10 Ways to Prevent Thieves from Snatching Your Small Travel Bags

The supermarkets and shopping malls across the globe are becoming more and more crowded these days. Such places are the heaven of thieves and purse snatchers. They simply grab and run before you even have time to realize that your purse has just been stolen. If you lose your purse or handbag while travelling, troubles will surely multiply as most women carry their credit card, cash and some of their most personal items in them. Many lady tourists become victims of handbag theft each year in almost every country in the world. But you can prevent it very easily. You just need to follow several preventive measures to discourage the purse snatchers.

Use Shoulder Straps

If you have no other option but to carry a bag, make sure you have a bag with an extra long strap. Instead of carrying it across your shoulders, put the strap over your head. This extra bit of protection makes the job difficult for a snatcher. If you carry the bag in that manner, the snatchers also won’t be able to slip your belongings out of your purse.

Opt for Well Lit Areas

An evening walk across the footpath is a splendid experience for a tourist. Go for it but be cautious! If you are carrying a bag, opt for busy, well lit areas. A busy road is always more challenging for a snatcher than a dark, isolated place. Walk briskly and confidently.

Hold Your Purse Tightly and Close to Your Body

Snatchers generally prefer crowded bus or trains for their operation. They wait patiently for a single opportunity and once they get it, you’re done for. So while travelling in bus or train, bring your purse close to your body and hold it tightly.

Use Purse Alarms

Modern technology is a curse to the snatchers. Personal alarms to attach in a purse are available in the market. Opt for one and attach it to your purse. If someone snatches it, the alarm will go off and you will get a better chance of recovery. These alarms can be used during shopping or doing any other activity. Don’t forget to turn it on.

Ensure Fastenings and Zips are Closed

You should shorten the strap of your purse in order to carry it tightly between your elbow and body. On the other hand, snatchers don’t always go for the bag. They often slip their hands into your bag to steal your wallet and if you are a little unmindful, they are done. So, make sure zips in your purse are properly closed and all your valuables are covered well.

Use Chelsea Clips

Most ladies are in a habit of hanging the handbag over the back of their chair in a public place like a restaurant. Don’t do that as it is like giving the snatchers an open invitation. You should use Chelsea clips that are often attached to the underside of tables. They make it more time consuming for someone to remove the bag and cut down the chances of snatching.

Don’t Carry a Handbag while Travelling

Give it a thought, what if you cut off the trouble from the root itself? Yes, just don’t carry your handbags when you travel as a tourist. While roaming around in a shopping complex or going for a sight-seeing, do you need a bagful of accessories? Just carry the necessary items like ID and money in a wallet safely tucked inside the pocket. If you don’t have a pocket and need to carry additional items like keys, make up or a phone; put them in a waist pouch that wraps around your stomach area and is hidden from view.

Suspicious Actions

If you suspect that somebody is larking from places where they don’t belong, contact security personnel or the manager. It’s better to report your doubts and be wrong than to overlook and pay for it.

Don’t Travel Alone

A single victim is always an easy catch than a group. So, while roaming around in a foreign land, try to have your friends with you. If you are travelling alone, go for a paid cab as referred by the hotel authorities or people whom you can trust.

Your Safety comes First

Though the article is about protecting you from purse snatching while travelling, such an accident may happen anytime. If somebody pulls your purse away and you are alone, let it go! Remember, you are in a foreign land and these people are desperate. Avoiding any serious injury is far more important than saving a purse. Don’t fight to keep it.

Preventing handbag theft is not that difficult. Stay alert and use your common sense when out in public.

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