How To Outsmart And Avoid Pickpockets On Your Gap Year

Travelling the world is generally very safe, but it does come with risks, and pickpocketing is one travellers should be prepared for, especially in major hub cities popular with tourists. Crowded tourist attractions, busy markets and public transport give thieves opportunities to get close to your belongings while your attention is elsewhere, and travellers navigating unfamiliar surroundings, checking directions or handling money can be attractive targets, particularly for organised groups skilled at creating distractions and stealing valuables unnoticed.

The good news is travellers can outsmart those tactics and minimise the risk, by understanding how pickpockets operate, developing situational awareness and creating multiple layers of protection that make their valuables harder to reach.

In over 25 years of independent travel through over 150 countries, this layered approach has been central to how I protect my belongings. Each barrier makes something valuable harder to reach, giving a thief more obstacles to overcome and fewer opportunities to exploit. With a little knowledge and practical preparation turned into everyday good habits, you can reduce the risk of pickpocketing and get on with enjoying your trip.

Develop Your Situational Awareness

It is easy to get caught up in whatever you are doing when you travel. You might be wandering through a busy market, trying to work out which train you need or getting completely distracted by an amazing landmark you have wanted to see for years. That is perfectly natural. The problem is that pickpockets can take advantage of those moments when your attention is elsewhere.

Developing your situational awareness isn’t as complicated as it sounds. It just means getting into the habit of noticing what is happening around you, who is around you, recognising when something needs your attention and responding to it. That’s all. You don’t have to give everyone within fifty feet the stink eye or treat everyone who comes near you as a potential thief. Simply knowing who is around you, where your belongings are and how easily someone could reach them puts you in a better position to protect them.

Get Into The Habit Of Looking Around

Take a moment to look around when you arrive somewhere, and keep doing so occasionally as you move through it. Notice how busy it is, how people are moving and where you might get caught in a crowd. If you are about to squeeze onto a packed train or walk through a narrow market aisle, secure your belongings before people start pressing against you. If you are surrounded by people all clamouring for the same photo of that landmark for Instagram, just pay a little attention to them and think about where your bag and pockets are in relation to the people around you. A backpack might feel secure because you are wearing it, but you cannot easily see someone opening an outer pocket behind you. Bringing it in front of you in a tight crowd lets you keep its openings within sight and under your control.

If you need to look at your phone to get directions, check which platform your train is on or check that photo you have just taken, don’t become so absorbed that you lose track of your surroundings. Most people will be moving around you naturally, but take a minute to check if anyone is getting too close or matching steps with you. If you need a few minutes to check directions, find somewhere suitable to stop rather than trying to read a screen, manage your bags and push through a crowd at the same time.

Pay Attention To Behaviour And Changes Around You

Knowing what is happening around you makes it easier to notice when something seems out of place. Pickpockets can look like anyone, and usually they purposely do not stand out in a crowd. That is why you need to pay attention to what people are doing rather than what they look like. People bumping into you on a packed bus is hardly unusual. Someone repeatedly brushing against your pocket when there is plenty of room to move past is worth paying attention to.

It’s that old movie trope of someone purposely bumping into you, then grabbing hold of you or patting you to make sure you are okay, but with a hundred different variations on the theme. If someone suddenly becomes very familiar, insists on touching your clothing or keeps crowding you after you have moved away, then warning bells should be going off in your head and you should start thinking about moving away and paying attention to your belongings. A friendly approach is not automatically suspicious, but you are entitled to question why someone needs to get so close or why they will not accept a polite refusal.

Look beyond the person holding your attention, too. It may not be them actually trying to pickpocket you. If someone stops you to ask a question, get you to look at a map or distract you in some way, stay aware of anyone moving close beside or behind you. A common tactic these scumbag pickpockets employ is working together, with one relying on you becoming absorbed in one interaction while an accomplice takes advantage elsewhere.

Act Before Someone Gets An Opportunity

If something makes you uncomfortable, do something about it. Move away from someone crowding you, bring your bag closer or put your phone into a secure pocket. You do not need to catch someone attempting a theft before deciding you would rather give them less access to your belongings.

If a stranger approaches while you are paying for something, finish putting your money away before turning your attention to them. If someone spills something on your clothes and starts fussing over you, decline the help and step away with your belongings. You can deal with the mess once you have some space.

There is no need to turn these situations into a confrontation. A firm refusal, a change of position or moving towards staff may be enough to remove the opportunity. Being polite does not oblige you to let someone touch you, surround you or keep you occupied when you want to leave.

