Opinion
The overall impression of Warri, a
popular city in the southern part of Nigeria, is that it is the most aggressive
city in Nigeria, as it is dangerous and crime ridden and its inhabitants are
mostly belligerent. According to the Vanguard Newspaper, ‘…that the oil city of
Warri, Delta State is perhaps the most hazardous metropolis in Southern
Nigeria, is doubtless’. Some travel sites have even flagged the destination as
a red zone as numerous travelers have complained and narrated cases of robbery
and rip-offs.
While the city might indeed have some
security issues, it certainly is a wonderful place to visit and explore as it
offers business opportunities as well as many sights for tourists, including
the Delta Ports, Nana Living History Museum and Red Mangrove swamp. If you find
you have to visit this destination and you are worried about being a victim of
any of the many travel risks elaborated all over the internet, Jumia
Traveloffers 7 helpful ways to avoid travel rip-offs while visiting Warri.
Ensure
you have pre-arranged airport pick-up
The airport is usually crammed with taxi
cabs looking to drive you from the airport to your destination. The cabs,
usually, are not metered and the taxi drivers charge you on their discretion.
Most of them charge exorbitant prices if they look at you and feel you have no
clue as to what the rates should be or you are dressed expensively. Again, some
of the cab drivers are peddlers who pose as cab guys, and many people have been
duped of money and belonging in this fashion. Always make arrangements for
pickup before you arrive; there are a number of cab companies you can patronize
online and most hotels will have their own cab services to offer.
Alternatively, you can avoid being ripped off at the airport by taking public
transport or asking a friend or family member for a ride.
Do not
indulge helpers at the airport
Usually, when you arrive at the airport,
a lot of people rush to offer some form of assistance either to carry your
luggage or assist you with information. Most times, their offers are
exceedingly cheap or enticing. Beware of these ‘helpers’ as they could be
culprits looking to rip you off. If it
sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Also, exchange all your money, if
you need to, within the airport as there is a higher chance of being conned
outside the airport.
Lookout
for tourist trap restaurants
While visiting the city, you certainly
will have certain iconic tourist destination in mind that you want to visit. If
you are visiting a restaurant or attraction that has an online presence, try
your best to Google it to see what the locals or past visitors have had to say
about it. Again, you can check to see if there are coupons or discounts that
could benefit you such as getting free breakfast or 15% off the total bill for
doing a review on the hotel or restaurants, etc. Generally, the reviews will
let you know if visiting the location would be a good idea or you would just be
wasting your money.
Avoid
organized tours
There are a number of fantastic tourist
destinations in Warri and nearly every tourist agent or site will offer some
sort of packages that bundle in several sites to be seen for a fee. These tours
may not seem like a bad deal but a lot of times, they actually are. Many of the
sites will have free entry but by paying for the ‘package deal’, you have now
paid to get in. Again, while it may seem like these organized tours are
providing you with cheap transport to these different tourist locations, a little
research would reveal that transporting yourself is a cheaper option and might
even be much more comfortable.
Do not
show off money and expensive jewelry
Showing off money and expensive jewelry
makes you a target for rip-off basically as it presents you as someone who has
more than he/she needs. Any vendor who eyeballs you counting large sums of money or wearing very
expensive jewelry will automatically offer their items or services at
exaggerated prices. Unless you are a celebrity who has an assistant running
errands for you, try your best to stay
conservative.
Review
all bills carefully
Most visitors to Warri often make the
mistake of failing to go over their bills, especially the restaurant, and hotel
bills when they get it, and they end up paying for a lot of stuff that they did
not use or buy. Look through and ensure you remain accountable and not swindled
in any form. In a case where you have reviewed the bill and found mistakes,
though, ensure that you politely ask the staff to fix it. A polite request will
go much further than an aggressive accusation in Warri.
Be
mindful of the hotel Wi-Fi.
Most hotels in Warri do not come with
complimentary Wifi, so you find that most hotels charge as much as NGN500 to
NGN2000 per day for in-room Wi-Fi. These rates are a little pricey, considering
you can easily just set up your own personal hotspot on your smartphone and use
your cellular service to access Wi-Fi on other non-cellular devices. Doing this
reduces the chance of you being ripped off in any way.
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