourhood when the cashier told me my total. I was in process of getting my wallet from bottom of cavernous Coach purse, when I heard a click and the sound of my receipt printing. The cashier handed me my receipt. I hadn’t even opened my wallet yet. I stopped stupefied and asked what just happened because I HAD NOT YET PAID or offered any cash or credit or debit.

“It went through on your credit card” (she told me the exact card).

I was shocked. I never ever pay for groceries on my credit card. It’s against my policy and I won’t do it. Food is paid with cash or debit always here, because I feel like if we can’t pay for food up front then we can’t afford it and shouldn’t be eating it. I am cautious with my credit card. Anyways, that event opened my eyes FAST to how dramatically things are changing with regards to payments, electronics, technology and even with regards to my wallet and my identity.

That day, my food purchase was charged to my credit card because the wallet was NEAR to the Tap & Go™ device. That’s nuts! I did some reading after that. Tap & Go™ works with radio frequency. It is essentially a tiny computer chip with an antenna embedded in your card so you can pay for things by tapping the card gently on the device at checkout. RFID technology can read things up to a few feet away. Many identity thieves and criminals know this. When you are out and about walking around with a credit card, or a debit card or other ID, you can be completely vulnerable to identity theft and other crimes. I am still blown away and upset that the grocery store device was that incredibly sensitive that it charged my credit card that day.

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Enter Beside-U travel bags. That same week I found Beside-U travel bags. The company reached out to me as a travel blogger and I took a look at their site and decided I needed one or two of these great Beside-U travel bags. They have 17 different lines and so many adorable styles. There are Beside-U travel bags that look like mini backpacks and will hold an 11 inch laptop (which is exactly the one I chose) and there are tiny shoulder bags too. Something for everyone.

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I’m a traveler. I love to see new places. I love to experience them with my family, so we travel every chance we can get. I also do a lot of travel blogging, so sometimes I find myself traveling suddenly and without much notice. As much fun as it is to get out and about in the world, it can also be an inconvenient and, when it comes to identity theft, dangerous proposition. Think about your last trip. You probably had a blast when you got there, but what about before hand? I’m sure you don’t jump for joy when it’s time to start the packing process. And I am sure you didn’t give a tonne of thought to the part where you stand in line to go through security or to board the plane. Lineups and airports are prime areas where identity theft can occur. In fact any thief can buy materials they need to scan radio frequencies for roughly $20.

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Beside-U bags are designed to be strong yet lightweight. They’re constructed of an extremely durable nylon, and they’re designed for a short trip to the gym, a long distance flight, or road tripping. Whatever you’re doing, these bags are the perfect compliment. They come in dozens of styles, shapes, and colours, and they’re chock full of slots for pens, wallets, phones, tablets and laptops, and other accessories. That means you can easily store everything you’ll need for your trip in a tough yet lightweight bag that won’t break your back!

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In addition to durability and weight reductions, Beside-U bags are designed to protect your sensitive information. Some bags feature safety features like a locking main compartment for pick pocket protection and a detachable security whistle. And rather than the standard RFID credit card slot, Beside-U bags are designed with a full size, zippered RFID bag, so you can quickly and easily store and retrieve your chipped credit card without the hassle of digging through your bag. This RFID protection feature is particularly important to me because I recently saw first hand how easily things can go wrong with chipped cards. My identity wasn’t stolen. But my credit card was used that day without my intention. Totally accidental, but it’s  a great example of how easy it is for that signal to go somewhere you don’t want it to.

[tweetthis]Enter now to win a Chamila Endeavor travel bag by @BesideU_Canada #giveaways #travel[/tweetthis]

My favourite details of the Camilla Endeavor Line:

  • RFID guarded zippered pockets
  • Heavy duty adjustable straps
  • The detachable security whistle!!
  • key fob with hidden pocket
  • the size – this one fits an 11 inch laptop
  • tear and abrasion resistance
  • (in fact the straps are engineered to be strong in the same way that seatbelts are, so how is that for a deterrent to thieves?) You can tug on this bag and try to yank it away but the straps are not going to break.

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Beside Myself for Beside-U Travel Bags

I had a chance to look at all the designs and colour options and I was a bit overwhelmed actually. There’s a lot that is fun about shopping for a new purse or travel bag and Beside-U has some beautiful options. I loved the Camilla, The Cherie and The Taylor. In the end I opted for the Endeavor Line Camilla in Blackberry Wine. It also comes in Black and Zinc Grey. I think this one is ideal for my kind of travel. It fits my laptop, cell and wallet, plus passports and credit cards easily. OH and there’s room for a few other necessities like travel size hairspray and lipstick. My current laptop travel bag is a bulky, heavy thing that is a nuisance. Beside-U bags are durably constructed, lightweight, and they fully protect my information. That’s the trifecta for a travel bag, in my opinion. If you need to upgrade your travel bag, or just need a reliable, fashionable and safe everyday purse, head over to the Beside-U website to learn more. You can also follow them on Facebook.

By the way right now the generous people at Beside-U are offering a giveaway for one lucky reader too. So follow the instructions below and Good Luck! I received product in exchange for consideration here on this blog. My opinion is all my own. You must have a Canadian mailing address to win this prize. I am offering one just like the travel bag I received. So The Endeavor Line Camilla (you can pick the colour) worth $125.

 

Mom of two beautiful active girls, traveller, fitness junkie, social media consultant, and keeper of the sanity.

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