When I went to Lisbon the first time, we took a cab who offered the three of us a tour for $70 for all three of us. We spent the entire day seeing Lisbon sights, he would stop, tell us to go down this street and he would pick us up at the end of the street in 45 min to an hour, he took us to an excellent and inexpensive local restaurant, and we had a great day. It was an excellent tour! His charge, $70. We tipped him well, but it was one of the best experiences ever!
I had one in Barcelona who told me his credit card machine AFTER he got to our destination. I should have told him I had no Euros…driver who took me back charged me half the price.
In Funchal, Madeira you can or at least used to be able to charter a taxi for a day at a set price and essentially have a local tour guide taking you around. My parents chartered a taxi for a day once together with a couple they met on their vacation, and they all had a great time! As far as I know, Madeira is very safe, at least it was when I was there in 1999, 2000 and 2002, basically the only scam you needed to watch out for was Timeshare sellers. I didn’t go to Madeira via cruise ship though, I went there by plane, but I’m guessing being a visitor there is about the same for cruise passengers as it is for people flying in and staying in a hotel there
My parents did the same thing in Jamaica back in like 2006. They had a great time and the cab driver even gave them tips on how to barter and stop pushy vendors from harassing them
I’ve watched so many travel scam videos, and I’m going to keep doing it! I always think I’ve got them down, I know what to do and not do, then some brand new scam pops up! I saw Ilana’s video about the purse scam in Turkey. I NEVER would have been watching for that. Thanks to all of you cruise TH-camrs for looking out for us, and making us aware!
Brilliant idea from a TH-camr in this thread. Never travel with an expensive watch. When I travel, I do the same thing. I'm a watch addict and have many luxury watches. But when traveling, I only bring my cheap Casio W800H-1BV reverse LCD, all-black digital watch that I bought at Walmart for $21.97. It's water resistant to 100m too. It's a great watch in its own right, but will never target you.
There are so many nationalities represented on a cruise ship. I always recommend asking someone on the cruise staff if they're local to the port you're visiting. Our Jamaican head waiter hooked us up with his cousin for an island tour. She also met us at the end of Dunns River Falls and escorted us through the very aggressive market, telling people to leave us alone. :-) As two young single women, we never felt safer. The locals may not worry about scamming you, but I trust the cruise staff.
Great tips, Gary! I appreciate you keeping us in the loop. Unfortunately scammers are everywhere. NYC is full of them as well. Last week I saw a person who was pretending to be a Buddhist Monk in Timesquare. He was putting small cards with golden Buddhas in peoples hands and saying its for good luck. Then asking for donations to rebuild his temple and getting quite aggresive if someone refused. I was filming Broll for a project I am working on and I saw him (2 hours later) walk down 2 blocks, take off the robe and get into an 80,000 dollar tesla to drive away. I didn't know Buddhist Monks drove electric!
Good to know that Buddhists are electric .... !?!! There are also in London similar in tourist season which clearly make all lot of money as also been exposed having fancy cars etc. Thanks for watching. I am still trying these early release for members and overall people seem to like getting them early, even if maybe isn't a massive added perk
@@tipsfortravellers I love the early access videos. Small perk but it makes me feel like I am part of your inner circle. This also means I can have a bit more interaction with you because the whole crowd isn't here yet. I am sure it's a lot of work and extra planning to get these videos done early. I appreciate your effort, Gary. To be honest, I would support even if you did't make them. You are my favorite cruise-tuber and an inspiration. I'm glad I can contribute in a small way.
I used to work in near the E-train subway station at 53rd and 5th. It's a deep station, may 4 or 5 stories down. There's a pair of escalators, one in each direction, plus a set of stairs between them. At times, walking along 5th, I would see a horribly crippled young man struggling to walk with a pair of crutches that were too long for him. He staggered crablike with the crutches out an an angle and they would often slip. His legs were bent. His face in pain. A pitiful sight. Oh, and he had a coffee cup that he would reach out while groaning at the effort. I was working late one evening. I was the only person on the escalator. I could hear the sound of a train arriving below. The wait at that later hour can be s long so I tried to walk down faster. As I did, that same young man, apparently anxious to catch that same train, came running down the center steps - I mean jumping two and three steps at a time - with the crutches held in one hand above his head, and using his free hand to grab the handrail for each jump. He caught the train. I did not. But did see him again other days, with his coffee cup, working the 5th Ave crowd.
Technically nothing prevents a Buddhist monk from being wealthy, some Buddhist monasteries are absolutely filthy rich from all the donations they've accumulated over the years and all the properties that they own. Of course nothing also prevents someone from simultaneously being a real Buddhist monk and a complete scam artist at the same time. Buddhists are no less likely to scam money off of believers than Christians and they have their own counterparts to televangelists, megachurches and financially abusive cults.
Watch for spa scams on the ship too! I booked a birthday massage when I was on QM2 and the massage was great, but after, the therapist said she wanted to give me something, and put a few products she used in a bag. I thought it was a gift or possibly included with the massage considering the cost. Got to the front desk and she’s handing me receipt after receipt, for the massage, for the service tip, and then a $300 charge for those products! I cam back about an hour later and returned them. The spa didn’t see, happy but I was not going to pay for overpriced spa products!
Just to put things in perspective: I recently got home from a 4-week trip around Egypt, most of it solo. I didn’t get scammed or have any trouble at all, as I know the ropes there pretty well. Four entire weeks - not a single problem. So I fly home, and have to spend a night in the big city as I have missed the last train home to my small town a couple of hours away. Exhausted (I hadn’t had any sleep for about two days), I dropped my bag in the hotel room, grabbed just my wallet, and headed across the street for a quick meal before I collapsed. Within one minute of leaving my hotel, my wallet was lifted out of my pocket - right outside the second-largest police station in the country. Luckily, my travel wallet never holds more than one credit card and a small amount of Egyptian currency. I cancelled the card instantly, so no financial loss, but lesson learned: your own home base can be just as risky as the big wide world. Or, to put it differently - the big wide world isn’t necessarily more dangerous than your own home base.
I've travelled all over. I have found, on average, the opposite to be the case. USA I've been safe all my life. All the theft and scam attempts I've experienced have been outside the US or outside Western European countries. Inconvenient fact, but fact nonetheless. Or to be fair: anecdotal fact.
In many countries taxi drivers are the worst scammers. But not in Istanbul, I overpaid a taxi driver who then went all his way to find me at a private reception to return the money. I gave him a large tip and thanked him profusely. A honest man
Honest cabbies do exist! In England I once hired a taxi to take me and my family to St. Pancras station. There was a pretty awful traffic jam near the station, bad enough that we were in danger of missing our train. The taxi driver apologized profusely, helped us get our bags out, and refused to take full payment for a journey he hadn't completed (through no fault of his own). He was a very friendly man from the former Soviet block, I forget which country.
In Naples a few years ago, we had the opposite experience with a Taxi driver. We agreed a price for 4 people (ourselves and 2 Canadian women.) He took us to Sorrento, Positano and Pompei stopping at some photo locations along the way and giving us time to wander around each town and location by ourselves. Thoroughly nice man and would not hesitate to use him again (if we could ever find him.)
Great tips! I discovered an anti-pickpocket tip by accident. I was going on an excursion that included swimming so I wore my swimsuit under my shorts. As I was getting ready to leave my room and put my key card, some cash, meds, and my ID in my shorts, I realized that my swimsuit also had pockets so I put everything in the swimsuit pockets instead of my shorts. Not only that but they were pockets with velcro flaps that folded over. I would have to practically be molested for anyone to find it!
Just make sure those shorts and your other stuff are placed in a secure locker, or with a trusted family membe or friend, while you are swimming. A friend of mine had her passport stolen, while on the beach in Cozumel.
@@elouise5593 Oh, absolutely. I either have someone hold it who I trust, put it in one of those waterproof cases around my waist or neck, or I lock it in a portable lock box/safe that I bought and put it around a tree or other object as close to where I am as possible that cannot be moved and I keep my eye on it. I never ever just leave anything sitting on the beach unless I am okay with it being stolen. Or a locker if they have one on the premises.
We travelled to Vanuatu and stayed in Port Vila for one week. The prices in the shops were quite reasonable and we bought a few things. The day before a cruise ship was going to dock locals told us to buy what we wanted that day because all the prices would be doubled over night. We saw shop owners changing the price tickets. The next day we looked in the shops and it was as they said. Prices more than doubled in some cases.
My husband and I just got back from an Alaskan cruise and we were on the hunt for some native Alaskan artwork. At a store in Juneau, they had tons of native looking artwork, like statues and carvings and whatnot. We almost purchased one when I happened to flip the statue over and see a "Made in Bali" sticker next to the price tag. Needless to say we walked out immediately and noticed the store didn't explicitly say it was native made artwork, but it was "native arts." Definitely something to look out for when wanting to support local stores and not the giant chains.
We went on a family trip to Alaska, and in Anchorage, there is a street market every weekend. We went the first weekend and we caught it 2 weeks later before we departed. I had seen some Native Artwork that I liked and waited to see if I could get it for a better price on our trip. That better price was at the street market, and made by tribal citizens.
I and my wife were in Barcelona when we were approached by a man who spoke colloquial north country English. He was carrying a suitcase and stated he had overspent his money and had to get to the airport to catch a flight. He wanted money for a taxi. The way he carried the suitcase seemed to indicate nothing inside. I suggested he go to the British Consulate and ask them as I too was flat broke.
In Colombia they beat the scammers at the airport. The taxi kiosk asks where you are going and gives you a printout of the price. Then thats what the cabdriver gets. No negotiating.
We went to Cozumel, and my husband took a photo with someone who was in costume but told him we had no cash. The guy told him it's ok and asked if we could just buy him a water so we got him a big bottle. I kept telling my husband they work for donations, but he didn't listen, so we were lucky he was kind.
Good advice... I spotted another kind of scam last week. I was at a big concert with a friend and we needed to buy tickets for public transit from the ticket machines. Many of the machines were labelled as out of service and the two that worked had a long line, but we knew that type of machine often had issues so we thought nothing of it. It appeared that the line was slow because neither machine managed to read cards. People were trying multiple cards but eventually they had to give up and pay with cash. An older gentleman was staying near the machines and helping people through the process of paying by clicking through the procedure on the screen, he said he was local and happy to help, because the machines often had issues. In exchange for his help he was asking for coins and small bills, which many other travellers were giving, because they were honestly confused by the ticket machine and unable to complete the purchase on their own. When we and my friend got near the head of the line, we noticed that the gentleman was actually pressing a button to cancel the payment before the machine had read the card. He hid this by talking a lot and pointing elsewhere, like asking to check if it was asking for the card's PIN code, and he was tapping on the screen multiple times under the guise of 'sometimes it gets stuck'. When it came to our turn, I physically put my body sideways to block him from touching the screen as he was trying to do even though I told him we didn't need help. Sure enough without his assistance, the machine worked and we were able to pay with a card in no time. I told the people after us that 'the machines are fine now' and I think they understood what had been going on. I thought it was just a trick to ask for a few coins, but the place was crowded and it could have been a way for an accomplice to check how much cash people were carrying and where we kept it.
