- 26 August 2009
- 1:14pm
- Filed under
Fun, Thorn Tree, Thread of the Day, Traveller Tips
10 tips for preventing theft during travel
Andy MurdockLonely Planet author
Travelers are often targeted by thieves – it’s sad but true. On a regular basis we hear tales of pickpockets, scams, dishonest cab drivers, items stolen from hotel rooms and similar skullduggery.
When you’re on holiday, you naturally want to relax, but letting your guard down can make you a target and have unfortunate consequences. On the other hand, going to paranoiac extremes can effectively quash any chance of fun, spontaneity, and discovery on your trip.
The community of savvy travelers on the Thorn Tree travel forum have been trading tips recently (see these discussions from the Central America & USA branches), and we’ve included some of the best below to help you keep your wits about you and your valuables safe during your travels:
1. Use a money belt…or don’t
The money belt is often hailed as a travel necessity, particularly in places where pickpockets are common. Many Thorn Tree members are belt devotees, but others offer a few words of caution:
- Don’t fool yourself into thinking that thieves don’t know about money belts and don’t have tricks to relieve you of yours.
- Because money belts are hidden, you can easily make a bit of a scene every time you have to retrieve something from it.
- Money belts may help prevent getting your pocket picked, but they don’t do much to help you when someone is demanding money.
- People that don’t use money belts adopt other stratgies, such as carrying only small amounts of cash at any one time, keeping cash in more than one place, or even carrying a dummy wallet.
2. Don’t talk to strangers
Meeting new people around the world can be one of the greatest pleasures of travel, but it’s not always wise to strike up a conversation with just anyone, particularly those that seem oddly eager to be your friend or spontaneously want to take you somewhere. One member says, “I keep an air of suspicion about any stranger that’s overly excited to meet me and make conversation on the street – which is probably why I have no friends.”
3. Don’t be a sucker
If it’s too good to be true, run away: the underpriced gemstone, the incredible exchange rate offered by the man at the outdoor market, the attractive woman that just happened to spill mustard on you and wants to clean it off of you.
Another piece of advice: “Don’t bring your credit card to any ‘business opportunity’ that takes place in a Ramada Inn conference room.”
4. Don’t act like a tourist
This can be a tall order, particularly when you are a tourist and your appearance and language skills make it difficult to blend in, but there are a few practical pieces of advice along these lines:
- Dress plainly when traveling, let someone else attract the attention of thieves. And please, ditch the bling.
- Be discreet when handling money. Don’t repeatedly pat your wallet to make sure it’s still there: you’re just telling anyone who might be watching where to find your money.
- Avoid the temptation of setting your brain on “holiday mode.” Relax and enjoy your trip, but maintain normal levels of awareness.
- Always act like you know where you’re going (many of us already do this instinctively). Even better yet, actually know where you’re going.
- It’s best to keep your camera out of sight when not using it. Don’t carry a massive camera unless you’re an avid photographer and are willing to accept the risk (in which case you’ve probably done the homework on risk mitigation). Smaller cameras will suffice for most travelers.
5. Never leave anything of value in your hotel unless it’s in a locked safe, and never leave anything visible in your car
Take responsibility for your belongings: they mean more to you than they do to your hotel. Trailheads and tourist destinations are favorite spots for car thieves, and rental cars are like large ‘break into me’ signs.
6. Trust your instincts
Never hesitate to cross the street, stop, turn around, do whatever is necessary to get away from someone who looks like trouble.
7. It pays to be big and mean looking, or to be traveling with someone big and mean looking
This isn’t always a good thing (or even possible); invisibility is one step better.
8. When in Spain, avoid the “David Beckham Leg Jiggle”
I have no idea what this means, but I assume you’ll know when it’s happening to you.
9. Dubious advice you probably don’t want to follow
- ‘If you see someone starting to come at you, burst out yelling something like ‘BGHRWARHBAHL MUHAHA’ and run away. You’ll almost definitely startle them enough to get a head start.’
- ‘Most common pickpocket, little old ladies neatly dressed. Tourists are dumb and will just shout at some old broad trying to lift their wallet. Push her in front of the first moving vehicle.’
10. Probably the single best piece of advice:
Never travel with anything that you cannot bear to lose.
What are your best tips for preventing theft while you travel?
