SCAMS: FORWARNED IS FOREARMED                                            

           

When you travel, scams are just as much a part of the landscape as they are at home, but your vulnerability multiplies in an unfamiliar place. At home, where you speak the language and use familiar currency, people still fall prey to scams, such as phishing scams, telemarketers, and fake checks, among many others. On the road, you may be jet-lagged, and you are almost definitely dealing with an unfamiliar environment, currency, and culture. Your guard is down, you are anxious, and your desire to be polite and culturally appropriate is heightened. This is where the classic "con man," or confidence man, thrives.

A seemingly well-intentioned local might strike up a conversation, learn you are looking for a last-minute tour of the rainforest, and suddenly reveal they are a guide or know "just the guy." You pay a deposit, and they vanish. Or, they show up and you take a subpar tour where they pocket a substantial commission you could have easily avoided. Other times, the hustle is more subtle. A friendly, English-speaking local at a Vietnamese bus station spots your guidebook, politely asks if you need help, and assists by pointing you toward a bus bound for your destination, which you dutifully confirm with the bus driver. You get on and go, thanking the stranger profusely, only to realize later that you were intentionally misdirected onto a longer, non-direct route just so your helpful guide could secure a small kickback from the driver. To avoid these situations when you are on the road, you have to understand some of the tactics and prepare yourself before you step out of your comfort zone.

Travel broadens the mind, and I do not want to put anyone off traveling or create a scenario where a traveler is paralyzed by fear, spending more time watching out for scams than enjoying the trip. Being scammed a little is, in my opinion, unavoidable, not always worth the effort it takes to avoid, and in some cases can even lead to amusing anecdotes you repeat to fellow travelers in the future as a type of "war story" from the road. You are destined to pay a tourist markup in many cases because of where you are and how you are perceived, so my advice is to let the little ones go.

But just as travel broadens the mind, it can open your wallet unnecessarily. This is a case where to be forewarned is to be forearmed. If you understand the psychology of the con and learn how to verify information independently, you will be able to protect yourself and your money without spending your day sitting at the pier in Tangier, too afraid to venture out.

 

The Major Categories of Travel Scams

 

1. The "Helpful" Guide

Misdirection is the key here. The guide purposely misdirects you to longer transit routes, fake ticket offices, specific taxis, restaurants, or certain tours just to earn a kickback from the businesses they steer you toward.

• The Fix: Look for official signage. Ask at a help desk inside the airport or at your hotel front desk before you even step onto the street. Technology is your friend here. Use reputable travel apps, online maps, and real-time online passenger information displays, or bus and train schedules, to confirm exactly how to get where you are going, down to the exact departure time and route number, or where the restaurant is located.

 

2. They Know Exactly What You Want

In certain destinations, most travelers are looking to see the exact same attractions or eat at the same famous spots. This friendly local knows your intended itinerary as well as you do. A con man may try to steer you away from your destination and toward shops, restaurants, or tours that pay them a commission, which usually cost you more and are not what you wanted. You will hear things like, "The Reclining Buddha is closed today, but I know a better place," or you will find copycat restaurants in India that have adopted the exact same name, or a very similar name, as the famous spot you are searching for.

• The Fix: Pre-book your tickets online or check official schedules and operating hours using trusted platforms like Tripadvisor or verified hotel travel desks.

 

3. The Fake Authority Figure

This person stands in a spot where you would naturally expect an authority figure to be stationed, often wearing an official-looking badge or name tag. They will ask to see your passport and claim there is a hidden fee or fine owed before you can proceed.

• The Fix: Resist handing your wallet or passport over to anyone, especially on the street in an informal setting. Many travel advice sites warn to never hand over your passport for any reason. Frankly, I find that impossible to comply with. Certain hotels legally need to make copies. On past trips, I have had a guide or even a bus driver collect everyone's passports in order to get us through customs expeditiously. It is a judgment call. Sometimes, showing a little resistance to giving it up will lead to an alternative solution; other times, you have to go with your gut. I assumed the bus driver at the Nicaraguan border was not going to abscond with the passports belonging to every passenger on the bus, and he did not.

