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Flight
is better than fight,
so dress so you can flee danger if necessary.
Wearing shoes you can run in is good for more
than just comfortable sightseeing. Good shoes
can help you extricate yourself from a bad situation.
Also, don't overload yourself with baggage; hauling
a large load will slow you down as well as limit
your travel options (e.g., do you really want
to take the underground to your hotel in London
if you are lugging so many heavy bags that you
need a porter to help?).
Don't
look like a victim.
If you look like an easy mark, you invite the
bad guys to try to take advantage of you. Standing
on the sidewalk trying to figure out where you
are on the map advertises that you are a helpless
tourist. There are many kind souls who will see
that as a sign to come to your rescue-- and you
will meet nice people that way. But it also signals
that you may have items on your person, such as
credit cards, tickets, and your passport, which
would be worth stealing. You don't want to look
like a tourist because that makes you look like
a victim.
Be
aware of your surroundings. It will
be harder for a pickpocket to creep up on you
if you are watching what is going on around you
and who might be lurking nearby.
Don't
be distracted. A clever scheme of pickpockets
is to divert your attention while an accomplice
cuts open your purse, fannypack, or knapsack or
picks your pockets. For example, a pickpocket
to have a crying child get your attention while
the child's mother or other children snatch your
valuables. Don't fall for it. If you are approached
by someone who is trying to get your interest,
move away and don't let yourself be distracted
from taking care of your belongings.
Don't
allow strangers to approach you too closely.
Pickpockets may look like a well-dressed businessman
or other reputable person. If you stop to help
them pick up dropped coins (a typical scam), you
may end up with your pockets picked for your efforts.
Don't
go into neighborhoods where crime is common.
Ask the staff at your hotel where to go and where
to avoid going.
There
is safety in numbers. When you go out
at night or into a strange area, go with a friend.
If you go alone, go only to places where there
are other people who are intent on enjoying themselves.
When you no longer see couples and families strolling
the streets, it's time for you to leave, too.
Don't
make it easy to steal from you.
1.
Leave valuables at home. Instead of
wearing an expensive watch and jewelry, take only
a watch and jewelry you can easily afford to lose.
2.
Don't carry your valuables in an easily accessible
place,
such as your purse, fannypack, knapsack, or pockets.
Use a money belt or pouch hung around your neck
inside your clothes. That won't stop you from
losing these items if you are mugged, but it will
stop pickpockets from taking them.
3.
Keep in your pocket, purse, fannypack, or knapsack
only your spending money for the day.
This is the small denomination bills and
coins you intend to use for tips, small purchases,
and the like. If you cannot afford to lose it,
don't put it in any easily accessible place.
Travel writer Rick Steves
suggests you include a cute note to the thief
as a way to make yourself feel better in the event
that this stash is robbed.
4.
Keep your money belt or security pouch on your
person when you are sleeping in a place with strangers,
such as on a train.
5.
Fasten the strap of your bags to a fixture when
waiting in terminals or seated on the train.
For example, wrap the strap around the leg
of your chair or the strut of the overhead bin
in your compartment. This prevents thieves from
grabbing and running off with your belongings.
6.
Carry your day bags in a protected place on your
body. Put your purse on the side of
your body away from the street so purse snatchers
have a harder time grabbing it. Wear your fanny
pack in front where you can see who is getting
into it (and in case you forget to close it, you
will be more likely to see when things fall out).
7.
Organize the contents of your knapsack into pouches
and individual bags fastened inside;
that way, if someone cuts open the bottom of your
knapsack, they won't be able to remove all your
belongings too easily. This also makes it easier
for you to find what you are looking for when
you need to retrieve an item from your knapsack.
8.
Put a business card marked with your hotel name
and phone number into your jacket, coat, and bag.
That way, if you leave any of these behind
in a restaurant, etc., it will be easier to return
the item to you.
9.
Use the safe in your hotel or cruise ship to store
valuables
you won't need for a while, such as your
airline ticket home.
10.
Don't put your home address on your luggage tags.
Don't advertise your empty home to would-be
thieves by letting them see your home address
on your luggage. If you have an office address,
use it instead. Or use a post office box or the
address of a friend who is not traveling. Or ask
your
travel agent if you can use her agency address.
11.
Keep your passwords and PINs secure.
When you are using an ATM, shield the keypad with
your body and your hand so no one else can see
the numbers you are inputting. And, of course,
do not write your PIN on your debit or credit
card.
Note: check with your bank
or credit union long before you go on your trip
to make sure you have the kind of ATM card and
PIN that will work in your destination. For example,
only ATMs drawing on French banks will work in
French Polynesia. If you don't bring another source
of funds, you will be penniless while you are
there!
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