[Photos: Beware of pickpockets! by J-Cornelius; Poipet - Beware! by MsNina; Tourist trap by stargazer95050]
As anti-pick pocket devices, I close my front pockets with a couple safety pins (house keys pinned to the bottom of a pocket, so I’ll have them when the trip is over). And then I keep a small amount of cash there. The back pockets remain open with perhaps a tissue – give your nose a honk first in case they do lift it.
[...] link is being shared on Twitter right now. @creditinformer said 10 tips for preventing theft during [...]
This can happen to men and women always a good idea to put wallets in front pockets. As it takes is a little bump and swoosh it’s gone.
Wear old clothes and look pale, then a thief will ignore you.
Great list, and even better images! The David Beckham Leg Jiggle is an old trick used in most cities (substitute football player for that city) – good description here:
http://barcelonasights.blogspot.com/2008/10/barcelona-scams-football-dance.html
Thanks bcndave! It kind of ruins my original image, but it’s good to know what the David Beckham leg jiggle is. I’ll be sure to avoid groups of strange men that want me to join in a celebratory football dance.
you forgot the most important one – keep your possessions close by. some thieves may break into hotel rooms or be highly skilled pick pockets, whereas others will just wait for you to put your bag down in the train station while you are buying a drink.
Never carry valuables in backpack or daypack.
keep two wallets one for serious money/credit cards hooked inside your trousers/shorts to belt with keyring and chain, cling to serious money in crowds.
second wallet for local daily cash fo pickpockets to see.
Never leave purse/wallets under mattress or pillows in GH
be wary of GH safety deposit boxes, these have been robbed
SLEEZY CHEAP HOTELS WITH POOR ROOM SECURITY: lean a beer or soda bottle against your door (or window) at night when you retire.. if dishonest hotel employees attempts to sneak in while your sleeping it will knock bottle over making quiet a racket on the tile floor.. Will wake you up and should be enough to make them scat.
Pickpockets may also be reading this thread…
nice collection of tips,
I like the bit about money belts making a bit of a scene,, I think it’s best to take out 1 or 2 days cash before going public or to go to the toilet and take out money there.
diving into the nether regions to extract money from a money belt in public is not a good look and not a good safethy thing.
I’ve made my own collection of tips here for single travellers:
http://heikorudolph.blogspot.com/2009/05/travel-tips-for-single-travelers.html
In the big cities in India anyone can come on to the train before departure. The thieves know that backpackers often carry a backpack and a smaller bag with the goodies – camera, music etc – inside. You put your small bag down to stow your backpack away and whoosh! your small bag has gone. I’ve seen it happen too often. Don’t take your hands off that small bag until the train has started rolling. On a sleeper train, lock your backpack to the the seat or bed with a cablelock.
Great suggestions guys, keep ‘em coming!
1. ALWAYS use a pacsafe on night trains/leaving your main pack in a hotel room/etc – yes they are cumbersome and time consuming, but what is the alternative? Personally I use a pacsafe with a cable and double cable it for extra security.
2. Keep your wallet in a front pocket, it makes it harder for pickpockets because you can feel any movement easier. If you don’t have a zip on it with a safety pin, keep your hand on it in crowded areas (trains/etc).
3. Divide your money up. Keep a little in your wallet, a little in your pocket and a little in your pack as a back up. Then if the worst happens you won’t lose everything.
4. Like the post said the most common scam is the friendly local. There are thousands of variations on this. If anyone is friendly, especially TOO friendly, then be friendly and polite but walk away. The most common variations are ‘where are you from – I have a friend/brother/second cousin twice removed living there’, ‘I just want to practice my English, why don’t we go for a coffee…’,'This is the quickest route to your destination, here is a taxi for you and on the way there is a great sale at this factory’. NEVER give any personal information out, NEVER tell them where you are staying – lie if necessary, NEVER tell them where you are heading to.
5. Another common pickpocket scam (especially in my experience in India) is where two guys will come up asking to have a photo taken with you, (a lot of fuss will be made about your beauty/muscles/height or whatever)they will stand on either side of you for this photo. It goes without saying hands in pockets and tightly on your valuables (and men, no this doesn’t mean what you think it does!) If you give them a chance they will have off with whatever you don’t have tight hold of.
6. Don’t let yourself fall victim to rip off scams, especially in taxis. Be aware of what taxis or things should cost and pay no more than that. Don’t be afraid of walking away without paying if they try it on too much (of course it helps if like me you are a 6″2 ex soldier but hey, the theory still stands).
7. If things cannot be solved calmly, then make a scene. Argue, shout if you need to, attract the attention of tourist police, this works particularly well in patriarchal places like India.
