Getting scammed and ripped off are every traveler’s nightmare. Here are some USEFUL AND EFFECTIVE tips on how to avoid them!

I’m sure that it is every traveler’s wish to have a peaceful and uneventful visit to their holiday’s destination.

Sadly though, there are many sketchy people out there, lurking for every opportunities to take advantage of tourists with their devious practices of scams and rip-offs. And it can happen to all of us.

That’s why in this post I am going to provide you with some tips on how to avoid rip-offs and scams while traveling.

While it’s almost impossible to know when you will get scammed, it is more important for you to be aware of the situations where you run a risk of getting ripped off, and what you should do when these situations arise. Here you go!

How to Effectively Avoid Tourist Scams and Rip-Offs

To start with, let me try to sketch the settings and practices that the scammers usually employ to trick you. After that, I will explain what you should do in that particular situation.

Case #1: Money Changers

Beware of the money changers, especially at the airport. Not only that they often have unfavorable exchange rates, but they also can charge you a ridiculous amount of commission on top.

In some cities like Prague, for example, the money changers at the airport charge 5% commission of the exchanged amount. Simply ridiculous!

In addition, there are increasing numbers of tourists getting scammed on the streets with fake money, like this case in Prague where tourists get Belarusian Rubles, instead of Czech Koruna.

What to do:

#1 – Avoid exchanging money at the airport, and do it in the city instead. Guaranteed, you will get a much better rate than at the airport.

#2 – If you are unavoidably cash-pressed at the airport, for instance, to pay for the taxi, consider withdrawing cash from ATM instead. But make sure you research the cost first. FYI, I also provide this information in my previous city guide, like for Dubai and Abu Dhabi and Ho Chi Minh City.

#3 – NEVER exchanging money with a stranger on the street! Make sure you only exchange your money at a decent and honest money exchange places.

Case #2: Airport Baggage Porters

Image courtesy of Budapest Airport

In most airports especially in Asia, you will recognize them as those guys standing at the baggage claim area, offering to help you carry your heavy luggage.

Some of those guys are indeed official porters from the airport, usually dressed in uniform, but some of them are not. In both cases, you still need to be careful and don’t be afraid to be a little assertive.

What to do:

#1 – Find an official porter dressed in uniform, and ask first what they charge.

#2 – If they insist to carry your luggage anyway before telling you what they charge, ask them to stop

#3 – Only ask them to help you, once you agree with what they charge. Otherwise, just politely reject their offer and walk away

#4 – Some major airports, like Singapore Changi Airport and London Heathrow Airport, offer an official porter service and allow you to book it in advance prior to your arrival. This way you avoid the risk of getting ripped off by an individual porter.

Case #3: Taxi

You must have heard already about the common taxi scams like the overcharged fare, broken meters or endlessly driving around longer than needed. In all of these cases, the taxi driver just tries to rip you off and let you pay more than what you should.

Don’t get me wrong. There are many honest taxi drivers out there. In fact, I have met the friendliest, coolest and most honest taxi drivers in cities like Athens, Madrid, and Helsinki.

Sadly, there are still many bad apples out there. Taking a taxi becomes increasingly a pain in the neck for many tourists nowadays, especially in cities where this problem is endemic like Prague, Paris, and Bangkok. And the worst of all, they also increasingly have a very bad service and rude towards customers.

What to do:

#1 – Before taking a taxi, always try to find out first how much a certain trip may cost. You can do this by asking your hotel’s concierge to give you a fair estimate of taxi cost and duration.

#2 – Once you get into a taxi, always ask the driver to run the meter. If they refuse or start bargaining with you, don’t be afraid to ask him to pull over and get out of the taxi immediately.

#3 – If you take a taxi from the airport to your hotel, only take an official airport taxi. And don’t forget to ask your hotel for a fair estimate of taxi cost and duration beforehand.

