It doesn’t happen often, but when news gets out about cruise line employee theft, it should heighten awareness for travelers’ individual security. A cruise line office employee who booked passengers was arrested for using the information to rob homes while travelers were at sea.

Knowing passengers would be away for from one to two weeks, the thief’s gang used pass keys to steal cash, jewelry and other items. It sounds too simple to be believed, but it happened, and would have gone on if the police investigation hadn’t figured it out. The pattern of the crimes were traced back to certain of the cruise line’s sailings and list of passengers who were robbed.

Apple’s iPad has proven to be a big success for computing, and it can be a great companion for commuting from home to summer vacation destinations. Depending on the model you want and its capabilities, an iPad costs from $150 to $500. It can be a great investment for making your travels easier and more interesting.

Your very portable iPad can be your internet and correspondence connection to your office and/or family back home. a music and DVD movie entertainment center and a GPS electronic map to guide you on the road, in the air and at sea. If you’re in a hotel that offers Wi-Fi in guest rooms, you can use your iPad for dozens of purposes, including movies, music, electronic books and research. For more information, contact your nearest Apple Store or go to www.apple.com/ipad

We’ve been asked by some of our more modest senior travelers about nude and topless bathing in Las Vegas swimming pools. They don’t want to show up for a sun and swim and be shown up by a bunch of younger, firmer people who are proud to bare it all.

This just seems to be a complaint here in the U.S. Although nudity never seems to bother seniors who are familiar with bare-it-all beaches in France, the Caribbean and elsewhere, but nude hotel poolsides in Vegas may bother them.

Yes, there are a few Vegas resorts that allow topless bathing in certain private, screened-off pool areas. Don’t worry about doing your more covered-up sunning, because in all hotels and resorts, you’ll find the major pool areas occupied by fully-swimsuited adults and kids.

Suggestion: If you haven’t selected the resort or hotel yet for your Vegas visit, check the bare facts with your online or hometown travel agency about where the topless pools are located. Then, you can make your plans accordingly. But, always remember, Vegas isn’t called Sin City for nothing.

Forget heavy bags; use coat of many pockets

You’ve finally figured out how to fly by leaving the big suitcase at home and saving about $25 a flight per fat bag. For your major stuff, you can now cram it all into a handy wheeled carry-on and be on your happy way.

However, even as you wheel through the airport, there is usually other stuff, like wallets, small handbags, tickets and other take-alongs that make you feel all loaded down. What you can do to relieve that is to wear a coat with lots of pockets in it.

It’s something we’ve been doing for years. We fly wearing lightweight jackets that have four large outside and four deep inside pockets, all with cover flaps that zip or button. The first advantage is that in one pocket, we always have tickets, ID and other items immediately ready to show in a flash.

Also, we pack items in the coat pockets we need in flight or in the terminal: cell phone, wallet, passport, snacks, paperbacks, CD player, pens, pencils, small digital camera and a host of other items. If stashed right, the jackets make everything much easier.

You can probably find an eight-pocket jacket for you that looks neat, but can be a walking suitcase, at your local clothing or big box department store. There are also companies that advertise their coats online, including scottevest.com.