TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

It's an unfortunate truth of the traveler's life that not everybody he meets abroad is out to help him. In fact, there's a whole host of people that make a living scamming tourists. And while these people are fortunately few and far between - and traveling is certainly safe, especially in Western Europe, it can be easy to fall for a scam, and even worse, a moment's distraction can lose you your passport or your wallet. There are several scams that are particularly well-known in major European cities, and forewarned is forearmed! So read on for a guide on how to spot the major offenders.

1) PRETTY GIRLS DON'T JUST WALK UP TO YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET
If it's true at home, it's true here. Europe is not a magical place where gorgeous, adoring females (or males) just fall out of the sky and ask you to go for a drink. It's far more likely that these girls work for that "great new place down the road" they suggest, and even more likely, that the bar is paying them to bring you in, order a few drinks on your tab (whether you offer to or not), and distract you from noticing either a swapped menu or fine print on the original stating exorbitantly expensive (think 1000 euro) drink prices or "hostess fees." And the bar will get very, very angry when you refuse to pay. Didn't notice that ferocious-looking bouncer in the corner? He'll escort you to an ATM to make sure you can cover the full, however unfair, bill.

2) THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS
A popular scam is to set up gambling tables on the street, inviting viewers to put some money beneath a cup. The person behind the table will mix them up, and if the viewer "wins," then offer a prize. But that prize doesn't unfortunately ever exchange hands; the cups are swapped. And, if you aren't looking, your wallet might vanish from your pocket along with the money you gambled.

3) YOU CAN'T GET SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
This scam is particularly egregious in Paris. Children or women will run up to you and give you a ring they "found" and are sure it's "yours." When you at last accept, out of sheer frustration, this expensive-looking but worthless ring, they demand a great deal of money for their services, and harass you until you give it up....