Ok, folks I'm going to get on my soapbox for a minute. Anyone who knows me knows I love to travel. But, I also believe in traveling safely. Whether you are a student, a senior, or a first time tourist don't carry all your possessions in one place like a purse or backpack. Here is what happened to one of the students we were traveling with:

On Sunday afternoon her entire purse stolen from a Starbucks near the Prado in Madrid, Spain. The contents included: US smart phone, rented Spanish cell phone, camera, debit card, credit card and passport. This was over $1,000.00 of personal objects. If there is any suggestion I give to anyone I travel with or who is living in another country. LOCK UP YOUR PASSPORT AND UNUSED CREDIT CARDS! They are much less likely to be stolen from a rented apartment. If you must carry them with you carry them in a secure money belt. Also, have copies of your passport informational page on you if you lock your passport away.

Rest of our Sunday afternoon was spent guiding our novice traveler through the ins and outs of cancelling credit cards, acquiring a new passport and obtaining new travel funds. This procedure took my friend most of the next day as she shepherded her student to the US Embassy and the appropriate bank. This was a great learning experience that you don’t wish on any traveler young or old. Be careful out there, whether you are in New York, LA, St. Louis, Madrid or Rome.