Sometimes, getting your goodies stolen is out of your control, but for all the other times, there are tricks and tips that can prevent, frustrate and ultimately, outsmart thieves.
One of the worst nightmares of a seasoned world traveler is the fear of having his valuables stolen during their travels. Can you imagine being stranded without any cash, no credit cards and not even your passport in a foreign country?
In my years of travel experience, I have come up with these 5 tips to help you avoid being robbed during your travels.
Here are 5 of our favorite tips to consider when traveling in pick pocket heavy locales.
Don’t lower your guard
When traveling, we tend to be more relaxed than at home but that’s not an excuse for lowering your guard. Pickpockets are a serious threat in all European capitals and they will take advantage of distractions such as museum exhibits, street performances and others in order to rob you blind. Other than pickpockets, you need also to be aware of purse snatchers who will violently run away with your purse in broad daylight if you lower your guard. This is mostly common in cities such as Barcelona but it can happen basically anywhere.
My recommendation of wonders?
Always keep your hands in your pockets when traveling in crowded areas and don’t lower your guard under any circumstances. That friendly stranger might as well be a scam artist so trust your gut and take it from there.
Don’t use the hostel lockers for valuables
If you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes, then you probably remember the case of a stolen painting where the detective spent days searching for it in secret places without realizing that the thief hid the painting in the least protected place possible: his own living room behind a replica of the same painting. Hostel lockers are the first place that thieves will target when searching for valuables since it’s common sense that travelers will store their valuables there. After all, you’re basically telling the entire world that there’s something important in the locker and that’s just not smart at all.
My recommendation of wonders?
Hide your valuables in plain sight (inside your carry-on luggage or backpack) since it’s the last place thieves would check. I mean, what type of thief doesn’t go directly for the lockers?
Don’t put your cash and cards in the same place
This one is also obvious but it surprises me to see the number of travelers that put their cards, passport AND cash in the same place. Putting all of your eggs in one basket is not smart at all since that leaves you extremely vulnerable in case of theft.
Each time I went back to my hostel in Prague, I saw at least two tourists crying because they were stranded after a thieve stole all of their money and now they were in panic mode since they didn’t know what to do.
My recommendation of wonders?
Leave your passport and a small amount of cash at the hotel/hostel while taking your cards and the rest of the cash with you (on separate pockets!). This way, one single robbery will not be the end of the world for you and you will always have some money left for the rest of your journey.
Don’t travel without a backup plan
Finally, let’s assume that the worst scenario happened and someone robbed you during your travels. Do you have a backup plan? Does your travel insurance covers theft of valuables? Do you have scanned copies of your travel documents?
Not many of us are mentally prepared for dealing with the consequences of being robbed during our travels and it is quite easy to have a panic attack once the worst happens and you are left wondering what to do now.
My recommendation of wonders?
Scan all of your travel documents and store them in the cloud (or just e-mail them to yourself).
Leave a second debit card with your family back home with your PIN code so they can withdraw your own money and send you an emergency transfer via Western Union or similar.
Tips For Avoiding A Pickpocket
Be alert at ALL times, but especially around ATM’s and ticket machines Pack light. If you only have one bag, it’s easier to keep track of everything Keep your valuables close to your body Keep backpack compartments zipped and locked. It’s incredibly easy for a pickpocket to be in and out before you ever even know he’s there
The most important thing? Don’t panic. Just don’t. Things happen for a reason and that robbery might just have been a blessing in disguise in order for you to experience the kindness of the locals who will do their best to help you get back on your feet.
Just relax and accept that there are things that can be solved and many more that can’t and it’s up to you to move forwards or not.
Have you ever been robbed abroad? What are some of your best tips to avoid being robbed during your travels? Share your thoughts and let me know what you think!
Until next time, my friends!!!
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