Nothing puts a damper on a trip like being relieved of 250 euros, all your credit cards and your new digital camera with 400 yet-to-be-downloaded photos on it.

They distracted me in the crucial moment with the gee-look-at-that spectacle of a mangy dog being led by its mangier owner through a fountain that was filthier still.

I recall the whiff of an illegal substance in the air. A whir of bicycle wheels nearby. And when I turned away from the sight of the frolicking mutt, I knew my purse would be gone.

When I called home with my sob story, my dad reminded me that for all my worldwide wanderings, such a scenario was pretty much inevitable. But I've been robbed on the road surprisingly few times.

Abroad, there was the beach in Thailand where a kid jumped out from behind the dunes in broad daylight, pinned my arms behind my back and rummaged through my pockets only to come up with a fistful of sandy shells and a few coins.

Then there was the shifty-eyed thief in Tangier, Morocco, who approached a male friend and me on a deserted street in the Kasbah (also in broad daylight) with a rusty knife.

To be sure, if I'd been wearing a money belt under my jeans instead of toting my purse, I probably wouldn't have been targeted. But I've long since abandoned sporting money belts and fanny packs everywhere while traveling.

While waiting for the metro, Jacinta was approached by a man who pointed to the side of her jacket, where she had been splattered with a foul-smelling substance.

The man had a handful of tissues at the ready, and indicated to Jacinta, who was distracted by the nasty substance sliding down her person, to take off her small bag so she could get cleaned up.

Seconds later, when she looked down, the bag containing two cameras, her passport, credit cards and an entire ski season's savings in cash was gone.

"I was devastated," Jacinta told me, "I knew the man was in on it, but someone else had taken the bag and run off, and I stood there and yelled at him for awhile but there was nothing I could do."

Sure, getting robbed of my valuables was a big downer when I was supposed to be having fun. I couldn't help but sulk around for awhile, thinking how quickly travel highs can turn into travel lows.

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