Safety Tips For Men When Traveling | Naughty Travels
Safety Tips For Men When Traveling
When it comes to traveling safely overseas, most people think it’s only women who need to take care, as though men are never going to be vulnerable, or be a target for thieves, scams or much worse.
But actually far more men are the victims of crime and cons while traveling, and most of the time that’s down to basic chemistry.
Men tend to leave their brains at the door when they’re approached by hot women so, no matter how streetwise and experienced you think you are when you’re globetrotting or vacationing, you should always be aware that you may be being targeted every time you walk down the street.
I’ve seen it happen so many times before - hot women (and clever men, often working in teams) who make a beeline for male tourists, to try and entice them into spending as much money as they can.
Worse, men can be targeted for sexual blackmail and/or “money with menaces,†so it’s vital you keep your wits about you if you’re to enjoy a stress-free, exhilarating holiday that you’ll remember for all the right reasons.
1. Beware of Hot Women
Now I don’t mean this to sound unkind but, if you’re the kind of guy who never gets hit on when you’re at home, yet seem very popular when you go traveling, then you need to start being a bit more cautious.
It’s a popular scam, to target foreign visitors, and I’m afraid guys fall for it all the time.
Imagine the scene - you’re sitting having a quiet drink, admiring the view, watching the world go by, whatever…then a pretty girl comes up to you and starts a conversation.
Maybe she asks your advice about something, as though you’re the local and she’s the visitor, and within minutes you’ve let your guard down.
You’re buying her a drink, she’s laughing at all your jokes and, pretty soon, you’re going to go wherever she wants to take you, or she’ll go to the bathroom and not come back…which is when you’ll realize your wallet (and everything in it) has gone missing.
Remember, it’s basic chemistry - a hot woman walks past and most guys lose all common sense.
Don’t let it happen to you. If a pretty girl begins chatting and flirting with you out of nowhere, it’s probably not your magnetic charm or infectious personality she’s attracted to.
She’ll definitely be after something in your pants, but it’s not the item you’re hoping.
Even if you're someone who does get hit on all the time, you still need to be wary (probably more wary,) because these women don’t discriminate.
As long as you have money, credit cards, a cell, a watch or anything they can sell on, you’re bait to them.
If you get chatted up in a bar and the girl asks you to buy her a drink, then chances are she knows the bartender and the both of them are trying to scam you.
They might try to get you drunk and then rob you, or they might even try to drug your drink and then use your credit card to pay a huge bill of drinks you don’t remember drinking (because you didn’t).
Alternatively, they might try selling you ‘alcoholic’ drinks with no actual alcohol in, and then charge you for the privilege.
In lots of countries, the security team and police are in on the scam, so you’ll have no choice but to pay up.
How To Stay Safe
- These women usually like to scam single guys who are alone - they’re easier targets, simpler to isolate and lead astray (literally.)
So try to go out in groups if possible and STAY with your friends… never leave them behind.
If you’re traveling alone, keep your head up, try and look confident, don’t give away personal information too easily and alway be aware of where you are and who’s around you.
- When that good-looking girl does approach you, be friendly, be engaging, but also try to feel her out to see what she’s truly up to.
People think it’s only women who have good instincts, but guys do, too, so hone yours and use them. If it feels wrong, it probably is wrong.
- ALWAYS watch your drink… NEVER leave it out of your sight.
If you're in a bar where a good-looking girl(s) approaches you and she wants you to buy her a drink, ask the bartender up front exactly how much each drink costs.
Once you’ve received the drinks, pay straight away, get a receipt, and always refuse offers of an open tab.
If you’re paying with credit card, never let the card out of your sight - some bars try to do the transaction under the bar or in another room, where they can quickly clone your card.
Also, some girls will try to spike your drink to make you vulnerable so they can take advantage of you later on.
So it’s not always women who have to watch for drugged drinks, it’s guys, too.
- Alternatively, tell the girl you’ll take her to another bar other than the one you’re in. That way, you’re less likely to end up somewhere where she knows the staff.