 

4. The Distraction Technique

This is a well-known tactic, but it is still incredibly easy to miss when it is actively happening to you. Scammer groups will create a scene: a street performance, a fake fight, an artificial diversion, someone dropping coins, or someone asking you to help them read a map. While you are looking at the commotion, an accomplice picks your pocket or slips your bag from underneath your seat at a Buenos Aires bus station.

• The Fix: Secure your valuables in an inner zippered pocket or a secure money belt. If a distraction occurs, keep your hands on your belongings. Do the same when walking through heavy crowds, especially around street performers. Do not go out of your way to be helpful until you have fully assessed the situation and are certain it is safe to do so.

 

5. Super Aggressive Touts

What do Cairo, Marrakech, Jaipur, Paris, and Siem Reap have in common? Touts are everywhere, but certain areas in these cities are frequently cited as having the most aggressive touts in the world. They will relentlessly crowd your personal space, aggressively trying to force you into taking camel or horse rides into the desert, or pushing unwanted tours and transport options. Before traveling, I thought the word tout had to do with betting, but it comes from a word for a lookout, as in these people are looking out for travelers to approach and try to sell stuff to.

• The Fix: Everyone suggests a firm response, but obviously the touts have read the playbook. They try not to be deterred by a basic refusal, so you must try to be highly assertive. Just do not panic, especially if you have shown a modicum of interest and now the touts are multiplying. Walk away like you know where you are going, and do not feel bad about ignoring them. If you do not know where you are going, that is another issue. There is nothing worse than having to ask an aggressive tout for directions, but it happens. If you must engage them for help, they can usually point the way, but they will also take it as an opportunity to play on your sympathies, so it is a trade-off.

 

The Golden Rules of Scam Prevention

• Do Your Homework Early: Read up on Reddit travel threads and forums before you go. Google the specific scams common to that country or city. If a scam has worked in the past, its use will likely continue. Before you visit a country, do some research and find out whether bargaining is normal practice, if tipping is customary, what a taxi from the airport should roughly cost, and whether taxis are normally metered or if it is more of a flat-fee bargaining situation. Ask your hotel what a cab or ride-share should cost to get to your destination and back. Do not be paranoid; just be forewarned. If the actual cost ends up being a little bit more, live with it. It is not an exact science.

• Learn the Art of an Assertive "No": Master saying "no" firmly while continuing to move forward. You might occasionally miss a genuine interaction, but you can avoid dozens of aggressive sales pitches and potential trouble. It is an art form you can practice anywhere, from the beaches of Kenya to the Pyramids of Giza. If you do choose to engage, know exactly what you want and be completely willing to walk away. Say no clearly, keep your stride, and never look back.

• Refuse Unscheduled Route Detours: If you do choose to engage, know exactly what you want and be completely willing to walk away. Say no if your driver wants to make an unscheduled stop to show you "local artisans" or pull over for a meal you did not ask for. You will not always avoid this, and if you are interested, feel free to partake, but firmness is key.

• Verify, Don't Just Trust: We all want to trust people. In the end, the uncomfortable feeling you have when a local gives you advice and is proven right, even though you doubted them, is a very small price to pay for the times you successfully avoid taking a rainforest tour with a guide who does not know a snake from a stick.

There is always going to be a certain amount of markup or advantage-taking when you are on the road. Like I said, do not make your trip a paranoid quest to avoid every single tourist markup ever concocted. Just do not be uninformed. When you have a solid sense of control over your surroundings, it makes a massive, positive impact on how much you actually enjoy the journey.

 

P.S. The Wild West of Taxis

Taxis deserve their own special mention because transit is the absolute easiest place to get taken for a ride, both literally and financially. From the broken meter trick to the "scenic route" detour, cab scams are a global rite of passage. Here is how to keep them honest, though as a side note, sometimes it cannot be done:

• Bypass the Street with Apps: The single best protection against taxi scams is technology. Whenever possible, use local ride-hailing apps like Uber Uber, Grab Grab, or Bolt Bolt. The price is locked in, the route is tracked via GPS, and no cash changes hands. It can be hit or miss as to whether these drivers know exactly where you are going since they are many times over-reliant on their GPS, so attempt to confirm with them where you are going and that they know where it is (they will always say they do) before the trip starts. Then, if you end up in the wrong location and have to reroute, you will at least have a better argument to make about why you should not be charged for an additional ride. In these cases, a dispute filed directly with the company will often result in a refund if you were charged for a second ride. Also, in some countries, ride-share apps do not get you any cheaper fares than standard taxis, and in other countries, the apps simply call a regular taxi. At least in the former scenario, you get a set fare you can pay electronically.

