Thieves Love Tourists

I am not the most savvy traveler but over the years I have been marched to the front gate under armed guard in Spain and threatened with a hand gun during a drive by in California.

Last year in Canada I had a high speed street racer pull a knife and slash my tire. Of course I did get pretty far into his face after he nearly ran down a mother pushing a baby stroller through a crosswalk, he blew through at 60 mph in a 30 zone. No doubt the punk deserved the tongue lashing I gave him, still shouting down a drug dealer in a lousy neighbourhood probably wasn't the smartest thing I could have done.

Cons, flim flam artists, pick pockets, slash and grab thieves, the world is full of them. Most of the time they hang out at the local tourists hot spots and wait for you to show up.

So when you go on holidays the question is not are you a target, of course you're a target the question is how do you make the bulls eye on your back so small small they can't hit it?

Travel Documents

Before you head out on the trip of a life time, there are a few things you should do. Photocopy all your credit cards and travel documents including information about health & travel insurance. Leave these copies with a trusted friend who can be easily reached by phone in an emergency. If you are robbed at gun point and left striped naked in the Arizona dessert it will be a big help.

Insurance

If you are purchasing health & travel insurance ask the agent what it doesn't cover. Some health insurance coverage plans have a small clause that says "you are not covered if you have been drinking or are intoxicated".

Come on now you're going on vacation, most people like to cut loose a little, this is an unreasonable limitation on the policy, pass it by and purchase from a different carrier.

Credit Cards

"All you need to travel the world is a credit card and a drip dry shirt."

Visa among other credit card companies offer a special traveler's card. Pre-paid so that your limit is under your control. You can take a couple of them each with a different pin number.

When one is used up switch to the other. If the card is stolen you still have the other one. Even if you are forced at knife point to give them a pin number your loss is limited.

If someone decides to rob me I want them to go away, and no one likes to go away empty handed. If they get too mad they just might like to extract a little retribution from me the hard way. For this reason I always have a little cash on me in local currency, I make sure the bills are in small denomination so the stack looks like it a lot.

Kiss your wallet goodbye.

I keep the cash and a low limit card along with, a couple of phony business cards (with false address) and pictures of someone else's kids in what I call my throw away wallet. This wallet I carry in my front pants pocket. I pull it out to buy coffee, a bite of lunch small stuff while I am on the move. If someone is watching me they will identify this wallet as where I keep my money. Never carry your wallet in a back pocket.

If I get robbed I give the throw away wallet to them without a problem, and the looking scared part comes naturally.

My real wallet with my real money, credit cards and valuable personal items is a hideaway travelers wallet, except my passport. The kind of hideaway wallet I prefer passes through my belt then is tucked down my trousers.

You can buy one that has it's own waist belt which goes under your pants, they also have a wallet that straps to your leg. There are many too chose form. I like mine because if you slip in a wash room it is easy to get at. In the privacy of a stall I can quickly take out what I need and transfer it to my pocket wallet, besides at my age I usually need to use the washroom anyway.

If you are staying in a better hotel, they may offer to lock up your passport in their safe. This is a good idea, when the option is available. In some countries it is the only way a foreigner can book into a good hotel.

My passport is always keep in a water proof zip lock bag in a special zippered inside pocket of my riding jacket. In hot weather I will keep it in a similar pocket of my light riding vest. Point is, unbless it is locked in the hotel safe it is always with me and I never keep it with the other wallets which are the ones the thieves are after.

Weapons

Do not carry weapons. You are just inviting serious injury or death to yourself. This is not a game for amateurs, leave such things alone. By the way it is illegal to transport Pepper Spray across the US/Canada Border. Like I said leave offensive weapons behind. If you are that concerned about your safety then take a basic self defense course, or attend travelers advisory seminar.

A few extra precautions when traveling.

If you wear glasses and need them to drive, take an extra pair, packed so they won't break when you crash. There is nothing worse then waking up in the hospital and you can't see. Well I guess worse would be not waking up but let's not go there.

Carry a small flashlight, and a small first aid kit.

When ever you travel keep your important medicine in two locations. If you accidentally spill your bottle of heart medicine down the bathroom sink you will have to jump through alot of hoops to get enough to get you by before you get home. Remember if you are to cross the US/Canada border you must have the original prescription bottle for all medicines you are transporting.

How To Dress

Seems silly to say it, but the record shows clearly some people need to hear this advice. Leave the Rolex at home. Fancy and expensive jewelry and designer clothing is advertising to thieves. Put on a pair of riding jeans, an old shirt, faded jacket and blend into the nondescript culture of the middle class. Dress even less affluent in poorer countries. Special caution some jackects have an overall military look too them, avoid thesse no matter how beat up they look. Stay away from wearing army surplus. Authorative style clothing can evoke a response you don't want

Cameras

If you going to use anything more than a basic point and shoot camera, you may want to pay special attention to you camera gear. Slash and snatch thieves love to target purses and cameras. You can buy special straps lined with high tensile steel wires, but you still have to learn and practice carrying your gear in such a way as to lesson the thieves opportunity to strike. If you are a serious photographer then it is worth your while. For 99% of us a good point and shoot camera that has a short strap and can be hung comfortably around your neck and tucked into a shirt pockect is ideal.

If the photos are really important and you are on a big trip. Stop in at a photo kiosk and have your pictures printed to a disk. Store the disc or mail it home so that if your camera is stolen you do not loose all of your pictures.

Are You Really At Risk?

All in all personal safety should not be a serious consideration for any riding you do. I will tell you that you can travel worry free in about 90% of all of N. America, 75% of Europe, 85% of Australia and about 95% of New Zealand. Just keep your head up and look around you at the people, and the conditions of where you are, then apply a little common sense mixed with a little careful handling of your valuables and you should get through unscathed emotionally or financially.

Remember just because there are bad people out there it doesn't mean you have to wear a bulls-eye on your back. So take a few simple precautions then get out enjoy the fresh air, and the sunshine of a thousand different places,

Riding Iron.