How To Travel More Safely In Italy
From Mama Margaret’s Italy Travel e-newsletter, February 1, 2012
Whether you’re in Rome or Naples, or Vancouver, New York, Sydney, London or Hong Kong, it pays to plan to travel safely.
My seven top tips as a woman who often travels alone:
- Wear a money belt. Since my backpacking days in Italy 40 years ago, I’ve always worn a money belt under my jeans or skirt. When I go to Italian bank machines to withdraw cash, I make sure that I can easily put the new bills into my money belt. As I step up to the ATM, I loosen my T shirt around my waist so I can reach down and stuff the bills quickly into my money belt. I put more money than I need into the money belt since most banks charge by transaction not by the amount of the transaction. The money I need for the day goes into my wallet.
- If I don’t know a street well and it’s empty of people, I avoid it , no matter what time of day or night. I feel I’m leaving myself open for unpleasant situations and nobody would be around to help me.
- I keep my passport in the hotel’s safe or in my money belt, when it isn’t at the hotel reception desk. I carry a photocopy of the passport main page separately.
- If I’m at the beach alone , I often rent a suncot and umbrella at a commercially run, private beach since their staff monitors who comes and goes. If I’m on a public beach with no facilities, I ask nearby reliable looking people to keep an eye on my stuff while I go swimming.
- I dress very simply so people think I have nothing to take.
- If a street in a tourist area is really crowded like some market streets can be at times, I put my handbag into my daypack and wear it on the front of me.
- I’m always aware of who’s around me and pay attention to any intuitive bad vibes.
Jessica on italylogue.com has been running some excellent articles on ways to travel more safely in Italy. Her numerous, practical tips fall into these main categories:
- travel insurance
- money safety
- passport safety
- tourist scams
- safety travel gear
Some excellent tips! The scam on people giving you the old 500 lire coins for change instead of the new two Euro coin is ingenious and new to me! Jessica’s photos show how much they look alike!
Enjoy a smooth and happy trip to Italy!
