Many of us have put off traveling, especially vacation traveling to other countries, for several years because of the Pandemic and now are making travel plans to go to some exciting places. Those plans should include recognizing that street crime like pickpockets and purse snatchers has always been a problem in areas where there are a lot of tourists visiting. We have been good targets! And the lack of tourists in the last few years has made those doing street crime even more desperate to find targets that they can take advantage of, particularly in Europe. However, with some good planning we can significantly decrease how good a target we are and reduce the risk that we will be a victim of street crime and this blog is some suggestions for you on how to do that.
I am asking that we make this topic a dialogue, not just a blog from Bill. My wife Beth is helping me on this and has authored the section below on the female perspective on lowering risk. If any of you have additional inputs on ways to make it difficult for pickpockets and purse snatchers to get your valuables, stories you have heard or been part of regarding street crime, or scams to be on the lookout for, please share them. You can add comments to this post or you can email me any thoughts you have on this topic at bill@billwinefoodtravel.com. I will take those additional inputs and do either an update or a 2nd blog on this topic with any additional ideas that might help us all. If you disagree with any of our suggestions, please let us know. We are very interested in any ideas that can make things safer for us when we travel. Please share anything that can help all of us enjoy historic sites instead of talking to police officers in another country or trying to replace cash, credit cards, and passports in a foreign city.
The focus here is on street crime, not more serious forms of crime. If someone threatens you with a weapon and demands any valuables that you have, our only suggestion is to do exactly what they want so you can walk away and replace what was taken. The focus here is on how you can become much less interesting to people looking to pick your pocket, take your purse or camera or phone, or steal your luggage. In this post I will talk about the topics below:
- Most common forms of street crime
- Some common scams that you should be aware of so you are not distracted and become a much easier target
- Some things that all of us can and should do to make ourselves less of a target and reduce the loss if we are targeted
- Some things that men should do related to the clothes they wear that will make them much less of a target
- Some things that women should do regarding the purses that they carry that will make them much less of a target
Common Forms of Street Crime
The people committing street crime look for ways that you will not be able to catch or identify them and, where possible, you don’t even know that you were a victim until they are well away from you. Picking someone’s pocket may be one of the oldest criminal activities in record history with men the most common targets. We have more pockets, and we generally keep most if not all of the valuables we are carrying in those pockets, so thieves are looking to remove those things from our pockets without our noticing they are doing it. One of the ways that they do that is work with a partner who distracts us while our pockets are being emptied. Because we are men, one of the most effective distractions is a very attractive young woman dressed to show us how attractive they are.
The corresponding threat to women is purse snatching because that is where women keep their valuables. Sometimes in a jostling crowd, they use a razor or sharp knife to slit open a purse and pull out the contents while the purse owner is distracted by the contact with the crowd, several of which are probably their partners in crime. More commonly the purse snatcher uses a grab and go strategy of pulling the bag off the woman’s shoulder and getting away quickly. Sometimes that is running away to alleys and buildings they know where you will not be able to follow them. Increasingly they are using faster forms of transportation like motorcycles, motor scooters, and bicycles. A couple of 12 year olds on bikes may not look like much of a threat but they can be trained gang members who will ride quickly by you, grab the purse off your shoulder, and speed away out of sight quickly. Beth will cover a few things in her suggestions section that will make them much less interested you as a target.
We have heard stories of people driving cars with the windows down and arms outside the window stopped at a light or driving slowly in city traffic having expensive watches pulled off their wrists or smart phones grabbed out of their hands. If you have a very nice SLR camera and lean out of your car window to take a great picture, you are at risk of that camera being taken out of your hands. I strongly suggest not putting anything outside your car windows, especially if you are in stop and go traffic.
Your luggage is also an attractive target. You need to be close to your luggage at all times when you are traveling and not move away from it to hail a cab or unload it into a hotel lobby. More on this under Scams below.
Scams To Be On The Lookout For
One very common scam is dropped coins. We heard from friends who were checking into a hotel in London that a very attractive women walked through the lobby and right in front of them she dropped a handful of coins on the floor. When she bent down to pick them up, her blouse provided a very interesting view. Being gentlemen, the people checking in bent down to help her retrieve her coins. When they stood up they saw a car driving away from the front of the hotel and their luggage was no where to be seen. Of course, the women who dropped the coins knew nothing about their luggage being stolen.
Having heard that story I was immediately on alert when Beth and I were getting on a subway in Barcelona at rush hour. The person ahead of me dropped a handful of coins just as he started into the subway car. When he dropped down to pick the coins up he was blocking anyone from getting onto the train. The people behind us were pushing up against us to get on and I immediately suspected that several of them were picking pockets in the crush of the crowd they had created. My wallet was in my front pocket of my slacks and I put my hand down in that pocket over the wallet until we were safely in the train. I checked and Beth was following all the suggestions she makes below so no one could grab her purse and disappear into the crowd. If you are in any tourist location and someone drops some coins, it was not an accident, even if they are a lovely woman or a 10 year old child. Everyone in the vicinity of where those coins were dropped is a target and you need to be very defensive.
