10
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
GOING ABROAD
WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2004
Students can avoid theft when traveling
By Amanda O'Toole
aotoole@kansan.com
Kansan stuff writer
Ashley Denneler walked down a strip of a white sanded beach in Cozumel Mexico. She and a friend had talked through the night and were watching the tropical sunrise.
The rays of sunlight revealed more than a picturesque scene.
Yards away, where she and her friend had left their belongings, the Colby senior spotted a member of the resort staff stuffing her red flip-flops into a black trash bag.
Her navy canvas purse, which held her wallet and cell phone, was missing.
This theft is typical in foreign countries and is one of the biggest problems with traveling or studying abroad, said Susan Gronbeck-Tedesco, Office of Study Abroad director.
"It's that split second that you're not paying attention to your belongings that thieves come up and take things," she said. "It's combined with someone looking for the opportunity.
Denneler was able to retrieve most of her belongings after confronting both the worker and the resort manager. She had to physically take the bag from the worker and fish out her things.
"It's that split second that you're not paying attention to your belongings that thieves come up and take things. It's combined with someone looking for the opportunity."
Susan Gronbeck-Tedesco Office of Study Abroad director
She lost only five pesos and her cell phone.
The situation could have been worse, Denneler said. Her passport and credit cards were locked in her hotel room safe.
Veronica Duncan, STA Travel branch manager, said travelers should keep copies of their passport in their suitcase in case it was stolen.
The International Student ID Card is another option. The card is available through STA Travel, 4th floor of the Kansas Union, and offers discounts and emergency evacuation plans.
Copies of the card-holder's passport are kept on the site.
Gronbeck-Tedesco said she always suggested students do a few things when vacationing abroad, like travel together.
The card costs about $25 on the agency's web site, www.statravel.com.
"One person can keep watch over belongings if someone needs to grab a snack or take a dip," she said.
A student should keep items close to their body. Money and passports, both hot theft items, should be kept in a passport holder worn under clothing, she said.
Duncan said that she suggested students use credit and debit cards because students were protected against unwarranted purchases.
"Only use traveler's checks in $200 and $100 amounts as a back up to the cards," Duncan said. "If you loose a traveler's check it's gone."
Luggage should also be looked after very carefully.
Backpacks should not be worn on subways or trains because pickpockets can rob a person while they're standing.
Duncan said students should put locks on their bags.
Gronbeck-Tedesco said students should be familiar with the culture, customs and laws of the country they're visiting.
"You'll know better what behavior is normal," she said.
Guidebooks can be purchased at almost any bookstore, and give advice about which parts of cities are safe and which parts are heavily populated with crime, Duncan said.
The study abroad program tells students not to trust strangers and to be aware of what is going on around them, Gronbeck-Tedesco said.
"I was once given a different sheet of prices for a menu at a restaurant," she said. "I was able to tell I was reading a menu with higher prices which they only gave to tourists."
Though proficiency of a language is not necessary for leisure travel, she suggests students at least know how to say 'no.'
Both Duncan and Gronbeck-Tedesco said traveling in groups lessened the chance of being robbed.
"One person can always be keeping watch on the bags," Gronbeck-Tedesco said. "You won't have to worry about grabbing a snack or putting your stuff down for a second."
- Edited by Julie Jones
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