Personal security

Camino Chrissy · Feb 14, 2023

jenwearing said:
I kept all the valuables in a fanny pack and I literally never let it out of my sight. I put it in my sleep sack with me whenever I slept in a dorm and brought it into the shower stalls with me as well. Once I met people where we were sharing rooms and space day after day, we began to trust each other but again, we all kept our fanny pack/waist belts/ with us unless we could lock a door with only our things behind it.
The odds of theft are very low I'm sure, but you never know who has access to spaces and really, it would be a catastrophic thing to have your passport and money taken.
Side note, many showers had no where to put things down inside - clothes, towel etc. On my second camino, I brought an S shaped hook in my toiletries bag and it kept my stuff way dryer!

I do the exact same things as you. My waist bag is never off my body while I am awake, and it goes in the bottom of my sleeping bag at night. I always carry an S hook for the shower stall.

DoughnutANZ · Feb 18, 2023

Camino Chrissy said:
When I visited Paris I had read ahead of time about "games" that pickpockets try to cajole tourists into playing with them, never thinking it would happen to me. One was the "brass ring"; the other was the "string game". I made sure I gave a firm loud "NO thanks" to discourage those potential thieves. They were persistent and still tried to follow us.

Swearing at them in English worked for me. Some phrases seem to be universally understood.

witsendwv · Feb 18, 2023

Rick of Rick and Peg said:
I've never seen these trousers but the webpage does have a short video showing the hidden and zippered pockets.

Pick-Pocket Proof® Adventure Travel Pants

Secure travel pants with 11 multi-secure pockets proven to prevent theft. Patent pending design offers 2 & 3 levels of protection between a wallet and the world.

www.clothingarts.com

These are my husband's go to pants. He wears them everywhere. The zippered front pockets open bottom to top and are covered with a button tab that is difficult to open and close. Inside the two pockets are fine horizontal zippers that open from the fly out to the hip into another interior pocket. The back pockets are zippered and secured with buttons. The cargo pocket is buttoned with a heavy snap inside. They are pricey, but do go on sale. The company is small and do small batch orders, so sometimes you have to wait a bit for them. He bought two pairs years ago, they are indestructible and look as good now as our first camino in 2015.

Camino Chrissy · Feb 18, 2023

witsendwv said:
These are my husband's go to pants. He wears them everywhere. The zippered front pockets open bottom to top and are covered with a button tab that is difficult to open and close. Inside the two pockets are fine horizontal zippers that open from the fly out to the hip into another interior pocket. The back pockets are zippered and secured with buttons. The cargo pocket is buttoned with a heavy snap inside. They are pricey, but do go on sale. The company is small and do small batch orders, so sometimes you have to wait a bit for them. He bought two pairs years ago, they are indestructible and look as good now as our first camino in 2015.

They look very attractive, and you'd have to be a real Houdini to get in those pockets.

henrythedog · Feb 18, 2023

witsendwv said:
These are my husband's go to pants. He wears them everywhere. The zippered front pockets open bottom to top and are covered with a button tab that is difficult to open and close. Inside the two pockets are fine horizontal zippers that open from the fly out to the hip into another interior pocket. The back pockets are zippered and secured with buttons. The cargo pocket is buttoned with a heavy snap inside. They are pricey, but do go on sale. The company is small and do small batch orders, so sometimes you have to wait a bit for them. He bought two pairs years ago, they are indestructible and look as good now as our first camino in 2015.

I bought a pair based on a recommendation on here. They are well made and the sizing is accurate. Getting into a couple of the pockets is like a logic puzzle, which I suppose is how it’s supposed to be.

Camino Chrissy · Feb 18, 2023

henrythedog said:
I bought a pair based on a recommendation on here. They are well made and the sizing is accurate. Getting into a couple of the pockets is like a logic puzzle, which I suppose it how it’s supposed to be.

I would probably hold up a line of people if there were any waiting behind me while I tried to navigate the pockets to retrieve my money...definitely secure.

witsendwv · Feb 18, 2023

Camino Chrissy said:
I would probably hold up a line of people if there were any waiting behind me while I tried to navigate the pockets to retrieve my money...definitely secure.

Yes, he does not use these pants for small purchases. He only wears button down shirts (even on camino), and has one that has a hidden zippered pocket behind the typical chest pocket for small daily purchases!

WGroleau · Feb 19, 2023

Camino Chrissy said:
When I visited Paris I had read ahead of time about "games" that pickpockets try to cajole tourists into playing with them, never thinking it would happen to me. One was the "brass ring"; the other was the "string game". I made sure I gave a firm loud "NO thanks" to discourage those potential thieves. They were persistent and still tried to follow us.

Heading for the subway in Rome, two girls passed us on both sides chatting at each other in a language other than Italian. On the subway, one of them lifted the fap of her purse to hide the other one grabbing my passport and phone from nmy shirt pocket. But I was faster. I gave them the cold stare with my hand over the pocket, and they hurriedly got off the car. Another Italian trick is for a group of kids to show you a map and offer to help you find places while some of them remove our bags under cover of that map.

Former member 102963 · Feb 19, 2023

WGroleau said:
Heading for the subway in Rome, two girls passed us on both sides chatting at each other in a language other than Italian. On the subway, one of them lifted the fap of her purse to hide the other one grabbing my passport and phone from nmy shirt pocket. But I was faster. I gave them the cold stare with my hand over the pocket, and they hurriedly got off the car. Another Italian trick is for a group of kids to show you a map and offer to help you find places while some of them remove our bags under cover of that map.