Build Habits That Make It Easier

Situational awareness is easier when you are organised. Keep your valuables in consistent, secure places, close your pockets and bag after using them, and put your wallet away as soon as you have finished paying. Having your ticket ready before boarding transport saves you from searching through your belongings while people squeeze past.

Recognise when you are tired or overwhelmed, too. After a long journey, take a moment to sort yourself out before heading into a busy station or street. There is nothing wrong with stopping somewhere suitable to work out where you are going and making sure everything is put away.

You will not notice everything, and you should be able to enjoy your travels without constantly checking over your shoulder. Combining awareness with secure storage and layers of protection means your belongings are harder to steal even when something else has your attention. With practice, these habits become part of how you travel, leaving you more confident and better prepared.

Understand How Pickpockets Operate

Pickpockets rely on getting close to your valuables without you realising what they are doing. Crowds give them cover, distraction keeps your attention elsewhere, and accessible pockets or bags give them something to aim for. Some take advantage of an opportunity that is already there, while others deliberately create one.

It’s important to remember that you may even be targeted long before you reach a crowded spot or they find the perfect opportunity to pick your pocket. Spotters or lookouts are often used to keep an eye out for vulnerable targets and where valuables are being kept, and then signal the person who will actually target you. This is why one of the most common pieces of travel safety advice is don’t flash your cash or valuables about. Being discreet about what you carry and putting valuables away securely gives thieves less information and fewer opportunities to work with.

It is also a mistake to assume that pickpockets always work alone or simply wait for an opportunity. This can be true, but not always. Quite often, pickpockets work together in organised groups around busy attractions, markets and transport hubs. These locations give them plenty of potential targets, an excuse to get close and a crowd to disappear into afterwards. They can divide the work between them, with one person distracting you, another taking your valuables and an accomplice carrying them away. By the time you realise something is missing, the person who took it may no longer have it.

Common distraction scams give these groups an easy way to create an opportunity instead of waiting for one. Each person has a part to play, and a familiar routine lets them work together while making the encounter seem innocent or accidental. Someone may approach you with a petition, clipboard or map, asking for a signature or help with directions. While you look down at what they are showing you, an accomplice gets close to your pockets or bag. At a café, a map or leaflet placed over a phone on the table can conceal it being picked up underneath the paper when the person leaves.

Other routines use confusion, movement or apparently friendly attention to disguise the theft. One person stops abruptly in front of you while another bumps into you from behind, making the contact feel like an ordinary collision in a busy crowd. Someone using flirtation or an unsolicited hug to get close can reach into your pockets themselves or keep you occupied while an accomplice steals from you. On a train waiting at a station, someone outside may knock on the window and gesture for your attention while another takes the bag beside you. The group knows what is about to happen and can act together, while you are still trying to make sense of the interruption.

The distraction itself can seem completely ordinary. The details vary, but the purpose is the same. They want you concentrating on one thing while the theft happens somewhere else.

Don’t assume you will feel someone opening your bag or reaching into your pocket. Skilled pickpockets can use the ordinary pushing and jostling of a crowd to disguise their movements, taking something without you noticing. Waiting to feel a hand near your wallet gives you far less protection than making it difficult to reach in the first place.

Whatever the tactic, pickpockets are trying to get close to your valuables while keeping you unaware of what they are doing. You may never feel a hand entering your pocket or notice someone opening your bag, especially amid the pushing and jostling of a crowd. Understanding how they operate gives you a chance to recognise the setup, but making your belongings harder to reach means their success does not depend simply on whether they can distract you. This is where a few practical habits and multiple layers of protection can make their job considerably harder.

How To Protect Yourself From Pickpockets

Protecting yourself from pickpockets means making your valuables harder to find and harder to reach, while staying aware of situations that give someone an opportunity to steal. How you carry your bag, where you put your wallet and what you do before entering a crowd can all make a difference. These are practical precautions you can build into your everyday habits without spending your trip worrying about theft.

The approach I use is to create multiple layers of protection, each putting another obstacle in a thief’s way. A concealed wallet inside a zipped inner pocket is harder to reach than one sitting in an open back pocket. A covered, secured bag gives someone more to deal with than an exposed zip behind your back. Combine those barriers with sensible habits and situational awareness, and distracting you becomes far less useful to a pickpocket.

Build Multiple Layers Of Protection

I think of travel safety like putting on layers of armour, starting with a padded tunic, adding chainmail and steel plate, then taking up a sword and shield. The more layers you have, the better protected you are, and that is the approach I take to keeping myself and my belongings safe when travelling.

