14th Nov, 2008

Travel Tip of the Week: Booby-Trap Your Belongings

Every week, Explorations will offer all you inveterate travelers a travel tip from one of our expert Program Consultants.

This week’s travel tip is from Canadian Program Consultant Cora Gomez, and it’s a good one for the risk-averse traveler…

My advice: Booby-trap EVERYTHING.

I travel under the assumption that I’m a pickpocket target because:

  • I’m travelling with a group, and
  • I often don’t speak or look like a local, and
  • I’m of Chinese-descent, so some assume that we all have expensive electronic goods attached to us (eg. camera).

My belief is that if you’re going to rob me, at least you’re going to entertain me. I take solace in the fact that if you are able to outwit me by gaining access to my personal belongs, you will soon realize all that work was for nothing…

My warfare tactics includes the following:

  1. Luggage locks in case the hotel doesn’t have a safety deposit box.
  2. A fanny pack that I wear across my body in case I need to grasp it in crowded areas (on the metro, etc.)
  3. A carabiner to clip to the fanny-pack-strap to avoid easy opening. I clip a baseball cap as well to hide the clip configuration as well.
  4. A Ziplock bag which I use as a wallet. I utilize a neck wallet under my clothes which contains my passport, most of my money … however I don’t want people to see my hiding spot. Therefore, I use the Ziplock bag as a wallet whereby I keep loose change and spending money for the day.  Additionally, I camouflage my money with Chap Stick, gum, tissue, clothing stain wipes, pen, paper, etc.

[Editor's Note:] If anyone has a picture of Cora wearing a fanny-pack on tour, Explorations promises to give you a hearty blog shout-out for providing us with photo-evidence of this remarkable–and potentially remarkably embarrassing– admission.

Although these tactics impair me from easily accessing my belongings … the idea is that it will deter others. I have never lost anything to pickpockets.

EVER.  So before you judge me, ask yourself–can you say the same?

Last 5 posts by Cora Gomez

Posted by: Cora Gomez

Categories:
travel tips

Keep your friends close ...and your cash closer

Responses

Great tips Cora:
One bag I found that is so far a good pick pocket deterent is the Hengren nylon bag that literally wraps over your shoulder so the zipper is under your arm. I use a carabiner as well to hook my wallet inside the inner zip pocket. It takes a bit longer to get my money out but it’s worth it. It also has a fair bit of room but packs flat if you need it too. But I think your solution is definitely more entertaining!
- Cathy

By: Cathy MacDonald on November 16th, 2008
at 11:07 pm

Hey Cathy,

I tried to google “Hengren nylon bag” without much success. Do you have a website that I can access so that I can see your anti-pickpocket bag? You can never have too many of these bags. :)
Cora

By: Cora Gomez on November 17th, 2008
at 10:27 am

Cora, one thing I use often are safety pins…the bigger the better, but not diaper ones. I use them to hook the zipper of my purse to it (yes, I use a cross-body purse that I carry only a day’s worth of cash).
I also use safety pins to pin my money belt in 2 places…it makes it hard for anyone cutting the belt off.
(ps-the only time I don’t use the safety pins are through air-ports as they could set off the metal detectors)

By: Raquel Aguilar on November 30th, 2008
at 9:57 pm

Safety pins work to make sure that your money belt is secured to your clothing…

By: Raquel on December 7th, 2008
at 1:21 pm

Safety pins … why didn’t I think of that!! Thank-you for the recommendation. One more way to make life difficult for those pickpockets!

By: Cora Gomez on December 8th, 2008
at 7:17 pm

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