Avoiding Theft in Europe

[olafLover]

True, you will see European women walking around with all types of purses. They like their Gucci, Coach, Louis V, just like Americans do. You will also see lots of backpacks being worn by locals. Just don't walk around with your life savings in your bag. A few Euros, a credit card and your cell phone is all you need. I'm with you I'm not going into a restroom to pull out my money.....that's if you can find a bathroom. Yeah don't get me started on European bathrooms....ewww.

At least our bathrooms doors close...

 

[Shanti]

petty tourist crime in Europe Has mainly been an issue by european gypies ( Romaniens etc. ) begging , professional teams using kids for theft. Ex kids beg and adult pockets as younare distracted. They have nothing to lose and would steal your Glasses.

All kinds of people steal, pickpocket, & pull con jobs, not just (or even mainly) one minority group. The Romani ("gypsies") have been persecuted throughout Europe, & were killed and experimented on in Nazi concentration camps, so maybe we shouldn't throw them under the bus here?

One surprising comment I've read is that European thieves are often well-dressed and mainstream-looking. That can be part of their cover, that they sometimes look prosperous & mainstream.

 

[mousefan73]

All kinds of people steal, pickpocket, & pull con jobs, not just (or even mainly) one minority group. The Romani ("gypsies") have been persecuted throughout Europe, & were killed and experimented on in Nazi concentration camps, so maybe we shouldn't throw them under the bus here?

One surprising comment I've read is that European thieves are often well-dressed and mainstream-looking. That can be part of their cover, that they sometimes look prosperous & mainstream.

True one should not judge one minority but they are very visable. I see them every day on my commute at Frankfurt Main Trainstation. They even have announcements for "travelers please watch your bags and please note at the moment there are organized beggers about". We see them in our village stealing copper metal from buildings, homes and a few years back the copper roof off of a Madonna statue and the copper drains from our church. , now not all are true Romanis but many stem from southeast europe, where regions are poorer. . Unfortantely most of these people are trafficked and forced to beg/steal and give their procedes to their leaders.

 

[mousefan73]

At least our bathrooms doors close...

LOL! I totally get what you mean.. this expate now living in Europe can say European bathrooms are generall more clean AND give you privacy.. Now when I go back home I feel like there might as not be any stalls seeing that anyone can see me doing my biz through the large cracks in the stalls. Do any Stalls close for complete privacy..

I am always disgusted when I enter ORD I often use the toilets past immigration while waiting for my bags.. I feel like I just entered a 3rd world country when I enter those stalls.

 

[AquaDame]

Lets try to keep this thread on topic please and not go down the rabbit hole of who is to blame. Some of these comments are over the line and into political territory.

 

[lorenni]

I had a bag stolen in valencia - and it was literally right next to me and we were in an empty park. One minute it was there and the next it was not. We had just arrived and that bag had EVERYTHING in it from money to passport to eyeglasses.

My biggest advice would be to keep a copy of your passport in your hotel/suitcase. Didn’t do me any good as my suitcase decided to stay at the Newark airport that trip...(and this was the first vacation DH and I ever took together - it was a doozy). When the embassy asked if I had a copy I replied - “in fact I do. Ask me where it is...”. They did issue me an emergency passport despite the complete and total lack of ID.

Also be sure to file a police report. My homeowners insurance reimbursed me $2500 because I had a detailed list of what was in the bag, replacement cost, and a police report (which I plan to get framed for mine and DS’s 10th anniversary).

 

[cruiser21]

At least our bathrooms doors close...

Ours don't?????

 

[cruiser21]

LOL! I totally get what you mean.. this expate now living in Europe can say European bathrooms are generall more clean AND give you privacy.. Now when I go back home I feel like there might as not be any stalls seeing that anyone can see me doing my biz through the large cracks in the stalls. Do any Stalls close for complete privacy..

I am always disgusted when I enter ORD I often use the toilets past immigration while waiting for my bags.. I feel like I just entered a 3rd world country when I enter those stalls.

