The idea of travel makes us view the world with rose-tinted eyes agree? While I have encountered the kindness of strangers time and time again, it’s not always rainbows and butterflies on the road. I too have experienced the flip side of travel, the ones you hear about but not expect to happen to you.
So what have I encountered? I’ve had my wallet pick-pocketed in Europe on the public bus, and was stopped by the police in Indonesia for “illegal turning” while riding a motorbike, both equally common scams. While compared to the more notorious scams, mine seems pretty minor, but I have to admit that I did feel flustered for a moment when they happened because I just never thought it would happen to me like I had some sort of magical barrier surrounding me when I travel or something. Nevertheless, lessons were learned, and I still like to believe in the good of people because the kindness I receive on the road often outweighs the bad.
My thanks to the good folks over at Silverdoor Apartments for this useful infographic on the most common travel scams this year (maybe there’ll be a new one next year? Scammers are pretty creative you know.) It sure doesn’t hurt to gain more knowledge and travel sense, you can never be too prepared.
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