From the latest Rick Steves newsletter :
“In restaurants, in stores, at ticket booths, everywhere — expect to be cheated if you're not paying attention.”
I’d be scared to death if I were a new traveler and read that. How can you enjoy your trip if you are suspicious of every transaction?
WEBMASTER EDIT: Thank you to Elizabeth as this is an important topic. This thread brings up a number of issues and I wish to point out my extensive reply below.
What newsletter are your referring to? I want to read the article.
It appears to be a caution to those who are not paying attention. The predators are out there looking for an easy mark, i.e. those not paying attention.
This one, Phil:
(First sentence under "Money Matters")
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams/tourist-scams
It is a bit heavy handed. I guess the expectation to be cheated at every turn isn't one I share, and not an expectation I'd like new travelers to Europe to have.
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams/tourist-scams
Scroll down to "Money Matters"
A ridiculous, obnoxious and unnecessary remark. There's an exaggerated and over the top belief on these forums that everyone everywhere in Europe is out to rip you off. Be aware and knowledgeable but be realistic.
“In restaurants, in stores, at ticket booths, everywhere — expect to be cheated if you're not paying attention.”
Wow, just wow. I really have no words for the way Rick Steves describes people in the tourist industry in Europe. As someone who used to work in the tourist industry and still volunteers there, all I can say is that I’m deeply insulted, angry and disappointed. During my studies, I had a summer/holiday job for several years in the largest theme park of the Netherlands. This theme park welcomes guests from all over the world, including the rest of Europe and the USA. I now learn that instead of selling our guests food and drinks and making sure they had a great time, I was only out to cheat them when they weren’t paying attention.
And right now, about once or twice a month I volunteer at a memorial /museum related to WW2. One of my tasks is to sell the entry tickets. I thought I was doing a good job welcoming visitors from all over the world to our museum by making small talk with them while I sell them the entry tickets or souvenirs. But apparently this is just my distraction technique so I can scam them.
If this is how Rick Steves truly feels about the tourist industry in Europe, why is he still organizing trips to this apparently very dangerous part of the world where everyone is out to scam tourists?
And with regards to the photo depicting the German police who “teach the public the latest shell-game scam.” ; the officers wear a green uniform. The German police stopped wearing green uniforms back in 2018 already. If Rick really wants to warn the readers of his newsletter about potential scams by fake “tourist police”, he should at the very least get the facts straight and show how true German police officers really look like.
Good grief, indeed, at some of the reactions on this thread.
As a tourist to other countries in Europe, I have never, ever, been cheated by anyone.
Rick should really edit this comment or come out and say something about it.
Surprised that someone is upset at forum members being angry at such a blanket statement coming from the Rick himself.
The whole article is sad. I cannot tell you how many times I have offered to help people find their way or buy a ticket, always keeping a respectful distance and have them angrily say no, rudely turning their backs to me. So, I watch them miss their stop, struggle for another 10 min at the machine and then buy the wrong ticket for too much money. I am an 70 year old woman with a mid-west, Ohio accent. Why would anyone think I am a scammer? Had one guy who was struggling at a counter to buy a ticket actually yell at me, when I offered some help. "If I needed help, I would have asked for it". Guess he read the article.
The slow count? That is for people the cashier can tell are not familiar with the money. It is counted slowly so you know what you are getting back. Who told him this crap, that the cashier hopes the person will just grab their money and go?
Seriously not sure where he is getting this information.
I've been living and travelling within Europe for over four decades and not once been cheated or scammed so either I'm extremely fortunate or the 'advice' is completely at odds with the reality.
I agree with Jo. I‘ve seen some American tourists questioning their charges and change, suspicious, defensive, unfriendly, sure they’re being scammed in their transactions. Not a happy sight.
I've seen tourists make a**es of themselves with scam their first word uttered, all because they didn't understand their bill.
The article has useful information, especially for the novice who has not traveled far from home, not seen such things yet, and not wise to the world. But to state that, "In restaurants, in stores, at ticket booths, everywhere — expect to be cheated if you're not paying attention...", Is not useful and creates an inaccurate & unrealistic expectation. Be aware, be savy.
Agree with Ms. Jo, I have never been cheated by anyone traveling.
Say it ain't so! Forum members questioning Rick's advice???
I have probably been cheated a few times. I have no idea. I suspect I have been cheated as often in Europe as I have been in Edmonds, Washington.
Surprised there wasn't anything about people "pretending" not to know English. That one gets me all the time on the forum.
This reminder also applies in the US. In Charleston, they try to "give" you a rose made from sweetgrass and then harass you to pay for it. My husband had his wallet stolen out of his back pocket while waiting in line to check into a hotel in Petersburg, VA.
