Being away from familiar territory puts you at an increased risk of getting ripped off. It's not difficult to understand why tourists make such good "targets" for thieves and disreputable vendors. You're in a foreign country struggling with a language you can't speak, different money, jet lagged and unfamiliar territory. It's often very noticeable that you are not from there making you are an attractive target to those that prey on your temporary condition known as "tourist". Believe us, we've experienced this ourselves. The scammers know that it won’t be easy for you to get back to them, and often you’re unlikely to notice that you’ve been ripped off until you get back home. In fact, the best scams are those that you don't even know happened.
To minimize your chances of being scammed, we've compiled some tips that we've learned from our many years of traveling. We hope these tips will help you steer clear of these minor speed bumps that can mar an otherwise perfect holiday. Also, please remember that the point isn't to travel in fear, but to take caution and be alert.
Find a tourist information desk on arrival, seek the advice of locals on route to your new destination or ask your hotel. Government sponsored tourist information desks can be a great source of information when arriving to a new destination. They can help you in many aspects of your trip, including finding the best or most economical means of getting to your destination based on your needs. Spend some time getting information from them before you set out and explore your new destination. Do be careful though as many travel agencies at airports or cities advertise themselves as "Tourist Information Centers" which can be easily identified within the first minute after your arrive by noticing that they are selling you something as opposed to providing genuine FREE information.
Alternatively, you can ask local travelers for good hotels, areas to visit and costs while on route to your new destination. We visited some of the best places in cities or countries by talking to local tourists while on route to our destination.
Finally, if you pre-book a hotel at your new destination, ask them to tell you the options and approximate costs of getting to their hotel from your point of arrival. If they offer you their hotel shuttle service, you can be sure that public transport, including taxis, will be at least 25% cheaper. At the hotel, you can also enquire about things to do and see in the area. We prefer to stay at smaller, family owned hotels as they are usually your best source of information about off-the-beaten track and other activities.
Remember it's always your 4th time to a destination. We've learned this trick from a driver in India who explained to us that we should always tell people it's our 4th time visiting whatever place we are at when asked. (Up to three times you can still be taken advantage of so it's best to stick with the 4th visit scenario.) This tip has proven to be very effective throughout our travels as we noticed the number of times people have tried ripping us off since learning it's our 4th time to that destination is virtually non-existent. Taxi drivers, helpful strangers, store clerks, etc. will often ask if it's your first time to that destination. Although it's sometimes a genuine conversation starter, it's also sometimes a way for the person to see how they can rip you off. (We know this sounds horrible, but it's true.) By your 4th visit to any destination, you certainly know the ropes so their efforts to rip you off or offer you "cheap" tours or hotels are quickly evaporated. Oh yeah, it does not matter that you've never been there before, how will they know? If you are curious what they can offer you, and there are more than one of you, you can always tell them that it's your 4th time but the other persons first visit. This gives you some flexibility to get information and avoid getting ripped off.
Pick-up a guide book or hire a travel advisor before departing for your next destination. LonelyPlanet.com for example is a great source of information on your next destination. You can even buy selective chapters in PDF format from their website if you don't want to purchase the entire guide. Their guidebooks discuss activities in the areas, restaurants, hotels, weather, customs, transportation, etc. and can give you a general sense of costs in the areas.
Alternatively you can hire a travel advisor to help you ease into your next destination and avoiding getting ripped off. This is a service that is readily available on the Internet as well as a service we provide, visit our SERVICES page for more information. The costs of the guide book or/and travel advisor are minimal and more often than not end up paying for themselves and save you time and money during your travels.
Carry small change. ATM machines often only dispense large bills, so you may find yourself in a new country with only large bills at hand. It's best that you either buy something small at the airport or a convenience store to get small change. If you arrive at an airport, we recommend that you get small change before leaving the airport. A common scam involves taxis or other vendors claiming they don't have change and you have no choice but to leave a large tip as their efforts to get small change are often minimal at best. This is very relevant in South-East Asia and India.
Separate large and small bills and keep them in different areas. We often say to keep only the amount of money in your wallet that you are willing to give up. There are many ways you could lose the money in your wallet when traveling, other than having your wallet stolen. Especially common in Central America and some former eastern European countries, police officers may target you for bogus fines. Although they may not have any reason to stop you, they might anyway and when they do, they usually find something that you've done wrong that would require you to pay a fine on the spot. Depending on the situation and the surroundings, it's sometimes simplest and quickest to show them the money you have strategically placed in your wallet and tell them that's all you have because you were just looking for a bank to withdraw more money from. Although you often end up losing the little you have in your wallet, it's better than losing all of your cash or getting into a worse situation. This trick also helps in other situations where you might accept a "free" tour or "free" photo from a stranger who is later VERY insistent on payment. Be smart, keep your money apart.
