No matter where you are travelling, there are always chances that you can be petty theft or looted. Unfortunately but often, tourists in the bumbling environment have their valuable materials in their wallet or handbag. It is not a new thing to hear tourist getting theft or looted when travelling.
I got petty theft last December evening on my travel destination. I hadn’t imagined getting travel theft even in my nightmare. But that did happen and I lost, not only my money but also the excitement and happy energy to travel.
Now:
Like me, you never know where your personal belonging might be unsafe. That day, I was the victim and today, the victim can be you. But as they say: prevention is better than cure and prevention can always be taken, right?
The deal is:
Rather than only thinking about the consequences of travel theft, you should be applying the methods that prevent theft when travelling.
How Can You Prevent Yourself from Theft While Travelling?
I’ll give you 9 methods of prevention that can you can apply for a safe trip with no regrets related to the gloomy memories of getting travel theft.
1. ALWAYS RESEARCH about your exploration area.
Before taking a step, you must know the area that you are about to travel.
You can go through the books related to that place. Get in touch with any of the locals for the information on its environment.
There are many travel vlogs and articles on the internet which will be very useful for your research. You can also ask your travel related questions on Reddit where many people will reply with different answers.
Your research will help you to keep a clear idea of your destination. It will also introduce you to the needs which will help you in safe and comfortable travelling.
2. Don’t knock off your senses or go off guard and keep distance from the sticky crowd.
Okay, I am a person who is always off guard and in my own world. Let me tell you a very bad travelling experience my life.
Once, when I got into a sticky crowd, I got my money and ATM card stolen from the back-pocket of my jeans. All the excitement inside me to travel and party flew to someone else’s hand along with my money.
Please don’t invite the thieves with the kind mistakes like I made!
3. Only carry the valuable goods that you will actually need for the day.
It is not necessary to always carry all the belongings that are unnecessary for you in that day. Try to split and separate some cash from you on day to day basis of your journey.
The best method of prevention is to leave your valuable belongings in the safe of your hotel. You can also keep your valuable belongings inside an anti-theft luggage.
DO NOT leave your valuable belongings inside your car. The looters are pretty good at breaking the glass of your car and swiping everything away.
4. DO NOT TRUST the strangers, be a typical tourist or flaunt your possessions.
Looters always want to prey a person with heavy pockets. When you tell them about your possessions, it creates beneficial reasons for them to loot you.
Too much of trust that too for strangers can bring you a nightmare in your sweet dream of travelling days. The more you open up, the easier it gets for the thieves to study you and make a smart move to swipe away your belongings.
5. Use anti-theft accessories and disguise your valuables.
The market now consists of anti-theft accessories that can keep our belongings safe from theft while travelling. Some of them are:
- anti-theft backpacks
- purse, clothes with smart pockets
- security belts and pockets
Be creative and make your own anti-theft accessories!
- Roll your money and keep it inside a container of empty lip balm.
- Keep your credit cards and passport packed in an aaluminumfoil. Then, place it inside a ziplock bag to make it look like a packed sandwich. Make sure that the packet looks flat yet thick for a disguise that is too good to doubt.
- Keep your important jewels like diamond rings and earrings inside a makeup container.
- Keep your thin papers and cards inside a packet of tissue between the tissues.
- Keep your thin papers and cards inside a packet of sanitary napkins between the napkins.
6. Keep your wallet, phone, etc. in touch with your sensory organs.
We all have a habit of keeping our wallet or phone in the side-most pocket of our bag or in the pocket behind your jeans. This is an amazing way to invite thieves to steal your belonging along with your happiness.
Keeping my money in the pocket behind my jeans was THE MAIN REASON of me getting travel theft.
Keeping your materials near to your skin will help you feel the presence of your material. So, if you follow that method then you will know if someone is trying to take your material away from you.
7. Follow up for the safety of your belongings while travelling is a must!
Well, that does not mean that you always have to look around for your belongings even when you are walking! Whenever you are about to leave a place like a café, do look around your area to make sure that you have not left anything.
8. Have a dummy wallet with yourself with least amount of money.
Always carry 2 wallets. Fill one with some heavy cash and cards and other with only some pennies. when you do this, if anyone tries to loot you then you can surrender your dummy wallet with pennies to them. And with this trick, your valuable paper and cards will be safe.
9. Also, keep your digital data and information safe.
While travelling, we connect to different networks which might not be as safe as we expect it to be. There can be a chance that the networks that we are connecting to can be using our digital data and information illegally. So, it would be better to know if the networks you are connecting to are safe or not.
But in the end:
You should always prepare yourself to cope up with the web of theft if it hits our fate by chance.
Some ways to prepare yourself for any unlucky encounter of travel theft can be:
- Keep copies of your important documents.
- Stamping your valuable goods with travel insurance is a way to get some amount for your loss in your hand.
With the application of these preventive measures, you will most probably be “theft-free” while travelling. And as you realize that your valuable materials are safe, you will not have to hold onto the fear of theft.
Happy and safe travelling, traveller!
- How Can You Prevent Yourself from Theft While Travelling?
- 1. ALWAYS RESEARCH about your exploration area.
- 2. Don’t knock off your senses or go off guard and keep distance from the sticky crowd.
- 3. Only carry the valuable goods that you will actually need for the day.
- 4. DO NOT TRUST the strangers, be a typical tourist or flaunt your possessions.
- 5. Use anti-theft accessories and disguise your valuables.
- 6. Keep your wallet, phone, etc. in touch with your sensory organs.
- 7. Follow up for the safety of your belongings while travelling is a must!
- 8. Have a dummy wallet with yourself with least amount of money.
- 9. Also, keep your digital data and information safe.
- But in the end:
