Too many scams to guard against in independent travel
Keke (a pseudonym), a Chinese international student at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, traveled independently to 13 countries including Germany. While at Madrid Railway Station, she encountered a “kind-hearted” person who offered to help carry her luggage. Before leaving, the “kind-hearted” person hugged her and danced with her. But shortly after parting ways, Keke realized her phone was missing. “Later, after staying in Europe for a while, I learned that that kind of ‘salsa dance’ is a common trick used by thieves—they pretend to dance, restricting your movements so they can steal your belongings. At the time, I even thanked them and called them a ‘saint.’ Later, when I realized they were thieves, I was angry but helpless.”
Qian Hongyu, who traveled independently across Europe during her exchange program in Spain, also mentioned similar incidents, referring to those people as “weird approachers.” These approachers either enthusiastically offer to show you the way or try to dance with you. Such “approachers” are basically thieves who use tricks to make you let your guard down before striking.
In addition to “weird approachers,” she also accidentally walked into a shady seafood restaurant. According to her description, such restaurants often employ good-looking and smooth-talking waiters who enthusiastically lure in customers, making them order dishes without even properly seeing the menu. “At the time, I thought it was just local custom. But when the bill came, I was shocked... It turned out the huge number on the menu was actually the price per jin, written in extremely small font. I could only silently get ripped off.”
Additionally, she mentioned a common type of square scam in Europe. In crowded squares, scammers may voluntarily offer you food to feed pigeons—if you happily participate, well, too bad, you’ve been scammed, because soon they’ll ask you for money, and the amount isn’t small.
Xiao (a pseudonym), a student at Dublin University, experienced this during her independent travel in Europe. In the square, someone induced her to pet a rabbit. While she was still immersed in the other person’s enthusiasm, they asked her for money. Xiao said she felt like screaming inside: Oh my god, it’s really just like the rumors say!
Stay cautious and take remedial actions promptly
These students who prefer independent travel said that as long as you do your homework and stay alert, the chances of being scammed or robbed are not high. Besides advising “never trust strangers,” “don’t flaunt wealth,” and “travel with companions,” they also shared some specific personal preventive experiences.
Keke said that Europeans generally keep more distance between each other—if someone insists on getting too close, they most likely have bad intentions. Qian Hongyu recommends checking the “anti-theft tips” section in travel guides before your trip, which lists common scams in each country. Additionally, she strongly recommends “TripAdvisor” (the world’s largest traveler community and travel review website) and calls it a “magic tool.”
“At a black restaurant in Venice, we refused to pay the full bill, citing being scammed. The dishonest boss threatened to call the police. Fortunately, we quickly checked reviews of the restaurant on TripAdvisor and found many similar cases. The restaurant was already on the local police’s blacklist—the boss was just trying to scare us. So we argued our case and eventually got a partial discount.”
Chen Xinyi, a student at the California Institute of the Arts who spent half a year traveling across the western U.S., suggested using the U.S. as an example: it’s best to find out in advance where homeless people gather and avoid those areas. She added that you should always carry around $50 in cash in case you’re robbed—you can give it up to save your life—and she also recommended carrying pepper spray for self-defense.
If theft or robbery does occur, there are also a series of remedial measures you can take promptly to minimize losses.
Chen Xinyi advised that in the U.S., if you lose your bank card, you should report it immediately—the bank will usually cover losses incurred within one or two days. Since items like driver's licenses and passports need to be reported and reissued at designated locations, international students should keep copies of all their documents in case they need to verify their identity or apply for replacements in an emergency.
If you’re robbed at the airport, the thief might take valuables from your bag and casually discard your documents on airport seats or in trash bins. If this happens, you can follow Chen Xinyi’s approach after losing her belongings—check the San Francisco International Airport’s official website for the Lost and Found Office’s contact information, then email them to explain what happened, describe the lost items, and wait for a reply.
Well-prepared guides mean fewer worries during independent travel
Although independent travel during study abroad sometimes comes with unpleasant experiences, the interviewees still found it very worthwhile.
Chu Chu (a pseudonym), an exchange student at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, had invaluable and unforgettable experiences during her independent travels, including cycling, road-tripping, sailing by herself, kayaking in straits, and couchsurfing. “In Europe, there are many discounts and conveniences for students traveling on their own—for instance, almost all museums in Paris can be visited for free,” she said. “Experiencing different places and people in youthful ways when you’re young brings so many rewarding feelings and memories.”
Chen Xinyi believes that traveling during study abroad is a very suitable thing to do. “First, American college students have long vacations. With proper time management, you can have a great time without compromising your studies. Second, being in the U.S. itself is an advantage—you don’t have to fly for over ten hours, nor are you limited by language barriers to just following tour guides and skimming the surface. Third, since my major is architecture, my goal is to travel from east to west across famous U.S. cities during my undergraduate years to enrich my professional foundation.”
To ensure a pleasant independent travel experience, having a complete guide is naturally essential.
Asking fellow travelers who’ve been there is an excellent approach. Moreover, the interviewees repeatedly mentioned websites such as Mafengwo, TripAdvisor, and Michelin guides, which compile travel advice and guides. Students planning to travel independently during their study abroad can refer to posts on these websites before their trip. For more in-depth travel, they suggest reading Lonely Planet magazines or watching documentaries related to the destination.
College students can use their school email addresses to register on StudentUniverse (a student travel service website)—this website always offers discounted prices for students. Another reminder: after booking flights or train tickets, check the airline or bus company’s website for baggage-related information. If you don’t know where to find good food, visit Yelp (a well-known U.S. business review website).