Taxi window obstruction
byThis is my view out the taxi window. Or rather, this is my view OF the taxi window. I’m outraged. This is the entire…
Travel
The Pigeon Poop Pickpocket Ploy
byThe Pigeon Poop Pickpocket Ploy as perpetrated in Barcelona is devious. We discover the original Pigeon Poop Perp, who pretends to offer goodness. In…
Thieves look like you and me
byA good reminder, thanks to the Stockholm Police Department.
Pickpocket-proof clothes
byPickpocket-proof clothes. The pros discuss the pros. There aren’t too many cons, except for those we foil wearing pickpocket-proof clothes.
Living statue street performers levitate
byLiving statue street performers Living statue street performers in Europe have learned a new trick. Now they levitate. I’ve seen these floating swamis in…
How pickpockets steal from inside jacket pockets
byHow pickpockets steal from inside jacket pockets usually involves the application of something disgusting, much like the pigeon poop pickpocket does. Occasionally, they use…
Airline seat scam at U.S. Airways
byI’m ready for lousy treatment from airlines. I expect it. Even from U.S. Airways, a member of the Star Alliance, of which I’m a…
Hotel oddity #38
byHere’s another hotel oddity. The Marine Plaza Hotel in Mumbai got it a little wrong. The nice fabric shower curtain is on the inside,…
Bangkok theft from tuk-tuk passengers
byBangkok theft has gotten bad enough that police have posted warnings about theft from tuk-tuk passengers. The convenient little auto-rickshaws, ubiquitous on the streets…
Durian, the fragrant/foul fruit
byDurian. You love it. You hate it. Or you’ve never had it. This powerfully-fragrant fruit from Southeast Asia is considered so foul-smelling by some…
Hotel security: room door left open by housekeeping
byA lightning bolt of fear shoots down your spine when, returning late to your hotel room, you see the door is not fully closed….
The three-shell game – part 3
byThe Pea Game Shills and Shells “It’s the talk that’s important,” Serge insisted, about the pea game. Each forceful word sent a curl of…
The three-shell game – part 2
byHow the 3 shell game works. Video tape is a wonderful diagnostic tool when it comes to sleight of hand. In slow motion, we…
The three-shell game
byPavement wagers. Copenhagen’s pedestrian shopping street is an ideal venue for the three-shell game, also called the pea game. Several competing crews set up…
Hotel oddity #37
byThe floating sign. As if the preponderance of signs in hotel rooms were not in-your-face enough. For this hotel in Berlin, messages stuck on…
Four cows in a truck in Egypt
byFour cows appeared like a mirage, sizzling in the squiggly heat waves off the never-ending road. Our hot, monotonous drive across Egypt had dulled…
Avoid becoming victim of theft and scams on vacation
byOn the set before filming this live segment for ABC News, Bob Arno stole a wallet from one of the camera operators. The producers…
Outrageous excuse delays return of found lost luggage
by“We can’t export your found lost-luggage because it contains an artificial hand which requires the permission of the ministry of health.” I’m starting with…
Pickpockets prefer women. Why and what to do.
byPickpockets prefer women! It’s not that we’re any less savvy. It’s the darn handbag. It’s simply easier for a pickpocket to slip his fingers…
Theft-proof vacation travel
byTheft-proof vacation Just about now, millions of people are thinking about summer travel. For many, it will be foreign travel. Novice or expert, it…
Hotel Oddity #36
byOur hotel in Naples was on the second floor (they call it the first floor). We didn’t notice it had an elevator until the…
Horn OK please
by“Horn OK Please,” in one form or another, is written prominently on the back of almost every truck—large or small—in Mumbai. The signs intrigued…
Pizza fumé
bySounds good, but it’s not what you think if you’re imagining a fragrant, wood-smoked Margherita pie. Back in Naples, lunching at the tiniest pizza…
The Unattended Purse
byJust a little reminder to women… A thief needs only a few seconds to assume ownership of unattended riches. Those few seconds are easily…
Hotel oddity #35
byANOTHER hotel getting personal, just trying to help. This one’s in Berlin. The sign’s in the shower, where we’re exhorted to pay attention to…
Interview in an Opium Den – Pickpockets in Morocco
byIn a dim, smoky opium den, we faced the backlit profile of the Moroccan pickpocket. He barely looked at us, concentrating instead on our…
Pickpocket beggars
byOn the heels of the Louvre pickpocket debacle, here’s a profile of two exuberant Roma women pickpocket beggars who tell us how they do…
Pickpockets in the Louvre
byPickpockets running rife in the Louvre—nothing new there. Pickpockets acting aggressively: in our 20 years of active street crime research, we’ve been flipped off,…
Nature’s bed bug trap
byAs a very frequent traveler, I can’t let myself focus on the nightmare of hotel bed bug infestations. I’m queasily aware of the increasing…
Hotel oddity #34
byBuilt into the wall, this spotlit treasure on display in a glass box with an oval opening. Found in our room in Cologne’s lovely…