Safety in busy tourist places - any tips?

[MabelMarple]

I admit I'm a bit of a country bumpkin and not used to watching out for thieves in every day life. I haven't been to London in 30 years so I'm not used to worrying about someone snatching my phone or bag.
However I'm not entirely stupid and do travel a bit. I've been to places like Barcelona and Paris where you are alert for security but mostly it's just holiday resorts.
DH had his wallet stolen last year in Mallorca. It was in a zipped pocket and we were at a festival. He realised quickly and was able to cancel his cards within 20 minutes. Nothing was taken from them but the €50 cash was lost of course.
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A friend has just been robbed in Lanzarote. Broad daylight, took her purse out of a bag.
It's so depressing to have to be on guard when on holiday.

DH has now got a body belt / bag and I've got a cross body bag with clips on the zips. I will only take a bit of cash at a time out with me and a card if planning a bigger purchase or a meal.

We went to London in October and in half-term in February and didn't experience any issues. We didn't feel unsafe or felt like we might be robbed any second. I have a Kipling handbag, and wore it across my body. My husband kept his wallet/phone in a zipped pocket, inside his coat. If we used our phone to look at Google, we made a point of standing close to buildings, with our backs to people.

My advice is to use common sense. Don't stand in crowded places using your phone. Be mindful of your surroundings and people around you. Keep your belongings secure. Treat going to London, as you would going anywhere else.

Don't believe all the media hype regarding 'lawless London'. You need to remember millions of people live there!

Don't believe all the media hype regarding 'lawless London'. You need to remember millions of people live there.

Even though you say not to believe the hype about lawlessness, you and your husband still took a lot of precautions to avoid being victims of crime.

Have a slightly crap, older model of phone. I’ve walked around with it out and had it sitting on tables but sadly no one seems interested, guess I’ll have to wait a bit longer for an upgrade

I really don't understand why jackets with inside pockets aren't a standard thing, especially for women. Whenever we talk about this, people always say they keep their money in their bras. Got to be uncomfortable doing that.

I'm a Londoner, not been robbed in 40 years before I was street smart and thought walking down a dark alley alone at night was an ok thing to do.
After that, I carried my 'valuables' lol in an old carrier bag, which could include large quantities of cash going to the bank. I always looked scruffy.
Now I am still quite scruffy and I wear a cross body bag. I always stride out as if I know where I'm going.

I did 3 weeks interrailing alone last year, and used, as others have described, a Uniqlo cross body bag and a phone lanyard. I did also have a bodybelt for under clothes but found it very uncomfortable to wear.
I'm now totally converted to the Uniqlo bags for every situation!

Another tip (but expensive) is to use a smart watch for navigating around a strange city. Found this very useful recently in Venice where it's lots of small twisting and turning streets. Dh put the destination in his phone and it synced with his watch. You can them put your phone away.

I tend to keep a bottle of water, tissues and a lip balm in my bag and my money and phone in a pocked with my hand on it all the time - they can have the bag, never anything valuable in it

Biggest thing is to not just protect your phone but to protect all the Apps on it too and lock down notifications. Every one of my apps is face protected and my apple account can’t even be looked at without a passcode. I also have a hidden photos folder for copies of passports etc. That way even if it’s open when stolen they can’t get into anything.
I’ve never understood why you would have a security notification come to your phone unprotected.
Also, it’s no use having emails etc. that are security features that you can’t access if your phone is stolen. Use a partner’s email / phone number as a secondary back up.

Agree with looking scruffy and having an old phone, which may be one of the reasons for never getting mugged in 25 years of living in London, plus other cities like NYC. I frequently walk around London with my phone out too. A friend of mine always covers her bikes with crappy tape so they look rubbish and has never had any nicked, so I think there is something in it

I don’t overthink it but use a similar style to the unliquo bag. I have been pick pocketed once and it was in Barcelona. It wasn’t my personal items they got, it was a small bag with an aftershave and some other souvenirs in it. They got it off my wrist while I was in the supermarket. To this day I have no idea how. They must have discreetly cut it. Supermarket wasn’t busy. I had my hand on a shopping basket with my bag of bits hanging off my wrist. That was about 20 years ago now and it still bothers me how they did it. Would love to see the CCTV but the shop declined.