Veteran news reporter Scott Pelley never goes on assignment without his travel essentials—a shortwave radio, camera, indestructible suitcase, laptop computer, phone, and an emergency locator beacon that works anywhere. “You extend the antenna, push two buttons, and it sends a signal to a satellite connected to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Pelley said. “It tells them who and where I am.  Depending on what country you’re in, they’ll either send a rescue team – or not” (AARP The Magazine). Pelley has never needed to use the beacon, but he never travels without it.

But when it comes to our…