So You’re A Travel Spy? I’ll Guess You’ll Be Needing These 5 Items.

Because I’ve spent the last few years building a life based on the nonstop adventure most people assume I really like really adrenaline based activities, like skydiving and zip lining. Randy loves zip lining but I hate it. I hate it SO hard.

The only time I enjoyed it remotely was in Mexico on a two-person zipline when I was strapped to the lovable Roni Weiss, but then he forgot to open his eyes and we almost smashed into a tree. I was terrified. The last time I tried to be a high flying squirrel was in Maui and I cried for 10 minutes straight while working up the nerve for the last run. It was one thing when the 12-year-olds took off past me with squeals of delight, but when those in the 60+ age range also did it too, it became clear that I and zip lining would never be friends.

Even still, I do really love adventure–I could spend 12 hours of every day in the ocean and I dream about hiking Machu Picchu–but one of my favorite all time travel activities is… get ready for it…

To sit at a cafe and watch the world unfold around me.

I know, it sounds dull but I swear it’s not. I am like a moth to a flame when it comes to cafes, train stations and tourist traps where I can watch and wonder as people go about their lives. I can’t help it, I’m a voyeur and I like to watch. I blame it on the camera.

The good news is I have found a way to make this seemingly boring activity sound like the best thing since the invention of the cronut:

I pretend to be a spy.

Now you’re intrigued, right? And I’m incredibly pleased with myself that I’ve changed the theme of this article from “Beth that boring chick that hates ziplines” to “Beth that super cute worldwide adventurer, half decent photographer, and spy.” If you hear them whispering about me at the World Travel Market this year, you’ll know why.

Are you a fellow spy?

If so, then you’ll be thrilled with my list of Must Have Travel Spy Gear. And if you’re not a spy, no worries, these travel accessories are nifty and useful regardless of what kind of form your adventure comes in, whether it be zip lining through jungles or a napping in a hammock.

1. Speakeasy Travel Scarf

As a kid my nickname was Pockets. I loved anything with a pocket which is why I made the Speakeasy Travel Scarf – an infinity scarf with a hidden zippered pocket in it. I always travel with a scarf (who doesn’t) and this thing is like a scarf on steroids–a scarf with a pocket built right into it! Honestly, it will change the way you travel, it is one of my most useful pieces of travel gear.

The Speakeasy Scarf can hold your passport, debit cards, hotel key, phone, chapstick and some cash while you fall asleep confidently on a train or plane. Because let’s face it, no one is going to think to rob your scarf pocket! If you’re like me, you could even carry a small camera in your scarf. How fun would this be: take your little camera out of your secret scarf pocket, snap a couple photos, put it back and then smile ridiculously for the rest of the day knowing that you have a spy like a camera hidden in your secret spy scarf.

Somewhere there is a legit spy reading this and drooling right now.

2. Tom Bihn Travel Tray

Now, this is a tried and true item for me that I’ve been traveling with for a couple years. The beauty of this piece lies in it’s sheer simplicity and ability to solve an age-old traveling spy problem:

“Where the heck did I put my other passport?”

I mean spies have a LOT to think about, it only makes sense they could misplace a small but crucial item like an extra passport after an insanely long day of you know, spying. After a long day, they’re back in their hotel room exhausted,  they throw off their clothes, flip on the TV, take a shower, set the alarm and pass out. They wake up to a major problemo. It’s 4 am and they can’t find their other passport – yikes! Oh if only they had the Tom Bihn Travel Tray they wouldn’t have missed their flight to Kabul, Bahrain or Beirut…

This tray weighs literally nothing and lies completely flat when empty. It also expands to double the size that you see here and has a drawstring closure. I store crucial items at night (especially before an early morning travel day). I put the phone, my passport, my travel documents and any other important items in here and then I keep it on the nightstand. I suck at remembering things at 3 a.m. and this tray makes sure I have everything I need in one spot. I also use it to store receipts and small change because, like a spy, I normally have change from at least three different countries in my pocket at all times and I need to prove to the government come tax time that I was indeed working. Don’t spies have to keep their receipts??? The drawstring closure is also extremely useful because if I’m running really late, I can just close it up, throw it in my bag and go through it at the train station or airport to get everything I need. Whether you’re knee deep in some secret missions or just seeing the tourist sites this dependable little item is a travel accessory must.