This is very strange advice for Europe. Europe is highly regulated. I’ve never been scammed anywhere in Europe. The idea that you could be scammed by the admissions desk at a museum is absurd.
Ridiculous.
I don’t have a problem with the overly cautious language. I think it’s better to alert people to what could potentially happen, and then hopefully it won’t. My philosophy has always been to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. And that’s what this article does.
I remember once reading a book that discussed how flight attendants show security procedures at the beginning of every flight. They’re very calm and say this should never happen but we have to say this to you, and most people just yawn and reach for their phone or their book and ignore it. The author, however, said that what they should be saying is “Everyone stay alert! Pay attention to this because if you don’t, you could die!” Over the top, maybe? Definitely! But it does get people to listen and maybe it could save someone.
That’s the same thing with scam artists. 99% of travelers will probably never encounter it. But those that do will be much better forewarned.
Fear sells. Buy this book, and you will learn how to avoid being cheated in restaurants, ticket booths, - everywhere.
This is probably better advice in the US than Europe.
I agree with Mardee.
I also agree with everyone who points out this particular sentence can be seen as offensive and Rick blew it here.
Here is my guess. If one of us met with Rick and said "Rick, did you mean to suggest Europe isn't safe? That every person working in the tourist industry is maybe a potential evil criminal about to pounce on your innocence?"
I'm guessing he'd reply "What? Did I say that? Let me look. Wow, not my best writing. Here, let me fix that!" Then he'd add words like "convivial"-- every third word is "convivial" if you haven't noticed.
And then he's wordsmith the piece and we all could go back to complaining about Americans overtipping and how beautiful the alps are and who has the best beer (the Czechs of course) and so on.
What do I know? Not much!
happy travels.
I get where he’s coming from, but YIKES. The language is rather OTT. I assume the advice is aimed at newbies who have not traveled abroad before.
Weirdly, I live in London and have traveled pretty extensively - I consider myself savvy, and don’t think I look like a mark - but just last month I got my debit card skimmed and had to do the whole “call the bank so they cut the card off immediately and send you a new one” palaver. It was inconvenient and annoying, to say the least.
Of note: this did NOT happen to me at a “tourist hotspot.” It happened sometime when I was running boring errands in the Fulham Road (went to the butcher, picked up some clean tea towels at the hardware store, stopped at Tesco, had a large Malbec at my local, hopped on the bus home).
A huge apology should be forthcoming coming!
That's interesting (and unfortunate) that you had your card skimmed Volva. You think it happened at one of those places in Chelsea? My understanding was that these days you were more likely to lose your card to your number being out there on the dark web somewhere for someone to purchase in a list, or some other online fraud.
I dont think this was a new statement. I suspect it's the choice of the word "expect" that causes concern. Maybe "be aware of" or "be vigilant" would have been better, and of course it's not exclusive to Europe. Last time I was shortchanged was at Fenway Park in Boston.
But I agree that a lot of the guidebooks and advice here could use an overhaul, not just a tweaking.
Well, "expect" has a meaning and he isn't s novice.
Mr Steves has clearly had a terrible time visiting Europe. I'm surprised he still recommends any Yank comes here given we are clearly a continent of ne'er-do-wells.
"Mr Steves has clearly had a terrible time visiting Europe. I'm surprised he still recommends any Yank comes here given we are clearly a continent of ne'er-do-wells."
You see after any yank sees flamenco, they are ineluctably drawn to Europe and are forever condemned to return despite the expected dangers of being shortchanged by flamenco dancers. Lively both on their feet and their fingers.
That's my take!
Happy travels.
I'm with Nick. I find Rick Steves' comment an incredible offense to Europeans. Talk about painting with a broad brush!
For me, "expecting" to be ripped off might be a little strong if "anticipating the possibility" of getting ripped off is the recommended approach Rick had in mind. That said, I do not think that's a bad approach at all.
Aren't we really just splitting hairs here? What about the multiple (20 or so?) specific scams that Rick has warned about? Rick did not invent those out of thin air. I've read about such scams in other guidebooks as well. Now, I've never been scammed on the street, but I honestly don't have much exposure on European soil if I take a 2-3-week trip every 3 years. Personal experience as a traveler in Europe is simply a bad measuring stick for accurate risk assessment. Of course, "Europe" isn't one big uniform entitity... scam incidents are bound to vary in number depending on country, location, time of year, crowds, etc. Rick can be faulted for the broad-brush treatment of Europeans generally. But that doesn't mean scams don't happen; some places are simply more prone to street crime and scams than others.
