9 Travel Cautions and Warnings for All Travelers

As part of our travels, things naturally happen. People by and large are good no matter where they are located in the world. But there are also those who try to take advantage of others. This is unfortunately true for travelers and tourists. Those unscrupulous predators count on the fact that travelers and tourists don’t know about the local area. Here are some of the things we’ve encountered first-hand during our travels:

1. Many folks are lying to make a buck – While traveling to Bangkok, Thailand, we decided to walk to see the Grand Palace. We were stopped by a tuk tuk driver who stated that the Grand Palace was closed during lunch hours and offered to drive us to other places during that time. Thankfully we decided to just keep walking and not take his ride. We were glad we did as it was not true. The Grand Palace was not closed. The driver was just trying to make money. Do your research in advance and don’t be afraid to walk away from folks like this.

2. All of the items in the touristy areas are over-priced – Also while visiting Bangkok, Thailand, we hired a driver and a guide to take us to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. After the boat ride, our guide gave us an hour to walk around and look at the market. He instructed us to negotiate with the sellers; however, he did not tell us that the prices here were still higher than most everywhere else in Bangkok. I suggest not purchasing items in the tourist areas such as this as we ended up paying way too much for the clothes we purchased at the floating market. We saw the same items later in Chinatown for about half the price or less. Pretty much all of the items you see in the tourist areas can be found cheaper elsewhere.

3. Beware of pick pockets – In Naples, we were leaving the subway terminal while waiting to cross the road to go to a mall, when Paul spotted two men working together to try and pick pocket a lady’s purse. We quickly crossed the road and went into the mall where I found a policeman and pointed out the culprits to him. The best defense is to leave valuables in your hotel room, keep things in your front pockets and keep all bags zipped up.

4. Nothing is ever free – Once in Roatan, Honduras, a young boy ran up to my daughter and handed her a rose made out of a banana leaf. We had not had a chance to tell my daughter not to accept “free” gifts as most of the time the person will later demand money from you. In South America, it was common for street vendors to put something in your hand or on your lap, come back in a couple of minutes, and expect payment. Just learn to kindly say “no thanks.”

5. Pictures, sometimes even with your own phone, will cost you – While visiting Times Square in New York City, we encountered many people offering to take pictures with us, pictures with an animal or people dressed up as characters. We had this happen in Bangkok as well. The people were holding cute little animals in Bangkok offering for you to hold them. When you get a picture or hold the animal, they ask you for money. Resist the temptation for that picture.

6. There are places that beggars disguise themselves as business persons – In Europe, we were visiting a church when I needed to use the restroom. The restrooms were across the road and down some steps. When I went down the steps, there was a lady saying you had to pay her to go to the restroom which was not uncommon. We had not yet exchanged much of our money so we did not have but a few coins in their currency. Once we paid the lady on the steps, there was another person that was taking up money to go to the restrooms. So, the lady on the steps demanding money to enter was a beggar. Be aware of your situation, ask if you are unsure and walk away if necessary.

7. You never know when you need local currency – In a park in London, I again needed to use the restroom. In this case, we needed exact change to put into a slot machine. We did not have exact local coins, so we had to buy something at a store a few streets away so that we could get some change. Have local currency and even several coins with you. (PS I quickly learned to slack off the sodas as finding restrooms in Europe was not easy).

8. Expect that you’re getting bad exchange rates – We learned that many restaurants and places of business will take US currency but you will get their currency back in change at their “exchange rate” which is never to your good. Also, some restaurants will offer to process your card in US currency, which also gives them the control of the exchange rate. Always try to pay in the native currency and in as small of denominations as possible.

9. Your valuables are even more valuable to them – In Buenos Aires, a lady ran by my in the opposite direction and tried to snatch my cell phone but I won!  Hold onto your valuables. Keep them put away if you aren’t currently using them. Never sit them down. Wear backpacks with both straps or purses and camera bags cross-body (never sling them over a shoulder).

Bottom line – to prevent things like this, be on your guard, be informed, and be flexible. While our great and wonderful experiences far outweigh these few that we’ve outlined here, it just takes one of these to turn a good day into a bad one, or worse.

Question – What tales do you have to tell about bad experiences or near-miss encounters while traveling?