Every barrier between a pickpocket and your valuables makes their job harder. An exposed pocket may take very little effort to reach into, but a concealed zipped pocket behind another zip requires more time and movement. That gives you more chance of noticing what is happening and makes it harder for someone to steal without drawing attention. The aim is to build several obstacles together, so your protection does not depend entirely on one zip or your ability to spot a thief.

With my pack, that starts with a waterproof cover. It keeps the rain out, but it also covers the pockets and openings, so someone cannot easily walk behind me and unzip them. There is nothing valuable in the outer pockets anyway, and the main zip is padlocked. The pack itself is slash-resistant, and inside I keep my belongings in waterproof stuff sacks. Those primarily protect against water, but they also keep everything contained rather than leaving loose valuables immediately accessible if someone does manage to get the pack open. It’s all about those layers. And yes, it is a bit more of a pain when you want to reach in and grab your water bottle or something, but it is worth it.

Each layer deals with a different way of getting at the contents. Someone trying an outer pocket finds nothing worth taking. Reaching the main compartment means getting past the cover and secured zip, while slash-resistant material makes cutting through the fabric harder. Even then, the contents are packed inside separate sacks. Layer after layer makes a quick, discreet theft more difficult.

I apply the same principle to my clothing. My pockets have zips, and the main pocket I use for everyday spending contains only a small amount of cash. That stays zipped up too. My wallet is either at my chest in a zipped inner jacket pocket or in a concealed zipped pocket inside a normal zipped pocket. Even knowing roughly where it is, because lets face it men only have a few options for carrying a wallet, it would still be easy for me to pay attention to it and would leave someone with more than one barrier to get through.

You do not need to copy that exact setup to use the principle. Look at where you carry your valuables and ask how easily someone could reach them while you are distracted. Moving something into an inner compartment, securing the opening and keeping it covered can turn an easy opportunity into a much more awkward one. Choose layers you can comfortably use every day, because they only help when you put them back in place after accessing your belongings.

Choose Where You Keep Your Valuables Carefully

Choose where you carry things according to how well they stay concealed, how easily someone else could reach them and how often you need to use them. Your spending cash needs to be convenient enough for everyday purchases, but your passport and reserve money do not need to come out every time you buy a drink. Giving each item a suitable place makes it easier to protect your valuables without constantly opening up everything you are carrying.

Keep a small amount of daily cash in a secure front pocket, enough to pay for ordinary purchases without bringing out your main wallet. Avoid overstuffing it. A bulging pocket advertises that something is inside, and rummaging through a pile of notes makes it harder to keep the rest concealed. You can top up your spending money somewhere private when you need to.

Your wallet needs somewhere less exposed. An inner jacket pocket at your chest or a concealed pocket inside your trousers can work well, particularly when there is another fastening between it and anyone trying to reach it. Check how it sits when you move and sit down. If it creates an obvious outline, pulls the pocket open or is easy to reach from the side, choose somewhere else. An open back pocket leaves it accessible behind you, where you have little chance of seeing what someone is doing.

Give your phone a pocket or compartment deep enough to contain it fully and close properly. A phone protruding from a shallow pocket is easy to spot and gives someone something to grip. Try sitting down and walking around with it stored before relying on that pocket for a day out. If it slides upwards, gapes open or becomes uncomfortable enough that you keep taking it out, it is not a practical choice. A secured compartment in a bag carried in front of you may suit you better.

When you need to carry your passport, keep it separate from your daily cash and preferably from your wallet. A protected document pocket in your clothing or an internal compartment in your day bag can keep it out of sight without exposing it during every purchase. Inside a bag, avoid putting important items loose at the top or in the outer pocket simply because they fit there. Choose a compartment that is harder to reach from outside, ideally towards your body when you wear the bag.

Think about what happens when you take something off, too. A wallet in your jacket comes off with the jacket, and hanging it behind your chair puts it within someone else’s reach. Keep clothing containing valuables under your control, or move those valuables into another secure place before setting it aside. The best storage is somewhere you can comfortably keep things protected throughout the day, whether you are walking, sitting or stopping to enjoy yourself.

Keep Your Bag Under Your Control

How you position your bag affects who can reach its openings and whether you can see what they are doing. A handbag hanging behind your hip and a daypack worn on your back can both give someone access outside your view, even if they are zipped shut. A few adjustments to how you carry them can make that access much harder.