Getting "ripped" off is probably unintentional more often than not. I once lost the equivalent of $20 to a ticket clerk at a Swedish train station when I used an outsized bill to pay with. I don't call that getting ripped off... But intentionally or unintentionally, I definitely was "CHEATED" out of $20 (which was $100+ back in the 70's!) This experience doesn't mean all Europeans are crooks... but if I had been paying closer attention at the time... "EXPECTING" that I might not get correct change from the cashier... I would not have walked away $20 poorer. So honestly, I really don't mind Rick's wording - the words bring good advice - be cautious and aware during your interactions with others in Europe - and they should be remembered.
Well.
The only time I’ve ever been cheated was in the u.s. !
First visit to NYC and we were scammed by a rogue taxi driver who held our luggage hostage till we’d paid the over the top wrong price.
Never, ever, ever in any other country in 43 years of travel.
GerryM: I would honestly be incredibly surprised if it happened at one of those businesses… so I am wondering about the bus. If someone who tapped in right after me had an RFID reader that might have done it. There’s rarely a huge crowd on the C3, but who knows? :-)
Volva, my instinct is that it was probably compromised by other means, rather than a physical interaction. I'm no expert on these things though.
While I don't agree with Rick's "expect to be cheated" warning, I think it harkens back to the days when English wasn't as widely spoken and everything was paid in cash with multiple currencies to keep track of - French francs, German Marks, Italian Liras... How many times did you see a frustrated tourist, usually an American, let the clerk "help" themselves to a wad of bills or a handful of coins to take the correct amount?
I was picked in Rome. It was a nightmare getting a new card. My stepdaughter was being picked when a nice Frenchmen stopped the little devils and alerted us. I had another attempt with the petition scam and another by a supposed American giving us a sob story about being stuck in Paris because he lost his wallet. Another time a guy tried using the bracelet scam. So, I’m very weary and take extreme precautions.
Thank you Kate and others
I do not see the phrase the same way that some of you do.
I see it as fair warning to those who are not paying attention. I see it as a caution.
I am not well traveled and have only been to Europe three times since 2019.
I appreciate Rick's warning.
When I booked last year's cruise from Barcelona last year, I was cautioned very heavily and many times over about the professional pick pockets in Barcelona from forum as well as Facebook sites.
I was glad that so many cared about me.
I see it as a warning for the heavy "tourist attractions" that a lot of people reading RS would be going to.
And places that I doubt a lot of Europeans would frequent.
Those places are more likely to have thieves and whatnot because as a famous bank robber never said, "that's where the (dumb) money is". "Dumb" as in looking around in wonder (gobsmacked) and make easy targets.
edit: and a secondary reason is a lot of the RS readers wouldn't have experience in places like NYC when going to Paris/Rome/etc. Small town vs Big City issues.
Sorry, not sorry, but words matter. And IMO, the use of the word "expect" was supremely ill considered. I dont blame any of our European members for feeling insulted. And while the included information is useful for anyone who hasn't been off the farm before and ventured to the big city, a simple rewording of that one sentence might go a long way to changing paranoia to simple caution and awareness.
And maybe, just maybe, there would be fewer newbies posting to ask if this, that or the other place is safe to visit.
Good grief! Yes, that was a bit heavy handed and not worded well but I’m amazed about people that have been to Europe’s heavily touristed spots numerous times and can say they haven’t been warned of or experienced: the gold ring scam attempt (we did in Nice, we walked away), the put the bracelet on your wrist and demand money (they tried in Rome and again in Pisa), the clip board girls swarming our group with hands going in pockets (yes, in Paris), women coming in very close to the tour group as they were listening to a guide, hand diving (yes, at the Pantheon in Rome and then again in Pisa), the tour member being asked where he was from while the companion dipping into his pocket (yes, in Ortisei of all places). It does happen, please be aware of your surroundings but that also goes for walking down the street in any large city, anywhere in the world.
I've been cheated before - in Europe and in the US and elsewhere. Pretty hard to reach my age and not get burned a few times.
Back in the pre-Euro days, I paid for a vaporetto ticket in Venice with the high denominations of the day. The change I got back was definitely "short" but I immediately said something and the ticket agent acted surprised but immediately added the full amount of change back and handed it to me. Less likely to be a possibility nowadays as the use of credit cards AND the receipt requirement sort of make that tougher to pull off.
