I'm on the train to Zurich and was bumped by maybe 15 kids carrying their backpacks with them. Several are clinging to them as if they are afraid of having them stolen. This got me to thinking: do thieves actually target backpackers? Why? Surely, this would be very inefficient? Why would you bother with a 18 yo backpacker? Wouldn't it make more sense to target more upscale travelers?

Because backpackers often keep valuables in their backpacks--on their backs where they are easy to penetrate without the carrier realizing.

There are also many cases of theft by fellow backpackers--inside the hostels.

Wrong question.

If you're an Australian on a gap year, everything you need for the next year is in that backpack. The (let's say) 0.0001% chance the pack will be stolen (or slashed) would, if it happened, be thousands of times more catastrophic to the "victim" than if my suitcase of dirty underwear were stolen on the way back home from a walking holiday in the Tyrol.

Equally, some backpackers will be going overland to really Third World countries, where backpacks are - if anything - more vulnerable than posh suitcases.

But in general, the neurosis from many on this board about heavy luggage on trains is both deranged and anti-social. No European thief is going to risk liberty by stealing 40 lbs of heavy old shoes and then running half a mile down the platform to where the police are when it's infinitely easier and more lucrative to nick a wallet or snatch an ATM card.

The idiots who clutter up train seats with tons of luggage are just saying "Look! I'm far too important to leave my cases 20 feet away"

I know many locals who have been targetted by thieves. And this is Switzerland.

An older woman had her purse stolen on the regional train.
Another had her wallet stolen at a McDonald's in Lucerne.
Another had her wallet stolen in Chur getting on the train.

None of them were backpackers.

Anyone who isn't aware of their surroundings and have valuables that are easy to steal are potential targets.

Are you in Switzerland right now? Where are you heading to?

Hey tg,

>Do thieves really target backpackers? <

Nahh. They look at them and say to themselves, "Now there is someone wearing a backpack with a camera, cash and a passport in it. The pack is behind them, so they can't see me unzip or slash it. The goodies aren't in contact with their bodies, so they won't feel me take them. This is like shooting fish in a barrel. It would be unsportsmanlike to rob them."

Thieves just will steal from whatever is easiest, it isn't personal that they are targeting a certain kind of person. Isn't this just common sense that they will steal from whatever is easiest, and backpackers often are.

I guess they are easy targets. The thought just popped into my head.

Schuler, I actually live in Switzerland. Was heading to scenic Spreitenbach to spend some quality time at Ikea.

Goodness. I didn't know that. Have fun at Ikea. Seems that's where everyone ends up sometime in their life here in Switzerland.

Nope, I don't think backpackers are necessarily a target to thieves. But I do think as other mentioned, backpackers may be more paranoid/careful of their belongings because they likely have less backup resources, so if something happens they are truly more screwed than a more well-funded traveler who could simply make a few calls.

I actually watched a young man riding a bicycle outside the Munich train station, slow up and almost stop as he approached a backpacker. Then he unzipped a backpack worn by an older woman. She never knew. He didn't attempt to take anything. I think he was in training.

Schuler - Just moved here at the beginning of the year and have been traveling quite a bit. But, I move into a new apartment at the end of the month, which also explains the trip to Ikea. The weather has turned nice (except this weekend), which bodes well.

Welcome to Switzerland! Have you looked at englishforum.ch? It's a perfect forum for all English speakers who have moved to Switzerland and have questions.

I hope Switzerland meets all your expectations. It isn't a perfect country but the beauty is so addictive and things usually do work very well.

Thanks for the link and the welcome. Will see how it goes here in Switzerland. More of a city guy, though, so much of the natural beauty is a bit "ehh" to me. But, objectively, it is gorgeous.

Of course the modern travelpack with it's 22 different sections and a really big size that opens all around so that it's easy to find things is like honey to a bear - so easy to get into without folk noticing.

It's easy to steal from backpackers since it's so big/heavy and they (obviously) can;t see if anyone is approaching it. And the easier you make things for a thief the more likely they are to try. (And what they're looking for is usually passports or tickets or caches of cash, etc - not somebody's laundry.)