Whilst many of us are already dreaming about getting away or even planning our holidays for the year, there are many things that needs to be considered when choosing a destination.
Travelling to somewhere you have been before or that is very popular is often a good idea. Millions of Brits opt to visit Italy, Spain or France for a fun-filled holiday.
In fact, the three countries are within the top five most visted in the world but unfortunately these incredible holiday options have their disadvantages.
As well as being holiday hotspots, Italy, France and Spain are hotspots for pickpockets.
Travel Insurance company QuoteZone analysed the proportion of mentions of pickpocketing in visitor reviews of each European country’s five top tourists attractions.
Of the researchers findings, Italy was on top with Rome revealed to be the works for pickpockets. QuoteZone discovered that there were 478 pickpocketing mentions for every million Brits who visited Italy’s top tourist attractions.
Rome’s renowned Trevi Foundation welcomes a whopping 1,000 visitors per hour, but unfortunately that most likely where holidaymakers could be targeted by pickpockets.
Other spots that the insurance company noted were the ancient Colosseum and the Pantheon. Milan’s Duomo di Milano and the Gallerie Degli Uffizi in Florence were also reported as having the highest number of stolen personal items on online travel reviews in Italy.
Over in France, which saw more than 100 million travellers visit last year, its favoured capital had the second highest number of pickpocketing mentions in Europe at 251 per million visitors.
Unfortunately, the city’s best spots including the Effiel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, and the Musée d’Orsay and Louvre Museums are the worst when it comes to theft. It is vital that holidaymakers stay aware of their surroundings.
Finally, Barcelona home to one of Europe’s busiest pedestrain streets, Las Ramblas, topped the list for Spain. Whilst the many stop to watch the street performers there, thieves uses it as an opportunity to target people.
Other places to consider are the Basílica de la Sagrada Familia and outside Barcelona it is the Plaza Mayor and Prado National Museum in Madrid and Granada’s Alhambra palace.
Although it might seem off putting, there are ways to keep yourself safe.
Greg Wilson, Founder and CEO of Quotezone said: ” It is essential always to remain vigilant, leave valuables, like expensive jewellery, in a safe in the hotel and always travel with a secure cross-body bag with zips to secure phones and wallets or even a money belt.”
It is also vital that if you do happen to experience your personal belongings being stolen that you report it to the police and keep that record with you as the QuoteZone’s CEO says it “will support the insurance claim.”