bardo, too funny. A Murse?

I bascially employ the same method as Ira--cash and one CC in my front pocket, everything else in a travel wallet (neck variety for me, as I always wear button shirts). Haven't employed the safety pin, but that sounds like a good idea in Rome and some of the other pickpocket hotspots.

The problem with carrying a wallet in any pocket is that it can usually be spotted by pickpocets. I also don't like putting all my eggs in one basket. If someone gets the contents of my front pocket, I'll still have cash, a credit card, and my ATM card.

Well if I were into pickpocketing I think threads like this would be quite interesting and educational, lol!

Women and men with purses invite trouble. Trouser pockets are accessible to a skilled pickpocket. Magic shows often do a search and steal and the subject is unaware of what has happened. A travel vest with inner zippered vests may be secure. Another friend wears a pocket T-shirt, and shirt over it. His wallet is in the T-shirt. I carry a credit card in my buttoned shirt pocket. And I always (almost) check to see that I have it after using it. Before leaving the shop I put money/change into a wallet and the card into my shirt pocket. Hind sight..I left a restaurant in Katowice and begin organizing my money and such, four women surrounded me grabbed everything they could and disappeared.

Small wallet in front pocket with 1 cc and small amount of cash. The rest is either locked in the hotel safe or secreted upon my person :-)

Either way they are hidden well away from Mrs Muck who has her cc confiscated whilst on holiday :-)

;-)

Muck

Wallet. In my front pocket. As always (whether at home or away). Never used a money clip and don't want to.

Same here - DH takes his wallet, containing his single card, in his front trouser pocket as at home. We'll usually leave spare cards (i.e. mine) along with passports in the room safe.

Would you be feeling the need to take special devices if you were visiting a big city at home ?

>.. a purse across the front of their body after that purse has been snatched by someone riding by one a scooter ...<

How they do that? They have to pull the purse over the person's head.

>I left a restaurant in Katowice and begin organizing my money and such, four women surrounded me grabbed everything they could and disappeared.<

One shouldn't tempt people that way. You turned 4 perfectly good citizens into thieves. :)

((I))

"Would you be feeling the need to take special devices if you were visiting a big city at home ?"

Yes Caroline, its really weird we probably don't bother at 'home'also Mrs Muck is allowed CC here which is probably far more dangerous (and stupid) than having them on hols.


;-)

M

Despite all my warnings, my husband carried his credit card leather case in his pocket and was pick pocketed on the metro in Rome.

We were that close to divorce court.....

Hi Mucky - I was wondering about her 'only' being allowed a credit card at home :-)

I think the best strategy is to make one's self a more difficult mark and to minimize damages if a theft occurs - to make it so that it is a minor blip in your travels, not a roadblock.

I do the same with home security. I take reasonable precautions so that my house is not an easy mark, but understand that if someone really wants to get in, they will. So I do things within my home to limit what a burgler can take.

A friend of mine once knew a guy that kept his money and credit cards in a ziploc bag pinned to his underwear. I have often wondered what cashiers thought when he went for his money or credit cards.

Ira, you mentioned you have a saftey pin with your cash..do you pin your money to the inside of your pocket?

I started using an arm wallet while jogging. Lightweight, holds a couple credit cards, some cash and a key or two; unobtrusive, readily available and always within line of vision. And easy to wash. Lots of people think its for carpal tunnel or some other type of first aid.
http://www.beltoutlet.com/armwalbyen.html
They have a leg wallet too which would hold more, but not be as convenient to retrieve for making purchases!

love it - its my favorite travel accessory.

"Ira, you mentioned you have a saftey pin with your cash..do you pin your money to the inside of your pocket?"

No. He uses it to stab anyone who tries to pick his pocket. LOL

On this trip, I'm going to carry everything in my backpack. Inside the backpack will be a...you guessed it...bear trap.

HAH - Now when those nasty pickpockets reach in to steal my valuables, NO MORE FINGERS!!!

So, you say "What if they just take the backpack?" I have that one covered too, I'm going to staple it to my neck. Finally, I'll cover the entire backpack in fiberglas resin, without the hardener. That'll get em.

I'm still working on how to pay for stuff, but hey, I can't figure out everything.

:-)

dave

bardo1: I've just spent at least a half hour with William Sledd. Now I'm hooked.

My husband thinks he is impervious to pickpockets. I am worried. But we do just as J Correa does, so no matter what, we ought to be ok.

He also says that because he is draped with heavy photography equipment he is more likely to be robbed of camera equipment than pickpocketed.

I hope he never is, but he is pretty stubborn.

I have a money belt and my husband has a leather wallet that has a loop that wraps around his belt and hangs inside pants. It has zippers on two sides. We both keep little money available, but have credit cards and other money hidden from others, but it is easy to get to.

All of you who insist on keeping your wallets in your pockets like you do at home, are being quite silly. You have never come up against the pickpockets as in Europe. The price you pay for this carelessness can be quite high. In paris, they were following my brother around like a pack of wolves. We had to beat them off. He insisted on keeping his wallet in his pocket. On the TGV train coming back to Paris from Nice, A thief closed the vestibule doors on my brothers top torso, as he was leaning over depositing the luggage. At the same time, the thief had his hands in my brothers back pockets. My sister-in-law saw what was going on and beat the thief off. He promptly got off the train. They must follow unsuspecting people on the train, steal from them and then jump off before the train ever leaves. Another time, in the Vatican book store which was very crowded, I had a wallet on a rope around my neck under my jacket. All I had in it was some angel tickets left over and a business card. The thief unzipped my wallet and got the used tickets out. He probably thought they were credit cards. When I felt something and looked down, he walked away saying scuzzi, scuzzi. Europe has the best pick pockets and smug Americans are no match for them.

