We are travelling with 2 teenagers who would like to take pictures on their phones. While travelling in metros I am thinking to get neck harness that they can keep their phone in and inside their shirts but when we are out what would be the best way to avoid any disappointments.
Thanks a bunch.
I carry a slim baggalini cross body bag that fits close to my body. The passports go in a zippered inner pocket that is covered by another flap. My phone stays in the outside, open pocket in the back because I access it all the time. Money, credit cards, etc, go in zippered center section. I just keep my hand on my bag if I am in a tight area.
We were asked for passports on the DB train in Germany so keeping them in the moneybelt would have been super awkward.
I carry cc, passport and extra cash in money belt inside my pants. I carry 50 euros in my wallet. I carry my phone in my pocket.
Wear a money belt inside your shirt or pants for your passport, credit cards, and any other valuables. Leave the wallet at home. I only carry one day's money in my front pocket to minimize my loss if robbed by pickpockets, according to Rick's suggestion. We try not to use Bancomats, ATM's, near popular tourist spots to reduce the chances of attracting thieves. A few years ago we were leaving the Vatican and stopped at a Bancomat on our way to the Ottiviano Metro stop. Three kids around 10-12 years old must have been watching the location and followed us into the metro stop and attempted to pick my pocket. They were fast, but unsuccessful and left with nothing. One ran in front of me and stopped as were were entering the railcar, the second one bumped into me, and the third tried to pick my pocket. This is referred to as the stall, the bump, and the dip.
My wife is 71 and I'm 69 and have noticed we attract more attention from thieves because we are older. When we are with my family or in a smaller town I do not use a money belt. I look like I belong in Italy, but my clothing gives me away. I have a small leather business card case, which I use for my credit cards, driver's license, and ATM card.
Go and have fun, but be aware of your surroundings.
Buon viaggio,
DTraveller, in addition to responses on this thread, take a cruise through past threads on pickpockets/securing valuables/etc. on the Italy forum. This subject has been covered pretty extensively so you'll find lots of information. Just a few examples:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/pickpocket-bag-question
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/thwarting-pick-pockets
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/purse-backpack-or-something-else
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tourist-scams/pick-pocket-safety
Phone inside a pocket that has a zipper. All else inside cross body bag in zippered compartments.
If your kids wear their phone in their backside pocket half hanging out, like American teenagers do (I guess it's a fashion statement) the phones will become their donation to the Italian gipsy community within hours from their arrival.
On the Metro and in other high-risk areas I put my phone in the front pocket of my jeans and keep my hand in the pocket.
Be sure to have your teens activate their phone's passcode in case it is stolen, as well as any find-my-phone app it may have.
More threads.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tourist-scams/rick-steves-was-pickpocketed-ugh
Opinions differ, depending on one's comfort zone.
My teen and I both have used a cross body bag for 2 weeks and it is fine. I keep a hand on it if we are in a crowded place. Passports in an inner zipper pocket.
Remember that one very vulnerable location is outdoor seating. If you set your phone down on the table, someone could run by and steal it before you even know what happened. I keep my phone in a zipped cross-body bag that I never take off when I'm in public.
My husband keeps his phone and money in the thigh pockets of his cargo shorts. I don't really like cargo pants/shorts, but I have to come to see the advantages.
Do not assume that cargo pants are a perfect solution. I met a tourist couple last year who had recently completed a Mediterranean cruise. They spent a port day in Crete with another couple. At some point the other man's wallet was removed from the pocket of his cargo pants. None of the other three people saw a thing. The theft was only noticed when it came time to pay a restaurant check. At that point the four put their heads together and remembered being approached by a persistent beggar earlier in the day, which in retrospect seemed to have been a distraction. Those folks are professionals.
Phone and money - An inside zipped pocket in a crossbody bag works for me. My husband keeps his in his front pocket. Back pockets are not very secure. I just don't take much money with me - one credit card and the cash I predict I'll need for the day. Another card or two and all other money is in the hotel or apartment. Other people will suggest a moneybelt under your clothes for this "deep storage" and it is the safest. I just don't like it and find the hotel room/apartment perfectly safe (if you stay in hostels or shared airbnbs that's a different story).
The thing about smartphones is that they are useless if you don't use them. That is, burying it so deep that you can't access it is pointless unless all you need is a way to make emergency phone calls. Otherwise if you are using it as your camera, map, guidebook, and research tool it needs to be easily accessible. A crossbody bag is good for this, as is a front pocket. A neck pouch would work too (doesn't need to be inside a shirt) but I don't think a teenager would be a fan of this. I have mine in my hand while walking around quite a bit - I use it for my map so will look at it occasionally to make sure I'm on the right path. Also, I use it for my guidebook so if I'm at a sight I will be reading from it about what I'm seeing.
Teach the kids to be mindful of it, to never put it in a back pocket or on the edge of the table. That's more important than where exactly it is (bag vs. front pocket vs pouch vs. hand)
Italian fashion designers have come up with this phone pickpocket proof garment.
Roberto, LOL!!
Like at home, phone is in my left front pocket. Wallet in right front. In tight spaces, crowds or other obvious pickpocket areas (around tall buildings, gangs of kids not playing anything, beggars who want to sell you flowers or who have large cardboard signs or healthy looking dogs), hands in pockets on my goods.
I don't walk around with my passport unless we are doing a transfer. It's secured in my wife's camera bag, in a zipper pocket against her body. I have color copies in our luggage and maybe will have photos in email.
