South East Asia is a super popular spot for travelers; both short-term vacationers and long-term backpackers. As tourists come and go through these countries there are many tourist traps set by locals to squeeze as much money out of you as possible. Here are a few that we experienced personally or were told by other travelers that we met along the way.

The Bus Luggage Scam

One of the cheaper options to get between destinations in SE Asia is to take a limousine-type bus. Before you board the buses, you innocently give your luggage over to the bus company and they store it in the luggage compartment in the lower half of the bus. You don’t really think much because this is completely normal procedure any time you’ve ridden in a bus. However, what you don’t realize is that on some busses, there will be a person posted up in the luggage compartment that will pick locks or cut open backpacks and stitch them back up. Even if it’s a short ride, keep anything worth stealing on you. Unfortunately we had to experience this one and learn the hard way.

The Rental Scooter Trap

I’ve heard two scams related to scooter rentals. The rentals are very cheap to begin with, but the trap is what you’ll pay if anything happens to the scooters. My firsthand experience was scratching up one of the rented scooters on Koh Tao. I ended up having to pay $400 after negotiating it down from $800 for scratches on plastic panels of the scooter. They will also look for any dings or scratches from the bumpy dirt roads and try to charge you ridiculous amounts. The other scam is having your scooter or bicycle stolen… by the rental company. Someone that works closely with the rental company will follow you around and look for an opportunity to steal the rented vehicle (with the spare key) and you’ll end up paying a ludicrous fee.

The Orphanage Scam

We also experienced this in Siem Reap when we were taken to the Floating Villages. The tour starts out very innocent with some drinks and local food. But as you near the end, the boat man or one of his crews will tell you a very sad story about how their parents passed away when they were young due to a tragic accident. Eventually they take you to an orphanage where they were raised and ask for donations by buying bags of rice for the children. Sadly there are a lot of orphans in Siem Reap, but this is not the way to help them. The bags of rice are just reused over and over, tourist after tourist. If you really want to help the orphans, make sure that they are legitimate organization licensed by the government. Ask for proof of registration for the organization!

The Nightlife Trap

Part of going to these countries is having fun and going out. But know this: All of these cities overrun by tourism have locals trying to take advantage of the inebriated tourists by offering them various shows and “vip” treatment. I was told some terrifying stories by other travelers about not being able to leave some places until they paid a hefty fee. Have fun when you go out, but be smart about who you’re talking to and make sure that everyone gets home safe.

Wrap-up

When you’re on vacation at a wonderful place like SE Asia, it’s easy to forget about the potential dangers waiting for you as a tourist. I wish I could say that everyone can be trusted and they do honest business, but that’s not the reality. Most of the time you need to look out for yourself and your travel buddies. There are plenty more tourist traps so keep your eyes out, keep your valuables close, and stay safe!