If she gives you a bunch of excuses about wanting to stay where you are, then it’s best to just leave.
2. Beware of Venues
When you’re on holiday, or just traveling around, it’s easy to let your guard down and just look for somewhere to kick back and have a good time.
Lots of guys naturally gravitate towards places like strip clubs, dive bars and gentlemen’s clubs.
But these are just the kind of places where you’re likely to get scammed, so there are two main things you need to look out for below.
1) Is the bar empty and only full of pretty girls?
If so, that’s a warning sign because you should be savvy enough to realize that girls that pretty wouldn’t be hanging out in places like that without good reason.
I know it might seem like a fantasy to imagine that some hot girl is sitting there just waiting for a guy like you to walk in and sweep her off her feet but, come on, get real, that’s probably not what’s going to happen here.
What is going to happen, is that the girl is going to smile, flirt and get you to buy her drinks all night.
Then you’ll end up with an inflated bar bill that the security guys are going to insist you pay or else.
Use your head, trust your instincts, and go and find a bar that feels more safe.
2) Is there anybody dancing or socializing,
or are the women just sitting down?
If there’s no actual mingling or conversation happening in the place you just walked into, then turn around and LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!
Even if you ask where everyone is, and the bartender assures you that things are about to pick up, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!
Don’t try to feel it out by sitting down and getting a drink because, once you do, there’ll be no getting out of there until you’ve paid a huge fee.
Still not convinced?
Here’s a cautionary tale for you!
I was in Hungary, once, where I met two guys one night out and we got to talking.
They were impressed with my Naughty Travels business and we all really hit it off.
They said they wanted to go check out some strip clubs with me, and I wanted to as well, especially as it’s always safer to go to those places with guys, than just on my own.
Before we went in, I warned the guys to be careful.
I knew about all the scams that go on in places like this, so I didn’t want them to get scammed.
One of them listened to me, but the other one didn’t and was about to learn a very hard lesson.
So we walked into the strip club (which we’d been directed towards by someone off the the street - a common ploy).
Once inside, we saw that it was dead - there were no customers, no atmosphere, no girls dancing, just a few girls who sat in a corner, buried in their phones.
It just felt wrong and a massive red flag went up for me.
We sat down and I told both of the guys not to buy the girls any drinks, or even talk to them, otherwise they’d be drawn into the scam and not be able to get out of it.
One of the guys was into me, so he wasn’t bothered about talking to any of the girls in the club.
It was me who ordered the drinks and I asked upfront how much they were, and they were paid by my gentleman friends immediately with cash.
It's VERY important to close out your tab immediately in places like these.
Girls came over to our table but I told them firmly that we weren’t interested.
The other guy, however, did want to talk to them, and despite my warnings he went off into a corner with three of them.
He only bought himself a drink, not the girls, but he came back to us not long afterwards, very upset because he’d been given a huge tab to pay.
He’d been told that the tab was for “talking to the girls.â€
I told him that he should have listened to me, but now he had no choice but to pay the tab.
He refused and, in no time at all, these big security guys appeared from nowhere.
I said I wanted nothing to do with this and I got up to leave.
As I did, the one guy (who didn't listen to me) was being lead outside but the security team over to the nearest ATM where they stood over him as he withdrew a large amount of money and gave it to the security guys.
They knew exactly who to target when we walked in. They saw a "couple" and a guy who was a "third wheel."
Plus they knew I was onto their scam so they left me alone...but it wasn't that hard for the 3rd guy even after I warned him.
People scam all different ways. They guy probably thought "as long as I'm not buying the girls drinks, I'm safe" but he was still scammed.
They knew that once they could get him away from our table, the scam was on.
If you don’t walk in, then they can’t scam you.
3. Beware of "Escorts"
I'm not talking about prostitutes (see below), I’m talking about guys who hang out on the street near strip clubs and try to guide you inside.
They’re paid to get as many customers into a place as they can, so they can be quite forceful in wanting you to go to this club or that club.