In Morocco they offered to help us put the right coins in the phone box , what they were doing was getting a handful given , then palming some giv8ng the illusion all the coins had been fed to the machine,
I love the currency exchange app idea!! I recently came off a cruise and fell for a taxi scam. A man pulling a piece of luggage, implying he was a fellow cruise tourist, asked what airport we were going to and said he had a car. In the moment we (my party and another couple) thought he was indeed a fellow passenger and would be reasonable. As we got closer to his vehicle several blocks away we started asking the price. He wanted $90 per couple!! That would be even more than taking an uber! We got their safely, but now I'll raise my eyebrows a bit more and be more skeptical of the people in front of the port, even in the US.
I would also advise people to not take any free drinks from vendors or merchants in ports of call. On my first cruise the Liner made an announcement cautioning travelers to avoid drinking anything free, and only consuming from local restaurants. It was because of this announcement that I saw why this is so important. People at the port of call were trying to drug people with free drinks laced with something so they could steal their stuff or keep them hostage.
@@PhillKennedy-b7w I wasn't refering to the cruise ship regarding the free drinks. I was talking about people in ports of call in the carribean that try to drug travelers with free tequila or what not.
Very useful information! My son recently went on.a Caribbean cruise. His fiancé was getting her hair braided by a street vendor, and a woman insisted on doing hie hair as well. He didn't ask the price and was in shock when they asked for $160 US. He paid them without trying to haggle and said he removed all the beads they'd put in his hair.about 15 minutes later. After that, he ignore all other street vendors. Lesson learned!
Jamaica has the worst scams. People are too pushy, especially selling weed. You can't bring back weed on a cruise. I knew a lady that bought a fake gold bracelet for $1,200, and another lady bought the exact same bracelet from the same guy for $20, after some negotiating.
It really makes me want to stop cruising to hear these things. I've never fallen victim to these scams, but it's a lot of work to stay vigilant and keep yourself safe.
Honestly if you’re savvy you’ll never have a problem. Obviously they’re important to be aware of but actually easy to avoid if you know what you’re doing. And if you look like you know what you’re doing, you’re probably less likely to be scammed as these scumbags just tend to go after people who look like they don’t know what day it is or drunk etc, much easier to get away with!
@elainekirkham8215 Of course, any tourist is at risk. This is about cruising. I cruise the Caribbean often, and have been to the places Gary described. It does take some planning to make the best choices.
I have never fallen for a scam on any holiday and i have perfected the fck off and leave me alone face so i rarely get any hassle. Just remember 99% of the crap you buy on holiday will just end up stuck somewhere in a cupboard. Enjoy the experience you don't need to shop 24/7
Excellent advice, as always Gary. Hiring motorbikes, or cars, can now be a very expensive mistake whilst abroad. Be very careful where you buy bottles of water as in many countries people collect empty bottles from rubbish bins, or recycling points, and fill them with ordinary tap water. To make it feel like the cap has never been undone they carefully heat the plastic lid with a lighter. Only buy bottles of water from a reputable shop, not a street vendor 🫢🚱🤮
Yep the tricksters are getting even more creative. Some interesting twists on some old favourites here. We normally take photos of rental cars but your idea of videoing it is a really good idea that we will adopt. Great video thanks Gary.
@@Tolpuddle581 very tenacious - well done. I wonder if it is a con specific to the UK? We too take out full insurance but the post trip follow up can be a real pain.
after I turn in every car rental, I always immediately deactivate my credit card on my phone from allowing any charges for over a week. Never had a rental company come after me saying I damaged their car and they couldn't collect from my credit card
We had a taxi driver in Bali who was amazing. A fabulous island tour for 4 of us in a modern air conditioned van. $50 US total for the whole day . He stopped at sights to allow for photos. Took us to a great local restaurant for a delicious lunch with incredible views.
I have never had a bad taxi driver in South East Asia either. Some have been so helpful that I felt rather guilty at the small amounts they asked for and gave them a large tip. Gary has made me very nervous about going to the Caribbean. I think I will give the whole area a miss.
Remotely arranged for a taxi driver in Bali to pick up my daughter at the airport and take her to a resort in the central highlands. She later told me he was an honest guy that even refused her tip. He was on time and very nice.
Great video and great tips! I'll also add, be very careful if you have expensive cameras, etc. with you. On a South American cruise, my stepdad had his expensive camera out and a bicycle thief rode close by and snatched it right out of his hands. Not only did they get the camera, but all the cruise memories stored on it.
Best leave expensive things at home - but of course, a serious photographer has to have their camera. There are secure neck straps and wrist leashes - before you travel, try a few out and find an option that lets you conveniently use your camera while keeping it attached to you. Also, when you aren’t actually using it, keep it stashed in a secure shoulder bag or similar. Avoid bags that look upmarket or expensive - you want an innocuous-looking thing that looks like there’s probably nothing inside more valuable than your lunch.
I download my photos from my camera chip each day onto my laptop (and back that up with a USB, mobile drive, etc), so if anything happened to my camera I would only lose that day's photos -
Great video, presentation and production. When paying with a card in foreign countries, I only use a debit card. I have two debit cards. When the price is confirmed, I Zelle the exact amount to the debit card with a zero balance. So if the price is $75, that's what I transfer. If they attempt to bang the card for more, it's declined.
I was on a crowded bus in Dublin and felt a woman bumping against me. I realized her hand was in my pocket. I yelled “Get your hand out of my pocket” and made her empty her pockets in front of me. She gave me back what she had taken and got off at the next stop. The Dubliners around me on the bus thought that was pretty funny of me! My little kids were impressed!
Good advice as always. I've shared the link on Facebook as I believe that loads more people inside the cruise community and those going to any seaside or city break should find the content relevant too.
Grabbed taxi in Cozumel to Paradise Beach. Driver told us it was at capacity but he knew a better place. Thanks to videos like this I knew it was a Sam and insisted he take us to our original destination. He did, had a great day. No problem getting in.
I have ripped a $20 bill in half to secure a taxi return trip promised during an oversees vacation that I had and promised the other half upon return. Drivers don't seem to mind. American dollars tapped back together have worked well for me.
I know Egypt quite well, and have travelled there as an older solo woman traveller a number of times. I have found that whether I’m hiring a casual taxi to take me around, or using a hired guide, a five minute chat ahead of time pays off: no perfume, alabaster, papyrus, jewellery, etc. I feel for these people - the bit extra they make for taking you to these places is an important part of their income, so you can’t blame them for trying. I guarantee them an extra-generous tip at the end of the trip if they steer clear of these places. Also, when it comes to taxis, negotiate the price before you even get into the car. Make sure you clarify the currency - ie Egyptian pounds, not Pounds Sterling for instance, the number of passengers, whether one-way or round trip, baggage charge, etc. Drive the price down a bit, he expects that, but at the end of the trip give a generous tip. Keep in mind, a tip the equivalent to a cup of coffee at home will make a difference to his day.
I had an attempted pickpocket in Italy on a crowded train, and had my pocket picked on a crowded bus in Italy. Beware of people pressing against you in a crowded place.
I try to always be aware of my surroundings. We were near/in St. Peter's Square when I noticed the same two people (man & woman) always seemed to be near us no matter what shop we were visiting. I was sure they weren't in our tour group, so I asked them if they WERE with our group. They acted like they didn't understand what I was asking, then disappeared.
When we go to and from the hotels and airports in foreign countries we always use a limousine service which is set up by our travel agent. It even includes the tip which is built into the price. It is only about 20% more then taxis and no hassle.
I remember going to Casablanca in late 90's. A street vendor was selling "leather" belts which looked very nice for £10. I wasn't interested in a belt so he knocked the price down to £5 and then down to £2. I bought one at £2. Back on the ship, lots of passengers had these belts, some as cheap as two for £1. Anyway, they didn't last long, they were actually made of laminated paper.
I have not had anything happen but I was just talking to friends that were pickpocketed in Rome. What’s crazy is they took the money and credit cards from the wallet and replaced the wallet without him knowing! So sad that this happens!
II've been on more than ship-sponsored "shore excursion" that was pretty much a tour of tourist traps and shabby markets, eg. "Best of Nassau" - every.single.stop was an "opportunity" to buy stuff. In contrast, we sped by the National Art Gallery at Warp 9!
I vacationed in Mexico several times & our hotel doorman would ALWAYS confirm our taxi fare BEFORE we even got in the taxi. He explained that the fare was determined by what “zone” you were traveling. So when venturing out on our own, we always get the price from the driver before getting in the car.
Yep, the decent places will offer that service for you. Our taxi driver even waited at the mall and brought us home when we were done. I bought him a Cuban as a tip.
Thanks for the reminder to photograph the hire car BEFORE getting in and BEFORE walking away at drop off. Three hire cars ahead of us in North America, appreciate the reminder. Great videos Gary. So many insightful tips for us travellers.
Yep, I do this too and I talk the whole time on the video and will point and zoom in to the smallest scratch, dent or scuff before I exit. After I video the vehicle, I also pan around the car park to prove my location and if I am with someone I will get them to show me their phone to prove the date and time of return. I’ve never had to prove my innocence but I am settled knowing I have protected myself.
For car rentals, we always take several pictures of the car and signal any damage that is actually there to the rental car company representative before driving it.
As you mentioned, I advise my travel companions to never accept anything someone hands to you! Once you have possession of the item, they will not take it back and expect you to buy it.
I take the grandkid and she loves getting the free bracelets. My wife loves buying jewelry so I keep her out of the jewelry shops when I can. She also gets GREAT cruise deals because of it that actually can add up to more than the jewelry after a few cruises. I also carry little cash and keep a decoy wallet in my pocket with credit card (singular) and cash in another pick pocket proof place. Oh, the big discounts for my wife on the cruise lines is a result only from buying jewelry on the ship, NOT on shore. We rarely buy onshore but you can get some great deals and haggle for a lower price. We actually get more credit on some cruises than what our cruise costs. He gave great tips.
When receiving rental car have THAT DAY'S newspaper. Take close up of date, then further photo including front page. That pics of vehicle with page in each photo. Repeat with fresh dated newspaper / photos upon return. Same set up when renting a room etc. Prove before n after situations
Not only that, but as a super budget traveller: - Bus / Flixbus / Train / Metro when you need to travel between cities. - Bus / Metro when you need to travel inside the city. - Uber / Bolt, you can pay first so you know the price. More - Aparthotels instead of hotels. Bigger + less expensive + a small kitchen + closer to public transport and if you brought a car there's a higher chance there's free parking nearby. - Check fast food chain prices (i.e. Big Mac menu = €10), the average price of an average restaurant meal must not me 3x more expensive (i.e. Appetizers + Main dish + Dessert + Coffee + 1 Drink = €30) in tourist cities. Otherwise they're over charging. Also - Any store that is 2 roads closer to the beach / centre / old town / maybe the port / whatever, is overpriced and not authentic (< food). - If it's free then you already paid for it / they're retaining the costumer / they will make you pay somehow.
Another Taxi scam we feel for is we got into a cab in Cozumel with a beach club in mind. After we were on our way, he told us it was closed but he knew of another similar place. It wasn't actually closed and the place he took us to clearly knew him and gave him a kick back. Luckily, that place wasn't bad at all and we really enjoyed our day
I’m Argentine and live in Buenos Aires I’m so sorry to hear you got scammed. We have different types of dollars. Blue, tourist, official and you get different values. If you come to the city be aware don’t use your telephones on the street and don’t use gold or Rolex.
Thank you for this video. The "free stuff" scam happened to me when I was in China as I was about to get back on a tour bus. I was ignoring the sellers when one pushed something "free" in my hand as I was walking. Then, they started yelling at me to pay for it. The tour director came off the bus and yelled at them in Chinese and they walked away.
