Corbin said:
@Broderick
Somewhere is a 90s dad, winning the day with his cargo pants complete with 47 zippered pockets, some zippered inside of other zippered pockets.
Zipception.
Peyton said:
I’ve seen videos of the locals that will call out ‘pickpocket’ really loud to warn others. Sometimes they will follow someone yelling it about them. Lol.
Were they the same people who were protesting against too many tourists and spraying them with water pistols? 
@Steele
I don’t recall that, but whoa!
Peyton said:
@Steele
I don’t recall that, but whoa!
The video was in Venice.
Peyton said:
@Steele
I don’t recall that, but whoa!
The video was in Venice.
There may have been one in Venice, but the video I saw was in the Barceloneta neighborhood of Barcelona.
You shoulda sparta kicked him down the stairs; woulda been epic!
They are so brazen, aren’t they?
If pickpocketing was a martial art, then European cities are full of black belts.
Some of them are so good they’d nick your gold tooth, and you wouldn’t notice until a year later, and by that time, they’ve taken another one along with your watch.
Barcelona & Paris gotta be on guard 100% of the time.
Even if you’ve watched 100 YouTubes and read advice on Reddit, the snatchers and pickpockets will have something new up their sleeves.
//
My friend got her phone snatched in Barcelona on the metro. She was preparing to run after the guy (she’s a very fast sprinter), but she saw first hand how hopeless it was - the snatcher tossed her phone to another guy who ran off with it; no doubt he’d pass it on to another minion. It was just gone.
//
Another incident that happened to another friend in Bulgaria. She was with a group of 5 at a restaurant; she placed her phone on the table while reading the menu.
Unbelievably, her phone was lifted from right under 5 people’s noses. She made a noise and politely asked the staff for help. They kind of stared at her, she said. She then asked about CCTV, and the cooks came out of the kitchen to join the waiters. ‘There’s no CCTV here.’ Realizing it was getting a bit sketch, they quickly left (they hadn’t ordered food). New expensive Samsung just gone.
//
Have fun out there wherever you all go, but be very aware.
Bear traps everywhere; head on a swivel, people!
@Oli
Thank you very much for the info. I was thinking of doing a tour in Europe with my friends, and we thought it was safer than our country of residence (LATAM)… Here, one is used to being careful, but it is always believed that Europe is safer regarding these things.
@Eli
Europe has always been safer than much of the world in terms of violent crime, but I’ve seen warnings about pickpockets going back decades.
Roux said:
@Eli
Europe has always been safer than much of the world in terms of violent crime, but I’ve seen warnings about pickpockets going back decades.
That’s true, although if you see the news, you wonder where it’s all headed.
I was with a friend shopping in London, and she was paying for her clothes at the till. I saw the woman behind her reach into her handbag and yelled. She was gone like the flash. They are everywhere.
@Oli
Yeah, I’m not sure if it’s sensationalism or a true swing in the wrong direction for violent crime - pity if it’s the latter. But I suppose the political backlash in a lot of Europe isn’t without cause.
@Eli
Obviously these things do happen, but I’ve traveled extensively in Europe (Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Oslo, London, Manchester, Venice, Turin, Milan, Kyiv, Barcelona, Granada, Porto, Zurich, Split, Prague, Vienna - lived/d in city centers, etc.) as an idiot teenager roving in a pack of idiot teenagers and as a slightly more sensible adult, and I’ve never been successfully pickpocketed - caught someone attempting to open my ex’s zipper on the Paris metro, dealt with the ‘paper over the phone’ trick, and avoided the fake charity people at tourist traps. But if you keep your valuables zipped away under your clothes and don’t give off vulnerable tourist vibes, you’ll be fine. If you’re worried, bring a decoy wallet. Don’t get too drunk somewhere you don’t know with people you don’t know. Don’t play with your phone while in crowded areas. Don’t wear expensive brands; leave your fancy watch at home; and listen to your spidey senses, and you’ll have a great time.
Never had a real problem even while travelling alone as a solo woman.
Never had a real problem even while travelling alone as a solo woman.
Survivorship bias;-) Seriously though, your advice is good and, one would think, common sense, but many tourists are complacent/naive and are easy marks for pickpockets and thieves. A bit of forethought and preparation goes a long way.
@Voss
I have had issues while travelling, but never as a tourist on the well-beaten path. All of my issues have been in areas no tourist would (or should) ever go. Pickpocketing is annoying, but a bullet will really ruin your day!
I think what’s really happening is that people go abroad and forget that being on holiday doesn’t mean you can turn your brain off. The naiveté of some of the people commenting on this post makes me a bit sad. 10 seconds of thinking about keeping your bag in sight at all times would have saved a LOT of hassle.
Another tip for anyone still reading - I like these decathlon duffels that zip against your back. Can’t rob what they can’t reach; the material is sturdy, and anything Decathlon gives off a distinctly ‘I have nothing worth stealing’ vibe. Bonus points for Decathlon being so ubiquitous in Europe that it’ll make you look like you could be a local no matter where you are. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/trekking-carry-bag-30-l-to-40-l-duffel-500-extend/_/R-p-338459
@Voss
Even if you are careful, someone can jam both of their hands into your pockets and run away in a split second. It’s insane.
Drake said:
@Voss
Even if you are careful, someone can jam both of their hands into your pockets and run away in a split second. It’s insane.
Put your phone on a metal leash and clip it to yourself!! Clutchloop is a good brand of phone leashes 
@Voss
Yeah, where I live using your phone in public is completely normal, and no one is going to literally grab it out of your hands. In Europe, not so much.
Marley said:
@Voss
Yeah, where I live using your phone in public is completely normal, and no one is going to literally grab it out of your hands. In Europe, not so much.
Ehh… I’ve messed around on my phone plenty in Europe, including on public transport; just don’t do it in a metropolitan hub sat down by the doors as they open on a brand new flagship phone while a dude dressed suspiciously warmly for the weather hovers nearby. It’s all about context, and for people who don’t know the rules of the city they’re in, it’s easiest to hand out blanket statements.
Take an older Android, put your banking apps behind a PIN, and no one is going to want to take it or get far if they do.
@Soren
Dudes on mopeds will grab them out of your hands while you’re walking. Ask me how I know 
.
Marley said:
@Soren
Dudes on mopeds will grab them out of your hands while you’re walking. Ask me how I know
I’m really sorry that happened to you. Moped gangs are a bunch of dickheads. Unfortunately, in some areas you just have to keep your head out of your phone and your wits about you, especially if you’re not a local. The reasons are just a bit different in different places - in Barcelona, it’s to avoid the phone snatchers; in Berlin, it’s so you don’t step off the road and get yelled at by police; in Majorca, it’s so you don’t trip over a drunk sunburnt Brit; in Venice, it’s so you don’t fall in a canal; in Phoenix, Arizona, it’s so you don’t accidentally walk down a road full of fent zombies because you didn’t realize that the nearest pharmacy you just found on Google was NOT in a nice area (ask me how I know that one, too!).