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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, Roman pickpockets are notorious
for having 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. For example, you
can be safe walking around the central part of large European
cities at night because it is the custom of the residents to walk
in their cities at night, to dine late, to enjoy living in their
cities. The Centro Storico of Rome is a good example: you can
walk the streets and piazzas there at night and feel perfectly
secure. 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-- relatively
uncommon in Europe-- 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.
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