I haven’t fallen for any because I’m cheap lol. And when I’m traveling solo which I do most of the time, I have my RBF in full effect. Someone tried to get me to buy a “leather”purse in Jamaica at a ridiculous price and I said nope and quickly walked away. If I’m cruising then I always book the excursions through the cruise line.
I love those inside-the-waistband wallets, and even use them in the safest countries, from petty crime, that I travel. Because they're great for not forgetting or misplacing anything, and having a ritual for putting things away properly.
I have only purchased from two vendors wandering a Mexican beach selling their original art. Both were in costa Maya as we ate lunch on the beach. Two different trips. They took a palm leaf and created a flower as I watched. They asked for tips and I gave each of the $10 as they were polite and adorable and it is my favorite Mexican port.
While on a trip to Europe, we stopped in Cologne, Germany. I spotted a woman holding what appeared to be a sick and weak child. She was begging for money to get help for her child. I gave her a Euro and went on the excursion. When we got back on the bus our guide told us not to give money to the 'gypsies' because they drug their children to make them look sick and weak in order to get more money. I wish our guide had told us about this before we left the bus.
A taxi scam that I find anywhere, not just with tourists is the ‘are you from here?’ If you say you’re only visiting you’ll often get taken the long way around because you don’t know any difference. Always say you know the area well.
I’m from Australia and often see couples taking photos of each other and always ask them if they would like me to take their picture. It’s sad to think they may look upon me as a scammer when I have best intentions of creating beautiful memories for them 😀🇦🇺😀🇦🇺
hi im the same, im an Australian too and often offer to take a photo for [eople, id be shattered if they thought i was a scammer. i do admit im a little wary when people offer to do it for us and always thank them and joke with them and say , please dont steal my ph, i cant run to chase you. but people are usually just being kind and genuinely want to do something nice for you :)
I work in public safety, so I don’t trust many strangers and am super wary. I haven’t fallen for any tricks…yet. On my very first cruise almost 20 years ago, I was naïve and despite recommendations from taxi drivers and having a hotel manager’s cousin as a driver, never got scammed. They were actually good experiences.
As a solo traveller, I often take selfies which aren't very good, but I'm always suspicious when a stranger offers to take my photo in a tourist hotspot. This happened to me yesterday in Cherbourg, even though the offer turned out to be totally genuine!
Ha! I offered to do this for someone in BVI (and I thought it was pretty clear from my clothes that I was also a cruise passenger) but I think they were still suspicious...
Long before the selfie was the norm I enjoyed offering to take traveler's photos. At that time I would say 9 out of 10 accepted with great thanks! I didn't even have to speak their language I would just do the camera pantomime and then we would thank each other and wave goodbye. Try to fairly gauge the person who's offering to take a photo for you. You'll be surprised at the number of people that just want to give you the gift of a properly composed shot!
I believe now on some phones you can access the camera without unlocking it. I know on my iPhone 14 you can do this. Another thing that can work if you are traveling solo is to buy a disposable camera. Yes you will have to wait for the film to be developed and processed, but this way you are not handing your phone to a stranger. I am thinking of doing this on an a planned overseas trip.
Taking pictures for others is genuinely one of my favorite things to do on vacation. Most people accept my offer - it helps that I'm a young-ish woman with my own DSLR camera usually hanging around my neck - but I understand those who don't.
I've watched your content for quite sometime and always enjoyed it. Lots of great points in your video, as well as in the comments. Scams can happen anywhere. But regarding cruise excursions, I think it's best to use the vetted travel suppliers that are offered by the cruise ship. If anything goes wrong, you have the cruise line on your side. Oh, and always, always buy the travel insurance. Eventually, Murphy's Law catches up to us all and something will happen during your travels, so be prepared. Thanks again for the great content.
I refuse to buy high end items while on vacation/holiday. I go for the cheap stuff so people think I am on a very tight budget. Also, I don’t allow strangers to take pictures for me on my phone. It’s selfie style or nothing.
The best taxi and car service experiences I have ever had anywhere was in Mexico City, Mexico. As for the scams, many of these are as old as time and they target tourists in general, not just those who cruise.
I always take a small, inexpensive camera with me to take photos in crowded tourist areas. It's less likely to attract thieves, and in the event it is lost, damaged or stolen, it would not be as hard to deal with as losing my phone. The quality of these cameras is much better than it used to be. I print out any information I might need ahead of time so that I don't have to pull out my phone.
@@lovesfall2168I have a vintage digital camera, a canon one, as long as you take photos with natural light, the quality is great and actually end up with beautiful pictures. Mine cost like 30 dolars second hand
Dude was sketching on the Brooklyn Bridge and selling skyline drawings. Once I got home figured out it was a print. Honestly got it for decent price and love it.
This is all great information, thank you! When we were on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera we talked with a passenger, who did not want to go on one of the cruise tours, but rather went off on their own. They grabbed a taxi and told them what they wanted to see. This guy drove them all over, going many miles out of the way and charged them accordingly. They were almost late getting back to the ship, and THAT would have been a disaster.
Gary -- As a seasoned world traveler, I still find so many invaluable tips in all of your videos ... and I am NOT a cruiser! Thank you for helping so many people.
I was watching a gemologist on TH-cam who said that the fire opals being sold in tourist shops were plastic. Many who commented on the post spoke of similar experiences.
Thanks to videos like this one, when I was in port, all I bought were a couple of handmade ornaments and a beach bag for $15 total. And our excursion was booked through the cruise line. I detest scams!
A lot of taxi drivers are master scammers but I did meet a decent one in Taipei who was my driver for the entire day for less than 100$ and bought me lunch…depends who you meet
I live in Vienna and sometimes see folks in the more touristy areas stopping to watch some street performer. I always shudder thinking that - likely - at least one person crowded around is being pickpocketed by the performer's accomplice(s) while they're distracted. Perhaps they really are just street performers looking for a Euro, but the big city kid in me can't help but see scams around every corner. As my grandfather always said, "watch your back!"
Great tips about not unlocking your phone! I can see that in the heat of the moment when confronted with a kooky request, that you might not think it thru, how bad it could get it your unlocked phone suddenly springs away!!
While returning to our ship in Naples, Italy I set off the metal detector in the terminal building. Realizing I had forgotten to remove my watch, the security agent told me to give him the watch to hold and then go through the scanner again, which was successful this time. Next we were distracted by recovering all of the items we HAD removed and forgot to get my watch back. A few minutes later we realized the mistake and returned to the security checkpoint to recover our watch. Of course, the agent was nowhere to be seen and nobody knew anything about the incident. With the help of one of the ship's officers we demanded to see the security footage from the overhead camera. Suddenly from out of nowhere came a new agent holding my watch. Lesson learned! Don't EVER give anything to the security agent to hold. You might never see it again.
Sorry to burst a bubble here and while the OP is correct that you should keep an eye on your items. After working in a security operations center and having access to CCTV of all the times there was a theft complain filed there was only ONE instance of it being done by a screener. And we processed thousands of passengers each day. All the rest were the passenger simply forgetting their item and another passenger taking it. Or more likely someone else knew exactly what was going on and took the item...so often you see them do "the lookout" to see who is watching then grab and quickly tuck it away. How to prevent becoming a victim: 1. Prepare- before going to security prep everything, take off your belt, take off all your items and bag it up so it's not visible, put your wallet/money clip/ money belt away before approaching security. 2. Arrive with plenty of time- So that you're not rushing or thinking of anything other than keeping your eye on your belongings. 3. If you get flagged to be screened or your items do- Be sure to ask that your items go with you! Yes, it's stressful but do NOT forget about the rest of your stuff. 4. If you do find out something is missing return to the checkpoint ASAP. Ask for a Supervisor and then CALMLY state your items are missing. Do NOT claim that security stole it as most likely they didn't and even if they did it probably will not help your cause. Ask that the CCTV be reviewed but understand that most security checkpoints do not have access to the video in real time. Ask that Law Enforcement be contacted so you have a neutral party involved as well.
I'm sorry if you interpreted my post as implying that security agents are dishonest. I'm sure the majority are completely honest, as are most people in the general population. But there are definitely bad apples out there and nobody wants to become a victim. There is no question that what happened to me was attempted theft by the security agent. When we realized that my watch set off the machine I started to go back to the machine to put my watch in one of the bins. The agent stopped me and said that, instead, I should just give him the watch to hold while I walked back through the machine. He ASKED me to give him the watch to hold, and I did. A few minutes later when I realized I had not gotten my watch back and returned, that agent wasn't there and NONE of the agents who were present claimed to know of any other agent who had just left their post. I can assure you with 100% certainty that the agent working that security location ASKED me for the watch and I gave it to him. Only after the ship's officer asked for the surveillance video to be retrieved did a DIFFERENT agent suddenly appear holding my watch. How do you think he got it? I never saw the original agent again. Of course, if I had been properly prepared when approaching security none of this would have happened and that's entirely my fault. Still, it's easy to inadvertently forget to remove something and you can never be faulted for insisting to go back and place the item in a bin as it should have been initially. My warning to the traveling community is a valid one: Never hand the agent anything to hold to avoid putting it through the scanner. Do you honestly believe that this incident was anything other than attempted theft by the agent?
@@richardr1430 Hi Richard. In my comment nowhere do I state that your comment was false or that you misrepresented what was going on. In fact I stated "OP is correct that you should keep an eye on your items". I also state in point 4 that "Do NOT claim that security stole it as most likely they didn't and even if they did it probably will not help your cause" So yes, I state that security might steal your stuff, it's just that in MY experience which spans decades it has happened ONCE. That's also why I say to get law enforcement involved so you have a neutral third party...in case the SCREENERS are the culprits. Otherwise there would be no need to ask for a third party. I DID state that I have only had one occurrence of a screener taking an item. I'll further clarify that's over a span of 20+ years and hundreds of claims. The reaction when we caught that screener was utter SHOCK, because they just got themselves fired (Federal job in my country and therefore ANY other Federal job as well) and also the same thing everyone who saw the video stated- how could they be so DUMB. I mean there are generally DOZENS of CCTV covering the screening area and the screeners know this! F that screener for making all of us look like criminals. So by definition I PROVED your point that screeners have and will steal stuff. It's also true that from my experience most people just forget their stuff vs when stuff is actually stolen. And when it is stolen it's almost always a crime of opportunity vs a targeted theft...by other passengers or screeners. I did not elaborate but I will now- Understand that when anyone goes back to a screening checkpoint and claims THEFT it's a HUGE accusation. You are putting their career on the line and from my experience the person is wrong over 99% of the time as they almost exclusively blame the screeners. Again- that is NOT stating that happened to you or that it cannot happen to someone else because it invariably will. But I stand by my suggestions because being disorganized and in a rush are far more likely to be the cause of your stuff going missing than anything else. And since you've asked and I've helped review hundreds of alleged cases. Do I believe the agent asked you for your watch. Without knowing protocol for Italy I'd say it's definitely likely, although usually we give the person a bowl to put the smaller item into. People are generally NOT allowed to go back through WTMD to put stuff back as it backs up the line. You also asked "Do you honestly believe that this incident was anything other than attempted theft by the agent?" I do honestly believe it may have been attempted theft. A large part of that depends on how exactly things unfolded though. Here is one possibility that happens frequently based on my reviews of such claims- The passenger forgets their items, this is especially so if they give their item to a screener as that item is then usually BEHIND the rest of their items and they FORGET that they took said item off...because they are in a rush, stressed state when they do this. The item is then found by a screener and placed into the lost and found location. When the passenger realizes their stuff is missing they return and that results in their item being found with the lost and found items. Usually in the US the person who has access to the lost and found items is limited to prevent "anyone" from looking over them and that would explain why a different agent returned your items. Logically speaking- if the agent was trying to steal your item and then he wasn't at the checkpoint as you sated - why would he leave your stolen item behind? Why would he tell another agent where they left the item? (criminals tend not to tell their activities to others) again- that's just logically speaking and from my one experience it defied all logic to steal the item so there....I just did devils advocate for you lol. Finally, nothing in my original comment was directed to bring doubt on your VALID concern that people need to keep track of their belongings. So my points are also valid from MY experience. So how does my valid points somehow negate your valid points because I don't believe they do. You know Richard, we can BOTH be right. Take care and safe travels my friend.
