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Yesterday we were robbed. We only lost $30, a debit card, and a USB drive but what stung the most was that we let it happen.
In over two years of travel this has never happened to us. Our debit card was cloned during the first week of our first round the world trip but the bank promptly refunded the £600 loss and it didn’t affect us much. We had a near miss in Rio, but again we didn’t actually lose anything. Despite the horror stories we often hear, during the last 14 months in Latin America we’ve felt entirely safe and street smart.
So how did we let this happen?
We were reluctantly leaving our countryside retreat Establos San Rafael and returning to civilization. As we arrived in Alajuela on the bus from San Jose Simon got up to get off the crowded bus. As he retrieved his guitar from the overhead storage I noticed he was blocked in place by a group of young men, moving strangely and apparently trying to get their own luggage down. I had a bad feeling and called to Simon to get back into his seat. He didn’t hear what I was saying and I began to doubt myself. Maybe he was safer getting off the bus. Maybe I was being ridiculous.
Simon had the same concerned feeling and kept his hands in his pockets. But as people moved forward he experienced doubts too, let his guard down, and needing to carry his luggage stopped holding his wallet. The jostling happened again and this time it was too late: as he reached the front of the bus the wallet was gone.
He shouted back to me (still in my seat) what had happened and we were confused what to do. Was it the guys behind him that he was blocking getting off the bus? Surely it was the men in front who were already gone? I lamely cried “Ladron” (thief), naively hoping a local would come to our rescue. It was met with indifference. Not knowing how to accuse the guys in Spanish, Simon let them off the bus.
As I got off I told the driver what had happened. He shrugged.
Fuck.
We assessed the damage. Thank God: the expensive iPod Touch was still there, hidden in Simon’s zipped pocket. There wasn’t too much cash in the wallet, and just one bank card.
The only unknown was the USB stick: what documents were on there?
How had we let them get away with such a blatant, clumsy robbery? It was this that hurt more than the losses. We hadn’t trusted our instincts. We had wanted to trust the people around us and not assume the worst.
Still, we realised we were lucky. We hadn’t lost much. We had back up bank cards. It wasn’t violent and we hadn’t been held up at gunpoint like our friend Jaime recently, also in Costa Rica.
Looking back, we did some things right and some things wrong and we’d like to share our tips on avoiding robberies while travelling.
What We Did Right
Have Zipped Pockets – This is when specially designed travel clothes are really useful. Simon’s shorts and North Face trousers both have a hidden zipped pocket. It was this that saved our iPod from getting stolen. Shame both pockets didn’t have zips so the wallet could have been more secure too. I honestly think it’s worth getting this tailored in.
Wear a Money Belt – Many long term travellers sneer at wearing a money belt but this is what prevented us from losing our passports, most of our cash and bank cards. We only wear them on travel days, when we are most vulnerable with all our possessions. The rest of the time we only take a small amount of cash and one bank card with us in a wallet and lock the rest up in our room.
Have a Lockable Backpack – The thieves could have grabbed things from Simon’s backpack but we deliberately chose side opening backpacks that we can lock up with a combination lock.
Have Multiple Bank Cards – If the debit card that was stolen was our only one we’d have no way of accessing our money. Getting a replacement sent to Central America would have been difficult and time consuming. Thankfully it was a joint account and I still have a card for that account. We also have a number of other debit and credit cards for back ups.
Cancelled the Card – The first thing we did was quickly find a hostel, check in and call our bank using Skype to cancel the card. Obvious, perhaps, but it could be forgotten in the shock.
What We Did Wrong
Didn’t Trust Our Instincts – Our instincts told us that something odd was going on, but we doubted ourselves and felt bad about suspecting the locals on the bus. Although we’d love to trust everyone all the time, you just can’t. I should have insisted Simon got back in his seat, he should have kept a tight grip on his valuables.
Rushed to Get Off – It was the final stop and usually we wait for most people to get off before we do. Not because we worry about getting robbed, it’s just easier. If we had stayed in our seats until the bus emptied, this couldn’t have happened.
Carried a USB Drive in Our Wallet – This is what caused us a lot of stress. What documents did we have on there? Would our online security be compromised? We didn’t think so but just in case we went on a long overdue spree of password changing (making sure we didn’t use the same password for everything, a horribly bad idea). We didn’t even need the USB stick as an extra back up any more as we’d switched to using SugarSync to save our important files online but we should at least have password protected it.
Forgot Our Spanish – In the stress of the moment my Spanish failed me. I couldn’t think of anything to say except ‘Ladron’. Not that it’s easy to confront a suspected thief, even in English.
Although we are pissed off with ourselves for letting it happen we know we are lucky that this is the first time we’ve lost anything, and that we didn’t lose much more.
Very useful info. Thanks!
