Canceling cards. American Express cardholders can enroll in the company's credit-card registry service for $30 annually (or $55 for three years). If you lose your wallet, you make one toll-free call and the company will cancel all your credit cards — not just AmEx — and request replacements. In some states (currently Connecticut, Florida, New York, Ohio, and Virginia), the company can even replace driver's licenses.
Locking it up. If you leave your hotel room, lock up your laptop with a security cable that wraps around something immovable in the room. Kensington Technology Group (www.kensington.com) and Kryptonite Corporation (www.kryptonitelock.com) offer cables for about $50. Other, more high-tech gizmos, such as motion-sensor alarms, are available for less than $100.
Making labels. Try a high-tech version of the labels your mom used to iron into your camp clothes. Each label from Boomeranglt (www.boomerangit.com) contains a serial number that is stored in the company's database once you register the item (like a car's vehicle identification number). That means you don't have to plaster your name and address on your laptop or cell phone. If the police or someone else finds your item, ideally they will see the "if found, call" label and phone the company or log on to its website. The serial number is then matched with your registration (but the company does not give out your personal information to the finder). Label packets start at $10.