Hi @@Komainu959 , I agree that we can both be right. Your points are all valid and I'm sure you've seen way more security incidents than I ever will. All I can add is that "you had to be there" and see the entire incident unfold to fully appreciate it. I left out much unnecessary detail in the interest of brevity. Let's just say it was pretty obvious to everyone what had happened. As to your question "Logically speaking- if the agent was trying to steal your item and then he wasn't at the checkpoint as you sated - why would he leave your stolen item behind? Why would he tell another agent where they left the item? " EVERYTHING changed when the request was made to review the security video which would have clearly shown who asked for and took possession of the watch and which other agents were there at the time. It was clearly in all of their interest to not go down that route. Anyway, Thank you for your years of service in keeping us all safe - and I promise to be more careful at security checkpoints in the future!
Try to use Uber or other rideshare, if it's available. I went to Puerto Vallarta just this past December on the Koningsdam, and taking Uber was great. We knew what we were paying up front, and we went all the way down to the Zona Romantica and back for less than US$30/MX$600 in total.
On my last cruise, they offered the charm bracelet, where you could get one or more charms at different locations on ship, as well as jewelry stores at the Port. I had no problems getting the charm without buying anything else.
Yeah, we actually got a kind of locket the first day and then were able to collect a little free item each day to put inside. It’s easy to find out what the deal is. If the charm is only free as an add-on to a bracelet you have to buy (which happened to us on a different cruise), just say no thanks and leave.
Thanks Gary and thanks for sharing what some people might think of as embarrassing experiences. It’s good to know it can happen even to the experts like yourself. On the occasions when I realized I might have paid too much for something, I learn from it and then forgive myself from self recrimination. Not the usual tips that are on all the videos either 👍
Gary, this was very helpful. Have watched many of your videos and realized I wasn’t subscribed. Remedied…. I will be very guarded on my met cruise next August 2024.
I was a victim of the damage scam in Mexico City. I returned my rental car and they said there was damage on the tire. Total baloney. It was fine. The “fee” was about the amount of a new tire. I demanded they send it to me since they made me pay for it. It never arrived of course lol. Now I always record my rentals in 4k before renting!
Car rental in Jamaica pulled this on us in April. Luckily, we took photos and video before we took the vehicle but upon return, the owner was outside as as soon as we pulled up, he claimed to see damage on the vehicle. There wasn’t any new damage and it was just a way for him to try and scam us out of extra money. He got REALLY angry and was yelling at us and insulting us. We thought he would pull a gun on us. I’m so glad to report that we ended up getting away from him unharmed and that he hadn’t charged extra funds to the credit card.
We booked a Viatour in Athens. It was a city tour including the Parthenon. For some reason, it got late and the woman said we wouldn’t have time for the Parthenon because we were going shopping…….. We told her no, we didn’t care about shopping, we wanted to see the Parthenon. So ridiculous and she did do what we asked but that was strange.
A relative of mine and her husband were sort of scammed in a funny way when they were in Paris. They were staying at a certain hotel but were invited for dinner by some other friends. They were told where the Restaurant was but when they came outside it was dark and they felt that they had better get a taxi to the place though they had planned to walk. The taxi was told the destination and off they went. 20 mins later they pulled up outside the restaurant after having driven miles through the city. It cost a small fortune and they couldn’t understand why their friends would choose such an out of the way place. When they queried the fact the friends were at a loss as to what they meant. After some back and forth it was in fact revealed that they were about 5 mins walk from the Hotel, which had in fact been chosen for that reason. Obviously they had stood out as tourists, not just for the look and sound of them which would have screamed it; but because if they had been locals or maybe not so naive, they would not have needed the taxi. A quick check of a street map would have helped them avoid his. Admittedly this was about 40 yrs ago before tourists were warned about scams. But in truth some people never listen to advice. Hence so many get caught even now..
I avoided over priced joy ride in a Parisian taxi by pretending I was getting car sick from all his swerving and going to throw up in his car if he didn't get me to my hotel quickly. Funny ending to the trip was getting food poisoning and trying to get to the airport so I could get home. My urpy noises were real that time and taxi driver was very kind and helped me with my luggage.
Great tips whether you're in a cruise port, at home, or traveling anywhere else. I had a great taxi tour in Moldova and a terrible taxi scam in Sweden. Whenever I plan a taxi tour now, I have specific destinations on a list and we follow that. We were almost victims of pickpockets in Italy and a guy standing right next to us in Spain had his backpack stolen while we were all watching a thunderstorm just outside the hotel entry. As for car rentals, I once turned in a car in Duluth, Minnesota via a key drop box in the early morning and they charged me $500 for an $80 rental because they said I had turned in the car in Michigan. Fortunately their own records showed they had rented the same car out of Duluth shortly after I turned it in. It was still a pain in the neck to get the credit issued to my credit card. Since then I take pix and/or videos each time I turn a car in. Traveler be smart, be alert, and beware!
after I turned in my car in Hawaii I immediately deactivated my credit card from allowing any charges for a little over a week. Didn't need it. After a week activated back on my phone. Watched for weeks after, no charges or anything from the car rental place. Don't know if they tried or not. Should do the same anytime you rent a car, make them have to go through hoops to get money from you after you rent a car for damages they claim you did
Summary: Never get off the ship while carrying anything you value. More realistic summary: Keep your ID, emergency cash, and anything else you MUST carry in skin-tight storage right next to your body. ('Anything else' must include your travel agent's contact info, your cruise line's contact info, your embassy's contact info, and a credit card with enough money to get you home. That's your 'oh shit' kit.)
When travelling, always expect people to try and scam you, it's part of the experience. Some places scam you nicely, so you'll want to come back and be scammed again. Others scam you horribly so you don't ever want to return.
Re car hire. I always freeze my credit card as soon as I return the car (can be done on my banking app) then I use another credit card for the rest of my holiday
Never gotten scammed, Gary - but knock on wood! Some of these are very easy to fall for. It helps that I’ve done so much travel in Pharma consulting over the years.
I always tell people to carry a special wallet with a limited amount of money in it. So I don’t lose too much if it is stolen. And it keeps attention away from the real wallet. Thank you for the video.
Unlike what was said here, I'm ALWAYS on my guard. I trust NOBODY! The only time anybody is trustworthy is when it's in their motivated self-interest. When that isn't in effect I don't trust anyone, even family.
I was in a port that had metered cab rides. It’s been so long honestly I cannot remember where it was. We hopped in and got the “scenic” route. Ultimately I started to tell the driver the gig was up.
Great video! I have never been on a cruise, but I was warned in Jamaica to shop before the cruise ships arrive, because the prices would triple. We saw it firsthand.
I was in a casino in Laughlin Nevada once when someone dropped their cup of coins. I told my mom to watch out, might be a pickpocket scam and we quickly left the area.
Great advice…I want to add that travellers, beware of fake money when receiving cash change. A taxi driver in Istanbul pulled this one on me when I had just arrived and wasn’t familiar with their cash bills and coins. The banks wouldn’t do anything about it. Apparently it’s too common a scam.
Wow! The taxi scam was exactly what happened in Ketchikan. Quoted $420 x6 passengers for 4 hours. Saw basically nothing! After driving around I asked to go back to the ship. Paid in cash $70 and she said, oh no, you owe me $150 each!!! Told her to take the $70 and left. No idea what the other 5 paid.
I'm going to be in transit mode, if I'm talking a cruise, only reason to go ashore would to be buying postcards and stamps otherwise I'll stay onboard.
St. Lucia has taxis that are run by their government. Their vehicles have special plates and the drivers are knowledgable about their areas. We were luckily told about this by the place we stayed at and had a good experience.
When I went to Lisbon the first time, we took a cab who offered the three of us a tour for $70 for all three of us. We spent the entire day seeing Lisbon sights, he would stop, tell us to go down this street and he would pick us up at the end of the street in 45 min to an hour, he took us to an excellent and inexpensive local restaurant, and we had a great day. It was an excellent tour! His charge, $70. We tipped him well, but it was one of the best experiences ever!
Wow, what a great experience. You are lucky that he didn’t rip you off.
I had one in Barcelona who told me his credit card machine AFTER he got to our destination. I should have told him I had no Euros…driver who took me back charged me half the price.
In Funchal, Madeira you can or at least used to be able to charter a taxi for a day at a set price and essentially have a local tour guide taking you around. My parents chartered a taxi for a day once together with a couple they met on their vacation, and they all had a great time! As far as I know, Madeira is very safe, at least it was when I was there in 1999, 2000 and 2002, basically the only scam you needed to watch out for was Timeshare sellers. I didn’t go to Madeira via cruise ship though, I went there by plane, but I’m guessing being a visitor there is about the same for cruise passengers as it is for people flying in and staying in a hotel there
9😅😢
My parents did the same thing in Jamaica back in like 2006. They had a great time and the cab driver even gave them tips on how to barter and stop pushy vendors from harassing them
I’ve watched so many travel scam videos, and I’m going to keep doing it! I always think I’ve got them down, I know what to do and not do, then some brand new scam pops up! I saw Ilana’s video about the purse scam in Turkey. I NEVER would have been watching for that. Thanks to all of you cruise TH-camrs for looking out for us, and making us aware!
Brilliant idea from a TH-camr in this thread. Never travel with an expensive watch. When I travel, I do the same thing. I'm a watch addict and have many luxury watches. But when traveling, I only bring my cheap Casio W800H-1BV reverse LCD, all-black digital watch that I bought at Walmart for $21.97. It's water resistant to 100m too. It's a great watch in its own right, but will never target you.
Even here in the states I take pictures of a rental car before I take it and when I drop it off.
There are so many nationalities represented on a cruise ship. I always recommend asking someone on the cruise staff if they're local to the port you're visiting. Our Jamaican head waiter hooked us up with his cousin for an island tour. She also met us at the end of Dunns River Falls and escorted us through the very aggressive market, telling people to leave us alone. :-) As two young single women, we never felt safer.
The locals may not worry about scamming you, but I trust the cruise staff.
Don’t be naive. There are always a few bad eggs in ever group.
his cousin, huh? :)
You can't trust some of them either. They could be setting you up.
