Avoid showing valuable items you have
When traveling, it’s always a good idea to conceal any wealth or valuables that you may be carrying.
Often, experienced travelers will leave nice jewelry at home and will steer clear of flaunting their wealth to avoid pickpockets.
Keep items in your front pockets
It’s much easier for pickpockets to target back pockets without the victim’s knowledge.
Thus, you can avoid pickpockets by keeping items in your front pockets.
It may not be as comfortable, but it will save you a lot of hassle.
Use zippered pockets and pouches
Zippers inevitably slow down pickpockets and make it much harder for them to go undetected.
Use zipper pockets and pouches in your pants or bags for any valuables.
Choose tight pockets
If you don’t have access to zippered pockets, tight pockets can be a great way to deter theft.
It’s a lot harder for pickpockets to grab something out of a tight pocket without you noticing.
It’ll take them longer, and if it’s a pocket on your body (in your pants for example), then it’s likely you’ll feel them attempting to remove it.
Divide your money
Realizing you lost money to pickpocketers can be a painful experience.
One way to safeguard against this is to divide your money.
Put some in your pocket, some in your bag, and leave some in the hotel room safe.
This way, even if some of your valuables are compromised, you still have money to work with.
Keep your phone off the table
Phones left out in the open on tables (at restaurants or cafes) are often targets for pickpocketers.
Avoid pickpockets by keeping it safely in a pocket or crossbody bag to ensure a thief can’t grab it and run off.
Carry a cut-proof money bag
Pickpockets often cut through bags to make their theft easy.
Purchasing a cut-proof money bag can help you avoid pickpockets altogether and keep your valuables safe.
These are often small and can be placed inside other larger bags.
You can shop for cut-proof bags on Amazon here.