Travel Tips: Scams, Hassle & Safety
Mugging money
Getting mugged is never going to be pleasant but you can reduce the impact by minimising the amount of money you lose. Create a mugger's wallet containing a few dollars that you can readily hand over instead of your main travel funds and bank cards. Be creative and make it look real with a few old items such as expired bank, phone or discount cards, receipts, stamps etc. With any luck you won't have to use it or, like me, you will lose it to a pickpocket instead.
Don't get stuck in crowds during a festival
Crowds and tourists attract pickpockets so a crowded festival attended by tourists will attract pickpockets like moochers to a free buffet. Be aware that the crowd can move suddenly and you can quickly be crowded in with no way to move freely. When it happened to me I was aware of the probing hands, if not who they belonged to, and was able to protect the high value currency in my pockets (I'd just been to the bank) and my camera and only lost the four pounds in my mugging wallet.
Your money or your life
An easy choice you would think but we can get very attached to our stuff, especially when everything we own is carried on our backs. If someone sticks a gun in your face and demands everything just hand it over. If you are in a gun toting poor country where this scenario is possible train your mind before hand that your possessions just ain't worth the risk of hesitation. Otherwise leave anything you can't bear to part with behind or put it in a locker for the duration of your stay.
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