Expert Tips For A Fear–Less Flight

Budget Travel received a lot of smart and unexpected responses when we recently posted "Avoid Being Pickpocketed with These Tips." Richard G. shared his sad story of how he was pickpocketed in Paris: I was at a Paris Metro station some six years ago, and when the train door opened, I entered, and an elderly man standing inside had just dropped his ticket. Naturally, I stooped to help him retrieve the ticket, and when I arose, he had run out the door I entered in by. I called out, "Monsieur! Monsieur!" and I noticed a black wallet fall to the floor of the car as he departed. I called "Your Wallet!!" I looked again, disbelieving. It was MY wallet! The 500 Euros I had just gotten from the ATM had been swiftly removed. All else was in place. The man had disappeared. Standees next to me looked away into the air when I pleaded with them to tell be what just happened. My front pocket must have bulged enough to advertise what it was, but thye thief was obviously trained in a ploy that was polished to an acrobatic act. It was my first day in Paris, and I was so discouraged, that if I hadn't booked for 5 days, I would have left. I was miserable the whole time. It's terrible how pickpocketing can ruin a traveler's experience. But if we all share our strategies for avoiding pickpocketing, we can help each other out. We're calling some of advice from readers that struck as as particularly smart and helpful. I highly recommend PacSafe and Travelon bags. Zippers clip or lock shut, making it harder to get inside, and they have steel mesh under the fabric and steel cables in the straps. The purses are stylish and have locks that allow the purse strap to be locked to a chair arm or table leg so they can't be snatched. The straps can be adjusted long enough to be worn cross-body. I also use a money belt. If you're carrying a small day pack, you can use small locks on the zippers.—Judi Daunell Great idea, Judi! The respected editor of the Practical Travel Gear blog, Tim Leffel, has recommended PacSafe bags for years. Some months ago, Leffel praised the Venturesafe 200, from $35 on Amazon. Another fine luggage maker with decades of experience is Travelon. As always, be sure to comparison-shop online for the best prices at major travel shops, such as Magellan's, Orvis, and TravelSmith. I agree with Judi's advice to use small locks on the zippers of your day pack. I know someone who had her wallet stolen out of her leather pack while touring in Beijing. You may not look as fashionable with locks on your pack, but it is better to make yourself a more difficult target for thieves. When I first met one of the Canadian government counsular staff in Berne, Switzerland for lunch, the first thing she asked me, Where is your passport? After I reassured her my passport was in my money belt under my pants, she told me even in "safe" Berne, Switzerland many Canadians were often surprised to find their passports and wallets pick pocketed.—Mika Good advice, Mika! By the way, we seem to keep talking about bags, but for people who prefer not to carry bags there are other options. In 2011, Clothing Arts began selling cargo pants called "P^cubed Pick-Pocket Proof Pants." It's loaded with covered zippers and a hidden passport/money pocket, and pockets large enough to store smart phones and digital cameras. The twill fabric is coated in Teflon to resist stains, which may explain the high price of $110, plus tax and shipping. The pants' designer Adam Rapp says he has sold about 2,000 pairs since last autumn, with positive feedback so far. I recently visited Barcelona, which is supposed to be full of pickpockets. I had no trouble as I bought a cheap zippered wallet and attached one end of a pocket watch chain (about 8 inches long) to the zipper pull of the wallet and the other end to a belt keeper on my trousers. I kept the wallet in my front pocket, and the chain was long enough to permit the withdrawal of the wallet when needed. Local shop keepers said this was a great idea.—Alan M. Thanks, Alan! It's important to underline that you don't need to buy expensive products to travel safely and happily. All it takes is a bit of cleverness. For people who prefer to buy something ready-made, there's the Civilian Lab Duo Lossless Wallet, from $38. Having lots of little locks on your day pack can make it rather heavy. Instead, use the tiny screw-gate carabiners that are sold as key holders. The screw gate makes them difficult to open quickly or without notice, yet have almost no weight. Be sure locked bags left in your rooms do NOT have the self-healing nylon zippers... A thief can can simply pry open the teeth on the bag, take whatever they want, then by sliding the zipper back and forth, 'heal' the break-in. You'll never know there was a theft until you open the bag and check. PacSafe makes a small lockable pouch that you can use for your extra cash, traveler's checks, and passport when locking them in the hotel/guest house safe. Hotel employees may have access to the inside of the safe, but not to your personal belongings. I happen to