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1) Low Profile: Wear minimum jewellery, casual clothes, and keep cameras inside a discrete bag. Try to relax and look like you belong there. 2) Danger Zones: Be particularly aware of your safety in crowded areas such as local festivals, markets, crowded tourist sites, railway and bus stations, and of course, on trains and buses. Sometimes it pays to go first class or hire a guide. 3) Stash your Cash: Avoid wallets or purses. Keep enough money for your immediate needs in your (button down/zippered?) pocket, and the rest hidden on your body or, better, inside a *locked bag in a safety deposit box. Have different forms of funds in different places. Remember your air ticket and films are valuable too.
*a little lockable bag, deposited at reception instead of the ubiquitous brown envelope provided in many lower class establishments, will discourage the hotel receptionist from checking on your stash later, or using your credit cards to buy himself a new hi-fi system, or from removing the bottom traveller's checks. 4) Wild Card / ATM : Ensure no one can see your credit card code number when you key it into an ATM [bank cash machine], or you may find a bogeyman has memorised it and will later steal your card and buy himself some new toys with it. a. If your card doesn't reappear from the ATM, check that there isn't a tiny foil loop blocking its exit device known as the Lebanese loop that allows the thief to retrieve your card later.
The latest scam involves thieves putting a thin, clear, rigid plastic sleeve into the ATM card slot. When you insert your card, the machine can't read the strip, so it keeps asking you to re-enter your PIN number.
Meanwhile, someone behind you watches as you tap in your number. Eventually you give up, thinking the machine has swallowed your card and you walk away. The thieves then remove the plastic sleeve complete with card, and empty your account.
The way to avoid this is to run your finger along the card slot before you put your card in. The sleeve has a couple of tiny prongs that the thieves need to get the sleeve out of the slot, and you'll be able to feel them. General Keep the card in sight at all times, even in shops/restaurants if possible. e.g. Follow the waiter the the till to watch the transaction being processed. On-the-spot card cloning is rampant. Destroy any carbon copies. · Sign your card immediately you receive it. · Destroy/shred statements/documents that contain your personal details/account details - don't put them in the dustbin. · take only the cards you intend to use so you can see more easily if a card goes missing. · inform your bank of travel plans so a] they don't stop your card in the wrong place b] they can monitor suspicious activity.
Keep receipts and check against statements regularly.
5) It's your Bag: Never let go of your shoulder bag. When walking, it goes across your body, resting in front of you, or under your armpit, but not over your shoulder. When sitting, take it off by all means, but put your arm or leg through the strap. The same goes for your camera. When sleeping in a bus, train or vulnerable room, lock your bags up, and then lock them to something immovable. Bag snatchers are not uncommon in Italy, Spain, Portugal, France and Greece, in addition to more obvious places like Turkey, Peru, Brazil, Jamaica.
*a light bike chain & lock can be handy if doing a lot of train time. On trains make sure you can see your bag the whole time, especially when approaching a station, or have it locked down.
* some backpackers put light chicken wire inside their packs to protect against slash & grab razor merchants found in South America 6) Speak the Language: Apart from making life easier, a small grasp of the language will also help you to develop protective relationships, to earn a degree of respect from lightweight thieves, and to slip into the background more easily. It's smart to read up on local culture and traditions too. 7) Safety in Numbers: Travel in pairs if possible. If not, be wary but not paranoid, of friendly local people. Most if the time they will be genuine. 8) Calculate it: Ensure that you recognize and understand the values of different local banknotes, especially in areas of high inflation. Work out how much you should get before you go anywhere near the change place. Carry a calculator and be seen to use it when you change money, even at official currency change shops. Beware of sleight-of-hand merchants, especially when changing money on the street. Count the money in your hand, and don't allow him/her to recount in his hand! 9) Don't take the Biscuit:
Avoid food and drink offerings from strangers. They can be drugged, a growing global habit, though especially prevalent in Latin America and South East Asia. 10) Driving crazy: Beware the flat tyre and the helpful locals who distract you with fast talking assistance while an associate surreptitiously rifles your vehicle. Especially a problem around Barcelona and Madrid, but also known in France and Mexico. Southern France, on the other hand, specializes in smash and grab robbery, often on motorcycles or scooters. So keep your valuables locked in the glove compartment, check your tyres often, and never stop for anyone except police. If you have to stop do it in a busy well-lit place. And carry a quick [temporary] repair aerosol. 11) Don't give it away: in some countries, such as Pakistan and the Russian Federation, conmen sometimes pose as secret police, demanding to see passports and other documents, even money. They then either disappear with your valuables or hassle you for a bribe to let you go. Check their documents carefully first, before letting go of your valuables! 12) Log on: Deposit important data [passport/credit card/travellers cheque etc. numbers] onto a secure web site - maybe scans of key pages - so if you are relieved of your kit you can retrieve the data from a local cyber café. The Lonely Planet site Ekno page, is one organ that provides this free service, or use a Hotmail or Yahoo! account and mail yourself the data. 13) Unlucky for some... get insurance! One in seven British traveler’s on overseas trips don't have any insurance. This is madness, and I speak as one who has been robbed three times, had bags crushed once, and had to cancel a trip through family illness on another occasion. In every case I was fully reimbursed -less a small excess charge - by my insurers.
Problems and accidents are far, far more frequent abroad, and local assistance may be very costly. For example, a broken leg in the USA may cost up to £10,000, yet a year's worldwide insurance with a good company will cost well under £100.
Me, I'd rather skimp on home insurance than travel insurance. Safety first! 14) Lock yourself up! Ensure your bedroom door locks/bolts from the inside, especially in lower level establishments. If not, stick a chair under the door handle or push something heavy in front of it. Always keep it locked when you are asleep.
There are many recent reports of surreptitious nighttime thefts - of all valuables - in cheap hotels, particularly in Thailand's island of Ko Chang and some Indian establishments, where staff are clearly in cahoots with the local police and no effective investigations are made. Young backpackers are especially careless/trusting in this way and vulnerable after a hard night's bingeing. 15) And for the really paranoid: Carry a card that contains the following information: your blood type, allergies, medical conditions, any medication you must have, your insurance company, who to contact in an emergency and other safety details.
Avoid advertising yourself as an employee of a prominent global company.
Remove identifying tags on your laptop bag etc.
Request a room on the third to sixth floor to keep you out of reach of criminal activity on the street and still be within reach of fire engine ladders.
Register with your home country's embassy/consulate as soon as possible after arrival at your destination if going into a sensitive political area.
Keep a copy of your passport and/or visa with you at all times and secure the originals. When in a politically sensitive area, carry your passport, return travel tickets and local and home currency in adequate amounts at all times, in case of need to evacuate on an immediate basis.
Avoid wearing religious jewellery (even under your clothing) or carrying any political brochures or publications in areas where such symbols might subject you to harassment. Safety first! Read more: http://www.bugbog.com/ |
