It is almost a certainty that it is when you are traveling or on vacation that things will go wrong. Travel can be expensive enough as it is without expensive mistakes which could be avoided, resulting in a dislike for your chosen location and its people. Situations like this can even escalate and it is not uncommon where people are reluctant to leave their room or even have to spend time in a Police station trying to explain the problem. Common sense is still the single most important tool for traveling safely when you’re in a foreign land, meeting new people, walking down strange roads, eating and drinking new things.
Trust your instincts if something doesn’t feel right, do something about it. Before you go out, consider if you actually need all your credit cards, cash, passports and airline tickets because if someone does manage to get hold of them, you will be left with nothing. Take just what you need for the day and leave the rest in the hotel safe as it is better to lose a little, rather then everything. A handy tip is to place a small amount of money in a number of locations like bags or pockets then if you happen to lose a bag, visa card or money, you will still have something there to keep you going until it can be resolved.
Many couples who have not adopted the travel safely ethos will have 2 credit cards, both accessing the same account; it is much easier to use two cards, each accessing separate accounts so if one is lost or stolen, there is a backup. A big thing now is bag and camera snatching from people strolling along, often in the road and unaware of the potential danger so make sure you wear the backpack on your back and sling your camera over your head and shoulder. Some of the easiest crimes involve snatch thieves that may actually work in teams; they locate unsuspecting victims who have a bag on their shoulder for instance that can be easily grabbed by a passing cycle or scooter. Everyone has heard the stories of different confidence tricks that have happened to vacationers because they are relaxed and let their guard down but the truth is these people do this sort of thing for a living.
It is often our arrogance that lets us become victims of theft and other deceptions because we do not believe that anyone will pull the wool over our eyes but this is how the criminals earn their living. For instance, when carrying small bags (rucksacks for example), it is not a difficult job to place a small combination lock on it to put thieves off; remember they are always looking for the easy victim!