prefer to carry my wallet in my back pocket so I made some changes to my clothes; I added a velcro closure to that pocket, and a chain to the wallet. I also sewed in a 'second' front pocket, inside the first, with a Vecro closure. I keep my 'walk around' cash (pocket money?) in that pocket so I don't have to go to my wallet as often. Despite 20+ years of wandering the streets of S.E. Asia, I have never lost a thing! —Steve Clever! Thanks, Steve! I put a medium sized safety pin over the zipper of my handbags to make pickpocketing less easy. You can use the a bigger safety pin on the backpack too. My husband and I travel a lot to S.E. Asia and Europe. The only time I got pickpocketed was inside a bank at the ATM line in Frankfurt, Germany 3 years ago. I had the safety pin removed so that I could get to my card easier.—Erin It's ironic that Erin was robbed where she least expected it. But it's often precisely when we feel we can let our guard down that we're at our most vulnerable. The best plan is to have one or two simple habits and use them at all destinations routinely, don't you think? Only place for wallets & passports is in neck pouch tucked inside your shirt. I've also had no trouble with zippered pockets on the inside of a jacket. The only safe way to carry a ladies handbag is to have one with a THICK leather strap. Sling it over one shoulder and under the armpit of the opposite arm with the clasp side against your body. Have some fun with pickpockets. Get a cheap wallet at a thrift store, stuff it with newspaper cut to bill size, and put in your hip pocket, or do what I did on St Petersburg Metro. I left the padlocks off the zipper on my backpack that has 4 zippered compartments. Zipped them all up. Back pack was empty. Everything was in the neck pouch. Rode up an escalator in a metro station & at the top, every zipper was open.—Keith Baker Hilarious, Keith. And fantastic advice, too. Thanks for sharing. We really appreciate hearing from you, because the art of traveling trouble-free, like the games Sudoku and Angry Birds, takes time and expertise to master. Thanks for your comments! SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Avoid Being Pickpocketed with These Tips (17 comments) Video: How Safe Is Your Hotel Room Safe? 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I recently got back from a trip through the American Southwest with Budget Travel’s associate photo editor, Whitney Tressel. Along the way, I was struck by one persistent question: how in the world do you find those amazing vantage points for postcard–worthy sunset shots, mountain vistas, and skyline panoramas? With apps and guidebooks and websites, you’re never more than a few clicks away from a restaurant recommendation, hotel pick, or list of can’t–miss attractions. But I’ve never managed to find a similar source for views. During our trip, we picked up a few tips that helped Whitney get those beautiful shots (which you’ll be seeing in issues later this year!). Talk to the person at the local camera shop: Those people selling you memory cards and camera cases? Turns out many of them are amazing photographers! Don’t miss the chance to pick their brains. While in Sedona, Arizona, we stopped into Rollie’s Camera Shop for supplies. We casually mentioned that we were looking for great views, and Jennifer behind the counter gave us a guidebook’s worth of invaluable information, including an easy hike that led Whitney to 360 degree views of the city and its stunning red rocks. We would never have found it on our own without her help. (In case you’re wondering, the hike is called Sugarloaf Trail and you can find it just off of Coffee Pot Drive!) If you see people lined up on the side of the road, STOP!: This one might seem like a no–brainer, but it’s worth mentioning. If you see cars lined up in a seemingly strange place (a gravel shoulder on the side of a scenic byway?), don’t be afraid to poke your head out the window and ask why people are stopped. Often, you won’t see the goods from the road. But a short walk from your parked car, just beyond those trees, you might find some amazing vistas. Make sure to explore. Look at postcards and then tweak the shot: We know you don’t necessarily want an exact copy of those tired postcard shots. But let them be a rough guide for you. You can often get a good sense of general starting points based on what you’re seeing. Check the caption on the back for any details on the location or just use context clues to figure out the general vicinity—the shot was taken from the south or from a hill to the north or from a balcony a few stories above the beach or from Broadway and 49th. Follow those general guidelines and then play with light, time of day, and angles to make the shot your own. Don’t skip residential areas: It might feel weird at first taking pictures of people’s houses, but they can often give you some of the most iconic shots of a city landscape. As we traveled through Santa Fe, some of the most traditional adobe structures in town were not in the main city plaza. Instead, we followed winding paths up dusty hills and found some beautiful scenes in some of the least flashy parts of town—the suburbs! Do you have any go–to plans for finding the best views in a new city? MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL 25 Most Photographed Places On Earth 4 Tips for Tough Photo Scenarios My Take: A Monthly Reader Photo Pick

