Ruben Chorlton-Owen went to Tenerife to film travel content.
He came back with a list of scams.
The 24-year-old from Abersoch, North Wales, posts tips to 105,000 Instagram followers under the handle @rube.
His latest video, with more than 8,000 views, runs through the “tourist traps” he says catch British holidaymakers every year on the Canary Island.
It starts before you’ve even landed.
“Make sure you try and get your cash before you come here,” Ruben told Creatorzine.
“Because the local currency exchanges or these ATMs will charge you a high markup and you’ll be getting a very bad deal for your money.”
The pharmacies that aren’t pharmacies
Then there are the chemists. Or rather, the shops pretending to be them.
Ruben says fake pharmacies sit in plain sight, using LED signs almost identical to a real farmacia but in blue instead of the official green.
“It’s not entirely illegal and many tourists fall for it,” he said.
“People later find out the product hasn’t worked as it’s not an actual medical product.”
Inside, he says, the shelves are sparse and the markups are steep, especially on basics like sun cream and paracetamol.
“They’re just tourist shops really.”
The advice is to look for the green cross.
Taxis, alleys and €3,000 beers
Ruben praises Tenerife as “affordable” and “friendly”.
He’s also blunt about how to keep it that way.
Skip Uber. Use licensed taxis.
“Not only are they genuine, but they’re also much more affordable than the Uber app,” he said.
The alternative, he added, will land you with a bill “four times the price that it should be.”
Walking home late is its own risk. He warns against rundown areas and narrow alleys, particularly after a long day in the sun.
“It’s full of pickpockets. It can be quite dangerous, so just make sure you stay vigilant and you’re not having too much, or use the licensed taxi to get home when it’s late at night.”
The most expensive mistake, though, is also the most casual one. A beer on the beach.
“The fines are now a minimum of €750 to €3,000,” he said.
“Make sure you just stick to the bars, your hotel room, your Airbnb. Don’t be taking any glass bottles at all down the beach, it really isn’t worth the risk.”
Why this matters
Travel creators are quietly replacing the work tour guides used to do, flagging local laws and scams that the average TripAdvisor review never mentions.
For followers, the appeal is obvious. Real-time advice from someone who was there last week, in the same accent, on the same beach.
For destinations, it’s messier. Tenerife has spent the past year dealing with anti-tourism protests and tighter rules, and viral warnings feed straight into that conversation.
The Canary Islands have raised fines and stepped up enforcement on everything from littering to public drinking, mostly in response to local anger over mass tourism.
A €3,000 penalty for a can of San Miguel on the sand would have sounded absurd five years ago. Now it’s policy.
Ruben isn’t new to picking up lessons the hard way.
He’s previously documented a hot air balloon trip in Morocco that didn’t go to plan and a “dodgy” stay in Iceland.
Whether followers actually skip the cocktail on the sand is a separate question.