Don’t be too hard on yourself. It can happen to anybody, and it sounds like you did pretty good. 3 friends of mine, in 3 separate incidents, tried to “save” money by taking the airport bus to San Jose, Costa Rica. This is a route populated by professional pickpockets. Spend the money on a taxi. If you must take the bus, DO NOT BOARD the bus unless there is a seat where you can sit down, and put your backpack on your lap. Forget about putting your backpack in the overhead rack. Then have your valuables well hidden on your body (money belt around waist, or on your legs.) It is excellent to have a wallet with about $10 and an expired credit card or driver’s license. Thieves get this, think they have your loot, and leave.
Planning a 6 month trip to Central America and wondered if anyone has any tips on keeping an iPad secure?
We haven’t travelled with an ipad but I would imagine the same advice applies as to a laptop. Keep it locked away in your bag or hotel safe when you leave it in your room, and make sure it’s insured.
That sucks guys! But you’re very right – it could have been worse. They could have taken more valuable items, or your life could have been threatened. Don’t be too hard on yourselves though!
Wow, so sorry to hear this has happened. I know I get stressed out in travel situations like that, so it is understandable that you “froze” in your Spanish ability. I’ve traveled lots (though probably not as much as you), and I still get a little nervous sometimes. I’m glad to hear that you use a password encryption program. I personally use Password Gorilla, for what it’s worth.
You can carry a dummy wallet and keep the true one in a more secure place.In the dummy wallet I carry a credit card that is out of date,just enough money for drinks or to eat. Hope this helps. Leonard
So sorry to see your last post. I’m glad that you are not being too hard on yourselves . . . you can’t protect yourself against everything, and what kind of travelers would you be if you were constantly paranoid and distrustful of everyone?
With regard to computer security, I highly recommend two free programs, KeePass and TrueCrypt (if you are not using them already). KeePass allows you to encrypt and organize your passwords, and TrueCrypt enables you to encrypt all or part of your hard drive and USB drives. You can find them both on Google.
Thanks for the tips. We do use a password program.
Sorry for the unfortunate situation. I always choose to learn from mistakes to avoid them happening again. While living in NYC, I too was robbed. On the subway, by someone next to me who I had a funny feeling about. I feel when traveling you can try your best to plan and do everything right, but pairing the planning with street smarts will always pay off! Best of luck on your journey!
Sorry to hear you got robbed, even if it wasn’t life threatening nothing feels worse than getting robbed/pickpocketed! I’ve been robbed once when it really hurt, in a fancy Starbucks in Shanghai of all places. And once in Colombia John got pick pocketed but they only got a few dollars. The best thing you can do is what you are doing, learn from the experience and be more aware next time.
Just to cheer you up: we did a graphic design blog about the different schemes that people use to pick pocket that either happened to us or to people we know. /
We definitely won’t let it happen again and it has been a good lesson in stepping up security and keeping the minimum in our wallet.
I love the graphic post! Thanks for sharing.
Sorry to hear this happened to you. Others will probably say you’re lucky it has only happened once traveling that long through Latin America, but it still sucks. I got robbed my first day of a year-long trip through Latin America in Quito. I was lucky like you and didn’t lose anything important or expensive. I think that experience saved me from a worse theft/ robbery scenario later in the trip because I am super-cautious now. Zippered or velcro pockets, locks on backpacks, and my money belt are all must-dos when moving between destinations.
I have also noticed that when I get angry or upset about something, I forget how to speak Spanish. Not sure how to solve that problem though.
Sorry to hear you got robbed too. I’ve heard that a few times about Quito. But as you say it’s a good learning experience. I’ve heard of people losing everything – passports, cards, money, and can’t imagine how difficult that must be to sort out.
Getting robbed overseas is an awful experience, I was cornered and robbed by an elderly woman and a small child in Vietnam who pretended that they were trying to sell me a magazine. Fortunately I wasn’t carrying much with me and they only got my phone (which had cost me $25).
I’m glad that you are okay, thanks for sharing your experience – it is easy to get complacent when things have been going well for a while and although you want to trust people you should always trust your instincts.
I am also pleased to hear that you have had very few incidents like this in South America. I am going there for the first time in September and am a bit worried about streetcrime like this.
We really felt safe in South America although because of the long distances we often got the luxury overnight buses (in Argentina and Peru at least) and this is probably safer. It pays to be cautious but don’t worry too much.
Do you two have a PayPal donate thing set up? In the event of a disaster like this, should the damage be worse than a $30 hit, it could be a life-saver. I know I’d donate and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Just a thought.
Ah, that’s sweet of you to say! We don’t have a donate button, and I think we’d feel a bit bad asking people to contribute for our own silly mistake. Thanks though!
A great post and a timely reminder that you can never let your guard down, no matter how long you have been travelling.
Great blog by the way.
Thanks Fran. It’s definitely good to get a reminder now and then (although hopefully not too often!).
