10 Tips For Tourist On How To Stay Safe In Rome, Italy!
Your safety is the thing of primary importance, when you travel out to top travel destinations, where you are often vulnerable to misadventures. Rome is one of the most romantic, fantastic, and highly exotic destinations of the world. Thus, you must take care of a few things to keep yourself safe from misadventures. Here are 10 tips for traveling safe in Rome, Italy!
Generally, Rome is a secure place, but as in any big city, it’s safer if you don’t look like a visitor: don’t expose your dear cameras, camcorders, gadgets, laptops and their brands to all. Your expensive cameras dangling round your necks/shoulders or lying in vehicles or hotel rooms are often lures to thieves. If you often travel out carrying these expensive things, you should consider using camera/laptop security bags.
Termini, the main railway station, Esquilino, and bus line 64 (Termini to San Pietro) are not safe places, so extra care is needed in these areas. Gangs of thieves and pickpockets are pretty active in these areas. The best way to avoid pickpocketing is to wear a money belt. If you fall prey to any of such gangs, don’t fight these, as often these people have weapons with them. Shout for help, but do not try to go after your assaulter.
Stay safe from after dark scams. One of the most common tricks that you may come across during nights, when people are getting out the bars/clubs is that somebody will come up to you asking for a cigarette, then he/she will start doing some sort of a funny dance. Just then a person will come about from behind and run off with your purse, or wallet.
Beware of con-men who may approach you at visitor sights like Circus Maximus or the Colosseum for example, a car may stop beside you, and the person asks you for ways to the Vatican. He will start talking to you as he sits in his car, and tells you that he’s from some company and then, he will tell you he likes you, or he would like to give you a gift. As you get into his car to take the gift hamper, he will ask you for some money for petrol or gas. When you say no, he starts shouting and demands money from you; any money, any currency! So, don’t fall prey to such confidence-tricks – especially when something sounds too good to be true.
Rome is a busy place, and has more traffic all the time. So you must know the traffic rules and signals of Rome, especially when you are driving your own vehicle. Be cautious at night, especially on public transport and in busy areas, and avoid being on your own or walking in quiet places.
Avoid drinking too much. You are far more vulnerable and less capable of protecting yourself, under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Hitch-hiking may be normal in Rome, but it is awfully inadvisable. Going in a car with a drunk driver is too risky. Never hang-up on your own and debar making long journeys or entering somebody’s home you don’t know by yourself.
Do not take more money than you ought to. Don’t carry all the money in one place: spread it about your person (in a money-belt, in your bag, or any where else you thing it safe), so that if anything lost, you have adequate money to get home. You don’t always require taking all your debit/credit cards out. Leave some somewhere secure in order that if your wallet is stolen you still have access to funds.
It is better to stay at safe costlier hotel than cheap charming little out of the way hotel. You must choose the hotel room offering maximum safety and security to you & your belongings. The rooms between the 4 and 6th floors are often better for security point of view. Avoid taking ground floor rooms that have doors and windows opening to the outside. The hotels with interior hallways tend to be generally safer. For security in motels, avoid ground floor rooms off the parking lots.
Lock your hotel room well when your go out for sightseeing, or out to enjoy bars or swimming pools, and even when you go to sleep, or to hotel washrooms. The theft of items from hotel rooms is serious problem at the popular hotels of the popular tourist destinations, like Rome.
Last but not least, do buy travel insurance, travel health insurance or travel medical insurance. You travel insurance offers you a great insurance protection cover in the foreign countries. You must buy your travel insurance from reliable and reputed travel insurance companies.
By James Burrows
About the Author
Author writes for Holiday Velvet, a website providing listings for Rome holiday apartments, Rome hotels, bed and breakfasts, and Rome vacation.