How to Avoid Tourist Traps: 10 Common Schemes

Nobody thinks they will fall for it, and then someone very friendly hands you a bracelet outside a cathedral. I have paid for that bracelet, and for quite a lot else over the years, so please consider this list a refund of sorts.

Most tourist traps rely on one of three things: you are tired, you are polite, or you are in a hurry. None of them is really about being gullible. They work on experienced travellers too, and they are usually small enough that you shrug and pay. Here are ten of the most common, what they look like and what to do instead. Costs are rough and depend on the city, but the patterns are much the same from Rome to Bangkok.

At the table

1. The restaurant with the man outside

How to spot it: someone on the pavement is trying to wave you in, the menu is laminated with photographs and runs to five languages, and the terrace faces a famous view. None of this proves the food is bad, but together they tend to mean the restaurant does not expect you back.

What to do: walk two or three streets away from the main sight. Look for a short menu, handwritten specials and people who are clearly on a lunch break. In most old towns, this alone can take a third off the bill and improve dinner considerably.

2. The price you have not been told

How to spot it: a menu with no prices, a "special" the waiter recommends but does not price, or fish and seafood listed by the 100 g. A sea bass at a "reasonable" per-100 g price can become £60 on the plate. A cover charge, such as the Italian coperto, is normal, but it should be printed on the menu.

What to do: ask the price before you order, and ask for the weight when the fish arrives at the table. If a menu has no prices, leave. Check the bill as well, since drinks and bread you did not order have a habit of appearing on it.

On the street

3. The free gift

How to spot it: someone ties a friendship bracelet around your wrist, hands you a rose or gives you a sprig of something "for luck", then demands payment. It is a common sight near Sacré-Coeur in Paris and the Spanish Steps in Rome.

What to do: keep your hands in your pockets and keep walking, with a firm "no, thank you". Nothing is free once it has touched your wrist, so do not accept it in the first place. If you are already holding it, hand it back and go.

4. The petition and the clipboard

How to spot it: a group, often near a big attraction, asks you to sign something for a good cause. You then discover that you have pledged a donation, or, while you are looking at the page, a hand has gone into your bag.

What to do: do not stop. No genuine charity works by cornering tourists at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. The same goes for the street shell game you may see on a bridge: the winners in the crowd are part of the act.

5. The taxi that has no meter

How to spot it: a driver approaches you inside the arrivals hall, offers a "fixed price", or tells you the meter is broken. Long routes and sudden luggage surcharges are the other classic.

What to do: use the official taxi rank, or a pre-booked or app-booked car through a licensed service. Look up the normal fare from the airport before you land, and agree the price or see the meter running before you set off. Take a photo of the licence number if you feel uneasy.

6. "It is closed today"

How to spot it: a friendly stranger outside a temple or museum tells you it is closed for a holiday or ceremony, then offers to take you somewhere better. In Bangkok, this often ends at a gem shop or a tailor, with a very cheap tuk-tuk ride as the bait. You pay for the gems, which are worth very little.

What to do: walk to the entrance and check it yourself. It is almost certainly open. Ignore any unsolicited deal that involves gems, gold or a special government sale, particularly if it is "today only".

If a stranger is working hard to save you money, it is worth asking who is paying them.

When you pay or book

7. "Would you like to pay in pounds?"

How to spot it: a card machine or cash machine abroad offers to charge you in pounds "for your convenience". This is known as dynamic currency conversion, and the rate is usually poor. "Zero commission" exchange kiosks work in a similar way: the commission is hidden in the rate.

What to do: always choose to pay in the local currency. Use a card with no foreign transaction fee if you can, and take cash from a bank's own machine rather than one standing alone in a tourist street. Decline if asked to accept a conversion rate, even if the screen makes it look like the wrong answer.

8. The skip-the-line seller

How to spot it: someone with a lanyard outside the Colosseum or the Vatican Museums tells you the wait is three hours and offers a priority ticket or guided tour at a high price. Costumed gladiators nearby may offer a photo and then ask for a surprising sum for it.

What to do: book directly on the attraction's official website, a few days or weeks ahead for big names. Be careful with search results, as resellers often rank first and can look official. Ask the price before you pose for any photo.

9. The helpful distraction

How to spot it: someone offers to help at a ticket machine, or points out a mark on your coat that has somehow appeared, or a child or crowd suddenly closes in on the metro as the doors are about to shut. While you are dealing with it, someone else is dealing with your wallet.

What to do: keep your phone and wallet in a zipped front pocket or a bag worn across your body, particularly on crowded transport. If a stranger gets very close at a machine, cancel, step away and start again. Clean up the coat later, somewhere private.

10. The damage you did not do

How to spot it: a scooter or jet ski hire shop that wants your passport as a deposit, then finds a scratch when you bring it back and asks for a few hundred pounds. Phuket has a long-running reputation for this, but it happens in plenty of other beach towns.

What to do: never leave your passport as security. Take a video of the whole vehicle, including any existing marks, with the owner present before you leave. Use a reputable hire firm, make sure your licence and insurance actually cover you, and wear a helmet: your policy may not pay out otherwise.

If it happens anyway

You will get caught at some point, and most of the time it is a €10 lesson. Do not chase anyone or start an argument in the street over a small sum, and do not let embarrassment stop you from moving on and enjoying your day.

If the loss is more serious, or if your cards or passport have gone:

• Freeze or cancel your cards straight away from your banking app, or by phone.
• Report it to the local police and get a written report, ideally within 24 hours, because your insurer will almost certainly ask for one.
• If your passport has gone, contact the nearest British embassy or consulate about an emergency travel document.
• Note what happened, where and when, while you still remember.

None of this should make you suspicious of everybody. Most people who stop to help really are just helping, and the kindness of strangers remains one of the best things about being away from home. The trick is to accept directions and refuse gifts, which we also cover in our guide to travelling solo. And for a city where wandering beyond the headline sights pays off, try Istanbul through a local's eyes.