It’s a fact of life that in some countries overcharging visitors is commonplace. Dual pricing is sometimes the norm though, and is just something we have to take on the chin - but let’s face it, it’s normally such a small difference that it’s hardly worth worrying about anyway. If we make it an issue then the chances are it’ll only detract from our own experience - so why get het up about it?

But as we know, there are occasions where some folk try to take the piss. They either try to overcharge by a bit too much, or simply try to scam or hustle us. This post is the first in a series of backpacking tips focussing on such occasions. These tips on how to avoid getting overcharged concentrate purely on the steps we can take, and things we can do ourselves, to avoid getting grossly overcharged or hustled in the first place. It’s more about prevention than cure.

Let’s kick off this round with quite a heavyweight: Appearance

Although you can’t always judge a book by its cover, it’s surprising just how much you can learn about someone simply by looking at them - and even if you are different from how you look, your appearance may suggest otherwise.

It goes without saying that flaunting ‘expensive’ items such as jewellery, electronic gadgets, and new clothes or pristine travel gear will make you look relatively wealthy - and its usually this kind of outward appearance that can encourage some serious overcharging or an out-and-out hustle. So, what can we do to get around this?

Use a Bit of ‘Tourist Camouflage’ - If you have a camera, iPod or laptop or whatever, avoid carrying it in its travel case and use a tatty old bag instead. If you don’t feel happy about putting an expensive camera in dusty old bag then keep it in its travel case and put that in an old bag – in doing so you may also become less of a beacon for petty criminals.

Be Bad to your New Backpack - Although you may feel the inherent urge to look after it, leave it face down on crabby floors etc (and maybe even wipe it around a bit!) as a little bit of dirt goes a long way toward making it look like it’s been used for a while and as such should draw less attention. You don’t have to go nuts with it, but – like smoking – doing so will speed up the old ageing process!

Avoid the Full Wardrobe Change - As tempting as it is to stock up on masses of cheap new clothes when you first get to somewhere like, say, Khao San Road Backpacker Central, think twice before you buy a full designer/ethnic wardrobe. Not only will a whole new get up give the impression that you’re not scared to part with your money but, once you get out of the area where all the hookey stuff is widely accepted to be sold, people may see your Timberland boots, Diesel jeans and Von Chav (sorry, Von Dutch) T-shirt and mistake them for the real thing – which will only serve to make you look richer! By the same token, parading around in the full alternative get up of fisherman’s pants, bamboo flip flops, wooden chunky necklace and the essential embroidered, cotton tunic will only serve to make you look stoooo-pid (but don’t listen to me, I’m just a miserable b*stard).

But tips to avoid getting overcharged go beyond basic appearance. There are other signs - signs that we may not even be aware of - that could open up a backpacker to overcharging. For instance, if a backpacker is new to a country then the chances are that they may not know the normal prices of things yet or of the scams in that area - and if people know this then some may try and take advantage. The secret here is to not broadcast our newly arrived status, and there are a few ways in which a backpacker can do this:-

Flight tags - After flying into a new country, ripping the baggage tags from your backpack before you get into town can help no end. Now as you wander through town with your backpack on looking for accommodation it’s more difficult to tell whether you’ve been in the country 5 minutes or 5 weeks. Combine this with the other tips and, to the onlooker, you could have just as easily arrived from a nearby town as you could’ve from the other side of the world.

Cook slowly – Nothing says ‘I’m new here’ more than a big, bright red, sunburnt head. If a sunburnt backpacker has just overpaid for something and the vendor utters something in a foreign tongue, its likely they’ve just said something along the lines of “Thanks beacon-head! Do come again!” So, remember the sunscreen – especially when you first get to a hot country – and be a bit of a sun dodger until you’ve built up at least a decent primer and undercoat.

Leave the past behind – Picture this: You’ve just flown out at the start of your big backpacking trip and on the first night you go out for a few beers. And, if you’re a smoker, you may fancy a cigarette too – and although pulling out of a fresh pack of duty free Golden Virginia may forge what seems to be deep, lifelong friendship with fellow backpackers around you, it also tells everyone else– including the waiter who has yet to charge you for the beer – that you’re a new arrival. Obviously, if you’re not a smoker this won’t be the case but there are plenty of other things alien to your current environment that could announce much the same thing.

Shiny boots of leather – There are other things can make a backpacker stand apart and be perceived as a more lucrative target for overcharging, too. Some signs are not only indicative of being new to a country, but also that they may be just starting out on a trip – things such as recent western style haircuts, new boots, or a pristine guidebooks (or any other non-tatty ones) may also relay more than they wish to let on.

When on their own, some of these points may seem extremely minor – and they are – but when combined they can be pretty effective at reducing the chances of being ridiculously overcharged and/or attracting unwanted attention: the added bonus is that they can make you less of a target for parasites - such as the scammers and touts – whose sole purpose it seems is to part you from your dollars. I know from talking to many of these guys over the years that they look for these kind of signs, and in some places, such as Morocco, they’ve almost turned it into an art form.

I’ve found that this awareness quickly becomes second nature and the marginal effort involved is far outweighed by reward. It keeps your road fund healthy but more importantly it can mean the difference between a tremendous experience and a miserable memory.

But don’t get too paranoid or obsessive about all this. In general getting ripped off isn’t an everyday event and it’s easy to become overcautious and untrusting (which can be just as bad as being oblivious to it all!) Not everyone is out to scam you – far from it - but at least the few who might try may well think twice if you don’t come across as potential tout-fodder.