We prefer to travel in cold weather, so our wallets are kept in zipped or buttoned pockets inside our coats (which are also zipped or kept buttoned.

In warmer weather, I use a purse that has a double closure (zipper and buckle) and my wallet is kept in an inside zipped pocket. I live in Europe and am not going to wear a money belt everywhere. I keep my sunglasses and public transport pass in an outside zipped pocket so I don't have to keep opening and closing my purse.

Last year, when I go to barcelona with my friends, we expereienced on being stolen at the metro twice.

First time, when we get off from train, a lady blocked my friend by pretenting look around the station, and the another lady walk behind my friend and tends to steal something from my friend's pocket, luckily there is nothing inside.
The 2 ladies wear sunglass, pretend to be tourists.

Second time, After we get off from the train, walking to the gate in the station platform, a lady walked close to us, and when she was trying to open the zip of friend's backpack, luckily one of friend noticed that and stop her immediately.

I think the theft I met in bacelona is gather not PRO.

I'm rather late to this thread, but I highly recommend the book "Travel Advisory" by Bob Arno and Bambi Vincent. Bob is a professional stage magician/pickpocket and they've spent a lot of time studying pickpockets and scam artists. The book is a bit sensationalistic, and probably somewhat outdated by now, too, but I found it fascinating to read the interviews with the pickpockets themselves and descriptions of many techniques.

As mentioned by others, the techniques work by distraction and misdirection, much the way a magician works. I've been lucky so far, but almost got pickpcoketed on the Rome metro. It was somewhat crowded, and as I got to my stop, I found myself in a tight pack of people squeezing for the door. I remember thinking how annoying that these people were squeezing together before the door even opened, and then I happened to glance down at my camera bag (small bag worn cross-body in front) and noticed a hand reaching under my arm, from behind the person pushing up behind me (likely an accomplice), on my bag. In that split second, my mind was still too slow to react -- I remember not quite consciously thinking that was odd, and just reaching up and touching the hand, sort of out of curiosity, and the hand promptly disappeared, the door opened, and we all spilled out of the car. Moments later, my brain finally figured out that I was almost pickpocketed. But it was that moment of being distracted and fixated on the annoying crowding (and getting off at the right stop) that created the opportunity to be a victim, and pure luck that I didn't lose my camera.

I now know that what I experienced is a very standard technique, and I hope I would spot the situation developing much earlier and avoid it. If reading these Fodor's threads, or the book above, helps anyone snap out of that momentary hesitation faster, that's one pickpocketing prevented.

If they target you they will have the upper hand, always. What to be done?
Do not carry anything if possible, if you must carry an inside belt ( I hope they will not find a way to get those too)
The situation is difficult all over with people able to go non stop from one country to the other.
During our last trip, we prayed a lot not to get robbed, we walked and walked or took taxis,
a couple of times we took some public transportation hand in hand with local friends" at good times of the day" which do not mean much in my experience.
Europe is on a new course with the EU at its head,I do not wish to venture in things I do not know but from an empiric approach nothing seems so very good now with horribly high unemployment and painful realities....what do I know>?, maybe the bureaucrats in Bruxells are doing fine.

Actually, Barcelona had been a much rougher place in the pre-Olympics times. I also don't understand why the current pickpocket plague seems to be without real effective counter-measures, but if you walked quarters like Raval in the 1980s at night... much more scary than losing a wallet.

In Eastern Europe, also just two decades ago, you might have had fewer pickpockets, but a wrong comment about the local government could have added some extra days in a state-run "hotel" to your vacation.

My mother went to Italy on vacation in the 1950s, and already back then there was also the general warning about kids being used/abused as pickpockets near the stations and major sights.

Few things have been better in the old days.

I agree that losing and replacing ID is a major nuisance and disruption of vacation time, especially abroad.
Besides that, what is the loss of €50 or $50 and a credit card, the latter being insured anyway?
Few people will need to take their kids out of college, or get their car reposessed because someone lifted their wallet.
So unless there is physical violence involved, I consider these incidents still just a nuisance, and not an "end of the civilized world horror scenario".
Getting hit by a tsunami on a zero-crime island in the Pacific is worse.

In addition to the general precautions, I was thinking about using a shorter crossbody bag over my clothes but under my jacket/ sweater which will be longer than the bag (understandably this will be difficult in the hot summer days). i figured it's about deterrance... it is not thief-proof but you just have to make it more difficult than the other tourists near by....