I was referring to the bathrooms in the outdoor cafes and such not airports. . It varies from country and in some country's you have to pay to pee. Many public toilets I found don't have seats. This was in Southern Europe. My point was don't always expect to be able to find a bathroom if you need it to get to your stash of hidden money.

 

[olafLover]

Ours don't?????

Well the doors close, but they might as well not with the gaps on either side

 

[3monkeys4me]

LOL! I totally get what you mean.. this expate now living in Europe can say European bathrooms are generall more clean AND give you privacy.. Now when I go back home I feel like there might as not be any stalls seeing that anyone can see me doing my biz through the large cracks in the stalls. Do any Stalls close for complete privacy..

I am always disgusted when I enter ORD I often use the toilets past immigration while waiting for my bags.. I feel like I just entered a 3rd world country when I enter those stalls.

Yes! I miss European bathrooms. The occasional one was dirty or gross but mostly the ones we found in our 3* years there were clean. And they had toilet paper! I would gladly pay for that. We've been in Asia for a bit over 2 years now and trying to find a bathroom with toilet paper is sometimes impossible. We have learned to carry our own. Though Japan does have my favorite bathrooms.

 

[aggiedog]

We've traveled all over the world. I love my Pacsafe bag. Predominantly because it's slash proof and the zipper locks. I also love the ability to lock/unlock the strap, so I can thread it thru a café chair, making it nearly impossible to steal without taking the whole chair. I keep a small wallet with credit cards in a zipped pocket inside my bag. I also carry a back pack, but it holds water, an umbrella, some wipes, and small items that have no value and I could easily replace. I've also used a money belt, but only when carrying large amounts of cash from the airport to the hotel/ship's room safe. We keep copies of our credit cards and passports, one in our luggage, and one in one of our carry on bags.

It pays to understand the typical scams - yes to the survey/gold ring/bracelet folks in Paris. Ugh. It also helps to know that it's ok to not be friendly when someone approaches you about those things. Firmly say no and keep walking. For Americans, I think this is the hardest part.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

It’s funny reading this thread. When I was a college student I wore money belts when traveling in Europe with friends, but too many years as a New Yorker has made me overconfident. I was planning on just bringing a zippered leather crossbody bag to Barcelona in November (assuming little DS is potty trained by then). I do worthy with the kids I’ll be more distracted and thus a more tempting target than if I was on my own. And DH does tend to put his phone down on tables to make sitting more comfortable. He would never wear a money belt but we will definitely remember to bring photocopies of all of our documents the way I did back in the day. It’s funny, in NYC the only place I worry about getting pickpocketed is Times Square. So many tourists gawking at the dirty Elmo’s and the lights....

 

[Belle2002]

Like others who have commented here, I have travelled quite bit with family, friends and solo to places where petty crime was a risk. I also used to be a TA and sold luxury adventure travel so my job was to educate my clients on how to be safe and avoid being robbed.

Basically, like many have said, you need to be aware of your surroundings (which always seems funny when you are travelling somewhere you have never been!!) but it’s really having confidence and being alert and aware of what’s going on around you.

Be aware of what is on your body. Whether you choose a money belt, cross the body purse or whatever. I have used a money belt, but it’s kind of a giveaway when you have to shove your hand down your pants to get your money! I prefer a small cross the body purse that only holds the essentials and I casually hang on to it all the time! In Barcelona you will frequently see people carry their backpacks on The front of their body. Also, nothing in your pockets.

Only take what you need for the day in terms of cash and cards. I never take huge amounts of cash with me and keep everything else locked in the room safe or locked in my suitcase.

No flashy jewels. Just keep it simple. I leave all the nice jewelry at home and just bring simple inexpensive stuff with me. I had a lot of wealthy clients who were armed with expensive jewels and designer stuff and some were very resistant and wanted to take it with them! Don’t! I know a woman who was in Barcelona, dripping in her real jewels, and was robbed.

