Be safe with your money
I can’t stress any more than that why one should be careful with money when travel. Besides pocket pickers, street beggars, and scammers of all sorts, there are a few money accidents that might occur long past your trip. It happens to the best of us; no one is protected, only to be extra careful the next time.
When you are renting a car abroad, make sure you are aware of all the charges that not only apply at the time of your rent, but also the charges that you might occur during the rental period. Even if it may seem that the papers list all possible charges, make sure you ask the auto rental services about any potential costs associated with your rental, and make an extra effort to check your car, top to bottom, right to left for any damages, because you’ll be charged for even a small scratch that you have not noticed at a time of rent. And while on a road, seeing no speed signs does not mean no patrol exists. You might be surprised to later find a letter from the city’s road patrol authorities you’ve visited three months ago with a speeding ticket and a photo taken of your license plate. They do watch you.
While some places are more known for scammers, there are other places that one should be aware of. Money safety is a part of budget travel because there are many people out there who make it their business to separate you from your money. If you opt for a cheaper hotel, make sure it is not in the worst part of town. If you opt to take a taxi to/from airport and/or to any other locations while traveling, make sure you know the local rates. Even better, ask a hotel clerk to call in for a taxi service and tell them upfront that this and that is the amount you are willing to pay. When a taxi arrives, ask the clerk to step out with you to make sure that the driver understands the discussed amount and seal the deal, so that when you arrive at your destination, he/she will not make up some additional charges.
When taking a public transportation, make sure you understand the payment procedure for a ride. Some of them are very obvious, you pay as you enter a bus (let’s say), like you do in Spain. However, in other countries it’s a bit more complicated than that. For example, in Russia and Italy, when you enter a bus, you buy a ticket from a bus driver, but this does not mean you have taken care of your ride payment. You then have to proceed and stamp it at one of the installed inside the bus stamp machines. If you don’t do it, this ticket can be used for other rides, so, a ticket patrol can charge you a fee if you get caught. I, once, took a bus in Rome. I got on, got a ticket from a bus driver and than assumed my seat to look at the map where I was going. Little did I know that before I could figure out that I had to stamp my ticket, a patrol came up to me and I had to pay 50 Euros for not paying for my ride. I tried my best, in a broken Italian, and with the help of other English-speaking bus riders to explain that I am a tourist and I didn’t know that I had to stamp the ticket. It all ended in me paying a fee. Go figure.
Take a look at some of tips for keeping your money safe when travel abroad.
Top travel money tips
These are pretty obvious, but often overlooked tips: always have a backup for your money, such as two copies of your debit card – one to have with you, one to leave with someone at home in case you’d need them to overnight it to you. Also, don’t carry too much cash, debit is better (and traveler’s checks use almost ceased to exist.) Leave deposit slips with your family or good friends, in case you’d need to have them deposit money to your account. And always be careful when you are at a bank or at a ATM machine outside, look for suspicious people around, don’t do any transaction unless you are absolutely free from onlookers and bystanders. And make sure you don’t leave any slips or account-in-work screens while withdrawing the money. You’ll never know.
Pickpockets, how to keep safe from them
We all know where to keep our money. No, not in your bra. Although, it might be the safest location, but not as convenient. Our grandmothers didn’t do it just because, they knew it was safe. But this is not I’m going to offer to you to do. Once my grandma, when I was in elementary school, suggested she’d make a small pocket in my underwear to put money in while I travel on a train to a big city. But I think my mom talked her out of it.
Whether you’re traveling in New York, Rome or Beijing, street crime can be a problem. And the more crowdy are the places, the more likely pickpockets are roaming free there. Places like subways, buses and high-trafficking tourist sites should be approached with an alert. Don’t just walk around with an open mouth and unlocked bags / purses, you might not see them, pickpockets, but they see you. You become a very attractive target. Most of them wouldn’t even do any physical harm to you, they’ll just quietly steal your wallet.
They know their techniques, as a matter of fact, it’s their “dough”, so they practice at it on a daily basis. However, you can also prepare yourself. Here is how.