#4 – Avoid hailing a taxi nearby a major attraction place, as the driver will certainly try to force a markup on your fare. Try to walk further away outside the attraction place area, and grab a taxi from there

#5 – Instead of taking a taxi, take a ride-hailing service like Uber, Lyft or Grab. They are generally cheaper, more transparent, more convenient and much nicer than the taxi. Make sure to research if such ride-hailing service is available for the city you go to. For Uber, use this link to get €30 off for your first booking.

#6 – Download an offline Google Maps and track your taxi route. This way you avoid that the taxi driver taking the longest route to your destination.

BONUS TIP:

The above also applies to the “traditional” taxis like tuk-tuk and rickshaw that you can find in cities like Bangkok and New Delhi.

Although there is a meter available and the price is regulated by the government, the driver will NEVER want to use the meter, and always try to overcharge you. And the worst of all, they will try to take the longest route and force you to visit some tourist traps, because they earn commission from those places.

The key to avoiding rip-off here is to know the fair rate first, be assertive and not afraid to bargain. And while bargaining, don’t be afraid to walk away and find another driver.

Just to set your expectation while bargaining though: as a tourist, it’s almost impossible for you to get the local regulated fare, but at least you can try to get a price close to the regulated fare and avoid getting massively overcharged.

Case #4: Restaurants and Cafés

Another massive “tourist traps” is those restaurants and cafés located near or at an attraction place, like along La Rambla in Barcelona, or even along the beautiful beaches in Asia.

Recently my friends just got ripped off at a beach restaurant in Lombok, Indonesia. The restaurant has a beautiful view, and the personnel was nice and very welcoming.

However, when the bill came out, they were shocked to see the highly overcharged price. And the worst of all, it is a cash-only restaurant, and at that time they did not bring enough cash.

Well, it’s an annoying situation, isn’t it? And I’m sure that you don’t want to be in a similar situation either.

What to do:

#1 – Always ask for the menu. If there is no menu, or there is no price on the menu, then walk away

#2 – Make sure that you only order things off the menu. Check carefully the prices on the menu, and make a mental exercise to memorize it

#3 – Always ask whether you can pay with credit cards or only with cash

#4 – Go eat at large and well-known international chains, which always have their prices listed on the menu. You are less likely to get ripped off at a chain restaurant than at a local joint.

Case #5: Hotels

This may not occur often, but there are still few hotels out there that do not always play it straight when offering their Wifi or breakfast.

Many hotels offer free Wifi and breakfast nowadays, but some only provide this privilege only to their loyal customers. That’s why sometimes you still have to pay, and if you’re not careful, it can cost you a lot of money.

What to do:

#1 – Always ask during the check-in whether Wifi and breakfast are included in your room rate. And if not, what would it cost per day

#2 – Try to ask the hotel politely if they can give you a free Wifi/breakfast, with an argument that you are a loyal customer, and that you would appreciate if they reward you for that (never hurt to ask, right?)

#3 – Be extremely careful when you are about to connect to the hotel’s Wifi network. Some hotels often have several Wifi plans. Make sure you select one that you want – a free Wifi connection is typically slower than a paid one though.

Case #6: Major Attraction Places

This often occurs at some major, busy attraction places. Suddenly a well-spoken guy randomly approaches you, offering you a guided tour, showing you the places usually not opened for public, and skipping the lines at the ticket counter.

Then at the end of the tour, he’ll charge you with an extremely high amount, and if you refuse to pay, he will make a scene and threaten to report you to the police.

What to do:

#1 – Always buy your tickets online for major attractions. Check if there is a free guided tour available and the time schedule

#2 – When somebody randomly approaches you to offer a guided tour, reject him politely. Don’t be afraid to do so, especially if you know that there is a free guided tour available.

Case #7 – Busy Streets or Markets

Fake Monks – Image courtesy of The Sun

This often occurs on some busy streets or traditional markets. A friendly, innocent-looking child suddenly approaches you and insists to put a “friendship” bracelet around your wrist.

