![\"lessons](\"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/1-3.jpg\")
This post was originally published in 2014. It has since been updated for the accuracy of links and content. <\/em> After a day of shopping in Cusco with some friends, we were ready to take a taxi back to the spot where we could catch a Colectivo (bus) to Pisac. We hopped into the first taxi we saw (taxis in Cusco are everywhere, but also fairly unregulated, marked by little more than red and white reflective stickers on the sides of private cars, and certainly without meters).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was sat in the front seat and before shutting the door, I quickly confirmed with the driver (in Spanish) what the rate would be. To get just about anywhere in Cusco costs 3 soles (about $1). We were going a very short distance, so when he quoted us 4 soles and wouldn\u2019t budge on his price even when I said I knew it should only cost 3 soles, we said thank you and got out of the taxi in search of a better rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point, you might say \u201cNora! It’s only 1 sol: a mere 40 cents! Was that such a big deal?<\/i>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n No. It\u2019s not a big deal in the grander scheme of things (and in retrospect, I traded 1 sol for a whole lot more). But on the principle of the matter, I don\u2019t like to be ripped off just because I\u2019m a foreigner. (See also: How Tourists Cripple Local Economies<\/a>)<\/i> So there we were, bolting out of one taxi and looking for the next. Less than a minute later, I realized in the hustle that my purse was gone. When I gathered my bags to leave the taxi, my purse must have slipped off my shoulder (whether or not aided by the taxi driver is unknown) and remained in the front seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh my god \u2013 my purse is gone!\u201d I said in a panic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We looked to the taxi in question, screeching away from the curb. We ran after the taxi, which was quite evidently making a getaway, running through red lights. Four wheels are better than two legs, so in the end, the taxi got away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stood there on the busy street, shocked. I\u2019ve never had my purse stolen or lost before (I\u2019m usually so very careful). I couldn\u2019t believe what happened. I searched my bags to see if my purse was somehow inside one of them, which of course, it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had just been robbed.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mistake #1: I was careless with my purse in Cusco; a place where I’ve always felt very safe but where thefts are common. I should have had my purse strapped across my body instead of hanging off one shoulder.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n See also: Best Anti-Theft Bags and Gear, and Tips to Keep Your Valuables Secure<\/a><\/em> I took a mental tally of what was in my purse. In short, it was everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My wallet \u2013 containing both of my credit cards, my debit card, all my ID (except my passport \u2013 thank goodness), and all my cash (totaling about $250) \u2013 was gone. Losing your wallet with plenty of credentials inside is something I would not wish to happen to anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also of note in my purse was my smartphone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mistake #2: I didn\u2019t need to go to Cusco with all my cards, and I could have left some of my cash at home. Although normally I\u2019m very attentive to the diversification of belongings and not having everything in one place; again I had become too comfortable, and careless.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n I was flabbergasted. I have nothing! Had I not been with friends that day, I would not even have known how to get back home (a 45-minute drive away). I had no phone to call anybody (nor did I know anybody\u2019s phone number by heart anyway), and no cash to pay for a ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blessing #1:<\/strong> I was with good friends, who were so supportive. They were even more upset than I was! They comforted me, paid my way back to Pisac, and even came over to make me dinner that night so I could spend my time on the phone dealing with canceling cards, looking for any signs of fraudulent activity, etc. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n Blessing #2:<\/strong> I still had my computer and an internet connection with which I could make the necessary calls to get new cards for my bank account.<\/i> Once home, I immediately launched into \u201cdamage control\u201d mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I couldn\u2019t do anything about the cash \u2013 that was gone. There was no taxi company to call nor any point to file a police report to try and recover my stuff, and we didn\u2019t get the license plate of the taxi; I had to start over from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of main concern were my debit and credit cards, which posed a security risk. Of secondary concern was my ID, as well as the security of my email and social media accounts, which, if the taxi driver knew how to get past my phone’s PIN code, could be accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mistake #3: Although I had a PIN code on my phone that could prevent casual intrusions, I didn’t activate any kind of remote phone locator or remote phone wiping application. A savvy criminal could take my phone to somebody who could break past the phone code and have a field day with all my personal information and passwords. <\/b> Blessing #3:<\/strong> Encrypted on my computer (and my trusty USB stick) is a program called KeePassX, containing all the information I needed to start the process of getting my cards back. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n (I write about this technique of backing up my stuff here: Total Travel Protection With the USB Stick Trick<\/a>. BUT – My strategy has since changed: now I have encrypted copies of everything I need with my password manager (currently 1Password). It’s 100,000 times more secure, and accessible on any device as long as I remember my master password. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n I opened the program to access my card numbers, PINs, and even the telephone numbers I needed to call to start the process of canceling and reissuing my stolen cards. Within 1.5 hours I had canceled my debit card and two credit cards and had new ones rushed to a friend who could bring them down to Peru for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to take more safety measures for your card, you can do a credit freeze to ensure that no probable creditors can acquire your credit file. Contact your credit card company or trusted credit bureaus to help you out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blessing #4:<\/strong> Living in Peru<\/a> without an address (and a questionably reliable postal system) posed a problem in terms of getting new cards delivered. I’m so thankful that I had friend coming to visit me and I could have the cards safely delivered to him to hand-deliver to me. <\/i> With the biggest time-sensitive security threats out of the way, I tackled the possibility that my identity could be compromised if the taxi driver was able to break into my phone. Thus I changed all my passwords. (Something that would have been much easier with a password manager!)