WHAT TO DO...IF YOU'VE BEEN MUGGED
I am not an expert...but I have been mugged before so at least this is first hand knowledge.
First and primary concern should be your safety. If you've been mugged do not acerbate the situation and attempt to retrieve your items by either confronting or chasing the mugger. There's no telling what is around the corner or the danger that lies in the direction the mugger is heading. This is particularly true if the mugger has only stolen a single item and you still have additional valuable items on your possession. Since the mugger has the element of surprise, they are in a clear position of advantage.
Next head to the nearest police station to report the incident. This may mean returning to the hostel and hotel to search for a location. If you are in the middle of something or out for the entire day I think you are fine to report later that evening. Hopefully someone at the police station speaks English, otherwise you may need to wait for a little while until an English speaker arrives. I've filed reports in Uruguay, the Philippines, and Hong Kong and have never had to wait more than five minutes from arriving at the police station before being able to explain the details of the incident to an English speaker.
Before you leave the police station be sure to obtain some sort of documentation that the insurance company can use to link back to the incident report - this could be a copy of the report itself or a tear off with the case number. You need to obtain some sort of official documentation.
When you return home the insurance company will have you complete a narrative detailing the incident, sign an affidavit, and request that you mail both the original police report documentation and receipt of the underlying item. Be sure to make a copy of all the documents and send with a traceable mail service.
First and primary concern should be your safety. If you've been mugged do not acerbate the situation and attempt to retrieve your items by either confronting or chasing the mugger. There's no telling what is around the corner or the danger that lies in the direction the mugger is heading. This is particularly true if the mugger has only stolen a single item and you still have additional valuable items on your possession. Since the mugger has the element of surprise, they are in a clear position of advantage.
Next head to the nearest police station to report the incident. This may mean returning to the hostel and hotel to search for a location. If you are in the middle of something or out for the entire day I think you are fine to report later that evening. Hopefully someone at the police station speaks English, otherwise you may need to wait for a little while until an English speaker arrives. I've filed reports in Uruguay, the Philippines, and Hong Kong and have never had to wait more than five minutes from arriving at the police station before being able to explain the details of the incident to an English speaker.
Before you leave the police station be sure to obtain some sort of documentation that the insurance company can use to link back to the incident report - this could be a copy of the report itself or a tear off with the case number. You need to obtain some sort of official documentation.
When you return home the insurance company will have you complete a narrative detailing the incident, sign an affidavit, and request that you mail both the original police report documentation and receipt of the underlying item. Be sure to make a copy of all the documents and send with a traceable mail service.
There are various tips to avoid being mugged or pick-pocketed, etc. (don't walk alone - day or night doesn't matter as much as being alone) but I feel like if you travel long enough, and you travel independently, you're bound to have some bad luck - "If you haven't been mugged while traveling around the world, then you haven't been adventurous enough!" That's a positive spin to put on the occurrence - I had some issues sleeping the first night, mostly do to a continued rush of adrenaline - but it's one of those things that's bound to happen, there's not too much you can, and after it happens you move on.
You shouldn't let one bad incident overshadow an entire trip or reflect badly on an entire country. Maybe I have a slightly different perspective because I'm from Philadelphia, but a mugging can happen anywhere. If you just read the daily headlines of Philadelphia, you'd think it's an unsafe place, however, most of the city is relatively nice. That a mugging happens when you are trying to enjoy your vacation may make it seem worse, but there's not much you can do about other than deciding how to handle the situation.
If you are planning ahead to go into a remote, non-touristy area, I would at least run the idea past a concierge or reception first. They can at least give you some sort of notification or expectation about the area you are heading. They are more likely to be more attune to the local news and know what sections of the city have higher levels of crime. Sometimes I think hotels can be a little too cautious but it's still probably a good idea to heed their advice in most situations.
If you are on a long-term vacation...be sure to get in a habit of backing up and copying your photos every night. I have a standard routine of sorting the good photos and uploading them to Flikr every night or the following morning.
You shouldn't let one bad incident overshadow an entire trip or reflect badly on an entire country. Maybe I have a slightly different perspective because I'm from Philadelphia, but a mugging can happen anywhere. If you just read the daily headlines of Philadelphia, you'd think it's an unsafe place, however, most of the city is relatively nice. That a mugging happens when you are trying to enjoy your vacation may make it seem worse, but there's not much you can do about other than deciding how to handle the situation.
If you are planning ahead to go into a remote, non-touristy area, I would at least run the idea past a concierge or reception first. They can at least give you some sort of notification or expectation about the area you are heading. They are more likely to be more attune to the local news and know what sections of the city have higher levels of crime. Sometimes I think hotels can be a little too cautious but it's still probably a good idea to heed their advice in most situations.
If you are on a long-term vacation...be sure to get in a habit of backing up and copying your photos every night. I have a standard routine of sorting the good photos and uploading them to Flikr every night or the following morning.
For what it's worth I was mugged by a 14 year old kid in broad daylight at 2pm in Montevideo, Uruguay - the safest country in South America. I went to an Anthony Bourdain restaurant and the place was a total tourist trap...so I headed a few blocks over to another Parilla. I took a different walk back to the hostel and unbeknownst the path I chose went through a pretty bad neighborhood. As I was walking through an old man said "Cuidado" and pointed at his eye and then at my camera. I started walking a little faster and noticed a kid coming up behind me. I turned around and he bent down to tie his shoe. At that point I was fairly certain I was going to be mugged so I started walking even faster - I had a quasi broken left toe and couldn't run - within two seconds of walking away the kid sprung up, grabbed my camera case, and yanked it from around my neck. I made an initial pursuit but with my foot I couldn't run and within that instance there was already ten feet separating us. He did a little dance and I then I speed walked one more block and all of a sudden I was back in a nice neighborhood. I went to the police later that evening, obtained an incident report, and then completed the rest of the paperwork a week later when I was back home for Christmas.
Two days earlier I had a pebble crack in the front windshield of my rental car. Unfortunately that's not covered by travel insurance and the car insurance deductible was ridiculously high - ~ $2,500 - fortunately the cost to replace the windshield was only $200.
I had two terrible experiences in Uruguay but I still thoroughly enjoyed the country and would not hesitate to tell someone to visit there. I walked all over Montevideo without any other issues and can tell you exactly where the mugging occurred so you can avoid my route.
Two days earlier I had a pebble crack in the front windshield of my rental car. Unfortunately that's not covered by travel insurance and the car insurance deductible was ridiculously high - ~ $2,500 - fortunately the cost to replace the windshield was only $200.
I had two terrible experiences in Uruguay but I still thoroughly enjoyed the country and would not hesitate to tell someone to visit there. I walked all over Montevideo without any other issues and can tell you exactly where the mugging occurred so you can avoid my route.