How to plan for the worst, prevent insane fees, and make the MOST out of your device.

Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed / Trent Yarnell / Unsplash

You're going to want to keep these three goals in mind:

• Have a plan if your phone gets stolen or lost.
• Prevent insane roaming fees.
• Make the most of your phone's capabilities with offline maps, translators, etc. to help you when you're on the go.

Here's how.

Keep your phone out of plain view – and be extra aware in large crowds.

Do *not* underestimate the ability of thieves. Once, at a train station in Rome, someone spilled water on the back of my shirt and, when I turned around, I felt someone else tugging at the phone I was holding in my hand. Luckily, a bystander noticed and her reaction was enough to scare them away.

Because of a phone's high resale value, device sneak attacks are rampant all around the world, but especially in highly congested tourist destinations. Keep your devices out of plain view as much as possible, and stow them in a place where you can feel or see if a stray hand is grabbing it (a zippered pocket inside of a tote, for example).

For big cities, I prefer totes or cross-body shoulder bag to backpacks, because I can keep an arm on it at all times. On a packed bus, someone could easily access your backpack without you knowing it. If you must wear a backpack, keep it in the front of your chest when there's a crowd or secure a double zipper with a keyring (literally any barrier to entry will deter a pickpocket).

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