How to Avoid The Most Common Travel Rip-Offs

Going to a new place and having a fun time with your loved ones can be a great way to blow off steam. It gives you a chance to get away from your hectic routine and take a break from the chaos of daily life.

Therefore, many people like to travel to a place they want the most and spend quality time with their loved ones. If you’re not a regular traveler or even if you are, you might have to deal with some unpleasant experiences, like dealing with travel agent scams. You may get ripped off in a new place if you don’t know enough about it, and it can ruin your trip and turn into a disaster. However, you don’t need to worry since this article will tell you about the most common travel rip-off that people face. Stick around, and you’ll find out how people might try to rip you off and how to avoid those people.

Crafty cab drivers:

When you reach a new country, you will need to do most of your traveling in cabs because they are convenient and traveling by public transport might be quite tough for a newbie in the country. These cab rides can cost you a lot of money, and you should know that when cab drivers find out that you are a tourist, they will try their best to do financial harm to you. Therefore, you must be careful while paying fare because these drivers are very quick with their hands and can easily replace a $50 note with a $5 bill and a $100 bill with a $10 bill. If you’re not paying attention, you might not catch him doing this, and then you’ll have to pay extra money because at that point there isn’t much you can do.

Moreover, when you’re in a foreign country, you won’t want to have a banter with the driver, and you’ll have to make peace with it. However, now you shouldn’t worry about it since you can easily avoid this by just being extra cautious. Before you hand over the money to the driver you should say “here is a $50”. It will make it difficult for the driver to deceive you as you have already mentioned the amount of money you are paying.  One thing you should keep in mind that paying your cab fare in local currency is also a great way to avoid a rip-off.

Currency conversion scam:

Currency conversion can be quite tricky, and it is something that you should learn about before going to a foreign country. One must know that it is something that happens all over the world because it is relatively easy to trick tourists. When you go to a new country, you mostly don’t know how much your money is worth in the local currency, and it can make things difficult. Therefore, whenever you’re going to a money conversion shop to get your money converted, you can easily be scammed.

One easy way to avoid a mishap like this is to google how much your money is worth in the local currency. If someone tries to scam you, then you should show them what google says, and they will have to pay you the exact amount and if they still refuse to pay you the exact amount you can easily take your money can go to another shop.

Beware of “traveler’s tax”:

In most countries, vendors and shop keepers jack up their prices the moment they realize that you’re a foreigner. It is often referred to as “traveler’s tax”. It happens around the world that shopkeepers and retailers take traveler’s tax from visitors, but every tourist must know that it’s just a way to scam the travelers and get their money. A great way to avoid this scam is to act like a local, learn some local phrases because they will help you during shopping haggling with shopkeepers. However, if you don’t know any phrases of the local language, then you should get knowledge about the markets & places you’re visiting beforehand. Moreover, you can also search the market for the best prices because you will find good people. Furthermore, you might find an honest shopkeeper who will sell you the goods at the original rate.

The vanishing tour guide:

When inexperienced travelers go to a new place, they tend to look for a tour guide to navigate the unfamiliar surroundings, and it increases their chances of getting scammed. Tour guides might charge them a lot of money, but that is not the end of it. The moment you take your eye of your luggage they can take it and vanish, and you won’t know what to do. Moreover, you will be left without your money and luggage in an unfamiliar area.

Such situations are easily avoidable since you don’t need a tour guide because we have modern technology now. Therefore, let google be your tour guide, and you can do all your research over the internet and find the best locations to visit. Google maps will help you find the way, and you’ll be able to have fun without worrying about a tour guide.

However, when you’re in a new place, then capturing photos is necessary. Keep a good camera with you such as Nikon D3300. This camera’s lenses can be found everywhere, and one can purchase best lenses for Nikon D3300 from Cameraseals.

Beware of con artists:

After a long and tiresome flight, everyone could use a drink to unwind. Therefore, going to a bar after reaching your destination seems a great idea, but it is not since there are a lot of con artists who look for tourists and travelers so they can deceive. It happens when they talk to you in a friendly tone, and they get you drunk, and after getting you drunk, they steal your luggage, papers, and wallet. Therefore, you should be more careful about having a drink at a bar with a stranger. Some people share their experiences about how they’re overwhelmed and couldn’t be able to think straight after getting robbed this way.

However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go to a bar; you should just be a little bit more cautious and keep all your valuables near to you.

Remember, if you are cautious and vigilant, you can avoid most of the scammers. If you’re going on a trip to an unfamiliar place, just keep the points mentioned above in your mind, and you’re sure to have a good time.

Author Bio:

Henry Taylor is an IT expert and researcher. He is obsessed with all the digital accessories and photography. Henry also takes a keen interest in vlogging and loves to share his photographs on Instagram. He regularly posts at Cameraseals.com.

Additional resources and useful info: 

-Working with imports? Learn more about customs bonds

-No experience traveling abroad? 8 useful tips for you

-Why travel is actually good for your mental health