Few places you visit might be dangerous concerning pickpocketing or petty theft. If you’re not careful or alert enough, you will have something stolen from you. Pickpocketing and purse- snatching are common in places where tourists mostly gather. You do not want to ruin your vacation by letting someone rob you. Almost all crimes that tourists come across are nonviolent and avoidable. Here are some tips and tricks on how to prepare yourself and avoid being robbed.
Before you head out for the day, make sure you take some steps to minimize your loss in case of theft. Get yourself photocopies of the essential documents such as the passport, car-rental voucher, itinerary prescription and any document that you need to carry with you. If you have expensive electronics (camera, smartphone, tablet, and so on.), consider getting theft insurance. Take a picture of it and keep the photo safe. This will help you in getting yourself an insurance claim. Also, if you do not want to lose your pictures, make sure you do backup your data often during the travel.
Here are a few tips that will help you avoid theft.
Money Belt
A money belt is a small pouch with a zip that you can wear on your waist. Invest in one of these as it will help you avoid theft as it is harder to snatch off a person’s body.
Leave Your Valuables in the Hotel Room
As mentioned before, it is always best to leave your expensive gear at home. You can carry your camera around, but things like your laptop could be kept safe in the hotel room. Expensive things like your laptop is way safer in your room than with you in a day bag on the streets.
Be Aware of Your Belongings
Travelers are more likely to lose their bags without them knowing than to have them stolen. A lot of people leave behind their passports, bags on the overhead rack on the bus/flight, and cameras in the taxi or at some cafe. Remember always to take a look behind you before you leave any place or form of transportation.
And while you’re at your hotel make sure you stick to an unpacking routine and do not put things in odd places in your room. Prepare a checklist and every time you pack, go through it to know if you’ve left something behind or not. Before you leave the hotel room to have a quick overall search.
When you’re going out, never unresponsively set down any vital thing, for example, a camera, tablet, wallet, or rail pass. Either hold it with you or keep it in your bag. When you’re in a café or something, don’t put your mobile on the tabletop where it will be anything but difficult to be stolen — keep it in your front pocket/ Make it a habit to be cautious with your things; it’ll turn out to be second nature.