Another time in Italy (Milan), we had a great meal UNTIL my wife noticed the bill just did not add up. She was tired but now angry, and we dug into the receipt (very useful). "What's this??? "coperto"??? We didn't get anything called "coperto"!" A bit of a stink later, and my wife still convinced we were being ripped off, we left. My cousin who lived in Milan was the first person we talked to about it. "Oh yeah, I should have mentioned that." After that, it was one of those things you always noticed since it was on our radar. We get a chuckle out of it now, but our ignorance of "normal" really resulted in us being rude (or seemingly rude) to the restaurant staff. I can see how the current US trend of "including" a set tip for parties greater than X size would likewise throw folks off after a meal.
But, dozens of trips since that time in Venice show me it isn't something that deters me, and I feel like it's gotten so much better, it's tough to complain or even put it at the top of my list to warn others about.
The article is good advice to newbie travelers but that ill worded sentence needs to be changed for sure. We don’t expect to be cheated by vendors, waiters, at ticket booths, etc. in Europe and have never had that happen. We are veteran travelers and have witnessed various scams in Europe such as the bracelet scam, the petition girls, the shell game, etc. with local police standing there and not saying anything to an unwitting tourist who is being parted from their cash. We have also seen these things happen outside of Europe. I take the article as a word to the wise.
Huh, interesting article that I'm not really relating too.
Talkative Cashiers: Be aware of shop cashiers who appear to be speaking on the phone when you hand over your credit card: They may surreptitiously take a picture of your card. Consider paying cash for smaller purchases.
Can't say I have ever handed over my credit card to a cashier in Europe. I didn't think it was a thing there. But then, I'm a tap and pay girl. Hello Apple Pay, no pin required.
I'm on vacation and can't live in a world where I trust no one. Just not the way I roll. I do my due diligence and keep my passport and phone safe and just enjoy life and people. That's worked for me so far.
Lynn, you understand what is important in life.
I will add that the percentage of times per number of transactions or actions that I have been ripped off in Europe is no different than the percentage of times this has happened to me in the U.S. Maybe less.
So, folks, let's stop, step back, and consider the following...
Here's a suggested edit, for the busy, over-worked and under-appreciated staff at RSE in Edmonds and their remote staff doing writing/editing/updating/pushing-web-bits...
Change that introductory paragraph to something like this:
Europe is a surprisingly creative place when it comes to travel scams....
(insert new copy here...)
It's easy for inexperienced travelers to be so overwhelmed with joy that they often forget the common sense that they would always apply at home. When you're far from home, be sure to keep your wits about you at all times, even when you are thrilled to finally be where you are. While the overwhelming majority of Europeans are – of course – honest, kind, helpful people, and almost all encounters you have with them will be positive (in fact, often great and memorable), smart travelers don't let their guard down, and always maintain a careful, watchful attitude towards what's going on around them, lest they leave themselves open to being victimized by the small number of dishonest people who are looking for someone to cheat or scam - as there always are anyplace in the world (including your home town). Travelers should be especially watchful any time they are conducting a transaction that involves money, when there's any kind of unexpected disturbance around them, or when they are approached by strangers for any reason that just seems odd. You don't need to be paranoid and you certainly should treat others with respect, but the unfortunate fact is that there are dishonest people in the world, and some tourists make themselves an easy target. Tourists are easy for a local to spot, so protect yourself by being vigilant, and most thieves will soon move on to find an easier victim. Here are some specific suggestions to take that target off your back and help you enjoy a trip without getting ripped-off.
(end new copy)
Remember, many of the most successful gambits require a naive and trusting tourist...
Copy editors, take it and run with it. A few tweaks and this piece will serve well without needlessly painting Europe as a den of thieves. You're welcome.
Hey folks,
I have a lot to say on this one. I think this thread warrants a different type of moderation than I usually give. Consider this a targeted PSA.
I want to start by giving my own experience as a traveler. I've personally witnessed all but 4 of the scams listed in this article, and I identified them because I read an early version of this article many years ago. The scams that can happen are real. I never took this information to assume a broad brush stroke that European people are out to get me, but it did show me that I needed to pay attention to things that I wouldn't have experience with at home.
As you all know I'm here as a moderator not just for individual issues but for broader forum-wide and internet-wide trends. You've seen my many PSAs about anything ranging from clique behavior, to extra patience for new travelers, to how politics in a forum can divide us.
Today, I want to bring up online aggrievement. Before I get too deep there, I hope you all know that I work to defend your opinions including those critical of Rick. I've moderated countless posts that reacted poorly to someone's acceptable opinion or advice. I believe that you should share such things as long as they fit our community's guidelines.
AND... we can all work together to make sure we're not caught up by how online aggrievement and rage can come about.
