solo travel scams: what really happened to me in rome

Last fall, I finally took the plunge and went on my first solo trip to Rome. I was so excited, but honestly, a little nervous too. You always hear about travel scams, but I thought, "How bad could it really be?" Well, let me tell you, it’s worse than you think! On my very first day, while I was admiring the Colosseum, a friendly guy came up and offered to take my photo. I thought, "How nice!"—until he refused to give my phone back unless I paid him 20 euros. I felt so foolish, but what could I do? I paid up, but it left a sour taste in my mouth for the rest of the day. Later, I saw people pretending to be police officers, asking tourists to show their wallets "for inspection." Luckily, I’d read about this one online, so I just kept walking. But I saw a poor couple get tricked right in front of me! Has anyone else run into these kinds of scams while traveling alone? Are there any places where you felt especially on guard, or maybe even let your guard down and regretted it? I’m starting to wonder if solo travel is worth the stress, or if I’m just being paranoid. Any tips for keeping safe without feeling like I’m missing out on the fun? #solotravel #travelscams #rome #travelstories #safetravel #Travel