Packing list

Travel Privacy Kit for Hotels and Rentals

What to pack for privacy and safety in a hotel room or a rental. Start with the free checks. Most of them need only your phone. Then add the items that do something the free method cannot do.

Start with the free checks

  1. Do a slow sweep of the room when you arrive. The 5-minute room sweep checklist walks you through it.
  2. Use your phone. A flashlight sweep shows the glint of a lens, and the phone camera can show infrared lights. See how to detect hidden cameras with your phone.
  3. Check the devices on the rental's Wi-Fi. Paste the list into the free Wi-Fi camera checker to see which devices a camera maker made.

Free fixes that need no gear

  • Lock the deadbolt and the swing latch every time you are in the room.
  • Put a chair or a rolled towel against the door at night.
  • Cover the camera on your laptop with tape or a sticky note.
  • Use your phone's hotspot or a VPN app instead of an open hotel network.
  • Turn clocks and chargers that face the bed toward the wall, or unplug them.

The kit: 4 low-cost items

Each item does one thing that the free method does not. We have not tested these items. Each description comes from the item's Amazon listing, which we checked on October 18, 2026. Amazon shows the current price.

Addalock portable door lock

A metal lock that you fit to the door from the inside. The listing says it works on most doors that swing into the room, needs no tools, and fits in a bag.

Free version:
The room's deadbolt and swing latch.
What it adds:
A second lock that you carry and control.
Limit:
It does not fit doors that open outward or slide. Practice taking it off, so that you can leave fast in an emergency.
See it on Amazon

SABRE wedge door-stop alarm

A wedge that goes under the door. The listing says it sounds a 120 dB alarm when the door pushes on it, and that its non-skid pad helps hold the door. It needs one 9V battery.

Free version:
A chair or a rolled towel against the door.
What it adds:
A loud alarm that wakes you if the door opens.
Limit:
The listing says it works only when the gap under the door is 7/8 inch or less. It suits doors that open into the room.
See it on Amazon

EYSOFT webcam cover slide

A thin cover that sticks over the camera on a laptop, tablet or phone. The listing says it slides open and closed, and is thin enough for a laptop lid to close.

Free version:
A piece of tape or a sticky note.
What it adds:
A cover that you open and close with one finger, with no tape left on the lens.
Limit:
It covers the cameras on your own devices. It does not find a hidden camera in the room.
See it on Amazon

GL.iNet Opal travel router (GL-SFT1200)

A pocket router. The listing says it turns a public network, wired or wireless, into a private Wi-Fi network for your own devices. It has OpenVPN and WireGuard built in, for use with a VPN service that you already pay for.

Free version:
Your phone's hotspot, or a VPN app on each device.
What it adds:
One private network for all your devices, set up once.
Limit:
It takes some setup. To scan the rental's network with the Wi-Fi checker, connect your phone straight to the rental's Wi-Fi, not to the travel router.
See it on Amazon

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What the kit does not do

None of these items finds a hidden camera. The door lock and the alarm protect the door. The cover and the router protect your own devices and your data. To look for cameras, use the free checks above.

Learn more