With a handbag or small shoulder bag, wear the strap across your body rather than resting it on one shoulder. Adjust it so the bag sits close, and keep it in front of your hip or against your stomach in busy places. Where the design allows, turn the opening towards your body and rest a hand over it when people are pressing around you. Avoid letting it swing behind you as you walk or turn, where someone can reach it without you seeing.

A backpack or daypack is perfectly fine on your back most of the time, especially when you have plenty of space and nobody close behind you. Keep its pockets closed and its contents protected, then adjust how you carry it as your surroundings change. If you walk into a crowded market or board a busy train, simply bring it around to your front, where you can see and control its openings.

That is less practical with a large travel pack, which is where a waterproof cover comes in useful. Mine covers the pockets and zips, making them harder to access, while the main opening underneath is padlocked and there is nothing valuable in the outer pockets anyway.

If you are carrying both a main pack and a smaller daypack, if you are hoofing it to the airport or wandering down KSR looking for a hostel for example, keep your valuables and journey essentials in the daypack and wear that in front. This is why you so often see backpackers trudging towards their hostels looking like a human sandwich, with a giant turtle shell on their back and another bag strapped to their chest. It may not be the most elegant look, but it keeps the important stuff close and under their control. And given the usual backpacker uniform is shorts and flip flops, I don’t think the aesthetics trumps practicality!

When you sit down, keep a handbag or small day bag on your lap, with its opening closed and facing you. A larger daypack can sit between your feet, where you can maintain contact with it or on the chair next to you and attached in some way to the table where you can keep an eye on it. Avoid hanging either over the back of your chair or leaving it on an empty seat where you can’t reach it or someone can approach from behind. I often loop a strap around my leg or a suitable table leg as another obstacle to someone simply picking it up and walking away, as well as my trusty waterproof cover.

On transport, keep the bag containing your valuables on your lap or between your feet where space allows. If your main luggage has to go on a rack, keep your valuables with you rather than leaving them inside it. Whenever you open a bag, bring it where you can see and control it, take out what you need and close it again before settling back down.

You do not need to clutch your bag throughout the day or wear it on your chest down an empty street. Keep it comfortable, secure its openings and change its position when the situation calls for it. Those small adjustments add another layer of protection while leaving you free to enjoy your surroundings.

Prepare Before Entering Crowds Or Boarding Transport

Boarding a train or pushing through a busy entrance often means doing several things at once. You are looking for the right platform, getting a ticket out, handling your luggage and trying to keep up with the people moving around you. Pickpockets can take advantage of that confusion, particularly where everyone bunches together at doors, barriers or narrow passages.

The easiest thing to do is get yourself organised before joining the rush. If you have developed a good situational awareness you are already aware that the risk level has increases so you will be on soft alert and slightly more aware. That’s a good thing. Now all you have to do is take a moment to organise yourself. Have your ticket or the small amount of money you need ready, put your wallet away and close your bags. If your ticket is on your phone, bring it out when you need to scan it, then return it to its secure place before moving on. Avoid leaving it loosely in a pocket because you are trying to clear the barrier quickly.

Take a moment to position your bags before entering a tight crowd, too. It is much easier to bring a daypack around to your front or adjust a shoulder bag while you still have space than when you are wedged between other passengers. If you need something from your main pack, retrieve it beforehand rather than opening everything up in the queue.

Where you have a choice, give yourself a little more room. You can let a tightly packed group pass through an entrance before following, or wait for the next service if the carriage is uncomfortably full and another is coming soon. Once aboard, move away from the doorway when it is safe and practical, keeping your belongings close as passengers get on and off. You can still use busy transport; these choices simply make it easier to manage your things.

Getting off deserves the same preparation. Before your stop, put your phone away, check that your pockets and bags are closed and gather what you need to take with you. Leave yourself enough time to collect luggage without rushing, but stay seated or hold on where necessary while the vehicle is moving. If you emerge into an unfamiliar station, clear the doors and find somewhere suitable to check directions instead of stopping in the bottleneck with your belongings half open.

The same habit works in markets, queues and crowded attractions. Sort out what you need before stepping into the busiest part, then keep it simple while you move through. With your belongings already secure, you have more attention available for finding your way and noticing what is happening around you.

Keep Cash And Valuables Discreet

Pickpockets can learn a lot simply by watching you. Bringing out a thick wad of notes shows them what you are carrying, while returning your wallet to an obvious pocket tells them where to find it. You will need to use your money, phone and camera throughout your trip, but there is no reason to display everything else you have whenever you do.

