Getting Robbed and My New Understanding of Karma

**This article includes material that might be triggering to readers, please be advised if you are sensitive to events about travel safety.

How It Happened

No matter where you are, or who you are with there are always times to be more vigilant. As women, unfortunately, the reality is we need to be more vigilant than male presenting humans in a majority of situations. So everyone is clear I was not physically attacked in these events and no physical harm came to me, or my comrades. While in Chiang Mai I was robbed. The evening went like this; I was with six or seven people heading from downtown back to our hostel. We were all walking together down a main road where we stopped at a local 7/11 store for food. I made my way out of the store and stood with two gentle men outside talking and waiting for the others. As our group began to walk out we started to regroup and move onward. I was walking on the outside of the group and a person on a motorcycle sped past me ripping my tiny purse into two pieces of which he retained the advantage. It happened in half a second and he was gone. The bag I was using was only big enough to hold my passport, small wallet and phone, which were the only contents. I was raging mad in the moment and took off down the street after him, obviously with no luck, and in that half second realized I lost just about everything that mattered. I still maintained most of my cash in my room but I lost 125 in cash, my entire passport, and my iPhone. And for icing, my key card to my hostel, which meant I slept on the bench outside my hostel until the owner came and woke me in the morning. My budget took a dip but I learned much. I won’t say I am thankful for the experience but I can say I am walking away with a knowledge I would not previously have had.

What I learned – Practicality

My biggest lessons in street smarts was;

Do not let your guard down. In my humble opinion this does not mean roam the streets with fear in your heard clutching you pepper spray and maintaining a 100 foot distance from all that moves while inside your plastic bubble, it means that walking the middle of the street with a group of obvious tourists I should have had my bag on the inside of my hip, and positioned myself in the middle of the group.
It was a great idea to have a copy of my passport in all the right places! Wow this tip was the first one I ever learned. When traveling abroad make a copy of everything you are taking with you and have copies, also leave a copy with family or trusted friend. Not 10 copies just one or two. If I didn’t have a copy of my passport I am not really sure how I would get home, since my drivers license was my only identity and that was also in my wallet. Leave your wallet and your passport in the safe. You don’t need them unless you are actually traveling to a new destination or getting a rental vehicle.
Keep cash and credit cards in two places. I typically only carry as much cash as I will need for my outing and keep the rest in my room safe. I would also suggest keeping an emergency credit card with your cash in the room safe. Simple I know but until this instant I only split my cash and kept all my cards in my wallet purely out of habit. This is my biggest mistake seeing as now I traveling with no way to book plane tickets or spend large sums because all I have is the cash I already had and the western union I ordered previous to the event.
Travel in groups. Despite getting robbed while in a group I had the most positive experience I could after the fact because I had immediate support from the event. I had someone to walk me back, take the first steps in canceling my SIM card, and people to comfort and discuss the event with.
As much as you might hate them fanny packs are essential. The strap on my purse was the size of a pencil. Nearly impossible to snag at 35 mph but somehow, it happened. Try finding a pack that fits slim and can be tucked under a shirt or doesn’t draw attention.

My Overall Reflection

The day before the events I had a close friend warm me not to get too comfortable, and the irony in the situation was astounding. In my own experience the most devastating part was coming to terms with the fact that I lost my passport and the stamps from my last 15 countries. It was really a trophy for me and that was more disappointing than money or material. As unlucky as the night was the next day was truly a miracle. Not 4 hours before I was robbed I not only backed up my phone, but uploaded all of my photos to my computer. I lost nothing. On top of that I received a new passport that day. This NEVER happens. The stars literally aligned and all the right people were where they needed to be in order for me to file and receive a new passport that day. Also huge thank you to my mom of course who cancelled all of cards, my phone bill, and all of my bills! Support networks, they are essential can’t emphasize that enough. What I have noticed the last few days is that the aftermath for me has been the most challenging part. My confidence is dented, not shattered, and I had to waste almost two full days trying to get all my affairs in order. Losing your phone while traveling nowadays, especially for a blogger, is almost the most detrimental thing ever. I did learn how dependent on technology we are now that I am completely disconnected aside from when I am in my hostel room. I will check in about my adventures in rebounding as they come up. So far the hardest thing yet is trying to find a way to get myself a new credit card so I can book plane tickets and larger budget items. For now, one day at a time!

Let me know if you want more information, or what other information would be helpful on this topic!

Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are, it solely relies on what you think.” - Buddha

#Budgeting #Resources #SoloTravel #Safety