All The Ways You Can Avoid Getting Scammed when Travelling

Do you have an upcoming vacation in the works but you are scared about travelling to a place you are unfarmiliar with? Are you scared that if you take your valuables with you, there’s a chance you may never see them again?

The truth is thieves, scammers and other crafty lowlifes would love to separate you from your stuff when you’re travelling and when you finally arrive your destination, especially in the midst of getaway bliss.

Fortunately, there are numerous ways you can avoid falling into the hands of scammers and thieves. Here are some practical ways to avoid being a victim, courtesy of travel specialists.

Never put your wallet in your back pocket.

There is a reason why pickpockets call the back pocket the sucker pocket. When you are travelling, it is important for you to be hyper-vigilant in train stations, airports, on stairs and escalators and in crowded places where pickpockets are likely to congregate and try to bump into you.

Hold your bags in front of you and wear them cross-body. Also get a zipper lock or padlock for your backpack.

Lost and carry-on.

If you are in transit and you have to check a bag, it is best to pack and think that you very most likely will never see that particular luggage again.

As such, it is always best to put your passport, ID, prescriptions, laptops and other devices in your carry-on bag. Remove all non-essential credit cards from your wallet, as it is easier to replace a couple than all if it gets stolen.

Put a lock on any checked bags.

The lock you put on the bags you checked in has to be reset by you. However, you can instantly tell if it has been opened and check if there’s anything missing before you leave the airport.

Dishonest baggage handlers can force open a zippered bag with a pen, steal your stuff and reseal the zipper, and you wouldn’t realize until you got home or to your hotel.

To avoid this, you can buy a gadget that locks the zipper to the handle. A thief can penetrate the zipper but can’t reseal it, so you’d know it was breached and could report it immediately.

Keep your cell phone out of sight

When not in use, put your phone out of sight in restaurants, bars, or on your flight when you leave your seat or fall asleep. You can also download the FindMyPhone app on your laptop or another phone device to help you trace your device if it gets stolen.

On a plane, place your carry-on in the overhead bin

When travelling on a plane, place your carry-on across the aisle from your seat so you can see if someone tries to remove something from your bag. Put valuable items inside under clothing rather than in outside zippered compartments. You can make it tougher for anyone to reach any valuable item without having to take the whole bag down.

Use the front door safes

Ensure that when you check into a hotel, your door clicks securely behind you and use the front desk safe instead of the in-room one if it doesn’t seem secure. Thieves often enter open hotel rooms when the maid is inside, pretending the room is theirs, so never leave valuables in plain sight.

Use covered luggage tags

By doing so, your information such as your home address will not be exposed. Place a card with an emergency number and email address inside your wallet and luggage in case they’re lost or stolen. Pick a number someone is sure to answer.

Never use free WiFi sites

Never use free WiFi to log into banking or other personal accounts or any sites requiring you to give credit card information. A lot of WiFi sites are scams.

Find out cost of transport

Before you get in a taxi, find out approximately what it costs to get to your destination and discuss it with the driver before he starts the journey. This will ensure that you avoid unnecessary arguments.

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