@@GiGi52020 Yeah but chances are that you know the crew staff‘s name, and thus they have at least some interest in not scamming you
Great tips, Gary! I appreciate you keeping us in the loop. Unfortunately scammers are everywhere. NYC is full of them as well. Last week I saw a person who was pretending to be a Buddhist Monk in Timesquare. He was putting small cards with golden Buddhas in peoples hands and saying its for good luck. Then asking for donations to rebuild his temple and getting quite aggresive if someone refused. I was filming Broll for a project I am working on and I saw him (2 hours later) walk down 2 blocks, take off the robe and get into an 80,000 dollar tesla to drive away. I didn't know Buddhist Monks drove electric!
Good to know that Buddhists are electric .... !?!! There are also in London similar in tourist season which clearly make all lot of money as also been exposed having fancy cars etc. Thanks for watching. I am still trying these early release for members and overall people seem to like getting them early, even if maybe isn't a massive added perk
@@tipsfortravellers I love the early access videos. Small perk but it makes me feel like I am part of your inner circle. This also means I can have a bit more interaction with you because the whole crowd isn't here yet. I am sure it's a lot of work and extra planning to get these videos done early. I appreciate your effort, Gary. To be honest, I would support even if you did't make them. You are my favorite cruise-tuber and an inspiration. I'm glad I can contribute in a small way.
I used to work in near the E-train subway station at 53rd and 5th. It's a deep station, may 4 or 5 stories down. There's a pair of escalators, one in each direction, plus a set of stairs between them.
At times, walking along 5th, I would see a horribly crippled young man struggling to walk with a pair of crutches that were too long for him. He staggered crablike with the crutches out an an angle and they would often slip. His legs were bent. His face in pain. A pitiful sight. Oh, and he had a coffee cup that he would reach out while groaning at the effort.
I was working late one evening. I was the only person on the escalator. I could hear the sound of a train arriving below. The wait at that later hour can be s long so I tried to walk down faster. As I did, that same young man, apparently anxious to catch that same train, came running down the center steps - I mean jumping two and three steps at a time - with the crutches held in one hand above his head, and using his free hand to grab the handrail for each jump.
He caught the train. I did not. But did see him again other days, with his coffee cup, working the 5th Ave crowd.
Technically nothing prevents a Buddhist monk from being wealthy, some Buddhist monasteries are absolutely filthy rich from all the donations they've accumulated over the years and all the properties that they own. Of course nothing also prevents someone from simultaneously being a real Buddhist monk and a complete scam artist at the same time. Buddhists are no less likely to scam money off of believers than Christians and they have their own counterparts to televangelists, megachurches and financially abusive cults.
Where did you see the Tesla monk exactly? I wan go find him!!
Watch for spa scams on the ship too! I booked a birthday massage when I was on QM2 and the massage was great, but after, the therapist said she wanted to give me something, and put a few products she used in a bag. I thought it was a gift or possibly included with the massage considering the cost. Got to the front desk and she’s handing me receipt after receipt, for the massage, for the service tip, and then a $300 charge for those products! I cam back about an hour later and returned them. The spa didn’t see, happy but I was not going to pay for overpriced spa products!
My friend always wears a plastic Casio watch. She says Pick pocket will see you are both cheap and careful.
Yes! I wear a $15 knockoff when cruising and never take my good jewelry.
Just to put things in perspective: I recently got home from a 4-week trip around Egypt, most of it solo. I didn’t get scammed or have any trouble at all, as I know the ropes there pretty well. Four entire weeks - not a single problem. So I fly home, and have to spend a night in the big city as I have missed the last train home to my small town a couple of hours away. Exhausted (I hadn’t had any sleep for about two days), I dropped my bag in the hotel room, grabbed just my wallet, and headed across the street for a quick meal before I collapsed. Within one minute of leaving my hotel, my wallet was lifted out of my pocket - right outside the second-largest police station in the country. Luckily, my travel wallet never holds more than one credit card and a small amount of Egyptian currency. I cancelled the card instantly, so no financial loss, but lesson learned: your own home base can be just as risky as the big wide world. Or, to put it differently - the big wide world isn’t necessarily more dangerous than your own home base.
I'm from Dallas. I had a taxi driver in Boston try to charge me 2X the fare.
I've travelled all over. I have found, on average, the opposite to be the case. USA I've been safe all my life. All the theft and scam attempts I've experienced have been outside the US or outside Western European countries. Inconvenient fact, but fact nonetheless. Or to be fair: anecdotal fact.
assuming big city you mean New York? Sounds about right
@@chrism3784 Not even close. Melbourne, Australia. I’ve been to to New York a number of times - never had any trouble there, either.
Yes there are scammers everywhere, but in Europe one is not likely to get shot.
In many countries taxi drivers are the worst scammers. But not in Istanbul, I overpaid a taxi driver who then went all his way to find me at a private reception to return the money. I gave him a large tip and thanked him profusely. A honest man
I complained to a legit English cabbie about all the ripoff attempts and he refused to take a tip as a result!
oh wow thats beautiful
Honest cabbies do exist! In England I once hired a taxi to take me and my family to St. Pancras station. There was a pretty awful traffic jam near the station, bad enough that we were in danger of missing our train. The taxi driver apologized profusely, helped us get our bags out, and refused to take full payment for a journey he hadn't completed (through no fault of his own). He was a very friendly man from the former Soviet block, I forget which country.
That’s cool. I live in the USA and every taxi I have taken does this scammy stuff. It was eye opening coming from Germany.
In Naples a few years ago, we had the opposite experience with a Taxi driver. We agreed a price for 4 people (ourselves and 2 Canadian women.) He took us to Sorrento, Positano and Pompei stopping at some photo locations along the way and giving us time to wander around each town and location by ourselves. Thoroughly nice man and would not hesitate to use him again (if we could ever find him.)
Great tips! I discovered an anti-pickpocket tip by accident. I was going on an excursion that included swimming so I wore my swimsuit under my shorts. As I was getting ready to leave my room and put my key card, some cash, meds, and my ID in my shorts, I realized that my swimsuit also had pockets so I put everything in the swimsuit pockets instead of my shorts. Not only that but they were pockets with velcro flaps that folded over. I would have to practically be molested for anyone to find it!
Just make sure those shorts and your other stuff are placed in a secure locker, or with a trusted family membe or friend, while you are swimming. A friend of mine had her passport stolen, while on the beach in Cozumel.
@@elouise5593 Oh, absolutely. I either have someone hold it who I trust, put it in one of those waterproof cases around my waist or neck, or I lock it in a portable lock box/safe that I bought and put it around a tree or other object as close to where I am as possible that cannot be moved and I keep my eye on it. I never ever just leave anything sitting on the beach unless I am okay with it being stolen. Or a locker if they have one on the premises.
I have shorts that have zips on the pockets. A right pain sometimes when I am trying to get my wallet out, but it sure foils any pickpockets!
If the zippers have eyes, a safety pin can make them even less interesting!
One of those waterproof
We travelled to Vanuatu and stayed in Port Vila for one week. The prices in the shops were quite reasonable and we bought a few things. The day before a cruise ship was going to dock locals told us to buy what we wanted that day because all the prices would be doubled over night. We saw shop owners changing the price tickets. The next day we looked in the shops and it was as they said. Prices more than doubled in some cases.
My husband and I just got back from an Alaskan cruise and we were on the hunt for some native Alaskan artwork. At a store in Juneau, they had tons of native looking artwork, like statues and carvings and whatnot. We almost purchased one when I happened to flip the statue over and see a "Made in Bali" sticker next to the price tag. Needless to say we walked out immediately and noticed the store didn't explicitly say it was native made artwork, but it was "native arts." Definitely something to look out for when wanting to support local stores and not the giant chains.
We went on a family trip to Alaska, and in Anchorage, there is a street market every weekend. We went the first weekend and we caught it 2 weeks later before we departed. I had seen some Native Artwork that I liked and waited to see if I could get it for a better price on our trip. That better price was at the street market, and made by tribal citizens.
This is one reason why I always take the ship’s excursions and in over 25 cruises, never had a problem.
They're the biggest racket of all!
@@HarvestHome2000well they are more expensive often, but probably more reliable with regard to scammers. You’re both right.
Wakeeup, you have been scammed 25 times by the cruise line, whoop whoop.
Me too
I and my wife were in Barcelona when we were approached by a man who spoke colloquial north country English. He was carrying a suitcase and stated he had overspent his money and had to get to the airport to catch a flight. He wanted money for a taxi. The way he carried the suitcase seemed to indicate nothing inside. I suggested he go to the British Consulate and ask them as I too was flat broke.
In Colombia they beat the scammers at the airport. The taxi kiosk asks where you are going and gives you a printout of the price. Then thats what the cabdriver gets. No negotiating.
We went to Cozumel, and my husband took a photo with someone who was in costume but told him we had no cash. The guy told him it's ok and asked if we could just buy him a water so we got him a big bottle. I kept telling my husband they work for donations, but he didn't listen, so we were lucky he was kind.
Good advice... I spotted another kind of scam last week. I was at a big concert with a friend and we needed to buy tickets for public transit from the ticket machines. Many of the machines were labelled as out of service and the two that worked had a long line, but we knew that type of machine often had issues so we thought nothing of it. It appeared that the line was slow because neither machine managed to read cards. People were trying multiple cards but eventually they had to give up and pay with cash. An older gentleman was staying near the machines and helping people through the process of paying by clicking through the procedure on the screen, he said he was local and happy to help, because the machines often had issues. In exchange for his help he was asking for coins and small bills, which many other travellers were giving, because they were honestly confused by the ticket machine and unable to complete the purchase on their own. When we and my friend got near the head of the line, we noticed that the gentleman was actually pressing a button to cancel the payment before the machine had read the card. He hid this by talking a lot and pointing elsewhere, like asking to check if it was asking for the card's PIN code, and he was tapping on the screen multiple times under the guise of 'sometimes it gets stuck'. When it came to our turn, I physically put my body sideways to block him from touching the screen as he was trying to do even though I told him we didn't need help. Sure enough without his assistance, the machine worked and we were able to pay with a card in no time. I told the people after us that 'the machines are fine now' and I think they understood what had been going on. I thought it was just a trick to ask for a few coins, but the place was crowded and it could have been a way for an accomplice to check how much cash people were carrying and where we kept it.
In Morocco they offered to help us put the right coins in the phone box , what they were doing was getting a handful given , then palming some giv8ng the illusion all the coins had been fed to the machine,
wow
A standard trick in Barcelona
I love the currency exchange app idea!! I recently came off a cruise and fell for a taxi scam. A man pulling a piece of luggage, implying he was a fellow cruise tourist, asked what airport we were going to and said he had a car. In the moment we (my party and another couple) thought he was indeed a fellow passenger and would be reasonable. As we got closer to his vehicle several blocks away we started asking the price. He wanted $90 per couple!! That would be even more than taking an uber! We got their safely, but now I'll raise my eyebrows a bit more and be more skeptical of the people in front of the port, even in the US.
I would also advise people to not take any free drinks from vendors or merchants in ports of call. On my first cruise the Liner made an announcement cautioning travelers to avoid drinking anything free, and only consuming from local restaurants. It was because of this announcement that I saw why this is so important. People at the port of call were trying to drug people with free drinks laced with something so they could steal their stuff or keep them hostage.
I mean don't cruise ships have every drink in the world anyway. Maybe another reason to consider the drink package?
@@PhillKennedy-b7w I wasn't refering to the cruise ship regarding the free drinks. I was talking about people in ports of call in the carribean that try to drug travelers with free tequila or what not.
