There is nothing more expensive than something free. There is something free for a reason. While traveling, you must be careful if someone is telling you something free or offering you something free. Around 7 or 8 years ago, my friends went to Italy for their honeymoon. They were in front of the Milan Cathedral, taking some photos. Suddenly, a man approached them and said “Free, free, it’s free”, while showing some bracelets. At that moment, a friend said “No, don’t take it.” However, it was too late. A bracelet was in my friend’s hand. Then, that man began to ask for money. “20 Euros.” “20 Euros.” “20 Euros.” She quickly took off the bracelet and said “no.” But, that man was still trying to ask for money from my friends. My friends decided to leave. Bracelet scam is one of the key things to avoid while traveling. That friend didn’t notice this scam, but thankfully, she didn’t pay anything. That story made me think of my first trip to China. I was in Yungang Grottoes, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After seeing spectacular Buddhist rock-cut architecture, we had to go to the parking place. On the way to the parking place, a woman came by and showed some rock bracelets, which she indicated. I don’t know if those are real rock bracelets. But, that woman kept saying, “Free, it’s for you.”
“Hey, it’s for you, free.” Thankfully, I just kept walking and I didn’t take it. Otherwise, I didn’t really know what would happen if I took that bracelet. While traveling, we want to travel safely and it’s important to avoid getting into trouble. It’s better to do some research before traveling and understand if there might be some scams that happened in that region before. Additionally, don’t take anything for free. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
No comments:
Post a Comment