| Every year a small percentage of budget travelers | | | | may make a thief's mouth water! |
| fall victim and have their trip memories damaged by | | | | 5) When packing, put valuables deep in the bag and |
| loosing their backpacks to thieves. Unfortunately we | | | | pad them with laundry and bulk items. If a thief |
| do tend to draw a lot of attention to ourselves in | | | | "slashes" your bag with a razor-blade and sticks a |
| poor countries. That SLR camera you are holding | | | | hand inside, hopefully they will only get a handful of |
| may be worth more than a year's salary for a local. | | | | dirty underwear. |
| The threat is made worse in popular tourist areas | | | | 6) When riding in Asian tuk-tuks, motorcycle taxis, or |
| where locals have become jaded at the way some | | | | in other open-air style transportation, be especially |
| budget travelers act when away from home. | | | | watchful. It is common for thieves on motorcycles to |
| While a majority of backpackers never have to | | | | grab a travel backpack from the front basket and |
| worry about theft, the key is not to present | | | | speed off. |
| yourself as an easy target. | | | | 7) Make sure your contact information and email are |
| Here are some simple tips for keeping your travel | | | | labeled on your backpack in case it falls off the top |
| backpack safe: | | | | of a bus or is recovered by someone honest. |
| 1) Keep your bag close to you. Sounds simple, but in | | | | 8) When on long bus rides, try to sit on the same |
| those few minutes of nodding off at a bus stop or | | | | side as your backpack so you can keep an eye on it |
| sitting your bag down to check a map, you may be | | | | out the window during stops. |
| presenting an opportunity for someone to grab your | | | | 9) Some travelers in places such as South America |
| bag. | | | | actually put a large grain bag or burlap sack over their |
| 2) Carry less! A fat backpack presents a fat target | | | | backpack to make it look like local luggage when |
| and you will be more likely to leave a heavy bag on | | | | stowed on buses and trains. |
| the ground more often rather than carrying it with | | | | 10) Get travel insurance that covers your bag and |
| you. | | | | keep the policy and contact information in a separate |
| 3) Don't present an image of wealth by wearing | | | | place. For just a few extra dollars, the peace of mind |
| expensive jewelery, name-brand sunglasses, and | | | | is worth it! |
| flashy watches can attract too much attention from | | | | All these tips may seem like common sense, but |
| the wrong people. | | | | letting down your guard for only a moment may be |
| 4) Be conscious of what patches and labels you put | | | | all the time that someone needs to add stress to |
| on your backpack. A logo such as "IBM" or "LowePro" | | | | your trip. |
| declares there there is a laptop or camera inside and | | | | |