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How Safe Is Rome, Really?

by Anil Polat | Apr 24, 2025 | Security | 1

The capital of Italy has a bad reputation with some media outlets even going as far as calling it a Rome crime wave. Although it’s regularly listed as one of the pockpocketing hotspots in Europe, with some basic precautions you can have a safe trip to Rome.

Here’s what you need to know and there are more details in the video above.

The Hype Is Real And Isn’t

There are an average of 100 pickpocketings a day in Rome which sounds like a lot but with a population of 4.3 million and with an average of 35,000 tourists a day visiting, 100 doesn’t seem so much. Of course that’s no consolation if you get your wallet or purse nabbed so let’s make sure you’re not one of the 100.

The main concern is pickpocketing versus mugging. The former is a covert theft of your personal belongings whereas the latter is a robbery where you are forced to give up your things. Both can happen in Rome like anywhere in the world but for most tourists it’s pickpocketing you need to be aware of.

Eyes In Order

Rome is a magical city that is visually impressive in a way not many can compete with. You’re going to be distracted and can easily fall into a sense of wonder where you’re not paying attention to your immediate surroundings as well as you should. The main sites like the Colosseum and Vatican draw crowds which in turn attract pickpockets. Remember to keep your wallet in your front pocket and purse securely zipped and in front of you, up higher where it’s more within your line of sight.

Backpacks should be worn in front in high traffic areas like metro trains and subway stations. Never leave your bags out of sight even for a moment in cafes or restaurants unless they firmly in front of you.

Ride The Waves

Remember to train your patience and wait for the crowds to break a bit to take photos. A moment or two can transform a tight crowd of people into a wide opening where someone can come up to you as sneakily. Too often travelers rush to get a picture and while focusing on that, lose mind of their valuables. Keep in mind pickpockets are watching the groups of people at touristic hot spots looking for easy targets. By being mindful, aware, and vigilant you can avoid being one of the 100. And if you are planning a trip, here’s how to budget for a vacation in Rome.

A Chiang Mai Travel Guide For Shorter Visits

by Anil Polat | Apr 17, 2025 | Culture, Food, Pictures and Video, Travel | 0

Chiang Mai, Thailand is the kind of place where you plan for a short trip, realize it’s amazing, then make plans to return for a longer stay. You can see in the video why and if it’s your first time, here’s what I recommend you try.

Where To Stay

There are a lot of hotels in Chiang Mai but if you want something central and cozy, Wannamas is a good choice. It’s near the Saturday and Sunday markets, has a home vibe and servers breakfast daily.

Get Coffee And Go

Akha Ama Coffee sources all of their beans from local farms around Chiang Mai. The food is strong and the drinks creative – try the mana mana, a blend of strong espresso, honey, and orange.

As your caffeine buzz kicks in you can walk a few minutes to the nearby Wat Phra Singh. It’s a beautiful complex of several temples with large open spaces, statues, and monks often engaged in meditation. There are plenty of temples in Chiang Mai and in town this is one of the most central. Admission is free to the site, the main temple has a small charge. A short car ride away is Wat Chedi Luang.

Getting Around

To avoid the heat during the day your best bet is to use the Grab app. It’s a local ride sharing service that let’s you pay by car, see how much a ride will cost, and choose from cars to tuk tuks. There’s even an option for electric vehicles if available and overall much more convenient than hailing a cab on the street.

Highlights And Food

There are temples and then there is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. This large temple complex sits on a mountain overlooking Chiang Mai and is one of the most interesting, peaceful, and idyllic places that shouldn’t be missed. You can arrange a ride through your hotel or take public transportation up – with the ride being around 30-40 minutes from town. Be prepared to walk when you are at Doi Suthep and plan to stay at least 90 minutes, there is so much to experience here.

There are also some amazing places to eat from street food to the healthiest local Chiang Mai dishes you can find. Don’t neglect visiting Chiang Mai during a trip to Thailand and for some extra fun, plan your trip around Songkran.

How To Kill Indoor Mosquitos With Water

by Anil Polat | Mar 27, 2025 | Health and Fitness, Pictures and Video | 0

Mosquitos are the worst. Seriously, even many scientists are wondering if we shouldn’t just kill them all. Until then though, the pesky blood suckers have a way of getting indoors, despite your best efforts. And nothing, I mean nothing, is worse than hearing the annoying buzzing of a mosquito near your ear at 3am.

Fortunately, there are a few ways to kill indoor mosquitos by mainly using water. You can watch the video above or read on for the highlights.

Use Your Hands

Well, duh is what you’re probably thinking. But ever notice how mosquitos tend to always be just out of reach when you try to slap them out of existence? There are some theories as to why this happens – from a cushion of air or the mosquito simply bouncing off your hand – but either way, having wet hands solves the issue. Have a bottle of water nearby or if there’s a faucet close, wet your hands and grab mosquitos out of the sky (i.e. smoosh them).

