imaginaryjazz

kerouac -- that's the problem, those people are NOT thinking! They're just "doing something" to reassure the kowtowed public.

Graziella5b

Hi paujgalman, hi cyndyc, the same exactly technique was used by a gang I could have sworn
they were Rumanias in Madrid 's metro. They did stole too some money and cards.
They even smiled to us when I guessed they were stealing from my husband blocking our way when we were boarding the metro .
I over heard one word which made me feel that they were Rumanians. I am sorry suspecting that they were Rumanians,
or should we be politically correct. In essence the nationality does not matter. I am sure they were not Spaniards.
In the EU there are no frontiers . We are going shortly to Europe and the phamtom of that ugly Sunday morning comes back. It seems they love holidays.
By the way we have been in Rumania and loved it.. No problems there.
I am sorry about your bad experiences. One second, one distration and it is too late.

GSteed

A friend wears a T-shirt with a pocket underneath his regular shirt. I wear a pouch on a strap hung from my neck and stored under my shirt. Travel or fisherman vests include zipper inside pockets. Pickpocketing is a business albeit illegal. Successful operators target a mark long before they strike. They watch ATMs, they watch money changers and AX offices. Italian travellers are now reporting thefts at roadside coffee bars. A mark is surrounded by 'other tourists' and nicked. Some bandits are well dressed and speak English.

dlejhunt

I suppose I have been very lucky, because I have never been pickpocketed and/or had anything stolen from me during five trips to Paris.

And I have never been asked for ID when using my MasterCard, which I use for almost everything while on vacation.

I always carry a purse in Paris, just as I do at home. Just like the hundreds of Parisian women I see walking, shopping, riding the Metro, and dining in the city every day.

As far as carrying my passport with me - I never do. It's always left in the apartment that I have rented (I prefer apartments to hotels). I do carry my California Driver's License with me, but I never have been asked for it. I assume that if I was ever involved in any type of incident in Paris, I could easily be indentified through the D.L. And if a store won't take my CC because I don't have my passport to identify myself - well, there's always another store around the corner, right?

cindyq, I'm sorry that you had this bad experience, and I am glad that you managed to have a good trip despite the theft.

Grassshopper

Cindyq, you have a great attitude about trip setbacks. We had a passport stolen on a trip in Greece and it turned out to be one of the more interesting trips we have had; with a visit to the police station and US embassy.

colduphere

I was buying train tickets at the automated machines in Rome and Venice train stations over the past three weeks. On four occasions a woman carrying a baby would reach in and show me where to insert my credit card, retrieve the ticket etc. This was with me telling these ladies to get away from me. They were either looking for a tip for their help or more likely trying to distract me so that someone else could grab my wallet. They were very aggressive.

cyndyq

Wo! Well I DID go back to Paris and took one of my best friends with me. She didn't really think she wanted to go (but didn't want me going by myself) All in all, it was wonderful and she enjoyed the trip more than she ever imagined she would or could. The weather was absolutely breathtaking (Sep 19-24) I just feel like a lucky girl getting the chance to go back! I got my wallet, along with all of my cancelled credit cards, the no longer valid passport, the already replaced driver license, etc. . . It made something inside of me happy to hold it all (once again) in my hot little hands. This time I, of course, did not carry my passport around with me. And I did not carry all of my credit cards with me, or all of my money and ways to get it . . . with me. It ws just a very hard lesson learned. This was the first time I had been on any type of chat/forum... I happened on to fodors not too long after my July trip and exposed the major error of my ways to a bunch of savvy travelers (I always thought I was one . . . a savvy traveler. ) Bottom line - we all make mistakes but I did get to do summer AND fall in Paris and that in itself was too cool to me. I loved it. I find that I totally love this site with all of the travel info and opinions that come with it. I smile here. Stuff happens. Ya know?! cyndyq

Nikki

You went back, that's great. I told my husband I'd love to go back and fight the speeding ticket we thought we'd get from a traffic camera in France, but the ticket never came.

Sounds like your cloud had a silver lining.

MelJ

I was in Paris the last two weeks, on my umpteenth trip, and had my camera nicked the first week. Totally my fault because I got lazy about a cardinal rule: NEVER put anything more than tissue in an outside pocket! I'd been using the camera so many times during the day that I put it in my trenchcoat pocket for quick access. Two stops on a city bus and it was gone. Stupid, lazy mistake and I knew better.

