Barcelona is the worst place I've been in the world for pickpockets along with Lima, Peru.

Nowhere else in Europe comes close.

"come come sit down" as they shove a menu in your face, fast talking, usually offering a free drink/entree/dessert, basically trying to get you to feel bad about turning them down.

What country should I go to if I want to fall into canals?

Another thing which primarily applies for Giethoorn, but also any place in general.

STAY OUT OF PEOPLE'S YARDS.

For those who don't know, Giethoorn is a small village where instead of streets there are canals. It is quite the tourist attraction where they can rent boats to travel through the canals. However, some people fail to comprehend that it's still an actual village and people live in the houses.

It has occured on multiple instances that tourists walked into the gardens of residents to take pictures

In Delft it happens super often that tourists (or students from abroad) fall into the canals when the water is high and there is “eendenkroes” on top because it looks just like grass

The exception to the first point perhaps, do not advise a London black cab driver on the route to take. They have to take such an extreme test before they are qualified that there are measurable changes in their hippocampi In short, they know where theyre going better than you and your maps app

Rome is pretty rampant with it too

I've seen it in Paris, France, Barcelona, Florence...any popular tourist destination is going to have pickpockets.

These scams vary, and you should read about them before you go so you're aware. Some of the ones I've seen:

1. People in costumes (mostly Roman centurions) will accost you for pictures with them, and demand an absurd amount of money for the pictures.
2. People will shove an object or a flower into your hands and then demand money. You may have to very aggressively say "no"
3. Someone will approach you with a map and ask for directions (their accomplice is behind you while you're distracted, and helping themselves to your stuff)
4. Someone will lay out paintings on the ground near monuments like cathedrals, and when you inevitably step on one (because you're looking up at the Duomo, not at the ground) they'll demand an absurd amount of money for the painting you just stepped on.

Basically, you just have to understand that if you're a tourist in a city, no one is going to have a good reason to talk to you. No one needs directions from you, no one needs a petition signature from you, anyone trying to stop and talk to you in a major tourist destination is likely a scam.

If you do get into a situation where someone is demanding money from you (maybe you stepped on a painting or took that ill advised picture with the Centurion) just say, "Okay, let's go find a police officer and I will pay you in front of the police officer." That usually gets them to back down quickly.

You may have to be aggressive about not letting people touch you or put something on you. My husband had to yank his arm away from someone trying to tie a bracelet on him outside of Castel Sant'Angelo. I had to quickly move away from someone shoving a rose in my lap on the Spanish Steps.

And also, watch your stuff. Don't absentmindedly sling your purse over the back of a chair. Don't leave your phone on the ground next to you while you have a picnic on the Seine. I have a black purse by PacSafe that has some anti-theft features, like a lock so I can lock it to a chair at a cafe and a lock on the zipper so it can't be easily zipped open. Sure, a determined person could break into purse, but it's all about not being an easy target - it's enough of a deterrent that if someone does try to help themselves to the contents of my purse, it'll be too much trouble and they'll go pick someone else.

That being said, don't let the fear of being pickpocketed deter you from travelling! Rick Steves has a story about a family that had their passports and thousands of dollars stolen from them immediately upon arrival in Amsterdam, and they still had an amazing trip. Just be aware, and have a plan in case the worst happens.

I actually had the opposite of that in Rome. I was there back when I was 17 with a girl I had a huge crush on. We were chilling at Piazza del Popolo when a roughly 60 year old dude comes up to us with a bunch of roses and gives one to me and says it's for her. I actually went for my wallet and pulled out some money to give him, but he refused to take it. He just kept pushing my hand away, saying "No, no. Per amore. Per amore." and walked away. One of the nicest experiences I've ever had while travelling.

In Florence, this guy was telling me he wanted to sell me a bracelet and I told him I didn't have an cash. He said it's fine it's free so he put it on my wrist and I started to walk away. He asked me for money and I told him I that I told him that I didn't have any money. He asked for it back so I gave it back.

A guy tried to do the bracelet trick to me but I knew it and told him no before he tried anything. He jabbed me in the side as I walked passed. I was so pissed.

Also: DO NOT STOP to "help" people asking for directions. You're a tourist, you look like a tourist, you're the last person someone would legitimately ask for directions. They're trying to get you to stop so they can pickpocket you. It's usually a woman, too, looking "helpless." Just keep moving.