I have been fortunate that I have not been robbed. I have been to Barcelona and to many other places and big cities in the world. My family was targeted in Barcelona by a lovely young European woman asking us for directions. Ummm clearly we were tourists! It was late at night, she pulled out a map and wanted our help. I was like - nope sorry and held my purse a little tighter! Was also approached in Paris with the whole “do you speak English” gimmick and in Sri Lanka with one of their known local scams.

Yes. The truth is, people get robbed but most do not!! You have just as much chance or better chance of being robbed in NYC! I used to live there and in one day witnessed 2 people get robbed on the street plus someone tried to pickpocket my dad on the subway!

My best advise is just be aware. I think it’s great that you have done your research and are well aware of the various scams and crazy brazen acts of pickpocketing in Barcelona. I did the same on my first trip to Barcelona and anywhere new that I go. With that in mind, you are one step ahead. Don’t fret, think about the amazing experience you will have. Barcelona is one of my favourite cities and has so much to offer. Have an amazing time!!

 

[olafLover]

Also, trust your instincts and get away if they alert you, even if it might be rude! I was in Nepal, a lot of local people approach you here and want to know where to from and things like that. I liked little conversations like that and always was polite. One time a guy asked the exact same question everybody else asked, but for some reason my instinct said no, don't talk to him, go away. So I indicated I didn't want to talk to him (alerted my companion at the time that it felt wrong and I was going away from the situation (a big advantage of talking a language almost nobody knows)) and walked away. He started to follow us! So I ran to our hotel, which luckily was close. I still don't know what he intended to do or why my instinct went of (he really didn't do anything special at that moment), but I'm sure glad I listened to it immediately!

 

[Dug720]

A few years ago, I had my phone ripped off my arm a block from my apartment (as in where I live in Brooklyn - NOT touring around overseas!) when I was starting out for a jog. So...

Never had an issue in Florence for a week, in Barcelona for a few days, or in any stop on my 12-night Med cruise two years ago (Villefranche, Livorno, Rome, Amalfi Coast, Venice, Ravenna, or Kotor). As @Belle2002 said, be aware of your surroundings and as @olafLover said, trust your instincts. Walk with confidence. Odds are you'll be fine!

One thing I've found to beat the "Look at me, I'm a tourist!" whipping out of a map and/or tour book is before I leave, I figure out where I am going to want to go in terms of major sites (which I'd hope you're doing anyway), then go to Google Maps and print out walking directions from point to point, each on a separate paper. Example: On my day in Rome, I knew that the bus was dropping us off at the Vatican. I knew I wanted to go to the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon where I was meeting a friend and we were going to a restaurant I learned about that has their entire menu duplicated gluten free ("senza gluten in Italian), and then back to the Vatican. I had a sheet of letter-sized paper for each point-to-point that I could check, so it was not as obvious I was a tourist as if I'd had the huge tourist map.

 

[mevelandry]

I wonder if travelling in a group (excursions) makes you less or more of a target?

 

[starvenger]

I'd guess it's about the same. I have to assume that for every thief that targets an individual, there's one (or a team) that targets groups.

 

[dvcdisney]

I wonder if travelling in a group (excursions) makes you less or more of a target?

I don't think it matters if you're in a group or not. As I mentioned, being a "target" would depend on how aware you appear.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

Watch for scams meant to distract you. One I ran into last summer in the Stuttgart train station is what I assume was a Gypsy woman with a baby approaching me and asking for money. This is a well-known scam and she is working with someone else who will see where you take your cash from and steal from you when you are distracted. Just ignore her and keep walking.

 

[DCL Repeaters]

A few years ago we were a group of 10 traveling in the Colosseum area with a local guide and several young teenager girls following us. Guide reminded us to be extra vigilant. It doesn’t matter whether you’re alone or with a group.
To anyone who thinks putting valuables in your front pockets, our friend who we met up with in Barcelona would keep a small baggie of Splenda in his front pocket. Yep it got lifted!
As others have said be smart with how you carry your belongings and be aware of your surroundings. Europe is awesome!