Traveling can be very exciting and a lot of fun, but there are several things you should watch out for. Unfortunately, many people target tourists for robbery because they are viewed as rich.

As a result, there are many scams which have been created to trick tourists into unknowingly walking into these robbery schemes. The criminals who make up these scams know that tourists are often distracted by the new things that they are seeing.

They also know that tourists are generally not on-guard because they want to let go of the stresses of everyday life and enjoy themselves. As a result, it is very important that tourists are made aware of common schemes so that they watch out for them, or their vacation could be ruined.

The first scam originated in France, but has popped up in other locations. What happens is that someone will suddenly find a gold ring at your feet.

If you stick around to listen, this person will then launch in to a long, heart wrenching story and ask you to buy the ring from them. Not only is this ring probably not real gold, but the story is probably not real either, no matter how well it is delivered.

The best thing to do in this case is to congratulate them on their find and continue walking. Do not stop to listen to the story.

The second scam generally occurs in Bali, Indonesia. In this situation, the temple personnel at Bali's Uluwatu Temple train monkeys to steal items from you.

It may be your camera, sunglasses, or other valuable you are carrying. The monkey will then run into the bushes at which time, the temple official who trained the monkey will tell you that he can get the monkey to return your items, if you purchase some bananas.

You may view this as a playful prank by the monkey, but it is really a scam that is getting you to spend money on bananas that you would not otherwise have spent. Monkeys are very mischievous creatures in other areas of the world as well.

The third scheme you will want to watch out for has to do with ATMs. This scheme began in Trinidad and Tobago, but is likely to pop up other places.

In this case the criminal will use a x-ray film to create a pocket that slips into spot on an ATM where you enter your credit card. When you come along and put your card in, it gets stuck and will not come back out.

After a couple minutes, the criminal may come by and tell you that if you put the PIN number in backwards, the machine will release your card. You will think that this person is quite helpful and you will find another ATM from which to draw money.

However, once you have left, the criminal will pull out the x-ray film. When he or she does this, the ATM also releases the money you were trying to withdraw and the criminal makes a nice bounty for the day.

The fourth scam you will want to watch out for originated in Italy. In this situation, children will be placed on the outskirts of high tourist locations.

These children will have a postcard and pen and they will ask tourists for help writing a postcard to their home. As you help them write, they will tell a story of poverty and hunger in the effort to encourage you to leave some cash with them.

Of course, most of these stories are not true. However, many tourists give cash to these children anyway.

The fifth scam that you should watch out for actually occurs in the United States. This scam can occur at many nice hotels.

At fancy hotels, your credit card is taken and put on file. Everything you order and use should be charged to this card.

However, some tourists fall for it when a waiter or waitress delivers food to their room and asks for payment. You are then paying the waiter or waitress again for the meal, as the meal will also be charged to your credit card.

The waiter or waitress will run off with the money without reporting it to the hotel. Be careful not to fall for any of these scams.

They can be easily avoided as long as you are aware of them. As you avoid these frauds, you will be able to enjoy your vacation fully, instead of worrying about what is happening to your money.