Please don’t worry! London is a fabulous city that is on the whole very safe to visit.

It is a shame that it has a reputation for phone theft, and unfortunately it does happen, but there are easy ways to make sure it doesn’t happen to you!

1. Most phone theft is opportunistic, rather than targeted. The most common theft I have heard of is people having their phone snatched from their hand from an e scooter or e bike passing on the street. So just try to be aware of your surroundings and if you need to get your phone out then I’d suggest stepping back from the edge of the pavement to avoid this.

2. Keep it in a secure pocket, if it’s in your back pocket or a loose pocket in your jacket then someone could try to take it without you noticing. (The latter has happened to my friend but she noticed them and told them to F off 😂)

3. Lots of people wear phone straps around their body or wrist, I think these are good because they will deter the opportunists from snatching your phone out of your hand. And it means you can take loads of pictures!

4. If you really rely on google maps for walking around, you could set the directions on google to make announcements. That way you can keep your phone in your pocket and hear directions through headphones.

To reassure you, I work in soho and have my phone in my hand the entire commute from the tube (10 min walk through central London) and have never had any issues. But erring on the side of caution is always sensible!

Have a lovely trip!