Connie

I carry my passport around mostly because internet cafes require it.

cynthia_booker

Cyndyq - contratulatons, not only for your recovery but for another trip to Paris. Wonderful for you!

tomboy

What's with some people's sympathy for Romanians? Apparently the police thought the crooks weren't Africans, or Chinese. Perhaps too dark and swarthy to be Danish. Would the sympathizers have been content had the police referred to the crooks as Balkanesian? Would a 12-generation DNA family tree have been ample enough for the sympathizers?
True, they might have been Bulgarians, or Albanians, or even perhaps Moldovans. But if the last 4 pickpockets the police HAD apprehended just so happened to be Romanian, are the police SO bad for suspecting the next might also be Romanian?

Some people strive too hard to be "fair", and in the process fail to be objective. Such persons should ask themselves two questions: 1)What amount and type of proof WOULD have been sufficient to merit the descriptor, "Romanians"?; 2)Why do I merit the police passing on such information to me?

socialworker

In a similar vein, I recently separated my money from my CCs and carry two small cases so that I never have both out at the same time. Not just for traveling but always. It dawned on me that when I am using a CC, I am not using money and it is more prudent to carry them in different cases so as to minimize the chance of losing all one's money *and* CCs in one fell swoop!

teacherCanada

cyndyq - Thanks for sharing your story. One always risks being criticized on this board for "coming clean" with respect to mishaps when travelling. It is usually easier to offer advice after the fact. I am glad you were able to recover your senses quickly and especially glad you gave Paris another chance.

tC

sobster

Well, Shuler is the only other traveler besides myself that I have ever heard of who uses what I would call a wallet, leather, about 8x4 inches that has a loop to put your belt thru and you deploy it into your crotch. When I pay I give in to the inevitable and reach in there to drag out my wallet, immediately replace it, receive my change or whatever drag it out again, put the change or whatever back into the wallet and stuff it back into the crotchal area. I figure if the "Roma" are going to try for it I will notice and take steps to protect myself.

dutyfree

As someone who flies internationally everyweek for a major airline, I have to add my two cents. I use to be one of those people who always left my passport in the hotel safe along with my other valuables. However, after the attack in Mumbai,India last year I am now carrying my passport with me . Friends who were in Mumbai who were there during the bombings but out of the hotel have told me that it was a major pain not having any identification on them to get home.
I do, however always wear a money belt when walking around foreign cities and always split stuff in my purse.

WillTravel

Dutyfree, I can understand your concern, and that must have been traumatic for your friends. But isn't it more likely to lose your passport on your person due to theft or just plain loss, than to lose your passport because the hotel you are staying in experiences a terrorist attack?

nancicita

dutyfree, I'm interested in the kind of money belt you wear.
I have the kind that loops into the belt and tucks into the pants (bulky, but I think a bit safer than a waist belt). Any suggestions on which money belts (hopefully waterproof) are the best for carrying passports?

MelJ

My husband switched from the around-the-waist money belt to the kind that loops through the belt and slips under the slacks. Bought it through Travelsmith, but I'm sure they're available other places. I wear my money belt with the pouch in the small of my back and I never even think about it.

We've had this discussion on here so many times, but I still fail to see the logic in those who say they don't need a money belt, just "be cautious." Well, a money belt allows me the freedom to be less cautious and more attuned to the beautiful architecture, gardens, etc. The last thing I want to do on vacation is be stressed out or constantly on guard.
To say (as someone did earlier) that they take no more precaution in a foreign country than they do at home is not, IMHO, a good idea. It's much more hassle to replace missing cards, and deal with enjoying your trip without them, when you are in a foreign country.

Finally, my DH and I do one more thing: We carry two different credit cards and he carries both of one while I carry both of the other. That way if one of us gets nicked we still have "good" cards to continue our journey.

GraceCO

A good friend of mine has a family member who is a CIA agent in Paris and says US passports are worth $10K on the black market there. Thieves are much more interested in the US passport than the cash.

(She relayed this story to me as I was helping my daughter pack for a semester abroad program in Aix. I ran out & got her a money belt...)