October 24, 2009

By Sid Kaplan
Travel Writer
Troy Media

Sid Kaplan

SAN FRANCISCO. CA, Oct. 24, 2009/ Troy Media/ — How do you avoid theft when you travel?

People worry when they are planning a trip to a foreign place, wondering if the place they are visiting is safe.

The “place” can be anywhere from New York to Paris to Rome, even Antananarivo in Madagascar! While traveling it is important to practice safe ways to avoid theft. Stay alert and be smart about your actions.

One time, friends of mine, experienced travelers, lost their passport, driver’s license and money while on a trip to South America. The wife was carrying all of this in her purse. She hung her purse over the back of her chair in a restaurant and, at the end of dinner, she went to put her purse safely back around her neck but it was gone.

Not surprisingly, she shouldn’t have hung her purse over the chair but even more importantly, she shouldn’t have had all of her valuables in her purse! The first thing I tell people when they ask advice about traveling is to wear a money belt, one of those zippered nylon pouches that fits under your clothes. Keep your passport, most of your money, and credit cards in there. That way you won’t end up like my friend.

What else can you do to avoid theft? Try not to stand out. Don’t wear flashy clothes and jewellery. Rio de Janeiro is supposed to have lots of pickpockets, so on a recent trip we wore well-worn clothes and no jewellery. We did stand out from the bikini-clad beach crowd, but we weren’t targets.

We did read, however, about a tourist who had been mugged and had his gold chains stolen. But after the first mugging, he went right out and bought more gold chains and wore them to the beach. Guess what happened?

Be alert to pickpockets. They thrive in crowded places, but that’s not the only place they can strike. One time, when we first arrived in Paris with our luggage still in tow, we stood in an empty metro station waiting for a train. As the train came in, my traveling companion said he’d get both suitcases. As soon as his hands were full, two men appeared out of nowhere and brushed up against him.

Fortunately, he had his wallet in his front pocket and quickly clamped his arms against his side. I yelled and asked the two men what they were doing. When they figured there was too much attention being called to them, and they weren’t going to get anything, they said, “Sorry, wrong platform.”

We foiled a pickpocket trying to unzip our daypack in a crowded market in Antananarivo, Madagascar. We had nothing of value in that daypack: it was all in our money belts. Yelling at him sent him melting into the crowd, but it just goes to show that, even when you are alert, they can sneak up on you.

Don’t try to hide valuables at the pool or the beach. They’re better off in your hotel room. Don’t leave cameras and valuables lying around in your hotel room though, keep them locked away out of sight, in your bags, in the room safe, or even in the hotel lobby safe. Hotel rooms are safe enough, but why provide temptation?

If you have a rental car, don’t leave maps and suitcases visible in the car. Don’t leave them in the car at all at night.

With a few common sense precautions and just staying alert, you should be able to avoid theft on your travels. It’s much better to enjoy one more afternoon sightseeing than is to spend it reporting a theft.