You’re lucky you weren’t robbed violently. Everywhere you go, there will be ladrones, so stay alert. Thanks for sharing this slightly embarrassing story, I liked the what we did right & wrong lists. If nothing else, then it’s been at least a great learning experience.
We do consider ourselves lucky that it wasn’t worse.
Super smart! I just included your blog in my 10 Digital Nomad Blogs You’ll Love.
Thanks Sonya!
Ugh, That story blows! Sorry you guys got robbed. I was once held up at gunpoint in San Telmo, Buenos Aires. The guy got my $30 pesos but I said no when he asked for my iPod. In hindsight it was a pretty brazen move.
I carry my personal USB key on a cord that is tied to my belt loop on my pants and tucked into my pocket. Difficult to fall out, be stolen or get lost. Also it is kept separate from my computer so i don’t lose both at the same time. The cord makes it easy to find the key when I take it off. I do still need to upgrade an encrypted key. Sorry to read of your experience and thank-you for sharing the advice.
That’s a much better idea. We actually don’t need it anymore as the most important files are backed up online (in addition to our main hard drive, separate from laptop), but we were carrying it out of habit.
Shit, sorry guys, just an annoying piss-off more than anything – hey?
We were robbed only once in S.A. and it was a similar thing – we let our guard down. We thought it would be *okay*, *just this one time* to put our bag above us on the overhead rack. Sure enough, un ladron pulled the bag back and took my North Face rain jacket. Bugger.
90% of the time, that’s how the story goes…just silly mistakes…
It is easy to let your guard down when nothing has happened in a long time, and of course that’s when it happens! Sorry to hear you lost your jacket. Stuff like that can be the worst because they are so hard to replace abroad.
Hey!!! Really glad you are both OK! Smart to cancel the card right away! It’s hard to remember when you are in the moment what to do!!! Just happy you didn’t get hurt!:)
Only our pride was hurt =)
So sorry to hear guys. You know more and more Ive learned that trusting my instincts is better than worrying about being rude.
But what a rotten way to be robbed.
We are so British – obviously too polite!
We’ve avoided a few close calls by keeping our bags between our legs or wrapping the straps around our legs while sitting at cafes. It sounds obvious, but a few times now I’ve seen travelers relaxing while some one snatches their stuff and runs. We once had some one give a tug on our bag before realizing it was wrapped around my husband’s leg (in Buenos Aires). Foiled ’em!
That said, I’ve been pickpocketed without knowing it (Buenos Aires) and I was also the victim of a false front ATM in Ecuador and got taken for my limit every day until I figured it out. Live and learn!
The cafe thing is definitely a good idea. We usually remember that, especially in cities.
I guess it can happen to anyone, even if you are ultra careful.
We are all glad that you are both safe – things can be replaced, but you can’t! We agree with all the precautions you are taking about spreading the risk and keeping as much as possible in zipped/locked places. It’s also hard to be suspicious all the time – it’s much nicer to believe that people are basically good, and have the same set of moral codes as you do! Thinking about it, getting off the bus/plane last is a good tip – Dave and I usually try and avoid the rush, but that’s more about us being lazy. I think now it’s good advice! Look after yourselves! xx
We are both fine and it could have been way worse. It’s always shocking when it happens at first, but I think we’ve recovered now!
So sorry that you had to deal with this especially in your last few weeks in central America. I’m so glad that too much wasn’t taken. Glad y’all are okay and keep your chin up – I think you did better than most in that situation.
Isn’t it strange that it happened as we arrived at our last stop in Central America? At least it means we’ll be back in the UK for a visit in 2 months and can pick up our replacement card.
That sucks guys! Zippered pockets are a must, no matter how un-fashionable they are. REI has great shorts with 4 different zippered pockets that actually look normal. I love em’. REI Shorts
I’m also a big fan of re-usable zip ties for my daypack. Less cumbersome than locks, someone’s got to cut them off or know how to unzip them (doubtful).
They look like regular zip-ties, but can be unzipped by depressing a tiny release.
Thanks for the tips Matt. We are looking forward to getting to the US in a few weeks and stocking up in REI.
That sucks. Sorry that happened to you guys. Hopefully nothing too important is on the USB stick the thief(s) would be more interested in the money. I imagine traveling days can be very stressful, huh?
I think it would take a hardcore hacker to do anything with the USB stick and they didn’t look that smart! It’s incidents like this that really make you step up your security practices though.
Travelling days can be stressful (and tiring) although this was a really easy one up until that point. It certainly was stressful afterwards!
Damn, that sucks. Sorry to hear that it happened, but it seems like the damage was limited. Glad you’re both okay!
Imagine if we had lost the Macbook! It’s all good really.
Don’t beat yourselves up too much – it’s far better to be too trusting than too suspicious most of the time. Glad there was not too much harm done and you’re both okay.