Safety was one of the big things that we considered before we made the trip. Just think about all the REALLY important things that you must have with you one your trip, credit cards, passport, cash. This is one thing we did right. I mentioned in the first post that we had two years to plan for this. We travel on a budget and spread out over the course of time our spending. This definitely applied to some of the items that we purchased for safety. I purchased pick pocket proof pants, shirt and a vest and Kay invested in an anti-theft crossbody travel bag. We also had RFID wallets, mine was a front pocket and hers had a ring (not a strap) on it and attached to the key fob strap inside of her purse. My slacks were pocket within a pocket etc.

All of these came in handy. I had mentioned we had a heavy itinerary and we were in our 2nd city, Naples. We were purchasing subway tickets and were in the process of trying to validate them. Kay was trying to get her purse secure when two men rushed up to us offering to help with the validation machine. I felt a hand in my pocket and pushed the guy away, Kay instantly turned to see what was going on and snatched her billfold out of the other guys hand. It was full of change and heavy. She just motioned for him to go away and they did. We had heard stories and thought that won’t happen to us, but it did. Kay got her purse secured and luckily because of what I was wearing we were alright. Shook up but alright. So it was an investment but it truly saved our trip.

Many people think that the money belts you wear under your shirt are the only way to go but I know of people that have lost their money, tickets and passports while wearing it. Kay’s purse has a strap that has a metal piece running through it so it can’t be cut, the zippers all clip and lock. They can be aggravating when trying to get to your money but safety first not cute or does it match. In Italy the tobacco shops sell tickets, bus, train, subway and we try to buy what we need there so we aren’t in a crowded place taking out money.

We have a lanyard that has a clear sleeve on the end that holds our passports. We were it everywhere we go and just stick it under our shirts. That way it can’t get stolen from our room and if we were stopped by the officials for any reason we would have our passports. This was a one time investment. I take the same clothes with me on every trip. Kay uses her bag everywhere. She got used to the security of it and it’s her go to purse.

Honestly, I think because we have gray hair that it makes us more likely to be targets. I don’t have any statistics to back it up but be aware and be prepared. Kay books whatever tickets she can ahead just so we don’t have to take our wallets out in large public places. There are only a few times that we have not been able to pre-book train tickets and that is for the smaller regional trains. You purchase those tickets the day you travel.

I mention in our travel guide that Rick Steves has a great series on You Tube promoting his tour company but also how to DIY a trip. He has a great video on safety. Throughout the blog I’ll be posting pictures (with links) of different items that we use on our travels. We are associated with Amazon Affiliates and would receive a small commission for any purchases.