1. Separate your money; don’t hold it all in one place.
2. Wear your valuables close to skin, like in a money belt. Some of fashionistas might protest, but it’s like protesting wearing high heals in San Francisco, only later crying over the blister pain at your bathroom. Even better, wear a pouch around your neck. Yes, it’s not prêt-à-porter, but you wouldn’t be sorry later. If you absolutely can’t stand the look and feel of a belt and pouch, don’t risk it and sew a pocket inside your coat, or any upper clothing.
3. This is one is interesting. Who travels without a camera? Maybe a dinasour, but not in the 21st century. To keep your camera away from “funny hands”, be aware of any person who is approaching you with something big to block his and other person’s hands, like a newspaper. Store your camera securely. The newspaper-bearer is a “distractor,” and another pickpocket, perhaps a child, will try to dive under the newspaper to grab your camera. And don’t just walk around swinging your camera or placing it on the back, where you can’t see it. Keep it close to where you can see and control it.
4. Some people suggest carrying a fake wallet with fake credit cards to distract from a real one. It might work, but again, I don’t know anyone who did it before. Try and see for yourself, if this is your safety choice. Carry a decoy wallet.
5. If you are traveling with a laptop, you can leave it at hotel, if it’s a secure place, but not at a hostel or motel. In less developed countries, it’s a very attractive item. So, first of all – if you can, travel without a laptop. If you absolutely have to have it on a trip, carry it in a nontraditional case.
6. Have you heard of someone saying that they can tell an American from other people miles away? I guess something gives us out, maybe a baseball cap, a loud behavior, a T-Shirt with a football team? Either way, you instantly becoming an attractive target, because of many nations out there, Americans are known to be traveling the most and carrying the most money. So, become one of the locals. Dress accordingly. You can leave the sneakers on, but rethink your baseball cap. And please, don’t temp pickpockets with your flashy jewelry.
7. Don’t show your fear. Like dogs, they can “smell” fear. Display a confident attitude. Avoid making a direct eye contact with any obvious street players, like gypsies.
8. If you don’t know where to start, read your guidebook on where you are going. Usually they would tell you what areas have the pickpockets. For others, ask your friends and family who traveled to that location. Or, find an email with the org / travel site for that location and email them with your questions of concern.
9. Always come prepared. Have a defense strategy. Think what you’d do or say if a pickpocket happens to you. Learn a few SOS words in that language, such as “help”, “no”, “police”, etc.
10. Carry in-case-of-accident information with you, such as contact information for your banks (if you have to cancel stolen credit cards), local police (to report an accident), your hotel, and for your travel agent/agency.
All in all, be aware when you walk around. As much as a location might mesmerize you, don’t ever let you loose your head and forget about basic safety rules.
More on Taxi scams
Dealing with Taxi can be difficult anywhere, even in DC, where recently we incremented costs we didn’t know exist. It cost us one fare amount to the place, and another amount from the place, even though the point of leave and return was the same. Go figure. What I’m saying is that no matter how much you might try to avoid taking taxi in a foreign country, you could end up taking one anyway. Even if you are on a budget.
Here are some ways to avoid taxi scams, but don’t sweat small change, do fight if it’s an important difference by taking the driver’s name and license plate.
1. Before you high a taxi, see if you can find a taxi stand. Taxi drivers are on the look for some non-taxi to try to get into their “territory”, so most likely you will get a real taxi this way.
2. Don’t get lured into a cab by people who are forcing you to sit at a pointed taxi. First look around to see where a stand is.
3. Any legitimate taxi should have a meter. If they don’t, ask a driver for it before you drive away. And, obviously, if he does not have any, leave the taxi immediately.
4. Before you get in a taxi, ask for a fare first. Negotiate. Know the fares to/from an airport (usually they are listed on its website.) Watch the meter and report anything that might look suspicious in the ticking of the meter.
All of it is common sense; it’s just a matter of your awareness of being in a situation. Most of it can be avoided, if properly prepared. After all, this should not take away your experience of a foreign country. I always tell my friends that traveling to Moscow, for example, is like traveling to New York – it’s a big city, so it comes with big city problems. But it also comes with one of the greatest cultural, social and culinary experiences you might have in your life. So is Paris, Tokyo, Rome, London, Athens, Beijing, and so on.
In my next story I will tell you how to and what to avoid when shopping for travel products online. Part IV is coming.
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