All Over: The Mom Effect Strikes Again

This afternoon, Mike and I are heading off to Rome. Our bags are packed, itineraries are set, and laptops are loaded. I'd like to thank both my parents and Mike's for chipping in for our trip as my birthday gift!

In addition to the generous contribution, my mom also got me another birthday gift -- an anti-theft travel purse.

Why, after 10 years of traveling abroad without incident, my mother thought that I needed such a bag is perplexing. Have there been some advancements in pickpocketing that I'm unaware of? Has there been an uptick in thievery since the last time I traveled abroad? Surprisingly, this gift did not come with the typical Leslie Epstein newspaper clipping or text describing how my life is in immediate peril.

Let me lay out some features of said bag. Normally, I'd describe them, but this infographic does all the work for me:

Look how confidently she wears that yellow cardigan. Must be the purse.

Yes, there are MULTIPLE SLASH-PROOF sections of this bag. I guess if nothing else, I can use it as a shield in case someone is trying to stab me. There are also scan-proof sections of the bag in case any hi-tech thieves out there are trying to...actually I don't know. What are they scanning for? 

Granted, I have been pickpocketed before, about seven years ago, but that was HERE -- in NYC, on the train. This purse isn't bad, necessarily, but it does sort of scream tourist. Not just tourist, but tourist who is scared. That's not a great look, right?

On the plus side, it is larger and has more supportive straps than most purses that I own, so its coming with me. Also...stabbing shield.

-Jen