There are common traits. It frequently starts by sharing something that is a bit out of context, perhaps focusing on the use of a single word or phrase. Sharing that word/phrase frequently puts forth something for judgement by those who aren't necessarily the target audience. The rage frequently ignores the nuance provided that was meant to assuage concerns, or it doesn't assume best intentions. Assumptions are made of a broader brush, effectively choosing to include yourself as a target. It fuels taking offense when perhaps it wasn't about you or about those for whom you are taking offense. Could it have been written/said better? Perhaps. And I will be in touch with our editors.
Fwiw, I've had many discussions with our editors about this subject - the balance between sufficiently warning people about something without being over the top or painting too broadly. It's always a real challenge as you could write many paragraphs of caveats re where and when something applies, but you'd lose the intended message. I'm also not going to get into things that travelers have mistaken as scams as that's another topic entirely. Rick has loads of content to inform travelers about such things.
With respect to Ms Jo, Dutch Traveler, and the many other Europeans and seasoned travelers that make up our community, this article wasn't intended for you. You - as someone that likely does little to stick out as a new traveler that would need to be aware of such things - wouldn't be a target (usually... see, caveats! ;). You also would never perform these scams nor would you associate with anyone who would. And your locales - e.g. Germany and Holland - are not where these scams are common (other countries and locales too... more caveats!). And you know that. Let's also consider the broader context that this article isn't the primary thrust of this month's Travel News. We always have a rotation of tips articles as part of Travel News, so it's not like Rick is out to throw Europeans under the bus as some of the replies in this thread might lead one reading along to believe. I think you all can understand that this wasn't about you, so let's not take offense. Let's instead focus on who this IS for (more on that below).
I wish to point out that if you read the article and not just the quote offered for judgement, it goes to lengths in the intro to give appropriate context and caveats, pointing out that scams are subtle, be smart, don't be overly trusting, and that you'll have no problem if you're cautious (I'm paraphrasing). This is appreciably different than saying not to trust Europeans or that you should be scared to death as some of the reactions in this thread have indicated. The phrase getting picked apart - "expect to be cheated" - comes with the caveat of "...if you're not paying attention." Use of "expect" is not saying you'll get cheated at every turn. Consider it a common eventuality - and we would know because we hear it from travelers and experience it ourselves - (applying the context from the article) IF you're not aware of the possibility, IF you're not paying attention, and more likely IF you're a new traveler in a place where tourists go. Use of "cheated" also seems to be getting overblown by some here. You're not getting mugged. You're out a small or moderate amount of money. That's reasonable use of "cheated." Given the context when reading the article, does it need to be said that restaurants, stores, and ticket booths are simply examples of where a scam that targets tourists could happen and it's not a condemnation of the travel industry as a whole? I'm not here to say that what's said in the article is perfect wording, but I'm hoping we can tone down the heightened reaction.
So, who is this article for? It's for new travelers that are unaware of the types of scams you'd never see in the US. I hope you can consider that it is hard to write an article about scams you could find in trip to Europe and where you might encounter them without loading each scam description with caveats about where you are most likely to see them... when the purpose is to make you aware of how to identify them if they arise. E.g. the Slow Count is most likely in Italy (but possible in other areas too, but not these other countries, but it could happen in big cities, but not those cities, unless it's at a tourist site... I hope I've just made a clear example of how overloading the advice with caveats can muddy the intended purpose and even cause more confusion or consternation for the new traveler).
For those that have never encountered these scams, terrific!! I also caution those who haven't experienced this to not fall into a form of what the scientific community calls survivorship bias (focusing on successful outcomes - in this case your own outcomes - can lead to overly optimistic conclusions). Aka, lets not discount that these scams can happen.
I hope that we can all come down from a heightened reaction to this article. I will still bring it up with our editors. No one person is "at fault" for how this thread played out, but I aim to make this forum a place where we can all have a reasonable discussion without leaning into broader issues of online rage or aggrievement. I'd make this same case if our community had this reaction to a non-RS article. Really, it's fine if you find that this subset of Rick's travel advice isn't helpful for you, and it's reasonable to say so. It's also important to me and many of you that our forum doesn't verge into engaging with perceived ragebait, and this article happens to be something I know enough about to use as an example for explaining it with you all.
Thanks to everyone for your time and thought on the subject. Also, David in Seattle's considerations as to how things work at RSE are remarkably on point with some quibbles. ;)
Siesta, in response, I read the whole article. “Money Matters” that which has started this wild fire, was only a portion of the article, the majority of it dealt with the street scams……nothing he hasn’t talked of in the past.
‘Still or sparkling?’ is not a scam. It’s the norm or it’s desirable to drink bottled water in many places and it’s fine to say tap water please. Many restaurants in England where I live will ask you the exact same question. We don’t have tourists.