Manage Pools Of Water

Drains, that odd bit of water under the toilet scrubber, any sitting water you can eliminate the better. And for drains where it might not be possible, if you can, close their doors. Bathrooms, kitchens, wherever there might be standing water, try to create a barrier between you and that area.

You can also use smelly socks as mosquito traps or make use of that leftover vodka from the night before.

Visible By Verzion Has An International Problem

by Anil Polat | Mar 6, 2025 | Pictures and Video, Tech | 0

Visible by Verizon, the monthly prepaid cellular service has a two big problems: their customer service and international coverage. Here’s what can happen to your IMEI if you use Visible’s Global Pass abroad and how it may potentially brick your phone from network coverage.

What’s An IMEI?

IMEIs are International Mobile Equipment Identity which are essentially a number unique to each individual mobile phone, they are something all phones have. Most newer phones have 2 IMEIs to support dual SIM functionality, which basically means you can use more than one physical or electronic SIM card at the same time. So what do IMEIs have to do with Visible? Well, network carriers can block IMEIs which means you can’t connect or use their service.

This could happen in the case where you report your phone stolen to your carrier, to prevent someone else from activating it on Verizon, T-Mobile, Visible.. whichever your current carrier is. These blacklists are a way to prevent stolen phones from being used on specific mobile networks and reporting a stolen phone to your carrier is generally a good practice.

Global Pass On, Off, And IMEI Blocks

The issue can happen where you activate, then deactivate Global Pass when you’re abroad. Doing so can automatically security flag your IMEI, getting it blacklisted from your Visible service or use on other U.S.-based carriers. An IMEI blacklist also means Visible won’t let you use another phone on their service, making things even worse.

Visible doesn’t have a phone number to call or email address, you can only really get in touch with them through a live chat. It’s very slow and you’re often waiting more than 5 minutes per response and more support cases in my experience take over half an hour for even the simplest requests.

Unblocking IMEIs Ain’t Easy

Visible will ask you to prove the phone is yours and not blacklisted by a previous carrier or manufacturer (for example if you bought the phone directly from Apple.) This can be a lengthy process of you getting in touch with your old mobile providers or maker of your phone, getting the needed evidence, then waiting for what is usually a negative response. Visible seem to keep placing the blame elsewhere for their own block.

Mint Mobile for example, who have their problems no doubt, at least let you get in touch with someone on the phone to sort out issues. Even an email address for Visible customer service would be useful – they send you responses but you can’t email them. Which means you have to waste your time waiting for a chat window when you could literally be doing anything else.

It’s a shame because Visible has good deals, good service in many places, and a solid set of features for the price. But it’s not worth the hassle if you ever have to deal with their customer service or plan to use their service abroad.

How To Search A Hotel Room For Bed Bugs

by Anil Polat | Feb 20, 2025 | Pictures and Video | 0

Arriving at your fresh hotel room after a long trip can feel like the weight of an elephant has been lifted off your back. Ready to start an adventure or vacation after a little rest, it’s tempting to plop yourself down on the bed and nap. Or open your suitcase and unpack everything so decide on an evening outfit.

The bad news is, these are all things you shouldn’t do if you want to avoid bed buds. To avoid the bloodsucking nightmare that can ruin a trip and your return home, watch this video where I show you how to properly check a hotel room for bed buds.

Some Tips

Keep your bags as far away from the bed as possible, preferably in the bathroom during your inspection.
Keep your clothes in your zipped bags until you actually need to get stuff out of them.
Use darkness to your advantage and make sure to check out the entire mattress.
A thorough check should take you about 10-15 minutes.

Does Using A Microfiber Cloth Destroy Your Macbook?

by Anil Polat | Feb 13, 2025 | Tech | 0

There’s a secret between your keyboard and your Macbook screen – finger grease. That’s not surprising but the secret is if you don’t keep those two things separate, eventually the oils from your hands will wear away your laptop’s protective screen coating. As the protective coating of your screen breaks down from skin oils, it becomes less reflective, distorted, and significantly reduces resale and Apple Trade In value.

The Solution

As you can see in the video here, the solution is to place a thin microfiber cloth on your keyboard before your close the lid, every single time. This helps keep a natural (and soft) separation between the keys and screen making sure your finger grease doesn’t contaminate the screen. The key is to pick a sufficiently thin but strong microfiber cloth. Below is one I can recommend.

UPPERCASE GhostBlanket Screen Keyboard Imprint Protection...

Regular Cleaning

You also want to regularly clean your Macbook or laptop keyboard, ideally once a week. Apple Stores use this iKlear cleaner so a spray plus a wipe down using another microfiber (not the one you use for screen-keyboard separation) is recommended to prevent the accumulation of grease, oil, and dirt that can damage a screen.

As laptops get thinner, the amount of space between the screen and keyboard has shrunk. Even more pressure is applied when you stuff your laptop into a backpack so the strategic use of a microfiber cloth can increase the longevity of your Macbook or any other laptop.

About Anil Polat

Hi, I'm Anil. foXnoMad is where I combine travel and tech to help you travel smarter. I'm on a journey to every country in the world and you're invited to join the adventure! Read More