If things get a little hairy and you can’t extracate yourself, then shout and scream like a banshee at your potential assailant. If that doesn’t work, then I find bricks/big sticks/chairs flung at an attacker whilst you are running swiftly in the other direction can work wonders too.
8. When travelling on coaches etc NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES put your pack in the hold. The hold is like a sweet shop for thieves. Keep it on you at all times. Even if the driver/ticket seller/whatever says no and moans, stick to your guns. Either put it under your seat (in which case attach a pacsafe with a cable lock) or better still on the seat beside you. Pay a few extra pounds for an extra seat if you must and put it on there.
As a longtime moroccan ‘tourist’ resident, I am continually on my guard and adjust to
a)daily routines ..such as going to shop at the souq..open weekly market.. where i have lots of change and leave phone etc at home
b)longer trips…such as a 2 day one…where I know how much i am going to need and safely store my bankcard …just in case I need it..usually i don’t…but really have only a phone and a small camera at most…the rest is basics…quite simply, I neithe need more or use more
More safety tips on:
http://journals.worldnomads.com/will/post/2519.aspx
Pickpockets+may+also+be+reading+this+thread…
I always carry a small shaker/pour can of ground pepper or chilli on trips. In sleazy areas I set it to pour and carry it in my hand with thumb over the hole. Should you be confronted with menace by even multiple persons a quick sweep to the faces of your would be attackers will give you a long start. You just have to be careful of wind direction. I haven’t had to use it yet. Probably has something to do with “the thing you are prepared for never happens”
From Bangkok, to Siem Reap, to Phnom Penh and to Saigon, I kept my $600 inside a small ziplock bag and hid it inside my socks. Just make sure to wear a hi-cut shoe so that it won’t stick out of your socks. And make sure to fold the bag well because the pointed edge of the bag can be a little uncomfortable once it hits your skin while walking.
[...] the meantime, our community was chatting about the ten best ways to avoid theft on the road. They also had some pretty strong opinions on whether or not Vietnam is a [...]
One thing that is useful is camouflage.
No it does not mean dress as a statue, it means dress makes a difference. and you can just blend in.
clothes, dress, and the message it gives out to all around you:
dress in such a way that the local people think you are living and working there (i.e. an expat), travelling around for holiday.
In Thailand I know I’ve hit the right dress level when local people ask me: “where do you work ? how long you been working in Thailand ?”- then I know I’ve dressed the correct way :-)
- Then I know I don’t run around with clothes that scream “TOURIST !!!!!”
- in other words, get out of tourist mode and ‘blend in’
I’ve talked about it here and cleaned up this article
http://heikorudolph.blogspot.com/2009/05/travel-tips-for-single-travelers.html
Of course the blending in bit changes with age and culture.
oooops wrong link, meant to talk about how to get out of tourist mode, which is another way of blending in, and being hidden and camouflaged:
http://heikorudolph.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-dive-beneath-tourist-surface.html
of course this isn’t everyones cuppa tea.
cheers
HeRR
PS: one really useful thing I found was this:
I take a suit jacket.
- It helps me blend in,
- it is NOT the usual backpacker dress so instantly takes me out of that pot.
- It makes people (in SE Asia) think I am working locally (expat).
I take jackets that I can knock around a bit, older stuff, that is good travel.
And in case people think it makes me look rich, no, not really, as I wear the suit jacket with clean pants, jeans, whatever, and the rest of me clean and casual.
I also found wearing clothes like this makes locals trust me more, they are actually more friendly.
I get better service, better responses from most places.
Admittedly I am over 40 years old, so I guess that helps the image as well.
It is ironic because for my work at the University I don’t usually wear a suit jacket. Or if I do, it is very casually.
[...] the meantime, our community was chatting about the ten best ways to avoid theft on the road. They also had some pretty strong opinions on whether or not Vietnam is a [...]
If there is no security camera view of your rooms door items will go missing in your room.
Just wanted to echo some of the other comments — I’ve found that definitely keeping your money in different places is a good thing to do. Small money for bus fare, a drink etc, then bigger cash somewhere more hidden. Clothing with pockets that can be tightly closed are good, as is clothing with hidden pockets. I used to spend a lot of time in Kingston Jamaica & a few times I had people try to pick my pockets when in a bar or on a crowded bus but they were never successful as I never kept my wallet in a pocket that was easy for them to get at.. Money belt is good but never access it in public. Dummy wallet is a good idea too. I also found that how you dress is a big help.
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