It’s good to know that you have to ask for tap water as it’s a cultural difference, but you are not being scammed.
And you’re right above that you DO NOT hand over your card. That’s the whole reason why chip and pin and tap payments were brought in. It’s made card transactions much more secure.
Just to be clear; I have no problem with an article that warns people about potential travel scams in Europe. It’s good to inform unsuspecting tourists about how they can recognize these scams so they can avoid becoming a victim.
I do have a huge problem with the sentence “In restaurants, in stores, at ticket booths, everywhere — expect to be cheated if you're not paying attention”
When Rick writes something like that, he’s talking about real people. Real people working in the tourist/service industry who, for the most part, work hard for not a lot of pay. Real people like my nephew who has a weekend job in a supermarket in Amsterdam and while doing his job restocking the shelves also has to help tourists find the cheese, stroopwafels etc they want to take home. Real people like my neighbors who work their b*tt off in their newly opened restaurant and who take pride in serving their guests a good meal. And real people like my volunteer colleagues and me, who staff the ticket booth of the local WW2 Memorial/Museum.
Such a damming blanket statement about everyone in the tourist industry in Europe really is not okay.
Webmaster, thanks for your explanation. I totally get that the article isn’t meant for those who live here. But the article does talk about us, even about those of us who live in Germany and the Netherlands, because nowhere does it say that what’s written under “Money Matters “ doesn’t apply to the northern part of Europe.
I don’t want to start a discussion with you, but I do want to comment on this part of your reply.
“The phrase getting picked apart - "expect to be cheated" - comes with the caveat of "...if you're not paying attention." Use of "expect" is not saying you'll get cheated at every turn. Consider it a common eventuality - and we would know because we hear it from travelers and experience it ourselves - (applying the context from the article) IF you're not aware of the possibility, IF you're not paying attention, and more likely IF you're a new traveler in a place where tourists go.”
Yes, Rick wrote the caveat, IF you’re not paying attention. But the way I read this caveat is that it’s only thanks to the attention paying tourist that he or she is not scammed. Not because of the fact that the overwhelming majority of those who work in restaurants, shops and ticket booths are not even out to scam tourists in the first place. The vast majority of those working in the service industry simply want to help their guests and make sure they have a good time and enjoy their stay here.
It would be nice if the sentence in question could be changed into a sentence that reflects the fact that not everyone in the tourist industry is out to get you, even if you aren’t paying attention.
Perhaps something like: No need to expect to be cheated, but still pay close attention.
I’ll leave it at this and wish you all a happy weekend.
Sometimes it strikes me that many people who post on here seem to have led quite sheltered lives in general. Without the specific "scam" items considered, it seems that sometimes people have very little savvy in general for moving around in towns and cities and interacting with people in public. Maybe I just grew up too rough and learned when someone is "at it" or is a risk in some way early on and can apply this wherever I go to keep myself safe.
Is it the case that Americans don't have the same level of social interactions in public as Europeans to build up skills in sussing things out? It makes PSAs like Rick's more relevant when you're starting from a baseline of your first experience of a big city and being out in public there is a European trip in your 60's.
Thank you, Dutch Traveler. I clearly see how you are receiving this, and I hope you see that this isn't something we intend. I don't wish to deny your experience, but I hope my explanations also show that how you've received this is not what we're out to achieve. (I also am not the writer and am not approved to make changes to our content, though I can request review as noted). To that end I do wish to respond.
"Not because of the fact that the overwhelming majority of those who work in restaurants, shops and ticket booths are not even out to scam tourists in the first place." Perhaps the disconnect is that we assume people reading the article assume this in the first place. Given your assessment of how important that notion is, I'm not entirely understanding why you didn't assume this of us (though I acknowledge you are not the only one). I think I can speak for everyone at RSE in that we agree how important that is. This website and our guidebook series writes thousands of pages to encourage people to travel to Europe, meet the people, and enjoy the culture, and we wouldn't do that if everyone was out to scam you. Is there something that RSE does that would lead you to assume otherwise beyond the sentence being called out in this discussion?
This is rather what I was getting at in that it is hard to write an article about scams - as we can't be precise about when it will happen - without giving every possible caveat for possible (mis)interpretation, and how easy it is to take something online and not assume the best.
Again, I'm not arguing that an edit is not in order and I will bring that up. I'm always making the case of assuming the best in each other here and many of those reading along have seen that in my moderation. I'm making the case from the perspective of overseeing this forum to ensure that we're not veering into broader themes of concern that we frequently see in other corners of the internet.
