MetLife Your Life Logo

Electronic gadgets are as much a part of summer travel as swimming suits and sunblock. To help make sure your trip doesn't get derailed by a tech mishap, we asked four pros to share their secrets for traveling with smartphones, laptops, tablets, cameras, iPods, handheld video games and more. Our experts are:

Brenda Prinzavalli, professional organizer and owner of Balanced Organizing Solutions (balorg.com)

Jeffrey Goldberg, security expert with AgileBits, which created 1Password (1password.com), a password manager for computers and smartphones

Beth Blair, former flight attendant who started the blog thevacationgals.com

Mike Benjamin, CEO of FlightView (flightview.com), which produced an app for tracking airplane arrivals and departures

1. Think Minimalist. Set a limit on the number of gadgets each person can bring. The fewer there are, the fewer chances you have of losing one of them.

2. Enable the Wipe. Many smartphones and tablets have a feature that allows you to erase their contents if they're lost or stolen, so important data can't be compromised. Just be sure to turn on this function before you leave.

3. Name It. "There are plenty of honest people still out there, so label and tag your electronics so someone could return them to you if they found them," says Prinzavalli. Apple offers free engraving of iPods and iPads, or use a label maker or permanent marker to add your contact information.

4. Remember the Manuals. Taking a brand-new gadget on vacation? Avoid frustration by packing the instructions, reminds Prinzavalli.

5. Pocket Your Charger. "There's a spot in my bag where my chargers go, and nothing else goes there," says Benjamin, who says this trick prevents him from leaving these key accessories behind. "You can scramble around and buy one, but then you're doing that when you should be swimming."

6. Lock It. Most devices can be password protected so that users need to enter a code to use them. "It's probably the most important thing you can do," says Goldberg. "If you've left a computer on in your hotel room, a stranger is not going to be able to immediately access what's on it."

7. Back It Up. Do complete backups to save copies of all important data -- think baby photos and tax documents -- to external hard drives and websites. Goldberg also puts a backup disk in his car when he leaves on vacation. "If the house gets robbed, my data is not all at the same place," he says.

8. Know Your Numbers. Write down the manufacturer, model, cost and serial number of any big-ticket electronics, reminds Goldberg. It will make filing an insurance claim -- and a police report -- quicker and easier. Need help? Use the free database from the Insurance Information Institute at knowyourstuff.org.

9. Pack Extra Juice. Kids' handheld video games can gobble up batteries during a long flight or road trip, so pack extras.

10. Scan It Last. When you are putting items on the belt to go through an X-ray screening machine, add items like your coat and shoes first -- and put the bag holding your electronics through last. That way, says Benjamin, the time your electronics are without you is minimized. Otherwise, you risk a stranger picking up your bag, intentionally or not.

11. Don't Check It. When traveling by plane, keep your electronics in your carry-on bags, says Benjamin. Because they're fragile -- and valuable -- it's safer than putting them in checked luggage.

12. Beware the Bounce. "When I was a flight attendant, we'd hit turbulence, and the next thing you know, someone's computer is covered in beer or juice," says Blair. So if your flight gets bumpy, move electronics out of the way of liquids.

13. Use the Safe. "If you're going to be river rafting, you don't need to bring cell phones," says Prinzavalli. Leave electronics where they won't get stolen -- or waterlogged.

14. Bag It. "One of the most inexpensive and practical ways to keep electronic items safe from liquid or sand is a large zip-lock bag," says Blair. "My kids are each issued one for our road and air trips to keep their electronic games safe."

15. Indulge Your App-etite. Hungry and in an unfamiliar city? Smartphone and tablet apps like Yelp or websites like chowhound.com can direct your taste buds to the best the city has to offer. Use photo editing apps like Hipstamatic and Best Camera to tweak your vacation snaps.