Very useful information! My son recently went on.a Caribbean cruise. His fiancé was getting her hair braided by a street vendor, and a woman insisted on doing hie hair as well. He didn't ask the price and was in shock when they asked for $160 US. He paid them without trying to haggle and said he removed all the beads they'd put in his hair.about 15 minutes later. After that, he ignore all other street vendors. Lesson learned!
Just say NO before they start!
Jamaica has the worst scams. People are too pushy, especially selling weed. You can't bring back weed on a cruise. I knew a lady that bought a fake gold bracelet for $1,200, and another lady bought the exact same bracelet from the same guy for $20, after some negotiating.
Getting your hair done on the street? Be sure to notice if they have some solution to clean their combs. You could get 'free lice' too.
It really makes me want to stop cruising to hear these things. I've never fallen victim to these scams, but it's a lot of work to stay vigilant and keep yourself safe.
Honestly if you’re savvy you’ll never have a problem. Obviously they’re important to be aware of but actually easy to avoid if you know what you’re doing. And if you look like you know what you’re doing, you’re probably less likely to be scammed as these scumbags just tend to go after people who look like they don’t know what day it is or drunk etc, much easier to get away with!
Any tourist is at risk not just cruisers
@elainekirkham8215 Of course, any tourist is at risk. This is about cruising. I cruise the Caribbean often, and have been to the places Gary described. It does take some planning to make the best choices.
Don't stop cruising, just stay vigilant, and take the tips and tricks from experienced travelers. Only good memories 😊
I just got scammed on a bait and switch with a lease that had nothing to do with cruising. Scammers are everywhere.
I have never fallen for a scam on any holiday and i have perfected the fck off and leave me alone face so i rarely get any hassle. Just remember 99% of the crap you buy on holiday will just end up stuck somewhere in a cupboard. Enjoy the experience you don't need to shop 24/7
Beat advice ever! It’s so true!!!
Exactly ! I do not travel to buy more stuff. It's also easy to make sure nobody can pick pocket you. Basic things that seem to elude some people.
I see many souvenir items in the opportunity shops for less than $5.00….I often wonder how much the traveller paid for it.😊
Excellent advice, as always Gary.
Hiring motorbikes, or cars, can now be a very expensive mistake whilst abroad.
Be very careful where you buy bottles of water as in many countries people collect empty bottles from rubbish bins, or recycling points, and fill them with ordinary tap water. To make it feel like the cap has never been undone they carefully heat the plastic lid with a lighter. Only buy bottles of water from a reputable shop, not a street vendor 🫢🚱🤮
Cruise ships aren't allowing plastic bottles only refillable containers this is just another reason that's a good idea.
Yep the tricksters are getting even more creative. Some interesting twists on some old favourites here. We normally take photos of rental cars but your idea of videoing it is a really good idea that we will adopt. Great video thanks Gary.
@@Tolpuddle581 very tenacious - well done. I wonder if it is a con specific to the UK? We too take out full insurance but the post trip follow up can be a real pain.
after I turn in every car rental, I always immediately deactivate my credit card on my phone from allowing any charges for over a week. Never had a rental company come after me saying I damaged their car and they couldn't collect from my credit card
That's a great idea!
We had a taxi driver in Bali who was amazing. A fabulous island tour for 4 of us in a modern air conditioned van. $50 US total for the whole day . He stopped at sights to allow for photos. Took us to a great local restaurant for a delicious lunch with incredible views.
I have never had a bad taxi driver in South East Asia either. Some have been so helpful that I felt rather guilty at the small amounts they asked for and gave them a large tip.
Gary has made me very nervous about going to the Caribbean. I think I will give the whole area a miss.
Same. I’ve had fabulous taxi drivers in Bali.
Remotely arranged for a taxi driver in Bali to pick up my daughter at the airport and take her to a resort in the central highlands. She later told me he was an honest guy that even refused her tip. He was on time and very nice.
Never felt uncomfortable anywhere in SEA
Great video and great tips! I'll also add, be very careful if you have expensive cameras, etc. with you. On a South American cruise, my stepdad had his expensive camera out and a bicycle thief rode close by and snatched it right out of his hands. Not only did they get the camera, but all the cruise memories stored on it.
Best leave expensive things at home - but of course, a serious photographer has to have their camera. There are secure neck straps and wrist leashes - before you travel, try a few out and find an option that lets you conveniently use your camera while keeping it attached to you. Also, when you aren’t actually using it, keep it stashed in a secure shoulder bag or similar. Avoid bags that look upmarket or expensive - you want an innocuous-looking thing that looks like there’s probably nothing inside more valuable than your lunch.
I download my photos from my camera chip each day onto my laptop (and back that up with a USB, mobile drive, etc), so if anything happened to my camera I would only lose that day's photos -
Great video, presentation and production. When paying with a card in foreign countries, I only use a debit card. I have two debit cards. When the price is confirmed, I Zelle the exact amount to the debit card with a zero balance. So if the price is $75, that's what I transfer. If they attempt to bang the card for more, it's declined.
I was on a crowded bus in Dublin and felt a woman bumping against me. I realized her hand was in my pocket. I yelled “Get your hand out of my pocket” and made her empty her pockets in front of me. She gave me back what she had taken and got off at the next stop. The Dubliners around me on the bus thought that was pretty funny of me! My little kids were impressed!
Dublin is now dumpy
I’m impressed. That is bad ass
Sorry to hear this. I found Dublin to be such a nice city.
Good advice as always. I've shared the link on Facebook as I believe that loads more people inside the cruise community and those going to any seaside or city break should find the content relevant too.
Grabbed taxi in Cozumel to Paradise Beach. Driver told us it was at capacity but he knew a better place. Thanks to videos like this I knew it was a Sam and insisted he take us to our original destination. He did, had a great day. No problem getting in.
I have ripped a $20 bill in half to secure a taxi return trip promised during an oversees vacation that I had and promised the other half upon return. Drivers don't seem to mind. American dollars tapped back together have worked well for me.
This is a genius idea 😂💪
That's pretty much how international business with some countries works.
I know Egypt quite well, and have travelled there as an older solo woman traveller a number of times. I have found that whether I’m hiring a casual taxi to take me around, or using a hired guide, a five minute chat ahead of time pays off: no perfume, alabaster, papyrus, jewellery, etc. I feel for these people - the bit extra they make for taking you to these places is an important part of their income, so you can’t blame them for trying. I guarantee them an extra-generous tip at the end of the trip if they steer clear of these places. Also, when it comes to taxis, negotiate the price before you even get into the car. Make sure you clarify the currency - ie Egyptian pounds, not Pounds Sterling for instance, the number of passengers, whether one-way or round trip, baggage charge, etc. Drive the price down a bit, he expects that, but at the end of the trip give a generous tip. Keep in mind, a tip the equivalent to a cup of coffee at home will make a difference to his day.
Bless em' for trying to rip you off eh.
I had an attempted pickpocket in Italy on a crowded train, and had my pocket picked on a crowded bus in Italy. Beware of people pressing against you in a crowded place.
I try to always be aware of my surroundings. We were near/in St. Peter's Square when I noticed the same two people (man & woman) always seemed to be near us no matter what shop we were visiting. I was sure they weren't in our tour group, so I asked them if they WERE with our group. They acted like they didn't understand what I was asking, then disappeared.
These are all great Crime Prevention Tips for anywhere...even at home! Thank you very much!
When we go to and from the hotels and airports in foreign countries we always use a limousine service which is set up by our travel agent. It even includes the tip which is built into the price. It is only about 20% more then taxis and no hassle.
👍 👌 👍
I remember going to Casablanca in late 90's. A street vendor was selling "leather" belts which looked very nice for £10. I wasn't interested in a belt so he knocked the price down to £5 and then down to £2. I bought one at £2. Back on the ship, lots of passengers had these belts, some as cheap as two for £1. Anyway, they didn't last long, they were actually made of laminated paper.
I have not had anything happen but I was just talking to friends that were pickpocketed in Rome. What’s crazy is they took the money and credit cards from the wallet and replaced the wallet without him knowing! So sad that this happens!
wow
II've been on more than ship-sponsored "shore excursion" that was pretty much a tour of tourist traps and shabby markets, eg. "Best of Nassau" - every.single.stop was an "opportunity" to buy stuff. In contrast, we sped by the National Art Gallery at Warp 9!
I vacationed in Mexico several times & our hotel doorman would ALWAYS confirm our taxi fare BEFORE we even got in the taxi. He explained that the fare was determined by what “zone” you were traveling. So when venturing out on our own, we always get the price from the driver before getting in the car.
Yes. I had the same experience in Cozumel. We negotiated the price before getting inside the car. We had zero issues.
Yep, the decent places will offer that service for you. Our taxi driver even waited at the mall and brought us home when we were done. I bought him a Cuban as a tip.
Thanks for the reminder to photograph the hire car BEFORE getting in and BEFORE walking away at drop off. Three hire cars ahead of us in North America, appreciate the reminder. Great videos Gary. So many insightful tips for us travellers.
Yep, I do this too and I talk the whole time on the video and will point and zoom in to the smallest scratch, dent or scuff before I exit. After I video the vehicle, I also pan around the car park to prove my location and if I am with someone I will get them to show me their phone to prove the date and time of return. I’ve never had to prove my innocence but I am settled knowing I have protected myself.
For car rentals, we always take several pictures of the car and signal any damage that is actually there to the rental car company representative before driving it.
And take pictures when you drop the car off, you might get a bill three months later for cleaning or damage.
As you mentioned, I advise my travel companions to never accept anything someone hands to you! Once you have possession of the item, they will not take it back and expect you to buy it.
I throw it at them
Then walk away its free, don't let people push you around.
I take the grandkid and she loves getting the free bracelets. My wife loves buying jewelry so I keep her out of the jewelry shops when I can. She also gets GREAT cruise deals because of it that actually can add up to more than the jewelry after a few cruises. I also carry little cash and keep a decoy wallet in my pocket with credit card (singular) and cash in another pick pocket proof place. Oh, the big discounts for my wife on the cruise lines is a result only from buying jewelry on the ship, NOT on shore. We rarely buy onshore but you can get some great deals and haggle for a lower price. We actually get more credit on some cruises than what our cruise costs. He gave great tips.
I had a taxi driver try to scam me at the cruise port in Fort Lauderdale. It was also scary because I was a woman alone and he was angry.
When receiving rental car have THAT DAY'S newspaper. Take close up of date, then further photo including front page. That pics of vehicle with page in each photo.
Repeat with fresh dated newspaper / photos upon return.
Same set up when renting a room etc. Prove before n after situations
Not only that, but as a super budget traveller:
- Bus / Flixbus / Train / Metro when you need to travel between cities.
- Bus / Metro when you need to travel inside the city.
- Uber / Bolt, you can pay first so you know the price.
More
- Aparthotels instead of hotels. Bigger + less expensive + a small kitchen + closer to public transport and if you brought a car there's a higher chance there's free parking nearby.
- Check fast food chain prices (i.e. Big Mac menu = €10), the average price of an average restaurant meal must not me 3x more expensive (i.e. Appetizers + Main dish + Dessert + Coffee + 1 Drink = €30) in tourist cities. Otherwise they're over charging.
Also
- Any store that is 2 roads closer to the beach / centre / old town / maybe the port / whatever, is overpriced and not authentic (< food).
- If it's free then you already paid for it / they're retaining the costumer / they will make you pay somehow.