Check your receipt/bill for accuracy. This may seem easy enough, but you'd be surprised how many times "tourist" shops and restaurants "make a mistake" by adding items that you didn't buy or order. In addition to extra items on your food bill, some restaurants charge a service fee that is often in lieu of a tip. Some waiters will still insist on a tip which really isn't necessary unless the service was WELL beyond the charge already imposed on your bill. Don't be afraid to spend a few seconds reviewing your bill at the cash register or in front of the waiter.
Count your change and make sure they have change before you hand over your money. As obvious as this is, it's still not as common as you may think. Some vendors rely on you not counting your change and will attempt to short change you. This is one of the easiest scams to avoid by simply double checking that you got the right change. The other point we have to bring up is that if you are paying with a large bill in a small shop or remote area, you should make sure they have the change for that bill before you hand it over. If they don't but claim they will get it, tell them to get it first before you pay. Finally, ask for a receipt if you think you are not paying the right amount for something that you've purchased.
Label your money in room safes or lockers. Just when you feel your money is safe because you left it in a locker that they gave you a key for or in a hotel room safe that you set the combination for, we will tell you that this is probably one of the easiest ways that you will lose your money without even knowing it. Staff in hotels or attractions where you deposited your valuables know how to get inside these safes without you knowing. The scam involves the staff taking small amounts of money from your total as not to draw attention to the theft. They are banking on the fact that you won't remember how much money you left in the safe and, in a lot of cases, they are right. At the end of the day you may feel that you simply spend too much as you may notice that you have less than you should, but will most likely chalk it up to spending too much on miscellaneous items that you can't account for. When you leave money in a hotel safe or any other locker, label the money with the exact amount you are leaving in the safe. If they do get into the safe and notice that you labelled it, they will more than likely leave it alone. Otherwise, recount your money when you return and there shouldn't be any doubt in your head if any has gone missing while in "safekeeping".
Be sceptical. It really hurts us to say this as there are many very nice people around the world that you can trust, but unfortunately there are also those people that will take advantage of your trusting and kind heart that forces us to say this. There are those instances that the kindness of strangers is really a sales tactic to buy from a shop, take a tour or some other effort to part you with your hard earned cash. It's often hard to spot the genuine people from those that try to take advantage of you and we really don't have any magic recipe to help you distinguish between the two, so we can only say to be sceptical. If the kindness of strangers turns out to be something other than that, heed our point number 10 below.
Don't let yourself be bullied. Tourist touts or disreputable vendors often rely on your fear and weakness to purchase a product you don't want, take a tour you are not interested in or try something that you are not comfortable with at a cost that you don't agree with. Our advice is not to give in to high-pressure sales tactics. In the end, they can't force you to give up your cash. As angry as they might get for wasting their time and not buying their product, it's your decision in the end so don't give in. Shop keepers and vendors, especially common in Turkey and Egypt, will often get very upset when you enquired about a product and price that you don't end up buying, claiming you wasted their time and they could have made money if they didn't spend time with you. This is an act in pressuring you to buy something that you don't want. Don't give into it.
Other ways to avoid getting ripped off include:
- don't carry your wallet in your back pocket;
- don't get drunk alone;
- stick to bottled drinks (as opposed to mixed drinks) at unfamiliar bars and discos to avoid getting drugged;
- don't order something from a restaurant that's not on the menu without finding out the cost first;
- don't wear expensive jewellery while traveling;
- don't flash your money when buying items from small shops or local markets;
- don't pay the asking price for an item at a market (It's usually best that you throw a ridiculously low price for that item and walk away, they will often shout the "lowest" price as you are walking away. This will give you an idea of the maximum price that you should pay next time you barter for that item.);
- lock your valuables in your carry-on bag on overnight flights, bus rides, train rides, boat rides, etc.
- don't give money to beggars or children that should be in school (since it teaches them to beg and not to learn);
- enquire if your destination has "tourist police" and if so, don't be afraid to contact them;
- staff at public toilets are often paid government employees, yet they will often ask for a tip or have a jar in front of the toilets tricking you into believing that tips are customary. Don't fall for this trick. They are paid public servants who should not get a tip. This is especially common in Malta, Egypt and Jordan.
- Look thoroughly at the item you are purchasing before you buy it and make sure that's the item that you get, (especially when buying from street markets);
- and so one...
If you have any other tips on how to avoid getting ripped off while traveling, please email us at Info@TheVacationAdvisors.com. Please note that this information has been provided to you free of charge. However, should you find this information helpful, we would appreciate a small donation to EarthClick.org. The money is used to give impoverished children food and clothing, that we encounter during our travels. To find out more, please visit, EarthClick.org.
Thank you.