Rome subway is a pick pocket hotspot! I wasn’t as alert as you as had my wallet and passport stolen back in 2003. Young children I think! They hired two cars on my cards! It was even more busy than usual as the train was packed with fans (including me) going to a major football match. A few years later a friend of mine had the same and his Champions League Final ticket (for US readers the equivalent of the Super Bowl stolen) which was worth at least £1k on the black market!

Of course pre football matches a lot of alcohol is consumed by many (overseas football matches are about 10 times crazier than bachelor/bachelorette parties) so the guard was especially down!

David Tallan · Feb 22, 2023

witsendwv said:
These are my husband's go to pants. He wears them everywhere. The zippered front pockets open bottom to top and are covered with a button tab that is difficult to open and close. Inside the two pockets are fine horizontal zippers that open from the fly out to the hip into another interior pocket. The back pockets are zippered and secured with buttons. The cargo pocket is buttoned with a heavy snap inside. They are pricey, but do go on sale. The company is small and do small batch orders, so sometimes you have to wait a bit for them. He bought two pairs years ago, they are indestructible and look as good now as our first camino in 2015.

I had a pair of trousers with an inside pocket that was pretty much pickpocket proof. The only downside was that I had to pull my trousers down if I wanted access myself. That's the trick with pickpocket proof pants. If the pickpocket is really good, their hands can go unnoticed where your hands can go. So the only way to make the contents of the pockets inaccessible to them is to also make them inaccessible to you while you are walking around.

Terry Callery · Mar 1, 2023

If you look at comparitive crime statistics you will see that Spain has a fraction of the crime as here in the United States. Still I wore a money belt under my shirt on all three caminos.

RosaScotland · Mar 1, 2023

Wayfarer1 said:
This is my first time doing the Camino, and as a solo traveller, I'll be traveling with money and a passport, neither of which I want to lose. How safe are the various accommodations regarding theft, or are people pretty honest with belongings.(I like to think fellow pilgrims are!) I'm not suggesting leaving things in the open, but if they're tucked securely in my pack, will it be safe overnight?
I like thinking the best of people, but I've been caught it before.

I am an older lady who travels solo, I have been on the Camino twice and stick to my motto. Trust in God but tether your camel. I keep my purse, phone and passport in my sleeping bag with me at night. I have a small bag that I take in the shower with me. Be careful but enjoy your Camino.

ncwep · Mar 3, 2023

Camino Chrissy said:
When I visited Paris I had read ahead of time about "games" that pickpockets try to cajole tourists into playing with them, never thinking it would happen to me. One was the "brass ring"; the other was the "string game". I made sure I gave a firm loud "NO thanks" to discourage those potential thieves. They were persistent and still tried to follow us.

I'm not familiar with the brass ring and the string game. I googled them but only found information about children's games.....can you tell me what these are?

Camino Chrissy · Mar 3, 2023

We kept being pestered by the same old woman who followed us, trying to convince us to take the ring..."free" she said, even when we refused to hold it.

Paris Gold Ring Scam | Paris for Visitors

After Cheryl Imboden was accosted by a con artist who tried to sell her a fake gold ring, she took photos of the ring, the petty crook, and a pair of innocent victims. An illustrated article at Parisforvisitors.com.

europeforvisitors.com

Camino Chrissy · Mar 3, 2023

Here is the String scam we were approached with. We emohatically said "no". A short time later we saw them "playing" the game with someone else.

Tourists- Watch Out for the Paris String or Bracelet Scam

The famous tourist string scam in Paris. Con artists target tourists with free string bracelets. Out-smart them and don't give them money.

www.corporatetravelsafety.com

Rick of Rick and Peg · Mar 3, 2023

A similar scam that didn't work and had a weird, funny ending.

This happened back in '88 or so in Seville I think. This was closer in time to high school and my Spanish was much better. Peg and I are walking through a nice park with nearly no one there. We are talking, in English of course. We are approached by a man with a shoeshine kit and, speaking English, offers me a free shoeshine, sort of a welcome to Spain treat. I keep declining politely but he insists it is free. I decided that I had enough and, knowing what would happen next, finally agreed. After the shine he insists on payment. I say "You said it was free." Then he says that he will involve the police. I turn, point, start walking and say in Spanish something like "Come with me, I saw a policeman at the corner." I then turn around and he is gone. He hadn't had enough time to run to any place to hide. I insist that he had to have been beamed up to the mothership.

henrythedog · Monday at 7:52 AM

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/11/women-pilgrimage-camino-de-santiago-sexual-harassment Possibly behind a paywall - it’s about time this got a public airing in the mainstream media.

slee92630 · Tuesday at 1:55 AM

I've seen a few post elsewhere that suggest bringing a small cable and some type of padlock to lock your pack when going into stores, cafes or when at hostels. Other posts have said not to worry...

blairurchin8 · Wednesday at 9:50 PM

I'm currently planning to walk the camino in June of 2025. I'm 18 and I will be alone. I was wondering if anyone has any specific safety tips or things I should know about walking that camino...

Liica · Monday at 1:29 AM

Aemet just issued a new alert for a possible new DANA in Spain this week. I don’t know where to find infos in english. Check aemet and other sources and take care everyone...

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