Europe is one of the favourite destinations for everyone when we are planning a trip, perhaps because of its incredible landscapes or its incredible gastronomy, its wines or maybe because the weather here is always spectacular. Europe is full of history, it has a mix of cultures that makes millions of tourists choose to visit its streets every year to soak up them.
Italy, France and Spain are the three countries that receive the most travellers every year, all three have a charm in their streets that we cannot explain, it is something that has to be felt.
But, like everything in life, there is nothing perfect, and with the large number of tourists there are also many problems, so, if you are preparing your trip to one of these countries, we will tell you what you have to be careful with once you set foot on the old continent so that nothing ruins your vacation.
Attention, pickpockets!
That’s right, it’s important to be prepared because in these three countries there has been an increase in thefts from tourists in iconic destinations such as Barcelona, Paris or Rome.
An insurance company has investigated how many comments had been received by the main attractions of these cities and discovered that the majority of them only warned about this fact, the theft of bags and wallets.
They identified 478 pickpockets for every million British tourists who visited the main attractions of Italy, with the Pantheon, the Colosseum and the Uffizi Gallery (Florence) being the favourite places to carry out this act of vandalism.
France, in the same way, received more than 100 million tourists and its capital, Paris, received a total of 251 incidents for every million visitors. Particularly vulnerable places were Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum
In Spain, the city of Barcelona has one of the busiest pedestrian streets in Europe, called Las Ramblas, and it is one of the favourite places for thieves to attack. The same happens at the Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid).
Can I avoid being robbed?
Of course, first of all you have to be very aware of your personal belongings and below we are going to give you some other tips so that nothing and nobody can ruin your trip:
- Use a bag with a secure closure (a zipper or a double closure) and always keep it in front of you. It is best to hold it by the zipper to make sure that nobody can open it, and if you have a backpack, carry it in front of your body.
- Do not take out your phone or your wallet in very busy places, and, in the case of a mobile phone, if you can add a strap (one of those that are in fashion now that you can buy anywhere) to hold it, even better, this way you will avoid someone being able to snatch it.
- Don’t keep all your money in one place, not even in your phone case! Carry cash for one day and leave the rest in a safe place, perhaps in the hotel safe or maybe inside the suitcase you leave at the hotel.
- Don’t trust people who get too close to you without reason.
- If you are robbed, report it to the police immediately. Having a report will help you recover your documents or claim from the insurance company.
It’s not about giving up on travelling or being afraid to travel, these three European countries are amazing, and it would be a shame if a mistake could ruin your trip. So, stay alert and enjoy these European paradises!