• Agree on the Rules Before You Get In: If you must use a traditional taxi, never close the door until the price is settled. Ask, "Meter or flat rate?" If they claim the meter is broken, ask them to fix it or get out, or agree on the flat rate and live with it. If it is a flat-rate city, agree on the total price for all passengers and luggage before the car moves.

• Watch out for the "Wrong Change" Sleight of Hand: A classic trick involves you handing over a large bill, only for the driver to quickly drop it, swap it for a much smaller note, and claim you underpaid. When paying with large bills, look the driver in the eye, hand over the note, and say the denomination out loud: "Here is a fifty."

• The "Shared Fare" Bait-and-Switch: In many places, it is common practice to share a larger taxi or a shuttle van with other travelers heading in the same direction. The scam happens when a driver quotes a low total price, but once you arrive, they claim that price was per person, not for the whole group. If you are sharing a ride with others, whether they are strangers or friends, explicitly clarify the financial terms before loading your bags. Point to the group and ask, "Is this price for all of us together, or per seat?" Get a clear answer from the driver before you pull away.

• The Danger of Splitting Cabs to Different Destinations: Trying to share a cab with other travelers who are heading to different locations almost never works out fairly. If you are going to the exact same destination, you can easily make a deal between yourselves beforehand. But if you are going to different places, even if they are right near each other, the math gets messy fast. In a perfect world, you would split the fare proportionally at the first stop, and the second person would pay the remaining balance between the two places. What actually happens is much less honest. The driver accepts the full fare from the first group, leaves the meter running, and then demands the full fare all over again from the second group. In a foreign country with a steep language barrier, setting up a complex, multi-stop split before the car starts moving is incredibly difficult to communicate. Save yourself the headache: if you are not going to the exact same drop-off point, get your own cab.

 

Our Experiences

1. Unscheduled Driver Delays: We experienced multiple variations of unscheduled delays by private drivers. This included detours to see ceramics or other crafts globally, stopping to see civet cats where they make coffee out of their feces in Bali, and a driver stopping to eat in Vietnam when we refused to eat, resulting in the driver sitting around smoking while we waited.

2. The "Closed Attraction" Good Samaritans: Locals falsely telling you attractions are closed, such as the Reclining Buddha in Thailand, or intentionally misdirected to the wrong bus in Vietnam. This has happened multiple other times that we cannot immediately recall.

3. The Ha Long Bay Floating Restaurant Trap: Falling for the isolated floating restaurant trap in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. They lure you in with a "free boat ride" out to the restaurant. Once there, you hand-pick a fish right from a holding tank built into the floor. The trap closes when they weigh it: seafood is priced by the kilo, and they purposely cook a massive portion far larger than you wanted. Because you are isolated on the water, there is no way back to dry land without paying their heavily inflated bill unless you plan on swimming back. We fell for this and paid a lot more than we should have.

4. Fake Tour Guides: Encountering fake guides in Thailand at Khao Yai, where we caught it in time, and at Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica, where we unfortunately fell for it.

5. General Misdirection: Experiencing intentional misdirection by almost every tuk-tuk driver in Thailand and plenty of regular cab drivers. While some we fell for and some we did not, it was usually not that expensive, just annoying.

6. Cloned Business Names: Dealing with copycat establishments, a tactic India is famous for. For example, “Pehelwan Lassi” is famous in Varanasi for having many imitation spots on the same street operating under the exact same or highly similar names.

7. Over-Aggressive Touts: Confronting intense hawkers in all of the cities named above and many more. When visiting Giza, they will aggressively try to force you into taking camel or horse rides into the desert or sell you trinkets. There were special tourist police on camels and horses carrying small quirts to keep the touts away, but the touts would simply circle right back as soon as the police looked the other way. The authorities have tried to remedy some of this by creating a more organized way to access the Giza area, but we will believe it when we see it.