As Facebook's popularity booms, everyone's coming out with new booking and travel-planning tools to win your trust—and business. But which Facebook-powered tools make your life easier? 1. THE PROBLEM: Your loved ones want to follow along "virtually" while you travel, but you don't want to spend your vacation tied to your e-mail and cell phone. THE FIX: Tap into Facebook's power to update your family and friends automatically. Last fall, Wipolo, a travel dashboard, integrated with Facebook as one of the first free Facebook "apps." Click a button, and this app semi-automatically tells loved ones where you are in your trip. The tool shares your itinerary (from booking confirmation emails that you forward to it) and updates the specific list of friends you select, via their Facebook feeds. 2. THE PROBLEM: You have an upcoming milestone (like an important birthday) that you would like to celebrate with a vacation. But you need help affording your dream trip. THE FIX: MyTab.co, appearing last July, lets you share your dream destination with friends through Facebook and enable them to chip in to cover the cost of your tab via PayPal. 3. THE PROBLEM: Getting recommendations for hotels and restaurants at your destination used to be easy: Just post a status update requesting help. But now there is so much clutter in freinds' news feeds that your call for help may go unread. THE FIX: Add the free Facebook app. Trippy (which launched last September) posts your queries directly on their walls, which is more likely to be read by a Facebook user than random every item on a news feed. Even better, Trippy savvily targets which of your friends might have relevant recommendations. It picks the friends to contact after analyzing all of your friends' public profiles to see if they may know something about your upcoming destination. (Maybe they've taken photo at the destination you're planning to visit, which is a telltale clue.) One final note: Facebook is a fantastic tool for planning last-minute trips. To get discounts and giveaways to real-time, 11th-hour travel deals, consider "liking" or "friending" travel deal aggregators such as Airfarewatchdog, FareCompare, or Best Travel Deals. Members of hotel programs can benefit from exclusive Facebook offers by "liking" those company's Facebook fan pages, such as the especially active ones for Hilton HHonors and Starwood. We've seen especially worthwhile offers on the pages of loyalty reward programs in the past month. For example, yesterday, the Facebook page for PriorityClub—the loyalty program for major chains like Holiday Inn and InterContinental—touted a 24-hour sale on hotels, with a dozen properties up to half-off last-minute bookings. SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL How to Use Pinterest for Travel Inspiration Online Maps Reveal Heavily "Checked-In" Spots 10 Most Useful Travel Websites

In an upcoming issue of Budget Travel we will be tackling the topic of traveler's diarrhea, also known by a bunch of nicknames including Montezuma’s Revenge and Delhi belly. Our coverage will include food and water safety tips you can use on the road to help you avoid the digestive track disorder. Yes, the topic may sound a bit gross, but it's a real concern of many travelers (and is more common than you might think). The Center for Disease Control estimates 20% to 50% of international travelers suffer from the malady, which includes stomach cramps, diarrhea, bloating, nausea and vomiting—conditions that can put a real damper on your dream vacation. The onset usually occurs within the first week of travel, with high-risk destinations including Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, where food and water and sanitary standards may not be the same as at home. Some travelers swear taking regular doses of Pepto Bismol works as a preventative measure. Others have their own home remedies. We'll explore both sides of the aisle but we want to hear your stories, questions and concerns in this regard. What preparation do you do before your trip to check out local food and drinking water conditions? Are there foods you always avoid while on the road? Do you eat the ceviche? Street vendor treats? Skip the ice cubes? Do you pack products to keep your hands clean? Use over-the-counter products to prevent indigestion and other stomach ailments? What's in your travel kit. If the tap water is to be avoided, how do you remind yourself not to wash your toothbrush with it. What do you do when tap water is the only option? Please share your experiences. Your comments may appear in an upcoming Trip Coach column. More from Budget Travel: Health Precautions To Consider While Traveling No Significant Health Threat From TSA Screening Will Your Health Plan Cover You Overseas?