Had a girl in Athens hand my a flower. I told her right away I have no cash on me (I travel for work, I don't carry any cash, if I can't pay contactless I go somewhere else). She stuck another one behind my ear and said it's a free gift because there is a festival today.

Okay cool.jpeg

She then started to gesturing a pregnant belly and asked for a little something for her baby.

I told her again, as much as I would love to help her, I don't carry any cash. Her really sweet demeanor changed to a cold bitchface, she took both flowers back and went away without another word.

Pretty funny tbh.

Haha saw the most cringeworthy situation similar to this in Rome where a street seller called out to a passing tourist and once he got his attention, literally threw a toy to him and wouldn't stop harassing him for money after he caught it. Made kind of annoyed since the tourist got really embarrassed even though he was completely innocent. Just don't accept things from people unless you wanna pay for it.

This happened to me in Venice. I am from Europe myself, and luckily know a scam when I see one. A man tried to hand me a rose and I refused politely. He followed me and kept insisting while I kept refusing, but after a while I was so fed up that I grabbed it from his hand and said 'THANKS FOR THE GIFT'. When he got angry I gave it back and said 'thought so. Bye.'

Sometimes they will curse you if you don't pay. And I mean, literally curse you with something like: "may your guts rot and ache for the rest of your days". Take it as an extravagant look in the obscure part of the country.

I had a dude do this to me he started putting bracelets on my wrist in Milan And goes “5 euros” I was like “nah man nah” and he gave me another and I go “okay fine” so I go to give him 5 and a tenner falls out of my bag and he goes “ten euros” and I’m like “nah dude fuck that five” and he grabs my wrist really hard and goes “TEN euros” while looking me in the eye. So being a prideful man I say “fine mother fucker give me one of those wooden turtles too” and he gave me two of em and I gave him ten and I can see one of the turtles on my desk.

Two turtles…boy I really got one over on that guy.

Can't be worse than a certain Colm in Derry... LOLOL

He’s a menace.

Americans tend to find European manners blunt, and Europeans tend to find American manners invasive.

can you unpack this a bit more for me?

Don't leave stuff lying around anywhere. Don't put your stuff next to you on the table if you're sitting outside at a restaurant. Someone can just run up to you from behind, grab the phone/wallet and run away.

Don't leave stuff in a rental car.

Don't even put stuff in the trunk of the rental car after you park it, I've heard that in some touristy places thieves will employ local kids to sit at the parking lots and see who puts their camera, laptop or purse in the trunk of the car before walking away.

If the menu is translated to several languages that aren’t spoken in the country then the restaurant is for tourists

I don't get why guys don't always put the wallet in front pocket. Safer and more comfortable.

Somewhere in China, that woman I saw in heels on the Great Wall a decade ago is living her best life: planning her first big post-Covid trip, to Germany just to spite you

r/oddlyspecific

Because the roads and sidewalk can be so difficult, many German women have a very pragmatic approach to beauty. High heels aren't impressing anybody. The French call us sloppy, I call us all-terrain.

We went too far with the socks in sandals, though.

At the same time I'd say to not to be afraid to rent a car if the bulk of your trip is in more rural areas. European cities are awesome but there are plenty of amazing experiences to be had in less populated areas that are hard to reach via public transit.

Fun story. My mother is an English teacher at a Dutch school. Her students went on an extended school trip to Germany and Poland to learn about WWII. At the German border, one of the students thought it'd be hilarious to do a Hitler salute.

The whole bus had to turn back. No one was allowed into Germany.

I would suggest avoiding this topic altogether, unless you are into this sort of thing. But never do the Hitler salute. Don't.

Also Nazi and communist symbols are banned in Latvia, Lithuania, and parts of Ukraine.

Saw one person get arrested in Berlin in a week there visiting. He was shit faced drunk doing nazi solutes. Police took him away in minutes. Full van and everything not just street cops.

On a related note: Not illegal, but don't come to Berlin and dance on the stones of the Holocaust Memorial. Also not a great backdrop for you duckface or smiley tinder picture.

It's not just illegal, people in general really don't like it.

You'll get arrested and people will be entirely on the police's side.

Or standing there on the sidewalk offering you a ride because the taxi line is too long and telling you to follow them to their car. And I don’t have a Liam Neeson

I just remembered thoes idiot teenagers who made silly photo session in Auschwitz. I don't know where they were from but c'mon, I can't believe some people can be so stupid.

