how can you manage to hide belongings in summer?
Jul 31st, 2004, 06:46 PM
#21
For Scarlett, Excellent point. Never lost or misplaced money myself. That's part of my philosophy/advise to use the same method you use at home. I think mistakes are more likely to happen when you are using unfamiliar stuff- new suitcases, new moneybelt, different handbag, etc. etc. piled on jet lag and being in an unfamiliar place; accidents seem more likely to happen. (And make sure your pocketbook has a top zipper so you don't dump it into the toilet, been there done that~ haha.)
Jul 31st, 2004, 07:40 PM
#23
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for the sceptics: why dont you check out the thread
'Pocket picked in Paris Metro' where there are 60 messages on pickpocket experiences.It also mentions a 10-12 pick pocket reported incidents per hour at Franklin Roosevelt Station.I didnt think petty crime would be a concern to me till i read this thread. I have been to Rome and saw gypsy children etc on the metro but never felt threatend. My impression is that Paris is the pickpocket capital. I'd bet even Roman gypsies watch their wallet on the Paris metro. Carrying a camera around your neck also screams tourist just as much as holding a map.My mcdonalds bag idea was to look less touristy and more like a unwealthy local.
If you were a pick pocket would you pinch a greasy Mcdonalds bag?Your collegues would laugh at you and offer to buy you some real french food with the have stolen.
Sam
'Pocket picked in Paris Metro' where there are 60 messages on pickpocket experiences.It also mentions a 10-12 pick pocket reported incidents per hour at Franklin Roosevelt Station.I didnt think petty crime would be a concern to me till i read this thread. I have been to Rome and saw gypsy children etc on the metro but never felt threatend. My impression is that Paris is the pickpocket capital. I'd bet even Roman gypsies watch their wallet on the Paris metro. Carrying a camera around your neck also screams tourist just as much as holding a map.My mcdonalds bag idea was to look less touristy and more like a unwealthy local.
If you were a pick pocket would you pinch a greasy Mcdonalds bag?Your collegues would laugh at you and offer to buy you some real french food with the have stolen.
Sam
Jul 31st, 2004, 08:19 PM
#25
I don't think we're skeptics... just a bunch of folks who HAVEN'T been pickpocketed in Paris or anywhere else. If you are truly worried (even though you made it thru Rome unscathed) go ahead and try the mcdonalds bag. would make for an interesting trip report later! maybe you're on to something.
For your original post, look into pocket-style deals that hang from your regular belt but inside your pants (not needing to go around your waist) or they even make socks with zippers to hide cash. Better yet, as already suggested: a local canvas shopping bag, inside pockets on clothing, velcro or zippered closures on pockets, leather belt with hidden cash slot, some type of men's carry-all. Don't take a large camera that needs a neck strap but a small digital, point&shot, or disposable that slips into a pocket.
Leave the cell phone home (although honestly this will make you look more Parisian than any other single accessory except a cigarette).
For your original post, look into pocket-style deals that hang from your regular belt but inside your pants (not needing to go around your waist) or they even make socks with zippers to hide cash. Better yet, as already suggested: a local canvas shopping bag, inside pockets on clothing, velcro or zippered closures on pockets, leather belt with hidden cash slot, some type of men's carry-all. Don't take a large camera that needs a neck strap but a small digital, point&shot, or disposable that slips into a pocket.
Leave the cell phone home (although honestly this will make you look more Parisian than any other single accessory except a cigarette).
Jul 31st, 2004, 11:46 PM
#26
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I prefer the "calf" money belt over the waist money belt. Because of the Bottle necked shape of the calf it does not need to be attached tightly and I pull my sock up over it --no worry about it slipping or getting lost and easily accessible for emergencies. Obvious assumption is that you will be wearing long pants, not a skirt! I carry a deep cloth shopping bag with closure for movie camera etc. and have never had a problem.
Aug 1st, 2004, 02:14 AM
#27
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Be smart and then don't worry, you'll be fine. Here's what you do. Go to a travel store or a shoe store and get a good travel purse. I found my great travel purse in a shoe store that sells popular Euro shoes. It's a small leather purse with a wide strap long enough to be worn cross-wise across your chest. MAKE SURE IT ZIPS ALL THE WAY SHUT! My purse unzips from the bottom and you have to unzip it practically 360 degrees before you can get it open, so there's no way a hand can reach into it. It also rides slightly in front of me when I'm walking so I can keep my hand or arm over it. Used this purse all over Italy and nobody even tried to steel anything from this purse...why bother when there are other people carrying purses dangling from the ends of their finger tips!!! Seriously!
A money belt isn't much help, in my opinion, because if it's really well hidden, you'll discover that you can't get the money out yourself without lifting up your shirt, and being really obvious while you fumble around with the darn thing, and losing track of your surroundings!
Security pants/capris/skirts can be bought from www.tilley.com (might be www.tilleys.com) that have inside security pockets that you can flip out when you need them, and they unzip and are invisible from the outside and easier to get stuff out of for you.
Don't carry more than about $200 in cash on you...either use an ATM to get your daily amount or leave some cash in a safe in your hotel room if you feel your hotel has good security.
I kept my 2 credit cards and AtM card in my inside security pocket. I carried a little cash in my purse, not more than I could afford to lose. I left my passport locked in the safe in my room, but carried a photocopy of it with me.
Don't carry a wad of bills...Bigger bills take up less space, and if you use the ATM daily you won't ever have too much cash at once.
