ATM Safety at Venice Airport

Good for you for wanting to be careful, but you don't have to worry about this. Pickpockets are not going to mug you. They look for easily distracted targets of opportunity. You'll be fine. Take the money out of the ATM, and go into the nearest restroom to put it into your money belt. Personally, I prefer to use a neck pouch because I can unbutton a couple of shirt buttons, and put the cash right into the pouch and then button back up. Not an option for most women, I understand.

We did in Rome & Venice, what we do here in the States, at least here in Philly, be alert when your taking out your money from any atm and if you feel necessary, have your partner shield you a bit, then put it right away. While in Europe, Michael wore the moneybelt inside his jeans, which he belts always, so it's secure. It's a pretty populated airport and there are alot of people around, just be observant.

The biggest danger in Venice is to lose that money if you fall in a canal. The best way to stash the cash is to put it inside a waterproof ziploc bag, so that it doesn't get wet. Also avoid carrying coins so that it won't sink to the bottom of a canal where you can't reach it. Other than that, just relax and do whatever you do in America when you withdraw money from an ATM. You'll be ok. Venice is very safe, way more than anyplace in California.

Thanks everyone. My post did sound really paranoid! I guess I've been reading too many tales of woe. But I will bring the ziplock bags, just in case. ;-)

We just spent three months in Venice and took out thousands of euro from ATMs with nary a problem. But then, we are not distracted tourists. We also avoid crowded places but sometimes you cannot avoid them in Venice. Neither one of us wear a money belt but then we don't either here in the city of San Francisco which is much more dangerous than Venice.

A "buddy lookout" doesn't have to be obvious. Just a second person causally looking around to see who else is watching. In all of our years of using ATMs we have never seen anyone hanging out around an ATM. We don't linger around an ATM after withdrawing money. We very briefly count to make sure we have the correct amount (never been short changed) jam it in a pocket with a hand over it and move to a more discrete area to put it away. Prefer to use a public bathroom but a doorway will work. I know some travelers like to brag that they never use money belts and never have problems but that only proves that they have never had a problem. There at lots of postings on this site and others from converts to money belts after they had problems. An appropriately worn money belt is as close to a 100% guarantee of no problem as you can get. And no such thing as a non-distracted tourist. Every person can be distracted in the right situation. And finally, when you read travel sites it is easy to think the whole world is out to get you because only problems are posted. Non-problems are not posted because they are not interesting to read. We have spent nearly a year traveling in Europe over the past 18+ years with no problems. Use common sense and a little extra caution and you will be fine.

Thank you so much, JustTravel and Frank. We have used a money belt in the past (Paris and London), but I was never sure what to do about getting the cash into the money belt from the ATM. It's been several years since our last trip, and we have never been to Italy. The stories one reads make the pickpockets/scammers seem so aggressive these days. I appreciate the feedback and reassurance!

Do you wear money belts at home in the US? Or when you withdraw money from an ATM? I used to work in Oakland, CA. I never wore a money belt to go to work, although I often withdrew money from the ATM. I also never saw anybody else stacking cash in their money belt after going to the bank in Oakland or anywhere else. Yet, there were 3365 robberies in Oakland (pop. 400,000) versus 267 in the entire province of Venice (pop. 870,000). All other crimes are equally disproportionately more common in American cities (even more so for violent crime: 6 homicides in the Prov. of Venice vs. 104 in the City of Oakland, which has half the population). So, statistically, one should be much more careful about crime and wear money belts in the US more often than in Venice. Yet, I bet nobody here does and you probably don't know anybody that does. I stopped wearing money belts in my trips when I once accidentally dropped it in the toilet at Schipol. A water proof ziploc bag would be a good idea also for that eventuality, besides falling in the canals. Reasonable precautions, such as leaving valuables in the hotel safe and being alert so not to leave your bag unattended, will be more than sufficient. The only time I will bother to stack my cash under underwears is at the strip club.

Elaine, I'd highly recommend wearing the Moneybelts in Italy, as there ARE Scammers about and they're very proficient. I normally practice "situational awareness" when using ATM's, and try to make note of any "dodgy" characters in the vicinity (especially if they seem to be overly interested in watching the ATM). I try to use ATM's in the daytime, rather than at night when the streets are deserted. After withdrawing money from ATM's, I place the funds in a reasonably secure inside pocket. I transfer most of it to my Moneybelt after returning to the Hotel, or in another more private location. I keep enough cash on hand for "daily expenses", usually in the same inside pocket. I haven't had any problems yet, but if they did get my daily cash, it wouldn't be a huge loss. One further comment on Moneybelts. I often keep my Passport there, but place it inside a small zip-lok bag. Otherwise it tends to get "damp" from perspiration (which is also true of other papers stored in the Moneybelt). Note that your travel funds must usually be in a chequing account with a four-number PIN. I would highly recommend packing along a "backup" ATM card, as I've had my primary card "fail" during travels. Happy travels!

Oh goodness, Ken, thanks for reminding me about the sweaty money belt! I think my cash became a little, uh, damp last time, too. Great point. Thanks for the other recommendations as well. Roberto, your ziplock tip has multiple uses: Canals, toilets and sweat! ;-) (Although the toilet thing can happen; my uncle dropped his cell phone in it once.) Thank you both for responding. :) Ps. I live in a super safe area, so these things don't normally occur to me.

Thanks, Laurie! Another good tip. :) Nigel... I think Roberto wasn't referring to HIS underwear! ;-)

Another money belt tip for warm weather. I, too, use a small zip lock for my non plastic items in the money belt. In addition, I use a small strip of paper towel between the ziplock bag and the side of the money belt next to the body. This helps absorb the perspiration and keeps you more comfortable. It really isn't as bulky as it sounds.

stack my cash under underwears is at the strip club. Roberto, why do you stash your cash under your underwear at the strip club?

To answer Roberto's question, I do use a moneybelt every day at work. That's because I often get paid in cash, and don't want to flash hundreds of dollars when I go to buy a soda. It's also more comfortable to carry large amounts in a moneybelt than a bulging wallet (I use the style that hangs on a loop off my belt, inside my trousers, like this: http://tinyurl.com/av297ks So, when you see the question "do you use a moneybelt at home?" you can now say that at least one person answers YES. Note, I only started doing this when I started getting paid in cash; before that, I had no need.

I wear a money belt every time I come to New York. Which is frequent since one son lives there.