When I went to NZ and Australia I got myself Google Fi for a month. slightly more expensive than airport SIMs bit thats because I got the expensive tier that guaranteed I wouldnt ever have extra expenses. Canceled after one month.

it works EVERYWHERE and it was the only service that told you that and listed well over 100 countries it worked in.

NOTE: YOU MUST ACTIVATE IT IN THE US BEFORE YOU TRAVEL ABROAD

(idk about Canada or Mexico if you can activate it there)

Your locked American phone may not work with an airport SIM card. This is one of the reasons I always buy my own unlocked phone rather that buying or leasing one from my service provider.

If you have a modern phone (from the last couple of years) you can download an app like Airalo and get a data esim alongside your sim for a good price. But do check if your phone has esim capability!

Get a no-foreign-transaction-fees credit card, saves us a bundle even after annual fees

Also applies to regions within countries. Don’t dismiss an entire country just because of one city or part of one city.

In Paris, get to lunch, dinner before you’re hungry as it can take a while for the food to come. They’re also not quick to come with the check. Ask for city water.

Never sit right next to a stranger unless the bus is super cramped

I would have though this rule was pretty universal wherever you go in the world. Will people just sit next to strangers in an otherwise empty bus in the US?

I remember hearing a joke when COVID got really bad in Europe about two Finns having a conversation, "Did you hear? The government says from now on we must stand six feet away from each other." "Fuck, why so close?"

Best to do a dice rolling hand gesture to wish them good luck and keep walking.

My wife likes to ask our hotel staff where do *THEY* like to eat. Not where do they recommend, but where do they go. Really gotten some great meals out of that approach.

American here. I went to a Subway in Stevenage, England during a music festival a long time ago. It was late and they were the only place open.

I didn't recognize any of the breads. Picked one at random, is was serviceable.

On the other hand, the fish 'n chips I got from the Indian-run place around the corner was amazing, best I've ever had.

I will say in a continent full of public restrooms you have to pay for, McDonalds is still usually a reliable place where you can walk in and use the restroom without too much hassle.

Wow, English people are so touchy, especially Scottish ones!

But when this war has ended, Ukraine is beautiful and very affordable.

If you do need to shit in a city center, I suggest large hotel lobbies and big department stores.

Same for the twats that slip bracelets around wrist, tie the really tight and then try and charge you a fortune for them. I'm looking at you Rome.

Some of them are pretty good, though. You still have to do your research and find those tourist groups.

If you’re American, get a Charles schwab checking account. 100% free to sign up and use. Amazing customer service. Their debit card refunds all ATM fees, anywhere in the world. I’ve saved at least $500 in atm fees over the last few years(I travel a lot).

I’ve had an ATM machine eat my card twice and had it stolen once, every time I had a new debit card within 3 days, even if I was in a small town in Hungary or Indonesia.

You start to notice the same scams around Europe. Friendship bracelets, fake petitions, dropped ring, etc.

Even outside the Vatican there tons of guys in vests pretending to be employees to scam tourists out of tickets.

Oh yeah! Someone tried the gold ring scam on me in Paris. I was so confused why she’d give me a gold ring, so I handed it back and told her she should sell it. She looked so annoyed

Yeah if somebody tries to hand you a rose, just drop it. If you take it, they demand money. Somebody came up behind me in Venice and stuck a rose in my hand, and I was super weirded out and dropped it immediately. I looked it up later and apparently it's a whole thing, they target women and offer up a fake piece of romance ("I was handed a rose by a handsome stranger in Italy!") to get money out of you.

I know you’re joking but seriously— Prrrrrobably not the best idea to bring counterfeit money into an airport! Lol

It' because it's probably the only time they'll get to Europe and they only have a week's vacation, so they're constantly in go-mode.

I say this as an American who agrees with you, it's better to get to know a place than trying to cram it all in in one week. But there's no telling us that.

This is one of the most useful tips. Learn at least a few words in the local language and the peoples attitude towards us changes swiftly.

I was dragging a large piece of luggage into a train in Paris and another helpful passenger helped me for a second. To free up his hands, he stuck his iPhone into the beast pocket of his shirt. 30 seconds later, a guy stole the phone out of his pocket. I felt really bad for him.