not sure if you've left or not, but for future readers, I just used my messenger bag from good old OLD NAVY. It held up really nice and I just put the bare essentials in it. Think about what you'll need daily. I realized when I was in europe that I didn't need half of the crap that I lugged around and eventually just left it at the hotel!

We travelled with a carry on and a backback for change of clothes and to bring back goodies BUT, we always hand carried them in crowds. Our heads have been hit so many times by backpackers,including here on the subway. They don't think about the effect of their bulging back. I was in a bookstore and saw a woman reading while someone was goig into her backpack. i yelled across the room to watch her pack, and the guy fled.

AtlTravelR wrote: "And I, for one, would like to hear you report back from your trip - specifically on how you felt, security wise."

Until that happens, I'll supply a report of how I felt, security wise on many expeditions in Europe -- and more informatively, how I fared security wise.

No worries, no problems, no backpack.

Padraig - not that I'm not interested in YOUR security and safety but I really am interested in vegasrookie as she states "the anxiety is quite overblown regarding the potential problems that may occur to naive and unsuspecting people like us".

I too agree with your "no worries" comment. But I also consider myself pretty street smart so even 2 encounters with Rome pickpockets have only made for great stories - not great problems. I read on this board (and especially on one other board) about people being ripped off, feeling like they have been targeted as stupid tourists, laughed at by the waiters etc. I can't believe they have visited the same places that I have. So I was wondering if it is my personality (my kids and friends call me Pollyanna) that makes me see my travels all in a good light or if I have just been incredibly lucky.

What I'm hoping, of course, is that vegasrookie comes back and says "wow - was I ever worried about nothing. Had a great time, met friendly people, didn't worry about my safety, etc." I post on this board to encourage people to go to Europe and have the same great times that we've had so I'm hoping that will be the case!

I always use my normal pocketbook from home.

AtlTravelR, I'm pleased that you are interested in my security!

I am sure that you also understood my point, that a backpack is not a precondition for security. If anything, I think it compromises it. It's as obvious a badge as a camera hanging around the neck or a guidebook in the hand. As such, it invites street thieves' attention. I steadfastly believe that the best security measure is attentiveness, and equipment is fairly unimportant.

In addition, I have suffered more annoyance from the backpacks of inattentive travellers than I have ever suffered from pickpockets or their ilk.

>>>>>
While traveling by train or bus in Europe, notice locals who have their hands out to protect themselves when in the proximity of backpack wearers.
>>>>>>

this whole 'getting hit with backpacks' thing is way overblown. i am a 'local', i sometimes use a backpack and many other locals use backpacks. european cities are crowded and people have a different sense of space than in some other parts of the world. people bump into each other on crowded metros/tubes. in some parts of europe the culture is for people to not really worry about bumping people. peoples' bags and backpacks bump people. that's life.

we're talking about a pack for day use with a few things in it...not a massive touring pack. people should wear what is comfortable and for many people, a backpack that distributes weight equally on the shoulders and leaves the hands free is much more comfortable and convenient than a messenger style bag.

Are there any shutterbugs here who travel with a DSLR as opposed to a point and shoot? I would be interested in knowing what they carry it around in? Any other tips when carrying it around?

I use a bridge camera, which is closer in size to a SLR than to a P&S. I carry it in a cheap soft bag which also accommodates a few other bits and pieces. The bag has a shoulder strap and in any place where people get near me I also rest my hand on it.

Its main advantage (apart from being just the right size) is that it looks nondescript without quite being scruffy -- a bit like myself, really.

I reckon that I look uninteresting to potential thieves; if they do get interested, then they might notice that I am fairly alert to anybody getting close to me. To date, my strategy has been successful, and I never worry when I am out and about.

If you're more comfortable using a small "day pack" (i.e., book bag) style that's OK too. But I can't imagine why you'd want it to be steel reinforced. That's a bit much imho.

We're back!!!! We didn't get pickpocketed, slashed, or mugged. We kept asking each other "Where are those gypsies???"

I think that because we were part of a tour group, we had our own motorcoach and didn't have the chance to experience taking the bus, the train, standing in line, etc. Some tour members who arrived a day before the tour told us that gypsies swarmed them at the Termini Station.

We had less than a day each in Rome, Florence, and Venice to explore on our own, and had good luck during those times too.

Thanks to all the tips that we've read here, and a little bit of common sense, our first trip to Bella Italia is filled with nothing but good memories.

Glad you enjoyed your tour. So, did you end up taking your backpack on the free days?

No, I'm the only one who didn't have a backpack for this trip. Did get the pacsafe purse in tres chic black. (Sorry, just trying to be funny). The kids & DH did bring their Pacsafe backpacks to use as daypacks (see previous post for links to all the packs).

The winner, hands down, would be the kids' PacSafe Small Secure Daypack - the perfect day pack! The material is very supple, almost silky, it's lightweight and not bulky at all, plus it has all the anti-theft features.