Rick Steves has made a career out of helping people travel smarter, easier and more often. He has extensive guides for an impressive number of European countries, but he also offers general advice for traveling throughout the continent, from things to watch out for and safety tips to health and medical issues while abroad. From simple travel rules everyone should follow (always travel light, he says!) to the specifics of European toilets (not all flushers are made equal), Steves is the go-to guy for European travel tips.
One major concern for many when considering making the journey to Europe is the risk of theft, as pickpocketing is a common issue. You frequently hear people say to protect your valuables, keep your belongings close and be vigilant in crowded, public areas. While things can get stolen anywhere, Europe is notorious for having very savvy pickpockets that often target American tourists. Luckily, Steves has all the tips to help you keep your belongings safe while you’re out and about.
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@ricksteveseuropeEurope is a safe place. It has very little violent crime — but there's plenty of petty purse snatching and pickpocketing. More secure than a travel wallet, a money belt is a small, zippered fabric pouch that fastens around the waist under your pants or skirt. Some people prefer to use a neck pouch, worn like a necklace but under a shirt. You don't need to get at your money belt for every euro. Your money belt is your deep storage — for select deposits and withdrawals. For convenience, carry a day's spending money in your pocket (a zipper, button-down flap, or Velcro strip sewn into your front or back pocket slows down fast fingers). Make sure it's an amount you're prepared to lose. #ricksteves #ricksteveseurope #ricktok #traveltips #traveltipsandhacks
♬ original sound - Rick Steves’ EuropeIn a video posted to his TikTok account (@ricksteveseurope), the travel guru reveals his essential travel item: a money belt. “This way, your valuables are safely under your clothing,” Steves says. A money belt is a small, flat pouch with an elastic waistband that goes around your waist and is to be worn under your shirt or tucked into your pants. The pouch itself has a few zipper pockets to store your cash, cards, passport and even your phone. Some styles are designed to hang around your neck to be tucked into your shirt. “When I’m wearing this, all those pickpockets are no big deal,” the expert says. While you might not notice someone reach into your pocket to grab your wad of euros, your valuables are essentially unreachable to wandering hands in crowded areas when they are kept in a money belt.
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How To Use a Money Belt While Traveling
Steves has a few other tips for the best use of this travel item. While you might be tempted to store everything in the money belt, taking it out and opening it up every hour throughout the day—whenever you go to buy things—kind of defeats the purpose of keeping your valuables tucked away. Instead, keep a small amount of cash and one credit card in a more accessible location, such as a purse or fanny pack. Whatever you put in there, “make sure it’s an amount you’re prepared to lose,” Steves warns.
Keep the rest of what you took out at the ATM and any extra credit cards in the money belt, along with your passport or other important items you don’t want to leave unattended in the hotel room. “Your money belt is your deep storage,” Steves says, which is a good way to think about it. This way, if anything gets taken from your purse/fanny pack, it shouldn’t be a devastating loss, as you had your most valuable items stored safely in the money belt as a backup.
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