8. Taxis in Rhodes. While Greek taxis are technically supposed to use meters, none on Rhodes do putting you at their mercy for a fixed price to some extent. At some taxi stands there are boards which show the fixed price to most of the common destinations. Even with the fixed (surely already inflated) price depicted in big letters in plain view most of the drivers have when first asked inflated the price by a euro or two, when confronted with the price on the board the usual argument is that the place you are asking to go is not directly in town. The size of most of the towns on Rhodes kind of makes this laughable, but most drivers have ended up agreeing to the posted price.  

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                                                                   MONEY, MONEY MONEY....

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Another thing that seems to worry and confuse would-be travelers is foreign currency. There are some people who reference this as one of the anxieties that causes them the most hesitancy about traveling abroad. But, having just stepped outside for a second and seen the white village of Lindos below me as I write this, it would be sad to miss an experience like this over a simple inability to convert currencies. Another aspect of spending money abroad that befuddles some is converting currency to an understandable value once they arrive. Fortunately, I have a reliable solution to that as well.

 

First, don’t shy away from using foreign currency. I’ve seen travelers pack hundreds of dollars in U.S. currency of different denominations just to avoid using the native money. While credit cards can be a lifeline, and are increasingly accepted in even the most remote places, they are not accepted everywhere.

As with many aspects of travel, technology has come to the rescue to some extent. We recently spent 30 days in London without spending any actual cash, except on “pocket tissues” using leftover currency Jennie and I had collected during past trips (most of which was unspendable for other reasons), and on the final day when I had to get rid of a five-pound note I won on a bar bet. London is virtually cashless, and Stockholm is going that way as well. In fact, we took out some Swedish krona to gamble with on our cruise (turned out we needed Euros) and had a hard time spending it over the next few weeks because most establishments simply would not accept cash. As technology advances, you are far more likely to find yourself in a cashless environment where you simply tap your card and the conversion to U.S. dollars is done right before your eyes.

Still, my suggestion is to take out a predetermined amount of the local currency at the airport upon arrival, right before getting into the cab to your first destination. It is never a guarantee that you will be able to pay a cab driver with a credit card. While there is a slight chance the driver or other merchants might accept U.S. dollars, if they do, you will be entirely at their mercy. The exchange rate will not be good, and it’s unlikely you’ll understand it anyway.

To resolve any worries you have about how to obtain the necessary foreign currency and how to spend it once you have it, there are some tried-and-true methods. First, figure out the exchange rate before you go. There are plenty of apps and online sites that will do this for you. Second, to avoid having to type the amount into a calculator every time you look at the price tag of a t-shirt, create a mental cheat sheet. On our recent trip to Sweden, the math was easy: 100 krona equals approximately $10.00 ($10.17 to be exact), making the mental breakdown relatively straightforward. It’s not always that easy, especially in countries like Uganda, where 1 U.S. dollar equals roughly 3,939 Ugandan shillings. That looks intimidating, but if you round up on your mental cheat sheet and equate 1 U.S. dollar to 4,000 shillings, you’ll only be off by about one cent for every dollar. There is not much risk of going broke over a rounding error that small.

 

Second, use an ATM to get your cash. Gone are the days of traveler's checks, finding a place that would accept them, and ensuring you’d adhered to the signature/countersignature protocol. Also on its way out is the Cambio or currency exchange bureau. Depending on the country, these can range from a sterile, official transaction with a teller in an airport to a transaction on the street with a fast-talking hawker, which feels more like paying off a weekly balance with a bookie than exchanging legal tender. A foreign ATM provides direct access to cash at standard interbank exchange rates, which are significantly more favorable and cost-effective than the steep markups charged by official money changers, and vastly better than the rates you'll get on the street. ATMs also offer unmatched convenience by allowing you to withdraw local currency in manageable amounts, avoiding the safety risks associated with carrying large cushions of pre-exchanged cash.

