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Last Updated On August 20, 2021 by Dave Briggs 26 Comments

Best Tips on How to Get Robbed When You Travel

Starting to find travel boring? Looking to spice up your next trip away? Throw a little excitement into your life by getting robbed! Here are 28 awesome tips on how to get robbed when you travel.

28 Awesome ways you can get robbed the next time you travel

A tongue in cheek guide on to the best ways to get robbed when you travel. 28 awesome tips on how to get your stuff stolen, be pickpocketed, and mugged when you travel!

Best Tips on How to Get Robbed When You Travel

1. Leave your belongings unattended whenever possible.

2. Make sure you don't lock your hotel room door.

3. When leaving the hotel room, make sure all your expensive tech gear worth more than the cleaner will earn in a year is on full view.

4. Don't use a hotel safe… they aren't safe.

5. Carry all your cash, cards and passport in one pocket – It's easier to get robbed that way.

6. If you see someone following you, stop to have a chat.

7. Look as lost as you can – Carrying a huge map works really well.

8. Keep your wallet in your back pocket.

how to get robbed as you travel

9. Always take out your iPhone, tablet computer and huge DSLR camera when in the middle of a crowded plaza, especially in countries where their combined cost is worth more than the annual salary.

10. Leave your backpacks unattended in the same plaza while you go wandering around taking photos.

11. Make sure you are wearing the most expensive watch and jewelry you can.

12. Make no attempt to blend in. In fact, be as loud as you can in order to draw the maximum attention to yourself.

13. Get robbed by looking as nervous and uncertain as possible.

14. Ignore your intuition.

15. When eating in a cafe by yourself, leave your bag on the table to go and use the restroom.

16. When eating in a cafe or restaurant, leave your bag on the floor by the side of you and don't think about it again until you have to leave.

17. Start an argument with a taxi driver over him charging you 50 cents more than you think he should have. This is a great way to make yourself a target for later on during the day.

18. Flash your cash around.

19. Announce loudly to people you just met in a crowded place that you need to find an ATM machine.

20. Fall asleep on the beach by yourself with your bag just out of reach.

21. Ask a shifty looking stranger to keep an eye on your stuff because you want to go for a swim for a half hour.

22. When travelling by bus, put your bag in the aisle and fall asleep with headphones on.

23. Pick the dodgiest, seediest bar to get drunk in.

24. Drink until you can barely see.

25. If you are with a group, and they want to go home, staying by yourself for an extra drink or two makes far more sense.

26. Walk home from said dodgy place at 3 in the morning, completely drunk.

27. Make sure you walk through the worst areas of town as you do so.

28. This is also a great time to explore interesting back-alleys.

If none of this helps you get robbed, then you are doing it all wrong. Or, I haven't come up with enough ideas. If you have any great suggestions to add to these best tips on how to get robbed when your travel, please leave them in the comments section below. Cheers everyone!

Related: Common Travel Mistakes And What Not To Do When Traveling

28 Awesome tips on how to get robbed as you travel. Of course, you could always do the opposite of these tips on how to get robbed and stay safe. It's up to you!

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Filed Under: Travel Tips

Comments

  1. IndiTales says

    March 31, 2016 at 10:38 am

    Great way to get your message across…

    Fun post – was smiling all the way down to point 28 🙂

    Reply
  2. Ella says

    March 14, 2016 at 6:04 am

    Hilarious! Another one that reminded me of Paris – when some people on the street start asking you to donate to “les invalides” make sure you straight up give them cash and expose which pocket the rest of your cash is in

    Reply
    • Dave Briggs says

      March 15, 2016 at 7:42 pm

      haha- Yeah, its really important to show them huge wads of cash as you do so!

      Reply
  3. Ilse @tips4trips says

    March 6, 2016 at 7:27 pm

    In Barcelona a big burly guy would not let us off the subway. So, yes, stand behind him, staring him down while your smart friends exit the other door. We missed our credit cards and hubbies wallet and have never forgotten. His companion took hubbies wallet out of the front pocket of his jeans. He never felt it. It made for an interesting remainder of our trip.

    Reply
  4. Valeria @ Rome, New York, London, World says

    May 6, 2015 at 9:21 am

    Hahaha! What a fun way to start my day 🙂 One time I read of a person that wore a gold necklace while strolling the city center of Salvador…seriously!?!?! Throughout my whole trip to Brazil the only accessory I wore was a plastic watch.
    I also want to add: as soon as you exit the airport, go with the first person that offers you a taxi ride. 🙂

    Reply
    • Dave Briggs says

      May 6, 2015 at 9:28 am

      I will have to include the taxi ride on a new updated list at some point!

