Whenever you travel on a commercial airline flight, or by train and bus, you have to go through either an airport, bus station, or train station. This may presents problems for unsuspecting people who are on vacation or holiday because these places are where pickpockets and thieves like to operate. There are a lot of things you can do to avoid becoming a victim when on vacations and holidays. Here are a number of them.
Do not wear jewelry or an expensive looking watch as that’s an invitation to robbers.
Wear a money belt under you shirt or blouse to help foil pickpockets or robbers. It is a good idea to put your things in a Ziploc bag and then put the bag in your money belt. The reason for this is that the money belt and the items in it will get soaked from your perspiration, especially in hot climates, and this will keep them dry. Do not open up your money belt in public to take out cash, traveler’s checks, or credit cards.
Before you leave on a vacation or holiday, it might be worth it to sew a few pockets on the inside of your slacks, skirts, or underclothing where you can carry some spare cash when you are out and about for the day. If you are carrying cash, traveler’s checks, or credit cards on your person, you should divide them up and put them in different pockets. That way if a pickpocket is successful, he or she won’t get everything. It also makes sense to use a safety pin to make each pocket opening smaller so that a pickpocket will have difficulty pulling anything out of your pockets without you being aware of it.
If a lot of children gather around you in the street and cause a commotion, you are probably being targeted by pickpockets who are using the children to divert your attention. If two of the locals engage in a yelling and shoving match near you, they may be a distraction for pickpockets. Another way to distract you is to have someone collapse in front of you. When you lean over to help them, the pickpocket will strike. A different variation involves two thieves working together, one gently dropping some ketchup, mustard, or ice cream on one of your shoulders and then distracting you by pointing to the mess and helping you wipe it off. The other pickpocket then will go into action.
Pickpockets prefer to target men with their wallets invitingly exposed in their back pockets, and obese people because they are less likely to feel their pockets being picked. You must be especially vigilant in airports, bus and train stations and watch your luggage, camera, and laptop like a hawk as they can disappear in an instant. Keep in mind that pickpockets love tourists, especially when they are in crowds.
Be vigilant when you are wearing a backpack. Thieves may slash the bottom of it, spilling all the contents onto the street where he and his accomplices grab your possessions and run away in different directions.
Usually muggings happen at night and not in the bustling part of the city. If you are accosted by an armed robber, don’t argue or resist. Give them what they want and be thankful you don’t get hurt. What they take from you can always be replaced and just isn’t worth risking your life over.
When reading Bob Arno’s book on how people can avoid street scams, thefts, and cons, we felt that it would be an informative book for anyone who goes on vacation, or travels for business, to also read. It is chuck full of information and photos showing you how numerous scams work. There is no limit to what criminals can conspire to think of to steal and rip-off from unsuspecting tourists.
Bob is one of the world’s foremost authorities on street crime, scams, and identity theft. If you are interested in learning more on how to protect yourself and your loved ones when on vacations and holidays as well as in your own city or town, you may want to read his book, “Travel Advisory! How to Avoid Thefts, Cons, and Street Scams While Traveling”. It may be available at your local library.
He has been interviewed on CNN, MSNBC, ABC’s 20/20, The Travel Channel, The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, and has numerous articles written about him in USA Today, National Geographic Traveler, Fortune Magazine, Time Magazine, and The New York Times.
His book is full of humor, true stories, as well as many photos of street scam artists and pickpockets in action. In our opinion, his book is great resource, and a must-read for anyone who would like to know how to protect themselves and their family when traveling, as well as in their own home town.
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