Sorry WM. I understand what you are trying to say, and even agree with part of it, just as I agree that the bulk of the article in question has value for new travellers. However I must also agree with Dutch Traveler. The problem is the wording of that one sentence. Regardless of the intent behind it, the reader is left with the impression that everyone they might deal with is out to cheat them. It's a very unfortunate choice of words. And contrary to the opinion of some, we're not talking about Holy Scripture here. It shouldn't take a Papal edict to reword a problematic turn of phrase.
Agreeing with Dutch_Traveller’s explanation of why there has been ‘concern’ about the wording of article and that line in particular.
That so many people have negatively commented should strongly indicate that it needs to be edited.
edit: That was a little unkind. I didn't find any value in the actual article itself, but I'm not the target market. It did seem a little bit over the top and sensationalist in some of the points it made, if I were to put it with a little more grace than I did the last time.
There is definitely value in encouraging people to be wary of getting done, but not to the point where you're paranoid and think even the most benign sites and people staffing them are out to rip you off.
"It shouldn't take a Papal edict to reword a problematic turn of phrase." Ha! You are correct. I just can't do it myself. As noted, I'm brining it up internally.
I read the statement in question in context of the entire article before commenting above.
I failed to find any ambiguous meaning in the statement "In restaurants, in stores, at ticket booths, everywhere — expect to be cheated if you're not paying attention." To me, that clearly states that if I appear to be distracted or in a hurry or a naive I will be targeted by all and sundry.
I could easily take issue with other statements in this article. For instance the opening: "Europe is a surprisingly creative place when it comes to travel scams." Again, what a broad brush Rick chooses to use. An entire continent of schemers and scammers, oh my!
Warning travelers of possibilities of scams or distractions is one thing. The overall tone of this article is quite another.
edit - cross-post with above WM comment. I am glad that the article will be "taken under consideration".
Andrew: the people posting here do know about these scams. They've seen quite a few, I've seen most, and we all probably learned about them right here on this website. Some people decided to make the scams the object of their comments, listing what they had seen.
But, my post was not about the scams. It was about this sentence: "In restaurants, in stores, at ticket booths, everywhere — expect to be cheated if you're not paying attention." I disagree that you have to pay attention any more than you do at home in restaurants, in stores, at ticket booths, everywhere.... I think travelers should pay the same attention while traveling as they do at home. They should not expect to be cheated, but they should expect a smooth transaction. We run on charm, at least in France. Confrontation doesn't go over well here.
Expecting to be cheated leads to suspicious behavior and confrontation, too often over nothing. It was ugly to watch a older US couple quibbling over the receipt in the bakery on Wengen's main street before they finally decided to buy day-old sandwiches at half price, a US man yelling at a waiter in a full restaurant in Toledo because he thought his table was being ignored. Two I remember from last year. Last week entering our 4-star hotel on Lake Majore, an American was yelling at and threatening the desk clerk, shaking his fist in his face. Not pretty sights. The French group I was with were astonished. And as Jo said, the tourists yelled at her, thinking she wanted to take advantage of them. Expect to be cheated would make new travelers even more nervous. How about simply "pay attention?"
So, I think the sentence needs to be reworked because it sounds like a dire warning about a mean world across the sea.
Thank you, Elizabeth. Glad to have your own input as the OP as now I understand your own context better. Believe me, I get it, and I apologize if my replies above indicate otherwise.
To be realistic, assuming I can get an edit, we may not have it by the end of the work week (in 2 hours).
As a European who has worked for a spell in the tourism industry I am not offended in the slightest. Clearly Rick Steves loves Europe and going here to meet us Europeans and our cultures. He has certainly put in the hours, writing and travelling. It can safely be assumed that any mistakes staff may make while revising texts will be corrected. Should an unfortunate turn of phrase temporarily make its way into advice given I would not think about it much, and would soon forget the whole thing entirely. So many other things are more important now, in this world of ours.
We have traveled for 35 years extensively in Europe and have had money issues (usually short changing) in train stations, buying bus tickets, at archeological sites and wine stores. Most of the time we have caught the actions because we try to use small currency and know what change we should get back. Maybe happened 6 times during hundreds of transactions. This is something that happens with cash transactions. Credit cards have eliminated most this problem. I count my change at home also. We have traveled enough to have experienced most of RS warnings about scams. LOL comment…after reading about the lost “gold” ring…on the next trip to Paris someone found and offered a “gold” ring to us.
RS is spot on and the sentence structure is weak, leading to a case of righteous indignation. Kudos to Elizabeth for commenting.
