Wearing wedding ring in Barcelona

[Keith1010]

I'll vote for the taxi drivers in Istanbul as the biggest crooks.

 

Ummm. Don't forget some of the ports in Africa. I know some cases where they took money up front, drove people a few blocks away, and kicked them out of the cab.

 

Now if you want to spend a day in a cab take one in Mumbai. I remember wanting to go three miles to a particular place. Of course they want to take you for hours to everyone of their friends and relative stores. They don't charge much because they hope you will spend a lot shopping. It took awhile but we finally got a cab to take us where we wanted to go without hours of shopping for us.

 

Keith

[6rugrats]

I've never been to Africa so can't comment! Am trying to get to India this year, not on a cruise, so I'll keep your comment in mind. Did read someplace that no one gets out of India without being scammed in one way or another.

[kazu]

I always wear my wedding ring anywhere I go (can't get it off :)). I do not wear gold necklaces or that type of thing when i am touring. (this just doesn't apply to Barcelona - it applies to a lot of places)

[Nebr.cruiser]

I don't normally wear my wedding set when touring in ports; it it pretty large with lots of diamonds (Thank you, DH!) and while I think the possibility of it's actually being stolen is practically nil, it could draw unwanted attention. Plus, in some really poor areas, to me it would be in poor taste.

 

I do wear a (cheap) watch and sometimes some obviously fake costume jewelry, but nothing that is valuable. I also wear a cross the body purse with the least possible in it and keep my hand/arm on it at all times.

 

So far we've had no trouble at all, Barcelona or where ever, but it pays to be cautious and aware.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

You know what was un-nerving about my experience. I went into a video arcade but apart from my son playing gams and going on the little rides there was maybe one or two other kids playing in there- there were at least 6 or seven adults on the sidelines just watching. So I already had a bad feeling- like what are all these people doing but no children playing. When my camera and purse were lifted- the same adults were standing there. Like they had to have seen what happened but they were just there- not interacting with anyone... no kids. So they were all in on it. They were a gang. I think their child stole it because a little boy was pretending to watch me shoot hoops.. I knew it but my son was pleading with me to play with him so I just did it.. but I knew. So I was kicking myself afterward.

 

This is the first time I was victimized. The second time was right in my own workplace by a new employee. I took him to court and he paid double fines. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I hunted him down like a dog.

[scottbee]

I'll vote for the taxi drivers in Istanbul as the biggest crooks.

 

Vegas Taxi drivers are close. I know dozens of people who have been 'tunneled' coming out of McCarran airport (taxi driver heads south from airport, under the runways, rather than toward the strip/downtown)

[SuiteTraveler]

I had a friend who took $10,000 worth of jewelry on a cruise and she forgot it when she disembarked. She realized it was missing when she got to the airport and called the cruiseline and asked them to retrieve it for her - she had left it in a jewelry organizer on one of the hooks inside the wardrobe door. Of course, she never saw it again. They claimed they sent security to her stateroom (and this was only 45 minutes after she disembarked) but nothing was there. (Of course.)

 

I have friends who had to abandon ship between Rome and Sardinia and lost everything but their nightclothes, credit card and passports - they were on a freighter which caught fire. They had to abandon ship so quickly that they didn't even have time to get dressed and their watches, clothes, cash and souveniers all went down with the ship. Fortunately, no one lost their lives and the crew did make sure that my friends got into a lifeboat. Things can get stolen, forgotten or lost or there may be some completely unforeseen accident. It's just not worth it to me to have to worry about stuff that I care about. So I leave all jewelry that is important to me in a bank vault back home and travel worry free with only stuff I don't care about.