Another Taxi scam we feel for is we got into a cab in Cozumel with a beach club in mind. After we were on our way, he told us it was closed but he knew of another similar place. It wasn't actually closed and the place he took us to clearly knew him and gave him a kick back. Luckily, that place wasn't bad at all and we really enjoyed our day
I’m Argentine and live in Buenos Aires I’m so sorry to hear you got scammed. We have different types of dollars. Blue, tourist, official and you get different values. If you come to the city be aware don’t use your telephones on the street and don’t use gold or Rolex.
This is why i absolutely love people like you and watch because they make me so aware of all the scams from all over the world
Thanks to you 👍👍👍
Thank you for this video. The "free stuff" scam happened to me when I was in China as I was about to get back on a tour bus. I was ignoring the sellers when one pushed something "free" in my hand as I was walking. Then, they started yelling at me to pay for it. The tour director came off the bus and yelled at them in Chinese and they walked away.
I haven’t fallen for any because I’m cheap lol. And when I’m traveling solo which I do most of the time, I have my RBF in full effect. Someone tried to get me to buy a “leather”purse in Jamaica at a ridiculous price and I said nope and quickly walked away.
If I’m cruising then I always book the excursions through the cruise line.
'RBF'.....not familiar with that acronym/term.
I love those inside-the-waistband wallets, and even use them in the safest countries, from petty crime, that I travel. Because they're great for not forgetting or misplacing anything, and having a ritual for putting things away properly.
I have only purchased from two vendors wandering a Mexican beach selling their original art. Both were in costa Maya as we ate lunch on the beach. Two different trips. They took a palm leaf and created a flower as I watched. They asked for tips and I gave each of the $10 as they were polite and adorable and it is my favorite Mexican port.
While on a trip to Europe, we stopped in Cologne, Germany. I spotted a woman holding what appeared to be a sick and weak child. She was begging for money to get help for her child. I gave her a Euro and went on the excursion. When we got back on the bus our guide told us not to give money to the 'gypsies' because they drug their children to make them look sick and weak in order to get more money. I wish our guide had told us about this before we left the bus.
omg thats beyond shocking, this makes me so sick and angry, totally disgusting, these poor children. what is wrong with some people, they are monsters
That is evil. Poor kids
I've heard of beggars doing this in Asia, too. The child is so quiet because they're doped up.
I've been to Purto Vallarta 11 years and I never had any issue with taxi drivers, using them up to 10 rides on each stay.
A taxi scam that I find anywhere, not just with tourists is the ‘are you from here?’ If you say you’re only visiting you’ll often get taken the long way around because you don’t know any difference. Always say you know the area well.
Now you can plot the drive on Google Maps as a check
I’m from Australia and often see couples taking photos of each other and always ask them if they would like me to take their picture. It’s sad to think they may look upon me as a scammer when I have best intentions of creating beautiful memories for them 😀🇦🇺😀🇦🇺
hi im the same, im an Australian too and often offer to take a photo for [eople, id be shattered if they thought i was a scammer. i do admit im a little wary when people offer to do it for us and always thank them and joke with them and say , please dont steal my ph, i cant run to chase you. but people are usually just being kind and genuinely want to do something nice for you :)
I work in public safety, so I don’t trust many strangers and am super wary. I haven’t fallen for any tricks…yet. On my very first cruise almost 20 years ago, I was naïve and despite recommendations from taxi drivers and having a hotel manager’s cousin as a driver, never got scammed. They were actually good experiences.
As a solo traveller, I often take selfies which aren't very good, but I'm always suspicious when a stranger offers to take my photo in a tourist hotspot. This happened to me yesterday in Cherbourg, even though the offer turned out to be totally genuine!
Ha! I offered to do this for someone in BVI (and I thought it was pretty clear from my clothes that I was also a cruise passenger) but I think they were still suspicious...
Long before the selfie was the norm I enjoyed offering to take traveler's photos.
At that time I would say 9 out of 10 accepted with great thanks!
I didn't even have to speak their language I would just do the camera pantomime and then we would thank each other and wave goodbye.
Try to fairly gauge the person who's offering to take a photo for you. You'll be surprised at the number of people that just want to give you the gift of a properly composed shot!
I believe now on some phones you can access the camera without unlocking it. I know on my iPhone 14 you can do this.
Another thing that can work if you are traveling solo is to buy a disposable camera. Yes you will have to wait for the film to be developed and processed, but this way you are not handing your phone to a stranger. I am thinking of doing this on an a planned overseas trip.
@@jamesg9840 You've been able to do this on iPhones for as long as I can remember. Just swipe left on the lock screen.
Taking pictures for others is genuinely one of my favorite things to do on vacation. Most people accept my offer - it helps that I'm a young-ish woman with my own DSLR camera usually hanging around my neck - but I understand those who don't.
I've watched your content for quite sometime and always enjoyed it. Lots of great points in your video, as well as in the comments. Scams can happen anywhere. But regarding cruise excursions, I think it's best to use the vetted travel suppliers that are offered by the cruise ship. If anything goes wrong, you have the cruise line on your side. Oh, and always, always buy the travel insurance. Eventually, Murphy's Law catches up to us all and something will happen during your travels, so be prepared. Thanks again for the great content.
I refuse to buy high end items while on vacation/holiday. I go for the cheap stuff so people think I am on a very tight budget. Also, I don’t allow strangers to take pictures for me on my phone. It’s selfie style or nothing.
The best taxi and car service experiences I have ever had anywhere was in Mexico City, Mexico.
As for the scams, many of these are as old as time and they target tourists in general, not just those who cruise.
In the port of Ensenada, Mexico, I fell for a scam purchasing a Margarita in a clay mug that ended up costing me $40 USD.
I always take a small, inexpensive camera with me to take photos in crowded tourist areas. It's less likely to attract thieves, and in the event it is lost, damaged or stolen, it would not be as hard to deal with as losing my phone. The quality of these cameras is much better than it used to be. I print out any information I might need ahead of time so that I don't have to pull out my phone.
Which brand /type have you found that you like. I want to get some of them for my upcoming trip. Thank you in advance.
@@lovesfall2168I have a vintage digital camera, a canon one, as long as you take photos with natural light, the quality is great and actually end up with beautiful pictures. Mine cost like 30 dolars second hand
Dude was sketching on the Brooklyn Bridge and selling skyline drawings. Once I got home figured out it was a print. Honestly got it for decent price and love it.
This is all great information, thank you!
When we were on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera we talked with a passenger, who did not want to go on one of the cruise tours, but rather went off on their own. They grabbed a taxi and told them what they wanted to see. This guy drove them all over, going many miles out of the way and charged them accordingly. They were almost late getting back to the ship, and THAT would have been a disaster.
Gary -- As a seasoned world traveler, I still find so many invaluable tips in all of your videos ... and I am NOT a cruiser! Thank you for helping so many people.
It baffles me why people would waste valuable time and money on a cruise doing shopping and auctions
Maybe that’s what they like to do? 😂
@@gstlbI know right, not for me but some love it. Like some love getting black out drink everyday at a cruise and that sounds like a nightmare to me
So far I have been lucky, and not been scammed, but I believe it’s thanks to you. You have kept me on my toes.
I was watching a gemologist on TH-cam who said that the fire opals being sold in tourist shops were plastic. Many who commented on the post spoke of similar experiences.
Thanks to videos like this one, when I was in port, all I bought were a couple of handmade ornaments and a beach bag for $15 total. And our excursion was booked through the cruise line. I detest scams!
A lot of taxi drivers are master scammers but I did meet a decent one in Taipei who was my driver for the entire day for less than 100$ and bought me lunch…depends who you meet
I live in Vienna and sometimes see folks in the more touristy areas stopping to watch some street performer. I always shudder thinking that - likely - at least one person crowded around is being pickpocketed by the performer's accomplice(s) while they're distracted. Perhaps they really are just street performers looking for a Euro, but the big city kid in me can't help but see scams around every corner. As my grandfather always said, "watch your back!"
Great tips about not unlocking your phone! I can see that in the heat of the moment when confronted with a kooky request, that you might not think it thru, how bad it could get it your unlocked phone suddenly springs away!!
While returning to our ship in Naples, Italy I set off the metal detector in the terminal building. Realizing I had forgotten to remove my watch, the security agent told me to give him the watch to hold and then go through the scanner again, which was successful this time. Next we were distracted by recovering all of the items we HAD removed and forgot to get my watch back. A few minutes later we realized the mistake and returned to the security checkpoint to recover our watch. Of course, the agent was nowhere to be seen and nobody knew anything about the incident. With the help of one of the ship's officers we demanded to see the security footage from the overhead camera. Suddenly from out of nowhere came a new agent holding my watch. Lesson learned! Don't EVER give anything to the security agent to hold. You might never see it again.
Sorry to burst a bubble here and while the OP is correct that you should keep an eye on your items. After working in a security operations center and having access to CCTV of all the times there was a theft complain filed there was only ONE instance of it being done by a screener. And we processed thousands of passengers each day.
All the rest were the passenger simply forgetting their item and another passenger taking it. Or more likely someone else knew exactly what was going on and took the item...so often you see them do "the lookout" to see who is watching then grab and quickly tuck it away.
How to prevent becoming a victim:
1. Prepare- before going to security prep everything, take off your belt, take off all your items and bag it up so it's not visible, put your wallet/money clip/ money belt away before approaching security.
2. Arrive with plenty of time- So that you're not rushing or thinking of anything other than keeping your eye on your belongings.
3. If you get flagged to be screened or your items do- Be sure to ask that your items go with you! Yes, it's stressful but do NOT forget about the rest of your stuff.
4. If you do find out something is missing return to the checkpoint ASAP. Ask for a Supervisor and then CALMLY state your items are missing. Do NOT claim that security stole it as most likely they didn't and even if they did it probably will not help your cause. Ask that the CCTV be reviewed but understand that most security checkpoints do not have access to the video in real time. Ask that Law Enforcement be contacted so you have a neutral party involved as well.
I'm sorry if you interpreted my post as implying that security agents are dishonest. I'm sure the majority are completely honest, as are most people in the general population. But there are definitely bad apples out there and nobody wants to become a victim. There is no question that what happened to me was attempted theft by the security agent. When we realized that my watch set off the machine I started to go back to the machine to put my watch in one of the bins. The agent stopped me and said that, instead, I should just give him the watch to hold while I walked back through the machine. He ASKED me to give him the watch to hold, and I did. A few minutes later when I realized I had not gotten my watch back and returned, that agent wasn't there and NONE of the agents who were present claimed to know of any other agent who had just left their post. I can assure you with 100% certainty that the agent working that security location ASKED me for the watch and I gave it to him. Only after the ship's officer asked for the surveillance video to be retrieved did a DIFFERENT agent suddenly appear holding my watch. How do you think he got it? I never saw the original agent again. Of course, if I had been properly prepared when approaching security none of this would have happened and that's entirely my fault. Still, it's easy to inadvertently forget to remove something and you can never be faulted for insisting to go back and place the item in a bin as it should have been initially. My warning to the traveling community is a valid one: Never hand the agent anything to hold to avoid putting it through the scanner. Do you honestly believe that this incident was anything other than attempted theft by the agent?
@@richardr1430 Hi Richard.
In my comment nowhere do I state that your comment was false or that you misrepresented what was going on. In fact I stated "OP is correct that you should keep an eye on your items".
