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.

"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.