
ABOVE: Puppy lover or dog snatcher? (Paris
Hilton, watch your pooch!)
Mistake #9: Being careless with valuables.
Violent
crime is practically unknown in Venice, but--like many popular tourist
destinations--the city is a magnet for pickpockets, purse thieves, and other
crooks who prey on careless or inattentive visitors.
We've never had anything stolen (maybe because thieves have been
intimidated by our scary-looking canine
bodyguard), but friends, acquaintances, and relatives haven't always been so
lucky:
-
Our niece lost her purse in the railroad station, and we
know a travel writer whose video camera disappeared when she set down her
tote to buy a gelato.
-
At a language school that one of us attended last winter,
three women in a class of a dozen students reported having their wallets
lifted in Venice.
Most thefts occur because people make careless (and easily
avoided) mistakes such as:
-
Carrying wallets in hip pockets, where they're easy for a
pickpocket to reach.
-
Wearing purses over and behind the shoulder.
-
Storing valuables in hip pouches or "fanny packs."
-
Stuffing mobile phones, passports, and other valuables in
backpacks.
-
Carrying
heavy camera bags (or, worse yet, obvious camera backpacks) that might as
well be labeled "Steal me."
-
Resting handbags on top of luggage while concentrating on a
map or guidebook.
-
Hanging purses from chair backs in cafés
and restaurants.
-
Wearing "neck wallets" outside clothing, in full view of
thieves, instead of hidden inside a shirt or blouse.
Our advice:
-
Use common sense, be aware of your possessions and
surroundings, and read our "Crime
in Europe" article before you leave home.
-
Keep a small amount of cash, a credit card, and an ATM card
in a thin wallet that you're carrying in a safe place (such as a zippered
shirt security pocket). Store your passport and other valuables in a
separate, hidden neck wallet.
- Carry photocopies of your passport, driver's license,
and credit or debit cards in a separate location (e.g., with your companion)
so you'll be able to report your losses and get replacements if the
originals are lost or stolen.
Next page:
Mistake #10: Annoying the locals.
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