      Reply
  5. Alison says

    May 2, 2015 at 1:02 am

    Walking around with an expensive DSLR around your neck advertising you ripe to rob and then forgetting to zip up your pocket with your cell phone in it when your standing in a crowd in the local market. I’ll miss you cell phone 🙁

    Reply
  6. Alli says

    April 27, 2015 at 2:17 am

    Hehe! I chuckled to myself reading these points! Awesome post. E

    Reply
  7. Delia says

    April 26, 2015 at 4:54 pm

    Haha, a cheeky take on the usual post. And I love the final image to top it all off!

    Reply
  8. Peter Parkorr says

    April 26, 2015 at 10:17 am

    Great tips Dave! I try all these wherever I can. The only one that worked so far was leaving my stuff in the dorm when I went for a shower in my hostel. So it wasn’t even an authentic local experience, some other traveller took advantage. I felt totally… robbed.

    Reply
    • Dave Briggs says

      April 26, 2015 at 12:54 pm

      Yep… stuff goes missing from hostels. the first thought is that it is the ‘cleaners’… but it rarely is. Hope you didn’t lose too much stuff!

      Reply
  9. Sue Reddel says

    April 25, 2015 at 7:19 pm

    Thanks for the laughs!

    Reply
  10. Meg Jerrard says

    April 25, 2015 at 5:24 pm

    Lol love the reverse psychology. Well done – entertaining post 😀

    Reply
  11. Carol Colborn says

    April 25, 2015 at 2:24 pm

    Hahaha…one of those may ahve caught me. Glad I was lucky though!

    Reply
  12. Brenda Tolentino says

    April 25, 2015 at 5:13 pm

    This post reminded me of my time in Samos, Greece. My husband Andrew and I are native New Yorkers and have been through NYC in the 80’s, which was like armageddon. When we were on the beach, our friend (a Greek) said we can all go for a swim at the same time, leaving all our belongings behind! Can you imagine my look of terror when he suggested that? But after a few swims that I missed out on, while watching my bags, I decided to just throw caution to the wind and swim with the Greeks. Mind you, it’s the only beach I’ve ever done that in!

    Reply
  13. Fiona @ London-Unattached says

    April 25, 2015 at 4:35 pm

    Isn’t the biggest issue ‘be jetlagged’. All caution goes to the wind when I am badly jet lagged…and that leads to trouble

    Reply
    • Dave Briggs says

      April 26, 2015 at 12:51 pm

      Yep, being tired and disorientated can lead on to letting your guard down when travelling

      Reply
  14. Vanessa says

    April 25, 2015 at 1:32 pm

    People may cringe when I say this, but I’ve been known to intentionally distress the outside of my electronics to make them look far less shiny and appealing (soak a sponge in bug spray and press the side of your camera against it -then apply sand paper. For reals). Stuff that looks like a piece of crap can still get stolen but I figure it never hurts to un-shine stuff.

    Reply
  15. Tanj from A Travelogue says

    April 25, 2015 at 12:35 pm

    Hilarious ideas! Made me laugh!

    http://www.brockandtanj.com

    Reply
    • Dave Briggs says

      April 25, 2015 at 12:37 pm

      Cheers! I guess most people have done at least one of those things at some time!

      Reply
  16. Zascha says

    April 8, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    Oh this was definitely the best laugh of the day! I loved it 😀

    Reply
    • Dave Briggs says

      April 8, 2015 at 8:20 pm

      My pleasure 😉

      Reply
  17. Juergen | dare2go says

    April 7, 2015 at 1:04 pm

    Hand all your luggage to the first person approaching you at the airport exit – he must be an honest porter… (This saves all the effort of going through the steps which follow in your list) 😀

    Reply
    • Dave Briggs says

      April 7, 2015 at 4:49 pm

      HaHa… love it! I completely didn’t think of that one!!!

      Reply
  18. Steph of Big World Small Pockets says

    April 7, 2015 at 2:34 am

    As well as carrying round a huge map in clear view, another winner is to stop and read your Lonely Planet Guidebook at various intervals including in the middle of crowded streets or at busy bus stations. This works especially well if you have your entire pack with you and put it down on the ground. Another sure-fire technique is to stop and let strangers clean your bags up if you randomly and unexplainably get squirted with ink or paint in the street.

    Reply
    • Dave Briggs says

      April 7, 2015 at 6:12 am

      I can’t believe I forgot the Lonely Planet reading tip!

      Reply

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