Another version of this scam is someone falling down and making loud noises like they are about to throw up. This is again a distraction so you are not thinking about possible threats and creating crowd situations where there are multiple people in contact with you, one of which could be in your pockets and others looking to grab a purse and get away while you are blocked in and not able to move. The minute you see any situation like that look to distance yourself from the other people in the area and be on high alert.
Reducing Your Target Profile – Everyone
There are some pretty simple things that all of us can do that will significantly reduce the risk we face from street crime.
- Five pocket pants, slacks, and shorts for men and women – Pants that have a thigh pocket that zippers can significantly cut down on your risks and are available for both men and women. Wallets and other valuables can go in that zippered pocket and because it is right in front of you and down on your thigh, it would be very difficult for anyone to get down that low, open up the zipper, and put their hand next to your thigh without your being aware of it and easily able to push them away. The link below is for the pants shown in the picture as one example.
- Cards with RFID chips – most credit cards and some other forms of ID now have chips built into them so it is easier and faster to use them. But with today’s technology someone can be walking towards you on the sidewalk and as they pass by you they have a scanner that reads those chips and they immediately have access to all the information about your credit cards and ID cards that have a chip. All of those cards should be stored in a wallet that is certified to block RFID. The signals from the chips cannot be read until one of those cards is removed from the blocking wallet. The only wallets you should be using today, men and women, are RFID blocking wallets. This is not just when traveling, you should not leave your home without any RFID chips being effectively blocked. If you have an older wallet that for sentimental or fashion reasons you need to use, there are blocking sleeves you can buy from Amazon and other resellers. Put all of the cards you will have in that old wallet in individual sleeves and they will be safe. Yes, it is a pain to pull them out of sleeves and put them back, but any unblocked cards are a significant risk.
- Money belts are a very good way to keep valuable things in a place that criminals don’t know you have. I have heard of people having problems going through the security scans at the airport wearing a money belt. Security can be concerned about what you might have in that belt and if anything sets off the magnetic alarm, you need to go under your clothes to that money belt and pull everything out so you can pass security. Putting your money belt in your carryon bag while you go through security is probably a very good idea. You can then go into a rest room stall once you are through security and put on the money belt. You could also consider putting the money belt on after you land if it would be uncomfortable on long flights, especially if you are trying to sleep. There are lots of money belt options on Amazon to choose from and many of them are listed with Free Returns which means you can order it, look it over when it is delivered and compare different products and keep the one you like and send back the ones you don’t want for a full refund, including shipping costs.
- The Money Belt discussion leads to the topic of what you should carry with you when you will be visiting high traffic tourist locations. The short answer is only what you are going to need that day. Do not carry valuables that you do not need that day which can be lost or stolen. That is a risk you don’t need to take. In most countries, especially in Europe, you do not need to carry your passport with you. Once you check into the hotel, it should stay in your room. You do want some from of government ID and a Drivers License is fine for that. We have had electronic copies of our Vaccination Card accepted any time they were asked for. You don’t need to carry five credit cards with you, a primary and a backup are plenty. If you are traveling as a couple one of you can carry the primary credit card and the other the backup card, which should not be the spouses copy of the primary credit card. It should be for a different credit card account so if there is any issue related to the account for the primary credit card, the backup will not be affected. You also do not need to take large amounts of cash with you. Unless I am going somewhere that I know I have to pay an expensive thing in cash, I take about 100 Euro, or the equivalent for the country I am in, in mixed bills and leave the rest of my cash in the safe in the hotel room. There is a discussion about paying in cash or using credit cards under the bullet point below.
- The one card you want to be especially careful with is your Debit Card from your bank. If that gets stolen and is hacked, all your accounts could be at risk. Even if they just get your pin number somehow, they could take out the max withdrawal at least once. I only carry that card with me when I plan to go to one of the ATM’s that is affiliated with my bank, so I don’t pay extra fees. I try to only do that once each vacation trip, and twice if I end up using more cash than I planned. I take out the maximum amount allowed so I can keep the debit card in the safe in my room at the hotel every day but that day. When we leave Europe, the UK, or Canada we try to have at least 100 Euro, Pounds, or Canadian Dollars that we take home with us. That way we have local currency when we arrive the next time.