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m not particularly worried about identity theft (I would surmise that most casual thieves in Peru are more interested in cash than anything else), but I felt better once I did that. I was gutted at the loss of my phone, which was also my professional camera. I should be able to get my Peruvian phone number back by purchasing a new SIM card and requesting the old number, but by the time that happens I expect to have lost all my credit (which thankfully wasn’t a lot).<\/p>\n\n\n\n See also: Options for Using Your Cell Phone Abroad, including Local SIMs, Online Numbers, Locked and Unlocked Phone Options, and More<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It also wasn’t a cheap phone ($700 a year ago when I got it), so I was none too thrilled to have to replace it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mistake??? #4: I used to have Property Insurance<\/a> for times when my stuff might be stolen, lost, or damaged. But knowing how difficult it can be to make property insurance claims, and resting confidently that nothing bad would happen to me on the road (ha!), I stopped renewing the policy on the premise that if I saved up a few years’ worths of annual insurance premiums, I could \u201cself-insure\u201d myself. <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n (I’m not sure this was a mistake (especially after my recent life-changing insurance company fiasco<\/a>), since I can afford to self-insure myself, but of course, the bite of having to buy a new phone in the throes of having lost everything was none too appealing. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n Although I could have borrowed cash from a friend to buy a cheap phone and worried about the camera later, I wanted to replace the phone I had which I loved as a camera, and I figured I could wait the two weeks for my friend to visit Peru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I hopped online and ordered a new phone to be sent to him for hand-delivery to me. Blessing #5:<\/strong> My replacement phone\/camera only cost $350, not $700! <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n Blessing #6:<\/strong> With my credit cards stolen and canceled, you might wonder how I ordered anything online. Luckily I had recently ordered a new credit card<\/a> which was already with my friend. He gave me the relevant information to activate the card and I used it online to order the new phone.<\/i> As you can see I made a few mistakes along the way, mostly in the name of being careless and resting assured (incorrectly) that \u201cnothing will happen to me\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I was also so blessed along the way \u2013 to have friends there during the incident to support me and help me get home (and cook me dinner and lend me money as needed), to have my passport stashed away at home (which, after being stolen last year<\/a> I was in no mood to replace again), to have my computer to make the necessary calls to fix everything, to have a friend in the US who could hand-deliver all my replacement cards, and to have a wide and supportive network of friends in Peru to help me in the meantime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (See also: What to do if Your Passport is Lost or Stolen<\/a>)<\/em> I have a friend who calls me a \u201clifetime member of the Fiercely Independent North American Women’s Club\u201d. I wear this badge with equal parts pride and shame, but having my purse stolen was a life lesson in learning to be a little less fiercely independent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Until my friend visited (two weeks from the date of the theft), I had nothing. I had no way to access money, no cards, no phone, no camera \u2013 nothing. If I were truly Fiercely Independent, I would have been up the creek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Losing your wallet or purse in a place far away from home is no joke, so thankfully I had a great support system with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This theft has been an incredible life lesson in learning to receive. In learning to allow those around me to help, and to gracefully receive that help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Normally this would be very awkward for me, but without any choice \u2013 and in trusting the love and support of my friends in Peru \u2013 instead I am so blessed by the love around me, that it takes my breath away. Readers sometimes ask me about the \u201creal dirt\u201d of what happens on the road; not just the sugar-coated tales of how awesome travel is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This post is an example of some of that \u201creal dirt\u201d. If you have an iron stomach and crave more, then check out the post below to learn about my tales of heartbreak, hospital visits, natural disasters, passport thefts, and more:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brace Yourself: Travel Isn’t all Roses and Lollipops<\/b><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Check out these related videos: In Cusco, my purse was stolen, with everything in it. Here’s what happened, what I gained from being prepared, and what mistakes I made along the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[540,550],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-as-a-full-time-traveler","category-peru","resize-featured-image"],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nHaggling With a Taxi Driver<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThat’s When It Happened<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nEverything Was in My Purse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat to Do When Your Stuff is Stolen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I could even have become a victim of identity theft if that was the case.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nCredit and Debit Card Replacements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nIdentity Theft Protection (What to do if your identity is stolen)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If you ever come across an identity thief and they\u2019ve used your information to commit fraud, contact law enforcement immediately and file an identity theft report.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nPhone Replacement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nMistakes…and Blessings<\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/p929000368-3.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nLife Lessons From Having my Purse Stolen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBad Stuff Happens on the Road<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"lessons](\"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/4-3.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Traveling Alone as a Woman<\/a> (and how to stay safe)
Living in Peru vs. USA<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"