A Taiwanese travel blogger has offered a list of tips to stay safe while traveling abroad, saying that public safety has seemingly worsened in the US and Europe since the COVID-19 pandemic.
As more people have been traveling overseas since COVID-19 border controls have been lifted, they should be more careful than usual to keep their personal belongings in sight and protected, said the blogger, who goes by the name 943 on Instagram and Si-San Jo on Facebook, and blogs on the Xuite Web site.
One of her online followers who recently visited the Griffith Observatory near Los Angeles had her backpack opened and wallet apparently lifted out shortly after her arrival at the tourist site, the blogger said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Another follower, when visiting nearby Santa Monica, was asked his name by a street vendor, who wrote the name on a CD and prevented the person from leaving before purchasing the disc for US$20, she said.
Si-San Jo said she has heard of many people experiencing pickpocketing in the US at levels normally experienced in many European countries.
She said that she visited many US cities before the pandemic and did not sense a heightened level of threat, except in New York.
However, after the pandemic, reports of pickpocketing, blackmail and robbery have skyrocketed across the US, Si-San Jo said.
Among her tips to stay safe in the US and Europe were: Remain vigilant at tourist sites; leave immediately when strangers come too close; wear your backpack in front of your chest and protect it with both hands; keep your passport and larger bills in an under-clothes money belt; and chain wallets to a backpack, purse or pants.
Among the scams she warned about was when a person leaves their smartphone or wallet on a table, even within sight, a thief might try to cover them with a map and pretend to ask for directions, enabling them to steal the items.
Also do not reach for items on high shelves in shops to avoid taking both hands off belongings that could be swiped quickly and avoid looking at maps or appear in need of directions, as this could make a person a target for thieves, she said.
Si-San Jo said that travelers should not accept flyers from strangers, not help people asking for directions, and not spend too much time taking selfies and other photographs.
It is wise to not dress in expensive clothes that can make a person a target, and do not visit a park, beach, or remote areas in the early morning or late at night, she added.
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