 

This strategy is entirely contingent on you avoiding fees by adopting two simple habits. First, always choose to be billed in the local currency rather than U.S. dollars when prompted by the machine. This rejects Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), a notorious trap that allows the local ATM operator to apply a heavily marked-up, inflated exchange rate. Second, completely eliminate out-of-network penalties and operator surcharges by opening a travel-friendly account. Institutions like Charles Schwab (which we’ve used for years), Fidelity, and Betterment offer specialized checking accounts that provide unlimited worldwide ATM fee refunds and charge zero foreign transaction fees.

It also seems appropriate to address an ancillary issue not necessarily related to foreign currency but which can be anxiety-inducing just the same. Just as finding an ATM in a town you're not familiar with in the U.S. can be difficult, ending up in the rare situation where a business doesn’t take credit cards happens at home as well (our local Chinese restaurant, for instance). However, when this happens and you’re in a foreign country, it significantly heightens anxiety levels. While getting stuck without acceptable funds while traveling is stressful, encountering a complete financial dead-end is highly unlikely in today's interconnected world. Even in remote corners of the globe, the universal language of trade and hospitality means a solution is always within reach. On the very rare occasion you find yourself in a place with no ATMs, no card readers, and an empty pocket of local cash, human resourcefulness takes over.

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Jennie and I have navigated these exact moments creatively all over the world. In the Lofoten Islands, there was only one ATM, and because of its distance from the mainland, the machine frequently ran out of cash, we simply got up early and made sure we were first in line when it opened to access the funds. In Nicaragua, we arrived at our hotel late at night, after an all-day bus ride only to be informed they didn't accept cards. Luckily, a friendly bar patron with a motorcycle generously offered to ride me back to the town where the bus had just dropped us off  so I could grab cash. In Ometepe, when we didn't have enough cash to cover both our hotel and the excursions we’d taken at a remote lodge, the owner trusted us to ride to the ferry terminal, withdraw the money there, and hand it to our driver, who then brought it back to pay him. 

Other times, we've relied on the kindness and creativity of guides. I once had a guide pay for our hotel upfront, and I reimbursed him later when we finally reached a location with a working ATM. Most recently in Rwanda, I borrowed $100 from a local tour guide who happened to know our guide just to pay a border crossing fee; in exchange, we gave him a ride to his house and stopped at an ATM along the way to pay him back. There are also increasingly secure peer-to-peer transfer systems that you can use via a phone’s hotspot, though many of these need to be downloaded in advance since they aren't always easily accessible with a U.S. phone number. Time and time again, hotel operators, tour guides, and locals have trusted us to go out and find whatever cash was needed to settle our balance (sometimes even leaving Jennie behind as "collateral!"). Communities in popular travel areas are entirely accustomed to helping travelers, and with a little patience and mutual trust, these financial hiccups transform into memorable stories rather than crises.

 

Ultimately, managing money in a foreign country doesn’t require an economics degree; it just requires a bit of preparation. By setting up the right banking account before you leave and learning to do a bit of mental math, you can completely eliminate the financial friction of international travel. Don't let the fear of a different currency keep you from booking a ticket. The world is too interesting, and the places awaiting you are too cool, to let a little bit of change stand in your way.

 

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                                                                Pack for Reality to Avoid Overpacking

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Some people are able to walk off a twelve-hour flight, bypass the baggage carousel, and step straight out into a new city. They’re entirely free. Realistically, not everyone is cut out to be a hardcore minimalist. We personally don’t travel with just a tiny rucksack, and I’m not suggesting you become a bohemian backpacker who glides from hostel to hostel. But, in most cases, we limit ourselves to just one main backpack apiece weighing less than 25 lbs. Even if we choose to check it to keep our hands free at the airport and avoid security hassles and overhead bin nightmares, keeping the weight that low means no aching shoulders and no struggling to lift a massive suitcase onto a crowded bus or subway car. We also bring one “carry-on” apiece containing our camera gear. Because photography is a passion, that camera is our one non-negotiable item. Many people have told me that they could never reach even that level of minimalism. I’m saying you can, and that each step you take toward bringing less stuff with you is liberating.

