Spending your holiday visiting tourist attractions is fun, but things can quickly sour the moment you let your guard down while sightseeing.
Whether it’s a lone-wolf pickpocketing or a group effort scamming, you’ll want to avoid becoming their target at all cost.
To keep yourself safe when visiting touristy areas, we suggest carrying these four items with you.
1. Dark sunglasses
When you’re out and about, put on a pair of sunglasses with lenses in the darkest shade possible.
Yes, they protect your eyes from the sun and may increase your cool factor – but the main point here is they help you evade eye contact.
This is especially useful in high-traffic tourist spots, where touts and scammers are always on the hunt for unsuspecting holidayers. If they can’t make eye contact with you, it’s easier for you to whizz past them without acknowledging their existence.
2. Prepaid cards
Society’s move toward cashless transaction is great for anyone who detests carrying wads of cash while travelling.
But you risk having money siphoned out of your bank account with a single tap of your debit card. Or raking up fraudulent charges on your credit card.
This is when using a prepaid card (think Wise, BigPay, EnrichMoney, Touch ‘n Go) comes in handy. Even when thieves manage to swipe it from you, all they’ll have is the amount already available on the card.
Since it’s not necessarily linked to your bank account (unless you’ve enabled it to), they can’t attempt to withdraw more. And since it doesn’t work like a credit card, they can’t rake up debts on it.
Also, nowadays you can use virtual credit or debit cards on your phone to make payments. This requires Near Field Communication – or NFC – so you need to enable it on your smartphone.
3. Water bottles
Not to be dramatic, but carrying a water bottle around can save your life. Other than hydration, it’s also great for protection.
The idea may have been initially conjured up in jest, but it’s no laughing matter if you find yourself facing an opponent with no means to protect yourself.
All you have is the stainless-steel bottle in your hand. Swing it hard and the moment you have the perpetrator doubled up in pain, run for your life.
4. Offline maps
If you are “directionally challenged”, you’ll appreciate digital maps that you can view offline. Less hassle to carry – and usually more updated – than paper maps, offline maps help you navigate without requiring internet connectivity.
You’ll need to download these maps before hitting the streets. Google Maps is the go-to, but there are also other apps, such as Maps.me, Karta GPS and OsmAnd.
Other than keeping you from getting lost, having these also means you don’t need to ask anyone for directions. You’re less likely to be tricked by a thief or a scammer to go a location where they can easily rob you.