- The best exchange rate you will get is using your credit cards and paying in the local currency, even if they offer the ability to pay in dollars. The second-best exchange rate you will get is the ATMs that are affiliated with your bank and you can find that on your bank website. Going to your bank to purchase foreign currency can be done but you will pay more for that than if you use the ATM in country. The WORST exchange rate you will get is any of the booths that buy and sell different currencies. Also, ATMs at airports often have additional fees when you use them. You want to land with enough local currency to pay for a cab to your hotel, even if you plan to take a bus or subway there just so you have the option of a cab if you need that. Tips for any porters at the airport or hotel also need to be in the local currency. With 100 Euro I am fine if I don’t get to the ATM until my second day there and taking the max withdrawal gives me the cash I need with some to take home since I pay with credit cards where possible. This is not related to defense against street crime, but since the discussion was on Debit Cards and ATMs so I decided to include it.
- Beth and I still travel with a high end digital camera and several lenses for it. Yes, our phones have very good cameras, and whichever one of us is not using the digital camera is taking pictures with our phone. But we have used SLR cameras since we had to carry bags of film in foil bags so the airport X Rays did not fog the film and we like the ability to take shots with different lenses and camera settings. For all the other old people like us who still lug around an expensive digital camera, the camera needs to have a strap that cannot be cut with a knife or razor and that strap needs to be around you neck, not over your shoulder so the camera cannot be tugged off your shoulder as discussed above under purse snatching. Our camera bag that we carry with us with additional lenses, spare batteries, and lens filters is travel safe just the travel purses that Beth talks about in her section below.
- You should put all of your credit cards on a scanner and copy the front and back right after reading this blog post. If any, or all, of those cards are stolen you have all the information to call and get them taken out of service and new ones issued quickly. You should also have a color scan of your passport in case it is lost or stolen, and your drivers license, Vaccination Card, and other key ID. Having all of that information in a folder is a safe location in your house can make dealing with lost or stolen cards much easier, even when you are not traveling.
- Those scanned pages need to be printed and not saved on your phone or tablet. All mobile devices must be password protected. Having face recognition as an alternative to a password is fine but if a mobile device is lost or stolen, you do not want someone able to pick it up and access everything on it. If it is stolen, that password protection is not going to stop serious thieves. You should not have any files, documents, pictures, or other information on any of your mobile devices that would be a serious problem for you if they were in the hands of a thief. Applications like Google Photo are convenient, so your pictures are always available on any device. But that availability also means that there is only minimal security on anything that is in Google photos.
- So where can you safely keep the copies of your scanned credit cards, passport, and ID? I keep them in a locked suitcase or in a bag like a knapsack that never leaves my side when traveling. When I check into a hotel that folder with that information, my passport, all of the cash I do not plan on using that day, and all but two of my credit cards go into the safe in my hotel room. Is a hotel safe as secure as a safe deposit box in my bank – absolutely not. But is it far more secure then trying to hide them somewhere in a hotel room or having them on a mobile device that can be stolen.
Suggestions for Men On How To Reduce Your Risk Of Street Crime – Bill Stewart
No man should ever carry a wallet in their back pocket. Not just when traveling – NEVER. It is just way too easy for someone to relieve you of that burden. Wallets need to be in your front pocket where you are much more likely to be aware of someone else’s hand in that pocket. And there is a whole new generation of front pocket wallets that are RFID secure and challenge that we need to carry so many things around with in that big fat wallet. Put everything that you have in your wallet on the table and look at when was the last time you needed that outside of your house. And which things you did need, could have a very good home in your car?
There are many front packet wallets on Amazon and more coming all the time as men move to this new paradigm. I have tried two of them. Exster wallets are top of the line in quality, appearance, and price. The little push button that pops up five credit cards is really nice. But at this stage in my life both at home and when I travel, I need to carry three Medicare related cards plus drivers license and two credit cards. Three if I have my debit card to go to an ATM so the five card limit just does not work for me. Also any cash can only go under an inside elastic strap. If you are 99+% cashless then this could be a good choice for you. I am probably closer to 90% cashless and I want to keep at least $50 in mixed bills with me.
My primary wallet now is the Havenhurst Slim Minimalist Front Pocket RFID Blocking Metal Wallet with Money Clip in the picture to the left. It was only $30, and it will hold at least 7 credit cards. I can push them up for easy access with the curved notch in the lower left corner. My cash goes in the money clip on the one side. I also have just a standalone money clip that I can use to have the wallet in one pocket and the money clip, maybe with the backup credit card in a different pocket so if the wallet is lost or stolen somehow, I still have cash and a credit card. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091JH8P34?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details
I also have a case for my iPhone that has a couple of slots and pocket so I keep emergency cash and another credit card there. That case with the fold over cover has also eliminated what was a lot of pocket dialing.
