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

Paula — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 11:18:54 +0000

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. 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. 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. 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. 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! 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. 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. Entry-Form

The post Beside-U Travel Bags – Safe, Secure and Fashionable #Giveaway appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.

Twelve Home Safety Tips for the Holiday Season

Paula — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 15:31:16 +0000

We had a strange event in our neighbourhood last weekend involving one of my children. A person we did not know pulled over at the side of the road where my one daughter was playing with a friend and started taking pictures of them. The girls had been out playing on their bikes, in daylight, after school. Normally I can see my child out front. That afternoon I couldn’t see her, nonetheless, I knew she was riding her bike, helmet on, safe on our street with a friend. But the safety I take for granted was taken away when the two girls came racing into my house to say a stranger was taking pictures of them – a grown man they didn’t know. Luckily a very alert neighbour spied the car as it slowed down and she saw him taking pictures. She raced out the front door and asked the girls if they knew the man who had pulled over near them. She had also seen him taking pictures. She asked if they knew the person, and she warned the girls to get inside. Luckily, my daughter is fine, as is the other girl. The car sped off when he saw my neighbour come racing out the front door. Had she not been watching, I have no idea how the ending of that story would have turned out. I teach my kids safety habits. Or so I thought. When we moved to an entirely different neighbourhood I didn’t reteach everything in the context of the new neighbourhood. Now I am reinforcing home safety tips for the holiday season, and year round. I am still a bit creeped out by that whole episode last week. The police were called and they filed a report. They investigated what they could. But this whole experience taught me several things and it has me also thinking about safety. It’s important to be alert at all times, especially right now as we head towards the holiday season. So when a safety expert contacted me this week about sharing her tips on how to stay safe, I absolutely wanted to share here as a public service. These are from Jarrett Arthur. Jarrett Arthur is one of the highest ranking female black belt instructors in the USA in Krav Magna. Jarrett has been featured as an expert on national television shows including Ellen, Access Hollywood and Good Day LA, as well as in numerous publications including Fitness Magazine and The New York Times. TWELVE HOME SAFETY TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON: 1) Deadbolt locks for all exterior doors. 2) For sliding glass doors – insert a pole or pipe in the track. 3) Locks: Keep doors and windows locked at all times. 4) Timers – Put interior lights on timers so you never come home to a dark house. 5) Motion Detectors: Install motion detectors on outside lights. 6) Watch that garage doors and driveway gates close completely. 7) Trim or remove shrubs near entranceways: these make excellent hiding places. 8) Protect Yourself: Place an object near your front and back doors that could be used a weapon in an emergency, such as: a large vase, an umbrellas, a baseball bat, or golf club. 9) Know the drill: Have an emergency escape plan designed for every single room in the house. Make sure your entire family is familiar with it, and run a drill every 6 months. 10) Beware of Dogs: consider placing a large dog bowl and leash on your back porch, and hanging a visible “Beware of Dog” sign on your fence or near the front of your home. 11) Sleep with a phone on and within arms reach of your bed, even if you put it on silent. 12) Pay attention to your surroundings as you enter your home and immediately close then lock your door. Number 11 is extremely important in my opinion. I remember in our old house having someone try to break in on a February night at around 3 a.m. Multiple men ran up and down my street, which was on a main bus route and they kicked several front doors. We had a phone near our bed. Also one afternoon before we had kids I was painting the nursery when a group of kids tried to break in. The house at that time looked like there was nobody home. (I learned then to yell out the window – “I called 911.”) Hopefully you never have cause to call the police like I have. Knowing these tips may help prevent incidents this holiday season. FOR DISCUSSION: Have you ever been the victim of a crime? This is not a sponsored post. I did not receive compensation. I published this because I thought my readers could use the safety tips this season.

The post Twelve Home Safety Tips for the Holiday Season appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.

crime Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

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

Twelve Home Safety Tips for the Holiday Season