It’s easy to go along with them, though. You’re out drinking with your friends (or alone and looking for company,) and then one of these escorts approaches you and is smiling, chatty and asking if you’re having a good time.
They make you feel comfortable and offer to show you the "best clubs" in the city.
Especially if you looking for hot girls, of course they know the hottest ones in town, right? They tell you whatever you want to hear.
These guys don’t give a crap about showing you a good time or making sure you go to the best places.
They just want to send you to "certain" clubs, because they get a commission for every person they get through the door.
And once you’re inside, the real scam is on (see above).
It happens ALL the time… so don't have that stupid attitude where you think it only happens to others because, guess what, you are that other person to someone else.
If someone approaches you, decline their ‘"riendly" attempts to direct you to the "best club in town."
Find your own way, but proceed with extreme caution.
Most of the time you will be fine - I’ve done it before plenty of times - but it’s important to stay in charge, know what you’re looking for and not stray from your objective.
Don’t get persuaded by anyone to go somewhere you’re not comfortable.
I remember one time in Hong Kong, there are a lot of Nigerians who do these escorts job, and I’d been warned in guidebooks about them so I was already aware.
I was walking around the Red Light District and a guy came up to me and told me about a "great club" nearby.
I told him I wasn't interested, but after trying to look on my own, I quickly found out that a lot of these clubs are hidden in buildings, so you’re never find them on your own.
The clubs that are really fancy, exclusive and out on the main streets are for Hong Kong men only… they just don’t allow Americans, or anyone else, inside them.
So I was having a really hard time trying to get in somewhere good, or even getting in somewhere that allowed women.
Then I ran into the same escort again and, this time, I let him help me, although I’ll admit I was very hesitant and I insisted on laying down some rules before I
went off with him.
I said I would tip him if the club was good, but not until then.
And I wanted to get into a high-end Asian club, not just any old club that he might have had a deal with.
So now he had an incentive (he was now working for me) as I was going to pay him more than the strip club would.
He made a phone call and got us into a high-end strip club that supposedly didn't allow women or Americans.
I had to pay more to get in there, but it was worth it compared to the shabby alternatives on offer.
And I paid the escort $100 for his service. So as you can see, sometimes it can work out but you have to be very careful and offer to tip them on your own so they are "working" for you and will take you to the better clubs, not the ones trying to scam you.
4. Beware of Prostitutes
This might sound like common sense but, as previously mentioned, guys don’t always exercise common sense when it comes to pretty women.
When inviting a girl back to your hotel room for some late-night fun, make sure you put everything of value in the safe, including any prescription drugs (trust me they will get stolen!).
Also, the same as if you were in a bar, always watch your drink, never let it leave your sight.
I know that some people like to do drugs when they are on holiday, but you could be setting yourself up for some serious trouble, as it’s much easier to take advantage of someone under the influence of drugs.
It's easy to let your guard down when you’re around hot women, especially if you
intend having sex with them, so just be aware of that.
It doesn't mean you shouldn’t be nice and have fun, but remember, you don’t know this woman, so don’t be lulled into a false sense of security and make stupid decisions you wouldn’t normally make.
To some prostitutes who are scam artists, you are a cash cow, a meal ticket, and that’s all. Not all working girls are like this, but it's still better to be safe just as they are being safe for themselves.
So if you’re going to take a prostitute back to your hotel room, first make sure you’re sober.
Secondly, pay her upfront so there’s no confusion about what "services" you’re getting
Plus there's no confusion at the end whether or not you paid her.
Also, when going to the safe or your wallet to get your money, don’t count the money in front of her, especially if you have a large stash.
This can set you up for all kinds of trouble...she might try to get more out of you by saying she'll invite a friend over, saying she can get someone to buy you drugs, try to get more from you, or just rob you somehow.
You never know in other countries (or your own) if these girls are working with anyone at the hotel where they can get into your safe when you're gone.
I've hired many working girls myself while traveling and have never had a problem with any of them.
But I've always tried my best to be safe by putting stuff away and being aware of what's going on. You can't be 100% safe but you can try.