What if I got robbed or lose all my stuff???

Yup, it could happen!! It has happened to me, I can thankfully say it has only happened twice in 40 years of extensive travel, but you must be prepared for it to happen.

The first time was my small bag, ie. Laptop, money, passport and cards. Ahhh!!!

The second time my whole rucksack was taken from a bus hold and I lost all my clothes and everything apart from what I was standing in. Both incidents were devastating, shocking and I cried and just broke down with the shock! But that was the worst over.

Firstly, I was stupid to have all my important items stolen from a bus station. On this occasion I had broken all my own rules as I felt relaxed and safe in my environment.I normally I have a rule I do not carry everything in one place, i.e. passport, cash and cards in a money belt, keep a spare card somewhere else in your luggage so you always have access to money. Keep a copy of your passport in a separate place to your money belt and maybe let a friend have a photo of your passport in case you need to get it replaced. I do not usually travel anywhere with all my stuff unless I am in a taxi or somewhere safe.

On a positive, all is possible to be resolved. Unfortunately, it takes time and money, so make sure you are covered by insurance. Passports can be replaced at a local embassy but you will will need to travel to a capital city, usually can be resolved by the Embassy quite quickly. Loss of clothes feels like it’s tough but can be replaced en-route. I lost mine heading to Italy, so there are worse places to have to buy new clothes!