Bonus Feature: Because spies should always do their best to blend into the crowd, there are also an enormous amount of Travel Tray colors to choose from.

3. Waterproof iPhone DandyCase

Shooting sly photos and uploading to HQ quickly is basically the most important job function for any spy. As such you may find yourself following your target to a lovely day of sunning on the beach and you’ll need a nifty little bag to keep your camera phone nice and dry while you shoot away under the disguise of a snorkeling tourist. Enter the Dandy Case. Now I won’t lie, when I initially got this bag off of Amazon I was 100% skeptical that it would actually work. First off, it was crazy cheap ($12) and looked like a joke. Was I really going to trust this cheap piece of plastic to protect my $600+ camera phone?

But alas, I do not have a big spy salary. I’m kinda more like Michael Weston when he first got burned and had to make bombs out of chewing gum and live in a tin box apartment, except I’d still kill for that apartment.

In any case, I decided to go for the Dandy Case since most other waterproofing iPhone kits were in the $100+ range. I bought this thing on a couple trips with me before I actually had the nerve to try it out and Randy about had a heart attack when I finally did. But surprise, surprise this thing works like a Christmas miracle! I wouldn’t be diving to any crazy depths with it but for some swimming, snorkeling, and light spy work it is perfection. A real bonus is that you can also use your phone through the plastic easily–perfect if you need to switch to spy video mode while underwater or something a bit more mundane, like uploading a selfie to Instagram.

A Little Spy Tip: I bought my DandyCase on Amazon where reviews on this thing are great but if you order, be sure you test it out by stuffing some tissue inside and submerging it, just to make sure it is completely watertight.

4. Aroamas Sexy Little Travel Perfumes

Clearly, spies have the life–they travel the world and they get to sleep with their targets, accomplices, and informants whenever the need arises. It doesn’t matter if they’re married because it’s their patriotic duty to roll in the hay! They also run down staircases and over the tops of buildings super fast and never seem to get food poisoning but those are different matters. The fact is simply being a spy isn’t going to get you another notch on your headboard (well it might but not with the right person), you also have to be incredibly good looking.

I think we can all agree that part of being extremely alluring to your potential score is simple: DON’T SMELL.

You won’t be buttering much bread if you smell like you keep cutting the cheese. Think about it, even James Bond wouldn’t have bedded as many women as he did if he stank like a person who just chased bad guys around the city and then slept on an Indian train for three days without showering and eating nothing but garlic naan.

Having a foul odor hovering around your being is a distinct turn off and a lesson in spy etiquette 101. That’s why you need an Aroama traveling perfume stick. TSA friendly (no need to put them in your quart-sized liquid bag) these fun perfume sticks won’t slow you down and are so discreet they’ll fit right into your pocket or in your little black, spy dress. Then you can smell like Paris even if you do actually spend three days on an Indian train without a shower. I have not needed to bed any informants yet in my spy work but you can bet when I do, I’ll be pulling out my little Aroama perfume stick to help my cause. Just kidding Randy!

Bonus Feature: Don’t fret boys! They have masculine scents coming soon.

5. Reef Secret Stash Sandals

Wow. A flip-flop with a secret hideaway spot to stash some pesos and a room key or whatever else the people at Reef thought you might want to sneak around if you get my drift.

This my friends is what freedom looks like.

You are now all free to enjoy the beach at will and go swimming without the fear that someone is going to rob you blind while you get all Kenny Powers on that boogie board. No longer will you need to burrow your valuables into the sand or worm around your beach blanket trying to discreetly hide your wallet underneath. As for spyware, this is on par with the secret scarf and will enable all spies to look just like any other sun worshiping tourist. If you wear these flip flops AND the scarf you won’t even need a bag! You might look a bit thermostatically confused but hey no one will know where to find your valuables or your tiny camera and that’s what really counts right? They also make a pretty awesome Reef Fanning Sandal that has a bottle opener on the bottom of the sole!

p.s. They make them for kid spies too!