Do pickpockets target tourists? Yes, of course they do. If you were a pickpocket, wouldn't you prefer a victim who will be leaving town in a few days, who is unable to speak the local language, and who was unwilling to return to be a witness should you be arrested or put to trial? Pickpockets know this, as do the police who see arrest and prosecution of pickpockets who prey on tourists as an exercise in futility.

Unaware of people around them, tourists loose themselves in the magnificent sights before them. On the other hand, residents have seen their native sights thousands of times and know to pay more attention to their wallets and purses while visiting a tourist destination. Your first lesson is: Carry valuable items in your security wallet under your clothes and less valuable items in your purse, wallet or daypack.

If you exercise your ordinary "street smarts", there is really very little you should have to worry about. When you visit an unfamiliar city in the United States, you are aware of your surroundings, you walk with some purpose, you dress to blend in with the others around you and you carry your valuables safely. Do the same thing when you are in a foreign country and, chances are, you will be OK.

I remember a very painful incident that happened one year, when I traveled with my mother to Rome. On a street directly in front of the guard gate into the Vatican, suddenly she felt a powerful yank against her right hand. Simultaneously, without looking, she tightened her grip around the short straps to her purse and yanked back. It had all happened too fast for me to react. A tug of war broke out before my eyes -- my mother yanking back her purse and her attacker pulling at it. During the first heat of the struggle, with the verve of a kick boxer, my mother kicked her assailant a number of times. Not able to let loose of her purse because his hand had gotten twisted up in her purse straps, he fell to the ground. Without missing a breath, my mother stomped him digging her short spiked heel into his side. Hollering for the police, he cringed in pain. It took two of us to pull my mother from her victim, the Vatican guard and I. Apologizing profusely, the guards advised we go about our business while they called an ambulance and the city police to take care of our would be robber.

While I advise you not to solve your robbery problem as my mother did, I do advise you to be more diligent about your valuables. "How should I carry my purse?" women have asked me many times. If you have an aversion to carrying you valuables against your body, as in a body belt or some valuables stuffed in your bra, then I suggest you look at how the other women in the locality where you are, are carrying their purses. Women who carry purses for several hours at a time, such as when spending the day sightseeing, usually choose purses with shoulder straps. There are two ways to arrange the shoulder strap: Over the head and over the shoulder. Putting your shoulder strap over your head so the strap crosses the front of your body is less comfortable, but more secure. Wearing your purse under your coat, rather than over, is even more secure. Note that if you wear your purse under your coat, it's best to put the strap over your head to prevent it from sliding down your shoulder.

While I'm against visible purses, the best advice I can give you, if you insist on carrying one, is to blend with the crowd around you, wear your purse as they do and don't be embarrassed.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
Nate has many anecdotes of his travels abroad and he would like to hear yours.