Several years ago, I studied abroad in Morocco and brought with me a laptop and a Dell Jukebox mp3 player, which is basically an imitation iPod. One weekend, after returning home from a trip to Tangier with some friends, I entered my room to find that some jerk had stolen those two expensive electronic devices. Needless to say, I was not pleased, and I uttered a series of words and phrases that are best not repeated in genteel conversation.

So what lessons did I learn from this experience?

Well, I learned that one should think long and hard about bringing their most-prized goods with them on trips, particularly electronics. Not only is there a heightened risk of loss and theft while traveling, but things like mp3 players and laptops tend to get in the way of directly experiencing one’s destination and interacting with its people.

Another lesson I learned? Take care of your stuff. As Abha wrote last week, trusting people on the road is incredibly important to have a meaningful experience, and the vast majority of people you meet are not “out to get you.” But it’s foolish to take unnecessary risks that increase your chances of being robbed, like leaving windows and doors unlocked when you’re away from your room.

But the most important lesson I learned from my bad experience is one that will eliminate the chance of a trip-ruining theft: Try to stay unattached to your belongings. It’s difficult sometimes, especially when you’ve spent hours uploading every song ever recorded onto your iPod, or countless albums of travel photos onto your laptop. But if we allow the acquisition and loss of stuff to dictate our moods, attitudes, and choices, we lose control of our lives. The oft-quoted line from Fight Club sums it up best: “The things you own end up owning you.”