But bring 2 or 3 ATM cards, either your own or family members or friends, because sometimes 1 of them stops working for some unknown reason and you will need to rely on a second or third one! This happened to us.
You can't conceal your camera. Just watch it. Every tourist has a camera so don't make yours look like the easiest one to steal!
Everybody knows you are a tourist...the trick is don't look like a clueless tourist!
One of the smartest things to do is travel in a group (our group was our family) and when it's time to pay or when you are in a risky area like a train station, have everyone trained to watch all the stuff whenever you have to do something that will distract you, such as getting money out, checking tickets, etc...when you are distracted it makes you vulnerable. But you'll be fine if your group is watching out for each other.
A money belt isn't much help, in my opinion, because if it's really well hidden, you'll discover that you can't get the money out yourself without lifting up your shirt, and being really obvious while you fumble around with the darn thing, and losing track of your surroundings!
Security pants/capris/skirts can be bought from www.tilley.com (might be www.tilleys.com) that have inside security pockets that you can flip out when you need them, and they unzip and are invisible from the outside and easier to get stuff out of for you.
Don't carry more than about $200 in cash on you...either use an ATM to get your daily amount or leave some cash in a safe in your hotel room if you feel your hotel has good security.
I kept my 2 credit cards and AtM card in my inside security pocket. I carried a little cash in my purse, not more than I could afford to lose. I left my passport locked in the safe in my room, but carried a photocopy of it with me.
Don't carry a wad of bills...Bigger bills take up less space, and if you use the ATM daily you won't ever have too much cash at once.
But bring 2 or 3 ATM cards, either your own or family members or friends, because sometimes 1 of them stops working for some unknown reason and you will need to rely on a second or third one! This happened to us.
You can't conceal your camera. Just watch it. Every tourist has a camera so don't make yours look like the easiest one to steal!
Everybody knows you are a tourist...the trick is don't look like a clueless tourist!
One of the smartest things to do is travel in a group (our group was our family) and when it's time to pay or when you are in a risky area like a train station, have everyone trained to watch all the stuff whenever you have to do something that will distract you, such as getting money out, checking tickets, etc...when you are distracted it makes you vulnerable. But you'll be fine if your group is watching out for each other.
Aug 1st, 2004, 02:21 AM
#28
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My dear, I've been wearing a bag with the strap across myself for years, not only is it more comfortable, but also is more stylish. Also it means that one cannot have their bag snatched so easily. I've never been a victim of a pickpocketing in London (my home town) or any other place in the world. Just be prudent, and aware of your surroundings.
As for all these money belts, and fanny pack nonsenses - if someone intends to commit robbery i.e. a mugging with force, then you'll have to hand over your money eitherway. Another bit of advice, keep a small note in your pocket, say 50EUR - so if you are mugged you can hand that over as a token gesture.
As for all these money belts, and fanny pack nonsenses - if someone intends to commit robbery i.e. a mugging with force, then you'll have to hand over your money eitherway. Another bit of advice, keep a small note in your pocket, say 50EUR - so if you are mugged you can hand that over as a token gesture.
Aug 1st, 2004, 07:50 AM
#29
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When we bought our luggage, we got two wheeled bags, and shoulder bags that fasten atop them. We use the shoulder bags as carry-ons on the plane. When we are out touristing, I carry one of the shoulder bags, with our passports and my credit cards in a side pocket I keep against my body. My wife wears a suede bag around her neck and inside her blouse, with our spare credit cards in it. Everything else, even a bottle of water and whatever my wife normally carries in her purse, goes into the shoulder bag I carry, which has a convenient outside pocket for maps and other papers. When eating, I put my camera inside the bag, but usually I wear it around my neck; I want it ready when an opportunity for pictures presents. I make no effort to conceal that I am a tourist, and I doubt than anyone would succeed in concealing that.
I did buy some really oversized pants, had my wife hem them to the appropriate length, and hold them up with suspenders. Since they are so large, the pockets hang down almost past my knees, and its hard even for me to reach in and get anything out; I figured it would be harder for a thief. The shoulder bag worked so well, however, that I didn't need the deep pockets.
I did buy some really oversized pants, had my wife hem them to the appropriate length, and hold them up with suspenders. Since they are so large, the pockets hang down almost past my knees, and its hard even for me to reach in and get anything out; I figured it would be harder for a thief. The shoulder bag worked so well, however, that I didn't need the deep pockets.
Aug 1st, 2004, 11:12 AM
#30
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maybe getting pickpocketed like people watching and relaxing at cafes is part of experiencing the true Paris. The trick seems to be to avoid losing all your money in the process. Sam
Aug 1st, 2004, 01:20 PM
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If you're going to carry some kind of bag, there is no safer way than having a short-handled tote that tucks neatly under your arm. I can attest to experience, the long-handled bag across the body doesn't always work. I wore my purse that way in Paris when I was 18 because everyone told me to, and almost got my money stolen because I was leaning forward looking through a bin of clothing and some gypsy woman unzipped it while it was sitting right on my hip - I didn't even notice. (my friend caught her and I later hit her in the face, but that's another story).
I have been living in NYC most of my life and have never gotten anything stolen from the little leather tote tucked under my arm. It's too hard for thieves to get to.
I like Sam's idea too.
I have been living in NYC most of my life and have never gotten anything stolen from the little leather tote tucked under my arm. It's too hard for thieves to get to.
I like Sam's idea too.
