I Was Pickpocketed in Europe; Here’s What I Should Have Done

Thieves are part of the landscape; learn how to avoid them from my experience

Loris Lora

Gwen Pratesi,

AARP

Published April 17, 2025

A dream trip to Europe can quickly become a nightmare — as I recently learned from personal experience.

I was in the final days of a three-week trip to Europe, waiting for a bus at Italy’s Venice airport en route to Verona, when a couple backed into me. The woman, laughing, fell backward onto my backpack, quickly unzipped it, and made off with my wallet. It happened within seconds, and then they were gone.

I was still rummaging through the bag on the bus, hoping I had missed it, even though I knew they had taken it because my backpack zipper was closed before this happened. I was frantic knowing my money, credit cards, driver’s license and Global Entry card were gone — and I was wondering how I was going to get through the next week of travel.

According to the National Council on Aging and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, among other organizations, older adults are a known target for scammers, fraud and identity theft. In a September 2024 travel advisory for Italy, the U.S. Department of State warned travelers to be aware of criminal schemes. It noted, “organized groups of thieves and pickpockets operate at major tourist destinations, in train stations, bars, and cafes.” When pickpockets approached me, I was at the airport — a major tourist destination.

1. It could have been prevented

While on the flight from Spain to Venice, I took my purse out of the bottom of my backpack to purchase internet access (which, incidentally, didn’t work) so I could change my bus and train reservations since my flight was delayed. I didn’t return my purse to the bottom of my backpack, where I always keep it. Even though I considered rearranging my bag before we arrived in Venice, I didn’t do it. I was hurried when I couldn’t change my tickets, fearing I would miss my connection to Verona. And I was visibly rattled after I’d gathered my luggage and raced to the bus terminal just outside the airport.

2. Look confident, even in unsettling situations

When I arrived in Venice, I asked the bus driver if this was the line for the transfer to the Venezia Mestre train station since the airport signage wasn’t clear. He didn’t speak English, so I had to ask someone else in line. I was clearly a lost tourist — and a perfect mark for pickpockets. John M. Rose, chief risk advisor for Altour, a global corporate travel management company, says bad actors only prey on the weakest targets: “If you stay slightly paranoid, and it is evident, you will generally be left alone.”

Jeremy Murchland, chief executive officer and president of Seven Corners Travel Insurance, a company offering customizable insurance policies for domestic and international travel, says, “Being pickpocketed is something to be aware of and prepared for regardless of age. Older travelers tend to be more secure financially. Would-be thieves may know this and see older travelers as more profitable targets. Pickpockets might see older travelers as being slower to react or able to fight back if they get caught.” No matter where you’re traveling, stay alert and don’t let your guard down.

3. Take the most direct route

I have traveled extensively for work since 2009, with much of it abroad — and as a solo traveler. I’ve been to Venice many times to visit the city at the start or end of a cruise. I’ve also been to several nearby wine regions, including Friuli, Valpolicella and the Prosecco region. Still, I had never taken a bus from the airport to a train station to reach my destination. Once I decided to spend my free days in Verona between business trips in Spain and Venice, I should have changed my airline ticket and flown directly to Verona, which is about 75 miles from Venice. Doing so would have exposed me to fewer opportunities for something to happen in busy bus terminals and train stations.

4. Don’t carry cash — and hide your credit cards and ID

I lost a lot of cash after spending very little during my trip — cash I never should have had in the first place. My cash and credit cards should have been divided between my carry-on and suitcase (or in my neck wallet), leaving little or none in my wallet.

Join Our Fight Against Fraud

As I learned the hard way, credit card companies don’t assist travelers the way they used to. When my husband’s wallet was stolen in Vienna 20 years ago, our credit card company sent a new card overnight to our hotel and provided cash for the rest of our trip. On this recent occasion, that same company could only offer a cash advance at a convenience store. In both Verona and Venice, the stores were 25 minutes away by Uber, and if someone answered the phone, they didn’t speak English and immediately hung up. I’m still shocked that a multinational financial services corporation doesn’t have affiliations with banks in major cities. I had no cash or physical credit card for my remaining week in Italy.

Rose advises travelers to use concealed money belts and anti-theft bags, which are designed with slash-resistant materials, lockable zippers and RFID-blocking compartments. And leave your jewelry at home. Even if it’s only fashion jewelry, a criminal doesn’t know that, says Rose. Also, I typically wear a small crossbody bag. I didn’t have it that day because I was traveling and needed to keep my carry-on pieces to a minimum.

5. Set up Apple Pay (or Google Pay for Android) on your smartphone

I did not have Apple Pay on my iPhone until the incident in Venice. Thankfully, my husband set it up with me over the phone, using one of his credit cards. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get an Uber from the train station to my hotel, or pay for anything for the rest of the trip. Fortunately, every place I went to (including the gelaterias) accepted Apple Pay. Electronic wallets are encrypted, and you don’t need the physical credit cards, says Rose.

6. Purchase travel insurance

Travel insurance doesn’t cover stolen cash, but it will cover baggage loss due to theft. Jenna Hummer, a representative for Squaremouth, an online travel insurance marketplace where customers can compare plans and benefits, recommends identity theft insurance just in case the person who steals your wallet has other motives. “[The insurance] offers assistance with the services and costs involved in recovering your stolen identity or credit,” Hummer says. “Coverage typically includes actions like freezing credit accounts, reporting identity fraud to authorities, obtaining free credit reports and more.” AXA Assistance USA, Generali Global Assistance and IMG are a few of the companies that sell this type of coverage.

I tried filing a police report twice but still had no formal report. And, as I found out from the insurance company while in Verona, there’s nothing they would cover with a stolen wallet, so there really was no point in filing a formal report.

7. Never again

While the incident nearly ruined the last week of my European trip, it also made me more cautious about traveling solo in my 60s. This was the first time anything like this happened in 16 years of professional, mostly solo travel to worldwide destinations. Since this kind of theft is so common, you need to move on and learn to protect yourself in the future. There’s no way the police would ever find these people, and then, even if they did, how would you ever prove they stole your wallet? They took the cash, ditched the credit cards and went on to the next person. I like to think I’m a savvy traveler, but I clearly let my guard down on this trip. I’ll be sure not to do it again.

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Gwen Pratesi is a James Beard Award finalist in journalism and an award-winning travel journalist based in Florida. Her work appears in many publications, including U.S. News & World Report, The Points Guy, Cruise Critic, Travel + Leisure, Garden & Gun, Frommer’s and others.