Bad Side of Life Caught on with my Taiwanese Student
Taiwan is an incredibly safe place. In my first year, I once went shopping in a supermarket only to realize at the cashier that I had left my wallet in plain sight in my bicycle basket. I was fully prepared for it to be gone, but there is was exactly as I had left it.
Therefore, I wasn't too surprised when one of my graduate students was 'relieved' of all her cash on a trip through Italy. Adding insult to injury, two days later, an ATM 'swallowed' her credit card.
This incident reminded me of my own encounter with this type of theft by coincidence also in Italy, but with a very different outcome (U$ 25 and my credit card that I blocked right away) as at the time, I was already a seasoned traveler and had taken the necessary precautions. The thieves were so clever that one distracted me enough that his partner could open my zipped up(!) purse. I only realized back at the hotel that I had been mugged.
Safety and Security while Traveling
In this first series of blog posts, I will cover how to prepare and stay safe on trips around the world.
Having traveled extensively on my own as a woman on business and pleasure, this will also be a focus.
Today, I want to focus on keeping documents and money safe on the move and at the destination as these are very different situations with different precautions necessary.
Tips for Equipment
Which Pouch to Buy for Documents and Money
My best friend on the move is this pouch:
How to Wear the Pouch
Here comes the big difference: I do NOT wear my pouch around the waist as it is meant to be. I wear it under my (left) arm! This option means that even when I take a nap at the airport, for example, nobody could get to it as my arm covers it. This pouch carries my passport and any cash that I don't want to spend that day and my credit card if I don't need it.
My strap is, unfortunately, elastic, so I wear the pouch even under my underwear to keep it in place. Girls: flimsy clothing is not the right wear for a flight anyways, but I will come back to that in a later post.
Thieves have Knives
Thieves are getting cleverer and are often equipped (armed?) with knives to get to your money pouch. Many of these pouches are still visible under the clothes you are wearing (at least for the thief). The underarm method is the least obvious.
Other Options
Many companies offer similar options for money pouches. In my view, best would be to buy one that looks like a revolver holster (police wear that), and the strap is not elastic. Furthermore, the pouch has no metal that could set off a detector. The strap can be adjusted so that all sizes of arms fit through the hole and the pouch sits snugly under the arm.
Tips While Traveling
What to Do When Customs Check Looms
When it comes to customs checks etc. where you are checked through and have to show your passport, I quickly go to the next restroom to retrieve my passport. Afterward, the passport goes right back into the pouch in the following restroom. Finding one is usually not a problem in these locations.
Guard your Passport
Never forget that you are nobody in another country without your passport. It costs endless time and effort including visits at your embassy, and your trip is certainly ruined.
Tips When at Destination
Arriving and Checking-in
When I arrive at my destination and check in at the hotel, I right away inquire at the check-in desk whether they have a safe in the room or at the desk. Every good hotel has this feature. If the hotel doesn't have it, don't book it!
Everything that I don't need that day goes into the safe right in the pouch I carry while on the move. That way, the hotel personnel also doesn't see what is in the pouch.
I always carry a copy of my passport just in case, for example, the police want to check me. In most countries, it is an obligation to have your passport with you at all times, but I never had problems with the copy as I could always go back to my hotel to present the original. I also take with me the telephone number to block my credit card.
Money Options - Cash
Let me talk about how I deal with money. I only take a reasonable amount of cash (if possible in the local currency) to cover my daily costs and maybe to buy some souvenirs (try to bargain with a credit card) and try to pay the hotel and travel arrangements (like train or bus) in advance.
Credit Cards
Of course, I have my credit card with me since I was stranded in a hotel in Amsterdam and could not pay for the breakfast because my accountant had only calculated the overnight stay. I can assure you that a very hungry meeting followed!
Make sure your bank knows that you are traveling abroad. I encountered on my second trip to Nepal the fact that my bank had frozen my credit card. When I tried to use it at an ATM, the bank manager called me in tin inform me of the fact.
Some banks also freeze a certain amount when you are a foreigner as I was in Taiwan at the time. In my case, it was NT$ 300.000 which is about U$ 10.000 in case I wanted to return to my home country instead of Taiwan.
Travelers Cheques
Now, I know that my students don't want to hear this because they think it is too expensive, but I am also a big fan of travelers cheques. The safety of these cheques is unrivaled.
I have been to countries where the ATM did not work, or on my first trip to Nepal, there was only one ATM in a city of 2 million people.
Furthermore, what if the electricity is cut (they had cuts in the US and other developed countries too).
Finally, no one else but you can use them if you put on the first signature right away, so they are 100% secure. They are also still available if you have to block your credit card.
And just in case, that you lose the cheques for any reason, American Express is super-fast (within 24 h) to replace them.
Just keep the slip with the numbers at hand. I go one step further and have an Excel spreadsheet to record where and when I cashed the cheques.
Be aware, though, that there are countries that do not take them. When I arrived in Ecuador, I was shocked to find out that the cheques are not accepted in this country. Nevertheless, American Express was very gracious, and when I showed them the cut-up cheques (by fax), they sent the money right away via Western Union, a company that is invaluable in emergency situations.
Other countries that do not accept American Express Travelers Cheques: Belarus, Burma (Myanmar), Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Western Union
This company is nearly unheard of unless you want to remit money to your home country. It is very easy to use (in the US even with your credit card) and even faster than American Express. You only need to pay or receive the money with a code and your passport, and the money is transmitted within minutes. The perfect solution for an emergency.
Caution
You might find me overly cautious, but these precautions have kept me safe in over four decades of traveling to all continents but Australia.
Here is a website with very comprehensive information on the pouches available and written by a detective:
http://www.kevincoffey.com/money/guide_to_security_belt_and_pouches.htm
Maybe you find another model that suits you.
If you have ever been the victim of a thief, please share your story in the comment box.
Please also comment on whether you have other tips and like the blog post. As this is my first post, I want every help to improve.
If you have a similar topic you want me to write about (pick my brain), please let me know.