I came up with a quite simple solution to foil the infamous pick pockets of Europe. I went to Wal-Mart and purchased an inexpensive cloth camera case and attached a velcro strap to the belt loop and can now attach it to my ankle. It is worn in a manner similiar to the way undercover police officers conceal their small back-up guns. Of course you cannot wear shorts with this setup, but then again many European tourist attraction frown upon wearing shorts anyway. Especially Italy.

In Europe or South America, I always carry my wallet in my front pocket following the advice of a detective. It's easy to come up behind a guy and slip a wallet out of his back pocket and I once saw a guy's back pocket in Philly get neatly sliced with a razor so the wallet fell out. If you are especially concerned, you can put the wallet in and give the front pocket a twist so it's not possible to slide a hand into your pocket easily. It is also important to be aware of those around you, don't be so distracted, make eye contact and not let people see where you have placed your valuables. Some people also use what is called a "rabbit garden" trick. To keep rabbits out of your garden, you plant a smaller garden with cheap rabbit favorites that is easier for the rabbit to get into and it stays out of your main garden. So use a smaller wallet with a small amount of cash (and maybe credit card with a small credit line) to pay for things so it attracts any attention and not your main wallet with your real cards. If you lose the "rabbit wallet" you haven't lost much.

"In Europe or South America, I always carry my wallet in my front pocket..."

So where do you carry your wallet in the US where...
"I once saw a guy's back pocket in Philly get neatly sliced with a razor..."

>> Europe has the best pick pockets and smug Americans are no match for them.<<

Funny - I've lived in Europe for 35 years and never had my pocket picked - I'm American, but hopefully not smug. ;-)

"Geen geld in de achtersack"
You learn that at a very young age :D

Both men and women should wear a waist moneybelt under their clothing. In it should be limited credit cards, ATM card, big bills of cash and passport. In your day bag or front pocket carry any "day money" you need. I do this while traveling abroad as well as in the United States. That way if the unfortunate happens, I've lost very little and my trip can go on. The best moneybelts? Try www.ricksteves.com
Have a good trip and relax!

To answer the original question. Men keep their ATM and credit card(s) wherever the wife or GF can't get to.

;)

In December 1986 a friend and I were riding a car crowded with commuters in the London underground. I had my shoulder bag tucked under my arm. I thought the woman next to me was moving awfully close and pushing against me but perhaps someone was pushing her. Got off at a stop pretty soon so didn't think it was too bad a ride. A little later I picked up my purse to pay for dinner and discovered one side of it had been cut open. She must have done this, stuck her hand in and could not ket past my big ol' Nikon. Wrecked the bag but wallet and camera were secure.

Travelpat : "All of you who insist on keeping your wallets in your pockets like you do at home, are being quite silly. You have never come up against the pickpockets as in Europe."

So how would you apply that to all of those of us who have lived in Europe all our lives, taken dozens if not hundreds of holidays here and don't feel the need for moneybelts etc ? Maybe we're just more used to being careful. Or maybe it's because we don't drive everywhere at home ?

Caroline, don't give the game away. We Europeans survive because we are the pickpockets, all of us.

:-)

In a Zanzibar fishmarket, a man was coming from the opposite direction. He bumped into me and tried to shove his hand into my pocket but I felt it and shoved my elbow into his hand and I ran off. I keep a money belt under my clothing while traveling. In the hotel, I keep most of my money and passport in the hotel safe. I keep a small amount of daily money divided in my front pockets, either zipped or pinned. Split up your money so you don't loose it all. You can't be too careful. In Oman someone got into my zipped back pocket without my knowledge but I just had non-important papers in it. I think I'm going to print up cards that say "Shame on you" for them to pickpocket. They are pros!

I'll be the first to admit that a sport coat pocket or a back pants pocket are very vulnerable to a skilled pick pocket, but not my front pocket. it's all I can do to get my wallet out of there. I'll happily submit to a test from any of you who want to see if you can get your hand in my front pants pocket without my feeling it. Sounds like fun to me.

We just returned from a European cruise and visited several large cities with crowded shopping areas, etc. Our solution against pickpockets was to wear cargo pants with buttoned and zippered pockets. Your valuable documents and credit cards, cash, can go in the pockets of your pants. My purse contained only items that were expendable if stolen.

We never had a problem but we felt safer.

In 1995, my hubby was hounded in Rome until he finally took his wallet OUT of his pocket & put his valuables in the money belt he brought & wore under his clothes. He was fine thereafter.

The only pickpocket we encountered was in the tube in London. They got my 10 or 20 pound note and some old theater ticket stubs. :( All in all, I feel better if we're safe rather than sorry.

For us, it is better to be safe than sorry and I prefer not to have my trip challenged with extra hassles sorting things out with the police and banks, if at all possible.

Hubby & I will keep most of our cash, passport, & limited credit/ATM cards in those travel holders made for the purpose & worn under clothing. We have purchased ones that are worn around the neck, on the ankle, or around the waist. Will try to convince our 20 & 22 year S & D to wear these too, but not sure if they will.