You do not need to become a strict minimalist overnight to reap the rewards of traveling lighter; it’s a spectrum. Wherever you currently sit on that spectrum, you can take steps to get closer to lighter travel, and in the end, you’ll be surprised at how little you actually need and how much better it feels not to have to carry extra stuff from place to place.

 

First, Ignore the “What-ifs”

Many people pack for scenarios that will likely never happen: “What if I get invited to a wedding while on the trip?”, “What if there is a sudden drop in temperature, even though it’s summer?”, “What if I need my hair dryer/curling iron/travel pillow/full-sized toiletries/flashlight?” To truly pack light, you have to drop the "what-ifs" and shift to a more practical question: "What is the worst-case scenario if I do not bring this?" In 99% of cases, the answer to that question is easily solved. If it rains, you buy an umbrella from a street vendor. Most hotels and Airbnb’s have hair dryers. If you absolutely need a piece of clothing due to an unexpected change in weather or a wedding invite—and there is a good chance you won’t—buy it. In an emergency, you can buy toiletries, basic clothing, and medicine almost anywhere on earth. Don’t pack for hypothetical emergencies; pack for reality. 

 

When packing for any journey of more than a week, pack seven days' worth of underwear. For everything else, try this standard formula: pack as if you’re going away for five days. Don’t pack a unique outfit for every day or try to anticipate all the things you might need for all the days you’ll be away; instead:

1. Pack for the number of days listed above, including the clothes you wear on the plane (i.e., be wearing one of the 5 outfits). When you’ve reached the end of the rotation, simply wash a few items and repeat. Bring a stain remover pen and travel-size odor-eliminating fabric spray for spot cleaning. 

2. Stick strictly to a cohesive color palette. Pack three tops for every bottom. If an item only works with one specific outfit, leave it at home. 

3. Pack clothes made from materials that naturally resist odors, are breathable, and dry quickly—stuff you can wash in the sink. Avoid denim and 100% cotton. 

4. Tightly roll your clothes instead of folding to eliminate pockets of air and prevent wrinkles. Packing cubes, some of which allow you to eliminate excess air, can be helpful. 

 

Embrace Doing Laundry and Only Pack Travel-Sizes

Doing laundry while on vacation can be a great way to meet locals or experience another side of a location, but if that's not for you, it does not have to mean spending hours inside a laundromat. 

1. Wash socks and underwear in the sink every few nights. Hang them up to dry overnight and they should be ready by morning.

2. Don’t bring laundry detergent; bring dry laundry detergent strips. They take up less space and won’t leak in your bag.

3. For toiletries, stick to travel-sized instead of full-sized. This also helps if you need to keep certain items in your carry-on in case luggage gets lost. Basics like shampoo and sunscreen can be purchased at your destination if the travel-size items you bring run out. 

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Only Bring the Shoes and Accessories You’ll Definitely Need

Shoes and tech accessories are the fastest ways to accidentally overpack your bag. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to anticipate every need. 

1. Shoes take up the most physical space. Limit yourself to a maximum of two pairs. Wear your bulkiest, heaviest pair (like hiking boots or sneakers) on travel days, and pack a single, flat pair of versatile shoes in your luggage. 

2. Don’t pack a thick jacket, sweater, or heavy boots inside your luggage. Wear those items onto the airplane or train. You can always take your jacket off and use it as a pillow once you are in your seat. 

3. Skip specialized travel pillows or niche electronic gadgets unless they are absolutely necessary. If you aren't a professional photographer, leave the heavy gear behind; your phone can handle your navigation, photography, and reading materials, and you’re bringing that anyway. 

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Double Halve

Skillful packing takes practice and you will likely not achieve "one-bag perfection" on your very next vacation. If the 5-day rule feels too rigid, try the “double halves rule” instead. First, lay out everything you intend to pack and immediately remove exactly half of the items, keeping in mind the concepts discussed above. Then repeat the process by cutting the remaining pile in half a second time. Lastly, close the luggage and don’t open it until you arrive at your destination.

 

By letting go of the "what-ifs" and aiming to get to a lighter load through halving what you would usually bring twice (or at least as close as you can get to that goal on the first try), you will spend less time packing, less money on airline baggage fees, and more time enjoying the journey without dragging unnecessary items around the world.