[davb]

> Simply make an encrypted backup and wipe everything before traveling through airports and borders.

True, but in some countries (such as the UK, under RIPA) it's illegal to refuse to give authorities your password or decryption key. You'd really want to use a decoy disk image with some content; an empty disk on an otherwise used-looking laptop arouses suspicion and would probably lead to further scrutiny.

Or keep your data on a server somewhere and hide the address and key, accessing your data remotely when you get to your destination.

[technomancy]

With a decoy account you wouldn't need to go through the wiping rigamarole every time you travel. Just have the decoy account's login trigger a wipe of the primary account.

Of course, there's the question of how to make a realistic-looking decoy account that doesn't look suspicious on account of not having any files created in the past year or two, but with a little creativity you could pull it off.