What's the safest way to protect your valuables from theft at the beach?

82👍

Invest in a Dry Egg/Box

When going for a swim, it's best to take as few valuables as possible and keep them with you in the water. A freediving dry egg/box is a handy gadget used by divers to keep their belongings dry while in the water. These gadgets come in various sizes, cost under €20, and are easy to carry. After purchasing one, it's important to test its watertightness by placing a piece of paper inside, locking it, and submerging it in water for a few minutes.

There are different ways to carry the dry egg while swimming, such as using a longer lanyard to wear it diagonally across the shoulder, tying it to swimming trunks, or wearing it around the waist or neck. Comfort and convenience depend on the amount of swimming planned.

Locker Facilities at Barcelona's Beaches

Some of the beaches in Barcelona offer locker facilities to visitors. Information about these lockers is often only available on each beach's individual webpage. According to the official municipal website, the beaches with lockers include Nova Icaria, Somorrostro, Bogatell, Mar Bella, and Barceloneta. It's important to note that the availability of lockers is not guaranteed, so it's advisable to use the dry egg as a first option for keeping valuables safe while at the beach.

28👍

I have never visited Barcelona, but in general, beaches have kiosks where you can purchase drinks and food. I usually leave my belongings at a kiosk when I plan to eat or drink something, and the kiosk owners are typically more than happy to keep an eye on them while I'm in the water. If I don't plan on buying anything, I still consider it a small price to pay for a bit of security.

To be even more cautious, I lock up my belongings, usually in a small backpack. While this won't completely prevent someone from taking the entire backpack while I'm inside the kiosk, it does make it more difficult for someone to swipe my belongings inside.

23👍

I would recommend you to take a train and go a beach further from the city, where you can be a bit less cautious; but in the beaches of Barcelona, never, ever, leave your stuff alone when your are going to swim. Barcelona is a top destination for tourists, but also for pickpockets. They are really good and there are probably some of them in the beach waiting for people to go into the water. The only "good" thing is that they will never hurt you, they are just after your belongings.

My first bit of advice is that you shouldn't bring anything to the beach except your towel, swimsuit, flip flops and a bit of cash for a snack. No need to bring your passport or your ridiculously expensive mobile phone.

That said, I don't think you need to buy any special gadget. Just approach the person next to you and ask him (or her) if they mind to keep an eye on your stuff while you are swimming. If they say it is Ok (95% will say so while smiling to you), just put your bag on their towel and enjoy your swim. Please understand that people of Barcelona hate pickpockets more than anyone, and they will feel sympathy for a tourist who is scared to be robbed.

The sentence you should memorize is:

"Em vaig a banyar; et faria res vigilar un moment la meva bossa, si et plau? No trigaré massa."

Or in Spanish:

"Voy a bañarme; te importa vigilar mi bolsa un momento, por favor? No estaré mucho rato"

That translates to:

"I am going to swim; would you mind to keep an eye on my bag for a moment, please? I will not stay long"

(Pro tip: there will be a good opportunity for a conversation starter once you leave the water, so choose wisely who you give the bag to... 😉😉)

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

Search Posts

Latest posts

Popular posts