Leo Gillick
Certain cities have become synonymous with pickpockets. US tourists stick out like a sore thumb and have become easy targets for light-fingered thieves. However, there are a few things the wary traveller can do to stay safe from pickpockets on holiday.
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Europe is a pickpocket hotspot. London, Barcelona, and Rome have become rife with thieves slipping their nimble fingers into the bags and pockets of unwitting tourists. As they gormlessly wander around, marveling at the beauty of yesteryear’s architecture, sneaky bandits rifle their pockets and purses
Zip It Up
Whether it’s a purse or a backpack, having a zip on your belongings puts another obstacle between your valuables and a pickpocket. It’s always a better idea to keep your stuff behind a zip. The tug it takes to pull it open can sometimes be enough for you to notice, or just a little too much of an effort for a thief.
The Clue is In The Name
Rule number one in any busy city is don’t keep stuff in your pockets. The name pickpocket is kind of an easy giveaway, but there is nowhere easier to steal from. Keep as little as you can in your pockets.
When I travel, especially in more dangerous cities, I’ll carry a sling bag on my front and leave nothing in my pockets. All it takes is a pickpocket to push up against you in a crowd while on holiday, and boom, your phone is history.
Flaunt It, Lose It
I’ve seen everywhere from the promenades of Rio de Janeiro to the pavements of Brick Lane, London. Tourists, trying to get the perfect selfie, waving their new iPhones around, unaware of the thieves watching them. What they see is a photo op; what a pickpocket sees is some mug waving a $1000 pay cheque.
Pickpockets don’t always work in sneaky movements and subterfuge. Now, more than ever, they’re on the backs of motos or scooters, flying past sidewalks, snatching phones. If you want to avoid being a target of pickpockets on holiday, don’t go waving your wealth around.
This goes for phones, sunglasses, expensive jewelry, and designer goods. Flaunt it, lose it.
If You Don’t Need It, Don’t Take It
I hear people moaning that they had laptops, passports, credit cards, and all sorts of things stolen by pickpockets while on holiday. My first question is why on earth they had their passports or any of the rest on them while out of the house.
If you don’t need to take it with you, and you can leave it back in the hotel, do that. Leave as little for a pickpocket to snatch as possible. When I live in certain countries, I won’t even take my main phone out with me. Having a mobile phone stolen that has all your bank details, logins, and contacts on it sucks.
Buy a cheap $100 burner phone for yourself. It’ll defuse a robbery, and you’ll lose nothing of value.
Trust Your Gut, Know Your Place
Sure, the back streets of Barcelona and the Communities of Medellin might seem dangerous and exciting, but you don’t belong there. If something or somewhere doesn’t feel safe, just turn around and go the other way.
If the destination you need to go to is on the other side of a dangerous place, get a taxi. If even the taxi won’t take you there, maybe make new plans. Trust me.
I see so many tourists falling prey to pickpockets on holiday because they want to wander into somewhere they don’t belong. Dangerous might feel daring, but more often than not, it’s just inviting a bad situation. Don’t make yourself a target.