Or some peaceful-looking Buddhist monks hold out a beaded Buddhist bracelet or gold-colored medallion featuring a Buddhist saying.

Both scams have the same tactics. Once you accept the giveaways, they will demand money or ask for a donation. And if you refuse to give them money, they will make a scene and even start yelling at you.

What to do:

#1 – Do not accept free gifts from anyone on the streets, unless there is a legitimate reason for it

#2 – NEVER allow anyone to put anything on your body. Just reject them politely and walk away.

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So there you go! I hope that this post could help you travel more safely and know what you need to do when these situations arise.

Just one last thing: I am interested to know if there are any other rip-offs and scams you have encountered that are not mentioned here. Please leave me a comment below, or send me a message.

Do you like this post and want to receive some more awesome tips regularly? Please make sure that you subscribe to my email newsletter. And also check out my other blog posts for many more helpful tips for traveling. See you in the next blog post and until we Greet again!

Having a full-time job is no doubt a blessing. But once you get bitten by a travel bug, it can sometimes become difficult to dose your crave for travel with the constraint of holding a full-time job.

For those of you who hold a full-time job, it’s likely that the only chance for you to travel is by taking your holidays. In Europe and the US, we get on average around 2-3 weeks of holidays in a year. That doesn’t sound like much, does it?

So how can you travel more, while holding your job? Take a look at these 4 tips that hopefully will enable you to squeeze more travels to your favor.

4 ways to travel more while holding a full-time job

#1 – Take long weekend trips

Weekend trips are a great way to visit somewhat closer destinations that do not require taking a long-haul flight. Take city trips or a short getaway to a peaceful beachside resort. Besides, many hotels and resorts have fantastic offers for weekend stays, so it would not be difficult for you to find good deals.

#2 – Combine with public holidays

Plan your holiday period to coincide with some public holidays. In this way, you will save up your own personal holidays. The opportunity is huge: in the US there are 11 official public holidays in a year (it varies between countries, but in Europe this number ranges from 8 to 10 days). That means you can save up to a maximum of 11 days from your own personal holidays, which can then be used for another travel.

#3 – Combine with your business trips

This might require a bit of convincing skill, but why don’t use your personal development budget for attending training or conferences abroad? Ok, your employer may still need a prove that attending those events in another city/country is really worth it, and provides much more value than it costs. But rest assured, it is certainly worth the effort, especially if you can combine it with traveling.

#4 – Take some work while traveling

This may sound a bit weird, but if you’re comfortable with taking some work with you while traveling, your employer may have little reason to keep you at the office. I personally wouldn’t mind doing some work during my travel, so I can keep on traveling and do some work from other places in the world. Of course, this can work only for some types of jobs, but definitely not for all.

So there you go! Hopefully, you will find these tips helpful and allow you to travel more. If you like this post and find it helpful, please subscribe to my latest updates. Also please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. See you in the next blog post, and until we Greet again!

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Planning to visit the Netherlands?

If yes, awesome and well done, my friend! You have made an excellent choice for your next travel destination. If not, you better put it on your list soon!

I’ve been lucky to have this country as my second home for the past 12 years, and I am proud to say that. The Netherlands is a charming and unique country, and definitely has a lot to offer for travelers (more than only Amsterdam, and the green leave it allegedly symbolizes).

To help you prepare for the journey, these are 10 things you must know before visiting the Netherlands for the first time.

Booking.com

10 things you must know before visiting the Netherlands

#1 – It is called the Netherlands (and not Holland)

Yeah, I know it’s lame, but I can’t help it. I honestly believe it’s very important that you know the proper name of a country before even visiting it. The official name of the Netherlands is “Kingdom of the Netherlands.” And Holland is, in fact, a part of the Netherlands (i.e. these are 2 provinces of the Netherlands: North- and South Holland). In Dutch, it is called “Nederland”, which means the Low Lands. So if you would like to impress and connect with the locals, you now know how!