Keep your daily spending money separate from your reserves, so paying for lunch does not involve sorting through all your cash at the counter. If you need to top it up, do so somewhere private before heading out or once you are back at your accommodation. The same applies to retrieving a spare card or accessing concealed storage. A hidden pocket loses much of its advantage if you open it in full view of everyone around you.

Put gadgets away when you have finished using them rather than leaving them on a café table or dangling from an open pocket. Carry a camera securely while taking photographs, then return it to its protected place when you no longer need it. Discretion is about avoiding unnecessary exposure, while still enjoying the things you brought with you.

Some authorities, including the Met and British Transport Police, recommend a money belt when carrying substantial cash. With a few exceptions, I do not. Apart from the question of why you are carrying substantial amounts of cash around anyway, which is questionable at best, conventional waist pouches and neck wallets put your valuables in predictable places, and accessing them can reveal exactly where your reserve money is kept, making you more of a target. They can also become uncomfortable and sweaty, while a neck wallet adds a strap that someone could grab and use as a weapon against you. Concealment helps, but wearing something beneath your clothes does not automatically make it a good choice.

There are a few exceptions to this rule and travellers can now find discreet pouches that attach to a bra or a hidden compartment inside an actual, otherise genuine trouser belt can be useful alternatives. They sit differently from conventional money belts and can hold a small reserve without being used for everyday payments. Concealed clothing pockets generally offer a better option though and this is what I use more often than not. Whichever you choose, make sure it stays hidden, is comfortable enough to keep using and can be accessed privately when needed.

You do not have to disguise yourself as a local or avoid using anything valuable. Be sensible about what you reveal, keep reserves out of sight and avoid showing someone both what you have and exactly where you keep it. Combined with secure storage, that gives a pickpocket less information to act on.

Keep Control During Distractions And Unwanted Contact

If someone unexpectedly approaches you, keep your belongings secure before giving them your attention. Finish putting your money away, close your bag and keep it close while you listen. You can answer a question or have a friendly conversation without leaving your valuables exposed or allowing someone to crowd you.

Be particularly careful when the approach involves touching you or your belongings. If someone spills something on your clothes and immediately starts trying to clean it off, step back and tell them you will deal with it yourself. If a stranger tries to hug you, take your arm or press something against you, you are allowed to decline and create some space. Being polite does not mean accepting physical contact you did not invite.

Keep some awareness of the people beside and behind you, too. The person speaking may be perfectly charming while an accomplice moves towards your bag. Position it where you can control the openings, and avoid letting a map, clipboard or other object obscure your view of it. If several people gather around you, move out of the group rather than staying in the middle trying to follow everything they are saying.

It is not always easy to remember your belongings when a bunch of kids excitedly ask for a photograph or someone suddenly draws your attention elsewhere. Your natural reaction is to join in, look up or respond, and there is nothing wrong with that. With a little practice, though, you can make securing your valuables part of the same response. Casually rest a hand over the pocket containing your wallet as someone puts an arm around you and grins for the camera, or pick up your phone from the table before dealing with a drink someone has spilled on you.

These small precautions do not have to be obvious, unfriendly or make anyone feel accused of anything. Most encounters will be innocent, and you can enjoy them while keeping your belongings under your control. If someone bangs on a train window, take hold of your bag as you turn to look. If an argument breaks out nearby, keep your things with you as you give it some space. The more often you do this, the more natural it becomes.

These precautions are useful precisely because you may not know whether an encounter is innocent or deliberate. Keeping control of your belongings and giving yourself room to move lets you respond sensibly either way, without treating every person you meet with suspicion.

Secure Your Belongings Before Focusing On Something Else

Some of the best moments of travelling deserve your full attention. You should be able to admire a temple, browse a market or sit down for a good meal without spending the whole time checking your pockets. Getting your belongings secure before you become absorbed in something makes that much easier.

Before taking photographs, put away anything you no longer need and close the pocket or compartment it came from. If you swap your phone for your camera, secure the phone first rather than balancing it on a wall or leaving it loosely in an open bag. Keep the bag close and positioned where someone cannot easily reach into it while you concentrate on the shot.

When checking directions or reading about somewhere you are visiting, step out of the flow of people and get settled before looking at your screen. Trying to navigate a crowd with your phone in one hand and an open bag in the other gives you far too much to manage. A brief pause lets you sort everything out, find your way and put the phone away before moving on.