Lived and traveled in Europe since 2003. When you live here life is pretty normal. I have to mow the grass today and just left a Carrefour market with really awful selection. Been to emergency rooms and spent overnight in a hospital and been the victim of a crime. Have loved every minute of living in and touring Europe. A quick vacation or living a new life are both exciting experiences. Don’t ruin your good karma worrying obsessively.
WOW. Such a reaction to a line of actual truth. All the scenarios listed in the article that contained this one sentence are accurate. The line to me means basically, "be aware, these things happen. keep on your toes" It is a PSA telling travelers you are not going to Mayberry. There will be pickpockets, shortchange artists, over chargers, etc. A man like RS who has done more for European tourism than any single individual isn't casting aspersions on all Europeans, just those who are bad actors.
One could right similar lines about coming here to the US. Be alert, you can get carjacked, rob on the subway, purse and bags stolen and a multitude of other major and minor crimes. It doesn't mean all cities or all people in the US are bad, but pay attention when traveling in the US because surprisingly we have some bad actors too. Just ask the 70 people shot over Labor Day weekend in Chicago.
"...how online aggrievement and rage can come about."
It frequently starts by sharing something that is a bit out of
context, perhaps focusing on the use of a single word or phrase.
Sharing that word/phrase frequently puts forth something for judgement
by those who aren't necessarily the target audience. The rage
frequently ignores the nuance provided that was meant to assuage
concerns, or it doesn't assume best intentions. Assumptions are made
of a broader brush, effectively choosing to include yourself as a
target. It fuels taking offense when perhaps it wasn't about you or
about those for whom you are taking offense.
SPOT ON. Sadly, this approach to "dialog" now desribes discussions everywhere... politics, the news, the lunch room. Everyday conversation is no longer what linguist Paul Grice claimed it was... a cooperative effort whereby parties seek to negotiate meaning and truth. Instead, it's more like a linguistic competition that favors form over content. We pick petty fights with family members, co-workers and well-meaning people like Rick whenever their "talking tools" do not perform to our personal standards of perfection. Nevermind the gist... content and truth get kicked to the curb, taking a back seat to squabbles over words that someone, somewhere, might find offensive. Like it's Rick's goal to bad-mouth Europeans. Like it's an act of war to a Swede or a Spaniard if an American makes a less-than-perfectly-worded comment about scams on the streets of "Europe."
Words are imperfect tools that none of us commands to perfection. Rick writes A LOT. And if you read a lot of anyone, you will surely find their words disappointing at times. It's a slippery slope into depression and perpetual grumpiness if you start taking those occasional disappointments personally, IMO.
Yes, the wording's a tad excessive but I've seen a fair bit of monkey business on streets and buses. The brass neck on one guy in Salzburg had me laughing.
And, to make Ms Jo's day, I actually experienced the "pretending" not to understand English scenario in a Montepulciano restaurant. A 39 euro bottle of wine was added to my bill. After I pointed out the error to the waiter, he told me to sort out the issue with the head waiter (owner?). The head waiter made out he couldn't understand me, when earlier he had been babbling away quite comfortably with some North Americans a couple of tables away from mine. It took two revisions before I received the correct bill, and I paid him one euro less.
"A man like RS who has done more for European tourism than any single individual"
Leaving aside the obvious error in that claim (most tourism in Europe is by other Europeans. And most Europeans don't use a book written in a different language), if there is a specific candidate for "individual American who did most for tourism to Europe by other Americans", wouldn't Arthur Frommer win the medal?
Yes. I have to use ten characters when a simple yes will do,
The question I posted was about how a new traveler would respond after reading that they could "expect to be cheated", one phrase. This thread was meant to deal with the one sentence and what could be done so it wouldn't frighten new travelers who would next be asking us if it is safe to go to Europe, or would they be cheated.
Everyone responding is an experienced traveler, many have been around here a long time. I was hoping that Rick's exuberant style, or whoever wrote that line, could be tamed to reassure people along with the information about the scams.
And Andrew has said that he's bringing it up to see if "expect to be cheated" could be tweaked. Have a nice weekend.
Maybe, as mentioned on another lengthy thread here, we should just revert to everything being answered by AI so people’s feelings would not be hurt by another’s opinion.
Speaking of AI, here is a rewrite AI suggests...
"Whether you're at a restaurant, retail counter, or ticket booth—assume errors or attempts to take advantage of travelers are possible unless you're actively watching. Staying alert isn't optional if you want fair treatment."
Elizabeth, I get it and i agree with you. RS is a big boy and in the business and a writer so I hold him to a higher standard. He goofed up. We all goof up from time to time. If he fixes it, no remaining issue.
