I have a friend who will be in Rome for 7 days with several other women, all in their 60s. She is concerned about having her currency, credit card, camera and valuables stolen while sightseeing. What is the best way to carry these items? She has a money belt and a purse with a strap around her neck.

I think that's a good start. The key, I think, is just to be aware of what's going on around you. Have your purse zipped, nothing in your pockets, and perhaps avoid congested buses or trains. Try to minimize what's in the purse, too. I never carry around more than I need when traveling no matter where I go. Good luck!

The same way you carry them at home.

I felt completely safe walking around anytime. Just make sure that their gut instincts are usually correct. Keep your eyes open and never leave your valuables sitting alone. Oh - NEVER hang your purse on the chair at a restaurant.

I am generally not one to fan the flames about safety, but ... one thing I've always done (learned from my mother, who travelled by herself a lot): I put my currency, passport, cc, etc. in a small zippered bag, to which I sew a 9-10" piece of strong elastic. I then pin that elastic to the inside of my shoulder bag. When I reach in to get whatever I need, I never worry about losing/forgetting stuff, because I can't. And if somebody were to try to take anything from me, they'd have to be pretty strong to separate me from my shoulder bag.

Interestingly, the one time I neglected to do this was also the one time I forgot my wallet in a taxi in a small town in Mexico. Thankfully, the taxi driver returned the wallet, with cc & passport intact -- currency gone, but I was just relieved to have learned a lesson relatively painlessly.

Either wear a money belt or a neck pouch, keeping it invisible UNDER your clothes.

Keep only the daily needs for cash in the pocketbook.

Good advice here and always keep your purse and camera on your lap whether in a restaurant, in a taxi, on a bus, on a museum bench, etc.

Be leary if someone approaches you or tries to start a conversation, just to be on the safe side. Don't trust them until they are proven trustworthy.

I don't agree with the "same way you carry them at home" advice.

Many Americans don't live in areas where pickpocketing and purse snatching are an issue.

Many more Americans don't take public transportation and walk around a lot a home, so even if pickpocketing is an issue, their risk of it happening is very low.

When at home, if someone does pickpocket you or steal your bag, it is a lot less of a hassle to get your things replaced because you are at home.

Be extra vigilant when you see little groups of children. They will surround you and distract you while one in the group will go for your pocket, purse or wallet. I only carry enough money for the day. Put your passport in the hotel safe (You will need it to cash traveler's checks if you still use them.) I carry my ATM card, but refuse to use an ATM card that looks like a credit card, only the plain card from the bank. (I am 68 so I may look like an easy target.)I try to not carry a purse at all, but keep my money in a zippered pocket that is difficult for someone to get to. As far as those moneybelts, I have seen women in stores doing semi-strips, just getting to the moneybelt and I was outside on the sidewalk looking in. So if you are thinking of using one, figure out a way to access it in a discreet way.

Whoah, there...to say "they will do this" (or that!), is a little bit hyperbolic.

In all the years I've travelled, and all the trips I've taken, to all the places I've been (including some sketchy places in sketchy historical periods) -- I've actually experienced and/or seen minimal criminal activity. I think being "vigilant" is wise anywhere -- but the implication that there is more chance of being mugged in Europe than anywhere else is simply not true.

I think you have to be vigilant because you are not in your own comfort zone. In some restauarants at home I know I can sling my bag on the back of the chair and when I go to the restroom just tell my friend that my bag is on the chair and to watch it.

In other restaurants at home I would never do that.

Also when you travel you are more distracted and may not watch your things as closely. I know when I travel I have so much on my mind I just keep my purse and camera on my lap so I don't have to think about them too.

Not that other places are always more dangerous than Los Angeles, far from it.

My friend and I traveled to Rome. Lots of sketchy people, but that's true of any large city. My friend is from a rural area in Oklahoma. I'm from Chicago and I don't drive, which means buses/trains, etc. She wore a money necklace under her clothes and carried a big old, touristy backpack. I kept my things in my purse, in my wallet and bus/train card in my pants pocket, as I usually do at home. Guess who got pickpocketed? That's right, she did. My best answer would be to stay alert with your possessions, don't leave them anywhere (backs of chairs in restaurants/cafes, esp. outdoor ones). Try to observe the locals - their mannerisms, their way of dress and deportment; meaning, try not to look like a tourist. I agree with the one poster who said to look out for large groups of children. I've seen that tactic - it works. Those kids make out like the bandits they are. Just stay on the alert and you should be fine.

Within minutes of arriving in Rome a few weeks ago a lady thrusted her baby at me at Termini but I would not accpet her offerings, LOL.

I got thru Naples, Rome, Florence, Venice without incident only to be pickpocketed in Vernazza, population 500!

Some people warn you not to wear a purse with a strap across your neck, because if someone really wants your purse and yanks on it, you could be very seriously injured.

I prefer a purse with a stury mid-length strap that enables me to tuck the purse tight against my side and still hold onto the strap with my hand.

One thing she and her friends should do is clean out their purses and wallets before they go, so that they only take the essentials. Don't bring all your credit cards, just two (e.g. on debit card w/ Visa or Mastercard and one other card from one of the other credit card companies). Consider leaving non-essential ID cards that are a hassle to replace (e.g. drivers' license etc) at home, unless you need them because you're renting a car. Make photocopies of your passport, leave one with a trusted family member of friend and bring one or two copies with you. Carry the photocopy instead of the original and lock up the passport in your room safe or the hotel safe, along with any hard copy plane tickets (not such a problem with etickets). Make a list ...

EEK! The biggest, ugliest spider just went crawling across my keyboard. Blech.

... ok, where was I? Make a list of your credit card and bank card numbers and the phone numbers you'd need to call (numbers that can be dialled from Italy) to cancel them (1-800 and 1-877 numbers won't work). Give a copy of the list to a trusted friend or family member and bring the other one with you.

"Lots of sketchy people"...

Sketchy? Wouldn't that mean they look unfinished?

Do you mean suspicious-looking or shifty? I hope so -- I hate to think of all these vague incomplete shapes drifting round the streets...

I walked in various places of the world including very poor 3rd world countries, and the 2 only situations I was targeted to robbery were in Rome. Of course this is not statistically relevant, but it is my experience.
First time a gypsy lady holding a baby near the Vatican walls and the 2nd time a bunch of candid young teenager girls.
The bad thing is that this kind of attempts come from where nobody expects (girls, childrenm, ladies with babies, etc).
The good thing is that usualy no violence is used. In my experience a firm NO is enough to make this people move ahead.
Two words of caution, a coat laying just over the shoulders is a clear invition for pickpockets. If somebody passes by a person with a coat over the shoulders and "accidentaly" the coat falls on the ground, when the person picks up the coat from the ground, the wallet is already gone. The other is that, IMHO a coat of some kind with a zipped pocket inside prevents most of robbery cases.