At a café or restaurant, arrange your belongings before settling into your meal or conversation. Your phone does not need to sit on the table once you have finished using it, and your bag should stay close and under your control. If you need to get something out, close the bag again straight afterwards rather than leaving it open until you are ready to leave.

The same applies when shopping. Put your change, card and wallet away before picking up your purchases or turning to look at the next stall. If you need both hands to examine something, secure what you are already holding first. You can take your time and enjoy browsing without juggling valuables or setting them down wherever there happens to be space.

The habit is simple enough to practise throughout your trip. Before giving something your attention, take a moment to put your belongings where they are protected. Once that becomes routine, you have less to keep track of and more freedom to enjoy whatever you came to see.

Limit What A Thief Can Take

Keeping your valuables secure reduces the chance of theft, but separating them also limits the damage if someone does manage to take something. Losing a small amount of spending money out of one pocket is frustrating. Losing all of your cash, cards, phone and passport together because they were all in that same pocket is devastating, and can really mess your day up. Just take a moment and think about what you would still have available if one pocket was emptied or one bag disappeared.

Start by carrying only what you need for the day, alongside a sensible reserve. Keep your everyday cash and usual payment card separate from your backup money and spare card. Two compartments in the same bag may make individual items harder to reach, but they will not help if the whole bag is taken. Spread your essentials between genuinely separate places, using secure storage at your accommodation for things you do not need to carry.

The same applies to your phone. A card tucked into its case is convenient, but both disappear together if the phone is stolen. If you use your phone to pay, keep a physical payment option elsewhere so you can still buy essentials without it. Having another way to pay is much more useful than several payment methods all stored in the same place.

When you need to carry your passport, keep it separate from your spending wallet. Leave a copy securely stored elsewhere, too, along with the contact details you would need to report stolen cards or ask for help. Those details should be accessible without relying entirely on the phone you might lose.

You do not need to scatter belongings so widely that you cannot remember where anything is. Choose a straightforward arrangement you can maintain, with daily spending money accessible, important valuables protected and backups kept separately. That way, a successful pickpocket has a much smaller chance of taking everything you need to carry on with your trip.

What To Do If Someone Tries To Pick Your Pocket

If you notice someone opening your bag or reaching into your pocket, your priority is to stop the attempt and get yourself clear of the situation. Move away, bring your belongings close and speak firmly if it is safe to do so. A clear “Stop” or “Keep your hands away from my bag” can alert the people around you without drawing you into a prolonged argument. Scream ‘pickpocket’ and point them out if you are in a crowd and feel safe to do so, and give someone clear instructions to call the police. Don’t assume someone will.

Do not chase someone or try to physically detain them. They may have accomplices nearby, and you cannot know how they will respond if confronted. If they have already taken something, getting into a fight over it can turn a theft into a much more dangerous situation. Move towards staff, security or police and ask for help instead.

Once you have some space, check what is missing. If you only discover the theft later, you may feel shocked, angry or embarrassed, but being targeted does not mean you were stupid or careless. Skilled thieves deliberately exploit ordinary moments of distraction, and even sensible precautions cannot prevent every theft.

Get somewhere safe before dealing with the practical consequences. If cards or your phone have been taken, contact your bank and secure the affected accounts as soon as you can, using another device or asking someone you trust to help. Report the theft to local police and ask for a crime reference or written report for your insurer. If your passport is missing, contact your embassy or consulate for advice on replacing it and any documents you need for onward travel.

You do not have to solve everything at once. Start with your immediate safety, access to money and somewhere to stay, then work through the rest. Having something stolen is upsetting, but it does not have to bring your trip to an end. Once the essentials are sorted, you can take some time to recover and decide what you want to do next.

Get Out There And Enjoy Your Travels

For most travellers, being pickpocketed is a small possibility rather than a probability. Visiting a busy city, exploring a market or taking public transport does not mean someone is about to steal from you, but as the scouts always said, it never hurt to be prepared. The risk is generally low, and the precautions covered here help reduce it further by making your belongings harder to reach and giving you a better chance of recognising when something is wrong.

Once your valuables are put away securely and you have developed a few sensible habits, you can get on with enjoying yourself. You do not need to keep checking your wallet, scrutinise every stranger or turn down friendly encounters. Give crowded situations a little more attention, keep control of your belongings and let those layers of protection do their job while you admire the sights or chat to someone new.

Travel has far more to offer than the possibility of something going missing. Prepare sensibly, then allow yourself to enjoy the places you have worked hard to reach. These precautions should make exploring easier and more relaxed, leaving you free to bring home good memories instead of spending your trip worrying about what might happen.