I have long been jealous that fashion demands that I cram all the things that I need to carry into different pockets while women had purses that had everything in one place and held much more than I could fit into my pockets. But in the area of security from street crime, wearing pants or shorts with a belt gave me an option that Beth only had when she was wearing slacks with a belt which did not happen very often. For years I have had a slim leather pouch about 4 x 6 with a zipper compartment on each side. It has a little loop at the top that feeds through my belt. I can have it hang down inside either of my front pockets but mostly I have it hanging inside my pants. The only indication that it is there is the tiny black leather strap around my belt that is virtually unnoticeable. I put my passport in one of the zipper compartments and large denominate cash and credit cards in the other. Just a tug on the strap and it is up and available to me to access any of the contents but until then it is totally out of site and unreachable. I just ordered a new one that is RFID safe and this one lets me put either a black or a brown strap around my belt so it is even harder to see that I have it. The picture is of the new one and below is a link to it in Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I5IWC1E/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Suggestions for Women On How To Reduce Your Risk Of Street Crime – Beth Stewart
I am fussy about what I want to carry all day. It must be a crossbody bag as they are the safest and can’t be easily ripped away from you. PacSafe and Travelon are the best & most reliable bags on the market. My wallet and passport case are also by Pacsafe or Travelon and are RFDI protected.
- These items are not terribly expensive and are nice enough to be everyday bags.
- The cost is worth not losing your pocketbook, credit cards, etc
- They are comfortable to wear all day
Generally, I check out the Pacsafe and Travelon websites. Then I look for the same bag on Amazon and order from there because returns are easy and generally free. I will order several bags that look promising and then literally pack them with what I personally feel I need to carry. I keep the one I like the most and send the others back for full refunds.
Each person has different “needs” as to what they feel they must carry and therefore what I love may not work for you. I am lucky since Bill carries the heavy-duty large day backpack. My crossbody bag has just my medications, wallet with cash, credit cards, etc. and items for daily use.
For our last 2 trips theTravelon Anti-Theft Tour Bag, Medium, Black, One Size shown in the picture has been my ‘go-to’ bag. Pricing varies by color and if Amazon wants it to be on sale! The slash-resistant body construction and slash-resistant, adjustable shoulder strap means that no one can quickly cut the strap and take my bag even though is to cross body and they can’t slit it open while I am distracted and take out the contents. Every zipper and the strap attachments to the body have locking mechanisms so it is very difficult for any pickpockets to get into the bag grab the contents, even when I am being bumped by multiple people in a big crowd at a popular tourist site. That pouch can hold a tablet and it has an RFID blocking card and passport slots. A mesh expansion pocket holds a water bottle. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005AIIGL2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For ‘light travel’ in the city I carry the smaller Travelon Anti-Theft Classic Mini Shoulder Bag, Black, One Size, 8.5 x 8.5 x 2. It has the same slash resistant body construction, locking mechanisms on all the zippers, RFID Blocking, and a passport slot. But no place to put a tablet or water bottle. It has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005AIIPLS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
When I am going through the airport I use a Passport wallet that is by Pacsafe. It is RFID safe, zips closed, and holds my passport, cash, credit cards, a pen and boarding pass all in one place and I don’t need to be going through my purse to find anything I need for security. It has a wire reinforced strap so in the airport I can safely wear it over my shoulder or around my neck. https://pacsafe.com/collections/rfid-blocking-passport-wallets
Both Pacsafe and Travelon have a broad range of products that make travel safer. Links to both sites are below and I suggest you explore them to see what products you might be interested in. If you then go to Amazon you can get user reviews, a good price, and the ability to have different products shipped to your home to look at and hold and then return the ones you don’t want to keep.
https://www.travelonbags.com/home
Summary
The intent of this post was to make you feel more comfortable traveling, and more secure. We hope it does not have the reverse effect and make you so concerned about street crime that you are afraid to travel. Beth and I have never been a victim of street crime. We have been traveling to other countries almost every year for over 35 years and we have two trips scheduled to Europe later this year. We had the one instance in Barcelona where we saw a scam happening and were able to avoid it and not have a problem. With some preparation and planning, street crime is not a reason for you to miss out on seeing some of the world’s great attractions.
The people committing street crime are looking for easy victims. Beth and I do initially catch their attention with my white hair as older people are considered easier targets. But when their scan sees no wallet in my back pocket and Beth wearing a very safe purse crossbody, they quickly can tell that we will not be easy victims, and they turn their attention to others that are obviously easier targets. The simple suggestions we are making here can put you in that same category of then deciding you are not worth the risk. And if they do try and manage to succeed, you will have minimized what they get and made it much easier for you to recover from it. Again, we have never had to do that but we take the steps suggest above so we are comfortable traveling to interesting places around the world.
Please share your experiences and suggestions either to me at bill@billwinetravelfood.com or as comments to this post so we can help all the people interested in this topic travel safer.
Bill's Thoughts on Wine, Travel, and Food 
WOW…there is lots of REAT stuff in here, Bill and Beth. Well Done! I am going online right now looking for one of those pocket wallets. Dave
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