#2 – O, there are so much more than Amsterdam!

Yes, Amsterdam is cool, beautiful, and lots of things happening there. But it is too crowded and full of tourists! If you are a type of travelers seeking more authenticity and “off-the-beaten-path” places, you should consider visiting other places. Even if you’re not, I would still recommend doing so. And the good news is that most of these awesome places are actually not too far away from Amsterdam, so you can easily make a day trip out of it. Here are 6 cities or places that I would recommend to visit:

• Utrecht
• The Hague
• Rotterdam
• Haarlem
• Alkmaar
• Giethoorn

#3 – It’s useful to learn some basic Dutch words

Don’t get me wrong: Dutch people speak excellent English in average. So you shouldn’t bother to take a language course or memorize a lot of phrases. However, there are certain cases where knowing a bit of Dutch would be helpful. For example, when you go with public transport, some announcements and signs are only written in Dutch. You certainly don’t want to get lost in a public transport, do you? Moreover, this is again a way to impress and connect easily with the locals!

#4 – Credit cards are not widely accepted

Too bad, the Netherlands is not that big with credit cards. Credit cards are generally only accepted in restaurants and shops in the big major cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam). Most accepted cards are Mastercard and Visa, and to a lesser extent American Express. Other types of cards, like Discovery or Diners, are not accepted at all. Make sure though that your credit card has a chip and PIN code because this is required for every transaction in Europe. Supermarkets generally do not accept credit card, except for Albert Heijn and Jumbo. The latter is also the only supermarket in the Netherlands that accepts American Express (although this is currently possible only in some select number of locations).

#5 – Public transport (or bikes) is the way to get around

The Netherlands is incredibly compact, and very well connected in terms of public transport infrastructure. That is why it is so easy to get around with public transports. They are cheap, convenient and hassle-free. To get around in the city, you may want to get a bike. There are many bike rental places, and even you can rent a bike in the train station (NS bike). And because there is a dedicated bike line everywhere, you don’t need to worry getting hit by a car.

#6 – Hit the local bars

Want to meet locals, and have lots of fun? Try to get drinks at the local bars (or we call it here “kroeg”), instead of the more touristic fancy clubs. Dutch people love to drink and socializing. So this is the easiest way for you to connect and blend with the locals. A free pro tip for instant socializing: just ask some locals what is the most favorite local bar near your hotels/place, and invite them to join you!

#7 – Coffee shop has different definition here

Just so you know, don’t expect that you will be served a cup of coffee, if you enter a coffee shop here. This is because that’s not the place where you can get it. If you want to get a cup of coffee, go to café instead, or some artisanal coffee houses that have been growing in numbers lately. Or if you like, you can find Starbucks as well. So what can you get at the coffee shop then? Well, I leave it to you to discover it yourself (Hint: remember that green leave I was talking about :))

#8 – Weather is very tricky

The weather in the Netherlands is unpredictable, although most of the time it is wet, cold and windy. Even in the summertime, it can change any minute from sunny to stormy. So always be prepared, and I really recommended to check the weather forecast on internet or TV before you’re heading out.

#9 – Multicultural, tolerant, liberal

It comes perhaps as no surprise that the Netherlands is one of the most open, tolerant and liberal countries in the world. You will see the diversity of people with different roots and cultural background. And also on the food scene, you will certainly have no shortage of choices from Asian, Caribbean, African etc.

#10 – Shops generally close early

Unlike in many other countries in Europe, shops in the Netherlands are generally only open until 18.00 or 19.00 (with an exception in Amsterdam, where they’re open until 21.00). In several cities, shops are even not open on Sundays. So keep that in mind, in case you need to buy something essentials.

There you are 10 things that you should know before visiting the Netherlands. Do you like this post? Please make sure that you check out my other blog posts with many more helpful tips for traveling, and don’t forget to subscribe to receive many more awesome travel tips regularly.

See you in the next blog post and until we Greet again!