Do you think as Baby Boomers we are more of a target for thieves and scammers? Are we really that vulnerable? One thing I do know is that it is the most stressful part of travel if it happens to you.
It is something that I have been pondering for the last couple of years on our travels around the world. We have had our passports and credit cards stolen in Ecuador and we thwarted a pickpocket last month in France. Both times the helpful gentleman in question turned out not to be too helpful in the end.
Let me elaborate further so that you will not fall into the same trap.
Passports and Half Our Credit Cards Stolen in Quito, Ecuador
The old scam is to distract the husband or partner, put our luggage underneath the bus and then create chaos at the bus door. Next, one nice bus employee (who turned out not be an employee) guides me to my seat. Ever so helpful, he even assisted me to place my daypack under my seat. Bus regulations you know! We hope he enjoyed doctoring our passports, and trying to use our quickly cancelled credit cards. We also hope he was really angry as there was no cash.
Did We Learn Our Lesson from This?
Our next experience was to thwart a would be pick pocket from helping himself to our credit cards and cash in Nice, France. This story involved another helpful gentleman! There are plenty of them around the world! Here is the scene.
Imagine Nice Riquier Train Station. A packed train pulls in on a busy Sunday morning. People are pushing to get in and climb a 2-foot high step. A nice man reaches down, grabs my elbow and helps pull me up, whilst pushing my husband out of the way. Click here to continue reading.
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