How to Avoid Getting Robbed When Traveling Overseas

There are many articles online giving great vacation security tips on how not to be robbed and what to do if the disaster happens and separate ways with your possessions. Getting robbed is usually a quick act. Running abroad can quickly become a nightmare if you happen to come across pickpockets or fraudsters.

Traveling is a great way to experience the world and enrich your life. You could be robbed, attacked, or stuck in a war zone. To help you come back from your travels with all your possessions, here are a few tips on how to avoid getting robbed during the trip.

Use A Money Belt

Use A Money Belt

Tourists stick out like a sore thumb. Pickpockets are plentiful in countries around the world, and you’d be amazed at how quickly you can clean a handbag or backpack without realizing it. So the best way to make sure your important documents are kept safe is to put them in a money belt.

Money belts are like a fanny pack but fit seamlessly under your clothes so that not only are they hidden, they aren’t terribly uncomfortable either. Zip your passport, credit cards, and cash in, then slide it around your waist.

Buy A Suitcase Lock

Buy A Suitcase Lock

An easy way to prevent this is to buy a TSA-approved security lock for your luggage. Available everywhere, including drug stores, the combo locks will hopefully be enough to ward off unappetizing people who are likely to simply move over to an unprotected bag.

The key here is to make sure your lock is TSA approved, so airport officials can get into it with a special code if required. If you’re one of those people who use the same password for everything. And you’re not sure you can remember a combination.

Beware of Pickpockets

Beware of Pickpockets

Pickpockets like to target rich people because well, it’s a bigger payday. If you are traveling to an area known for pickpocketing, you really shouldn’t do anything that shows your wealth. If you see a sign to be careful of pickpockets. Your first instinct might be to reach down and look for your wallet or credit card.

They also keep a look at people who are clearly not familiar with the area, which is why they are notorious for operating in popular tourist locations. If you’ve buried your head on a map or stuck to Google Maps, pickpockets will use your distraction and confusion to cross something out of you.

Appear Confident

Appear Confident

This applies equally to women and men, be self-confident and walk with your head raised. Do not be sure where you are going or what you are doing because this is once again an invitation to the thieves. Robbers do not come after travelers who are sure and appear strong.

Talented thieves are less likely to target you if you are sure of your location and destination, so don’t try to look lost, especially if you are. No robbery is a good start if you get a good look at the perpetrator, and they know it.

Travel Light

Travel Light

Though you like to use your fancy gear, leaving behind your most expensive possessions will give you the security that is absolutely priceless. If instead, you choose to capture special moments with your phone or even a disposable camera, you still have images that you can cherish forever.

We all carry expensive things like cell phones and cameras with us when we travel. To avoid being robbed during the trip, the easiest thing you can do is not to let the whole world know that you have expensive items.