I also state in point 4 that "Do NOT claim that security stole it as most likely they didn't and even if they did it probably will not help your cause" So yes, I state that security might steal your stuff, it's just that in MY experience which spans decades it has happened ONCE. That's also why I say to get law enforcement involved so you have a neutral third party...in case the SCREENERS are the culprits. Otherwise there would be no need to ask for a third party.
I DID state that I have only had one occurrence of a screener taking an item. I'll further clarify that's over a span of 20+ years and hundreds of claims. The reaction when we caught that screener was utter SHOCK, because they just got themselves fired (Federal job in my country and therefore ANY other Federal job as well) and also the same thing everyone who saw the video stated- how could they be so DUMB. I mean there are generally DOZENS of CCTV covering the screening area and the screeners know this! F that screener for making all of us look like criminals.
So by definition I PROVED your point that screeners have and will steal stuff. It's also true that from my experience most people just forget their stuff vs when stuff is actually stolen. And when it is stolen it's almost always a crime of opportunity vs a targeted theft...by other passengers or screeners.
I did not elaborate but I will now- Understand that when anyone goes back to a screening checkpoint and claims THEFT it's a HUGE accusation. You are putting their career on the line and from my experience the person is wrong over 99% of the time as they almost exclusively blame the screeners. Again- that is NOT stating that happened to you or that it cannot happen to someone else because it invariably will. But I stand by my suggestions because being disorganized and in a rush are far more likely to be the cause of your stuff going missing than anything else.
And since you've asked and I've helped review hundreds of alleged cases. Do I believe the agent asked you for your watch. Without knowing protocol for Italy I'd say it's definitely likely, although usually we give the person a bowl to put the smaller item into. People are generally NOT allowed to go back through WTMD to put stuff back as it backs up the line.
You also asked "Do you honestly believe that this incident was anything other than attempted theft by the agent?" I do honestly believe it may have been attempted theft. A large part of that depends on how exactly things unfolded though. Here is one possibility that happens frequently based on my reviews of such claims- The passenger forgets their items, this is especially so if they give their item to a screener as that item is then usually BEHIND the rest of their items and they FORGET that they took said item off...because they are in a rush, stressed state when they do this. The item is then found by a screener and placed into the lost and found location. When the passenger realizes their stuff is missing they return and that results in their item being found with the lost and found items. Usually in the US the person who has access to the lost and found items is limited to prevent "anyone" from looking over them and that would explain why a different agent returned your items. Logically speaking- if the agent was trying to steal your item and then he wasn't at the checkpoint as you sated - why would he leave your stolen item behind? Why would he tell another agent where they left the item? (criminals tend not to tell their activities to others) again- that's just logically speaking and from my one experience it defied all logic to steal the item so there....I just did devils advocate for you lol.
Finally, nothing in my original comment was directed to bring doubt on your VALID concern that people need to keep track of their belongings. So my points are also valid from MY experience. So how does my valid points somehow negate your valid points because I don't believe they do. You know Richard, we can BOTH be right. Take care and safe travels my friend.
Hi @@Komainu959 ,
I agree that we can both be right. Your points are all valid and I'm sure you've seen way more security incidents than I ever will. All I can add is that "you had to be there" and see the entire incident unfold to fully appreciate it. I left out much unnecessary detail in the interest of brevity. Let's just say it was pretty obvious to everyone what had happened. As to your question "Logically speaking- if the agent was trying to steal your item and then he wasn't at the checkpoint as you sated - why would he leave your stolen item behind? Why would he tell another agent where they left the item? " EVERYTHING changed when the request was made to review the security video which would have clearly shown who asked for and took possession of the watch and which other agents were there at the time. It was clearly in all of their interest to not go down that route. Anyway, Thank you for your years of service in keeping us all safe - and I promise to be more careful at security checkpoints in the future!
Good heavens. Relax.
Try to use Uber or other rideshare, if it's available. I went to Puerto Vallarta just this past December on the Koningsdam, and taking Uber was great. We knew what we were paying up front, and we went all the way down to the Zona Romantica and back for less than US$30/MX$600 in total.
Same thing happened with me in Cairo. The tour guides in Cairo certainly took you to their friends to shop….
On my last cruise, they offered the charm bracelet, where you could get one or more charms at different locations on ship, as well as jewelry stores at the Port. I had no problems getting the charm without buying anything else.
Yeah, we actually got a kind of locket the first day and then were able to collect a little free item each day to put inside. It’s easy to find out what the deal is. If the charm is only free as an add-on to a bracelet you have to buy (which happened to us on a different cruise), just say no thanks and leave.
Thanks Gary and thanks for sharing what some people might think of as embarrassing experiences. It’s good to know it can happen even to the experts like yourself. On the occasions when I realized I might have paid too much for something, I learn from it and then forgive myself from self recrimination.
Not the usual tips that are on all the videos either 👍
Gary, this was very helpful. Have watched many of your videos and realized I wasn’t subscribed. Remedied…. I will be very guarded on my met cruise next August 2024.
I was a victim of the damage scam in Mexico City. I returned my rental car and they said there was damage on the tire. Total baloney. It was fine. The “fee” was about the amount of a new tire. I demanded they send it to me since they made me pay for it. It never arrived of course lol. Now I always record my rentals in 4k before renting!
Car rental in Jamaica pulled this on us in April. Luckily, we took photos and video before we took the vehicle but upon return, the owner was outside as as soon as we pulled up, he claimed to see damage on the vehicle. There wasn’t any new damage and it was just a way for him to try and scam us out of extra money. He got REALLY angry and was yelling at us and insulting us. We thought he would pull a gun on us. I’m so glad to report that we ended up getting away from him unharmed and that he hadn’t charged extra funds to the credit card.
I had a guy in Italy try and rob me. He may still be in the hospital. This was years ago.
Yeah right
We booked a Viatour in Athens. It was a city tour including the Parthenon. For some reason, it got late and the woman said we wouldn’t have time for the Parthenon because we were going shopping…….. We told her no, we didn’t care about shopping, we wanted to see the Parthenon. So ridiculous and she did do what we asked but that was strange.
A relative of mine and her husband were sort of scammed in a funny way when they were in Paris.
They were staying at a certain hotel but were invited for dinner by some other friends. They were told where the Restaurant was but when they came outside it was dark and they felt that they had better get a taxi to the place though they had planned to walk.
The taxi was told the destination and off they went.
20 mins later they pulled up outside the restaurant after having driven miles through the city. It cost a small fortune and they couldn’t understand why their friends would choose such an out of the way place.
When they queried the fact the friends were at a loss as to what they meant. After some back and forth it was in fact revealed that they were about 5 mins walk from the Hotel, which had in fact been chosen for that reason.
Obviously they had stood out as tourists, not just for the look and sound of them which would have screamed it; but because if they had been locals or maybe not so naive, they would not have needed the taxi. A quick check of a street map would have helped them avoid his.
Admittedly this was about 40 yrs ago before tourists were warned about scams. But in truth some people never listen to advice. Hence so many get caught even now..
What else did you expect from the French?
I avoided over priced joy ride in a Parisian taxi by pretending I was getting car sick from all his swerving and going to throw up in his car if he didn't get me to my hotel quickly. Funny ending to the trip was getting food poisoning and trying to get to the airport so I could get home. My urpy noises were real that time and taxi driver was very kind and helped me with my luggage.
Thank you for sharing this info. I am passing it on to my parents. They are leaving for a month long cruise across Europe in November.
Glad it was helpful!
Great tips whether you're in a cruise port, at home, or traveling anywhere else. I had a great taxi tour in Moldova and a terrible taxi scam in Sweden. Whenever I plan a taxi tour now, I have specific destinations on a list and we follow that. We were almost victims of pickpockets in Italy and a guy standing right next to us in Spain had his backpack stolen while we were all watching a thunderstorm just outside the hotel entry. As for car rentals, I once turned in a car in Duluth, Minnesota via a key drop box in the early morning and they charged me $500 for an $80 rental because they said I had turned in the car in Michigan. Fortunately their own records showed they had rented the same car out of Duluth shortly after I turned it in. It was still a pain in the neck to get the credit issued to my credit card. Since then I take pix and/or videos each time I turn a car in. Traveler be smart, be alert, and beware!
Italy seems to be especially bad with pickpockets (see my story below).
Yes! I always take pictures! I trust no one!
after I turned in my car in Hawaii I immediately deactivated my credit card from allowing any charges for a little over a week. Didn't need it. After a week activated back on my phone. Watched for weeks after, no charges or anything from the car rental place. Don't know if they tried or not. Should do the same anytime you rent a car, make them have to go through hoops to get money from you after you rent a car for damages they claim you did
I live an hour north of Duluth on the "Iron Range". Appalled that "local" car rental tried to to you off!
Summary: Never get off the ship while carrying anything you value.
More realistic summary: Keep your ID, emergency cash, and anything else you MUST carry in skin-tight storage right next to your body.
('Anything else' must include your travel agent's contact info, your cruise line's contact info, your embassy's contact info, and a credit card with enough money to get you home. That's your 'oh shit' kit.)
When travelling, always expect people to try and scam you, it's part of the experience.
Some places scam you nicely, so you'll want to come back and be scammed again.
Others scam you horribly so you don't ever want to return.
Re car hire. I always freeze my credit card as soon as I return the car (can be done on my banking app) then I use another credit card for the rest of my holiday
Never gotten scammed, Gary - but knock on wood! Some of these are very easy to fall for. It helps that I’ve done so much travel in Pharma consulting over the years.
I always tell people to carry a special wallet with a limited amount of money in it. So I don’t lose too much if it is stolen. And it keeps attention away from the real wallet. Thank you for the video.
Unlike what was said here, I'm ALWAYS on my guard. I trust NOBODY! The only time anybody is trustworthy is when it's in their motivated self-interest. When that isn't in effect I don't trust anyone, even family.
I was in a port that had metered cab rides. It’s been so long honestly I cannot remember where it was. We hopped in and got the “scenic” route. Ultimately I started to tell the driver the gig was up.
Great video! I have never been on a cruise, but I was warned in Jamaica to shop before the cruise ships arrive, because the prices would triple. We saw it firsthand.
I was in a casino in Laughlin Nevada once when someone dropped their cup of coins. I told my mom to watch out, might be a pickpocket scam and we quickly left the area.
Great advice…I want to add that travellers, beware of fake money when receiving cash change. A taxi driver in Istanbul pulled this one on me when I had just arrived and wasn’t familiar with their cash bills and coins. The banks wouldn’t do anything about it. Apparently it’s too common a scam.
Wow! The taxi scam was exactly what happened in Ketchikan. Quoted $420 x6 passengers for 4 hours. Saw basically nothing! After driving around I asked to go back to the ship. Paid in cash $70 and she said, oh no, you owe me $150 each!!! Told her to take the $70 and left. No idea what the other 5 paid.
I'm going to be in transit mode, if I'm talking a cruise, only reason to go ashore would to be buying postcards and stamps otherwise I'll stay onboard.
Those taxi scams really infuriate me - SO annoying! Also, that beach club you got dropped at looked horrendous. Great video, Gary!
Taxi drivers wonder why they get bashed more than anyone else. Maybe they need to check their own behaviour.
@@salt1956 Generalise much?
St. Lucia has taxis that are run by their government. Their vehicles have special plates and the drivers are knowledgable about their areas. We were luckily told about this by the place we stayed at and had a good experience.