Outsmarting Pickpockets and Thieves

By Rick Steves 

A money belt tucked underneath your clothes keeps your essentials on you as securely and thoughtlessly as your underweaCrowded transit lines that cover tourist sights are happy hunting grounds for pickpockets — stay in physical contact with your bags.

While Europe has little violent crime, it does have its share of petty purse snatching, pickpocketing, phone grabbing, and general ripping off of tourists — especially in places where tourists gather. Thieves target vacationers — not because they're mean, but because they're smart. Travelers have all the good stuff in their bags and wallets. Loaded down with valuables, jetlagged, and bumbling around in a strange new environment, we stick out like jeweled thumbs. If I were a European street thief, I'd specialize in Americans — my card would say "Yanks R Us."

If you're not constantly on guard, you'll have something stolen. One summer, four out of five of my traveling companions lost cameras in one way or another. (Don't look at me.) But in more than 4,800 days of travel, I've been pickpocketed only once (on the Paris Métro, on a rare day I didn't wear my money belt) and mugged a single time (in a part of London where only fools and thieves tread).

My various rental cars have been broken into a total of six times (broken locks, shattered windows, lots of nonessential stuff taken), and one car was hot-wired (and abandoned a few blocks away after the thief found nothing to take). Not one of my hotel rooms has ever been rifled through, and I simply don't let thoughts of petty crime — or the rare instance of it — spoil the fun of being abroad.

Many tourists get indignant when pickpocketed or ripped off. If it happens to you, it's best to get over it quickly. You're rich and thieves aren't. You let your guard down and they grabbed your camera. It ruins your day and you have to buy a new one, while they sell it for a week's wages on their scale. It's wise to keep a material loss in perspective.

There probably aren't more thieves in Europe than in the US. We just notice them more because they target tourists. But remember, nearly all crimes suffered by tourists are nonviolent and avoidable. Be aware of the possible pitfalls of traveling, but relax and have fun. Limit your vulnerability rather than your travels.

If you exercise adequate discretion, stay aware of your belongings, and avoid putting yourself into risky situations (such as unlit, deserted areas at night), your travels should be about as dangerous as hometown grocery shopping. Don't travel fearfully — travel carefully.

Here's some advice given to me by a thief who won the lotto.

Be prepared. Before you go, take steps to minimize your loss in case of theft. Make copies of key documents, and store them online. Consider getting theft insurance for expensive electronics. Leave your fancy bling at home. Luxurious luggage lures thieves. The thief chooses the most impressive suitcase in the pile — never mine.

Mobile payment technology reduces the need to handle your cards or cash; if you have a payment app such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal on your phone, become familiar with it before your trip.

If your phone disappears, you're out not just the cost of the device — but also the photos and personal data stored on it. It's smart to take extra precautions before your trip: Make sure you've got a "find my phone"-type app, back up your data, and enable password protection. While traveling, use the Wi-Fi at your hotel to back up your phone and its photos each night. If you don't know how to sync your stuff to the cloud, learn before your trip.

Wear a money belt. A money belt is a small, zippered fabric pouch on an elastic strap that fastens around your waist. I almost never travel without one — it's where I put anything I really, really don't want to lose.

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