When traveling abroad, most tourists will take some precautions to keep their money, valuables, and important travel documents safe and secure. Whether it’s a money pouch or a hotel room safe, there are a variety of methods to keep important items safe. But sometimes, even with careful planning and precautions, valuables are snatched by pickpockets or go missing.
In one place in Indonesia, this happens all the time. It’s not the humans that tourists have to look out for though, it’s the monkeys. These super smart and very fast monkeys will snatch whatever they can from unsuspecting tourists.
The only good thing about getting your hat, sunglasses, shoes, or cell phone stolen by a monkey is that there’s a pretty good chance that you will get your possessions returned to you — for a price! These little extortionists will steal your items and then expect a trade in the form of food to get them back. Honestly, I think these guys are pretty cute and I’d gladly trade with them.
Unfortunately, having valuable items stolen when traveling is a real risk for travelers and tourists. Flipbelt.com has some useful tips to protect your valuables when traveling:
- Leave expensive things at home — It’s best to leave your priceless items safely at home, but if you absolutely must bring them along, wear the jewelry or carry it on you instead of in luggage. At your destination, leave valuables in the hotel safe and wear them only for a special occasion.
- Don’t carry all your cash at once — When considering how to hide money on your body, its best to divvy up the money and carry only a portion of it at a time, making sure that you have easy access to some of the cash. Constantly exposing a hidden money belt may draw more attention; instead, keep some small bills and change in your front pockets or small purse.
- Make copies of your passport — Make two copies, one for someone back at home and one to carry with you; a digital copy can provide some backup.
- Use the safe in your hotel room — If you are particularly anxious about losing a certain item, many hotel front desks will have a safe there as well—but remember to collect your things before checking out.
These tips may not help with the monkey thieves, but they’re great guidelines for anyone who is traveling abroad.
Watch the amazing monkeys in the video below!
