Protecting Your Possessions

by Carol Penn-Romine

Can you imagine traveling to Europe carrying no more than a passport, a credit card, a toothbrush and an iPod? I know someone who did it, just to see if he could. Whatever he needed, he purchased along the way.

It would be great if we could get by on so little when we’re traveling, but for most of us, this simply isn’t practical. Few of us have the nerve—not to mention the credit line—to pull off such an adventure.

Dragging along our worldly goods when we travel, however, puts us at risk of losing them to people who want them enough to take them from us, especially in places where travelers are perceived to be wealthy. Following are some tips for keeping your money and possessions safe while you travel. They may sound like common sense, but in my years on the road, I have seen every single one of these guidelines violated, often to time-consuming, money-wasting and heartbreaking ends.

Never pack anything irreplaceable in your checked luggage—carry it on board with you, whether it is your passport or medications, camera, jewelry or children’s baby pictures. On a recent flight, about two dozen of us found that our luggage had been left behind to lighten the plane. The man in front of me in line to file a report for his missing bag was upset because his medications were in it. As I received my wayward suitcase around midnight that night, I wondered how the man had fared without his medication for about 12 hours.

Draft a “hot sheet” with a list of your credit card and traveler’s check numbers and the emergency phone numbers to call, should any of it be lost or stolen. Staple this list to a photocopy of your passport and other documentation, and keep it in a place separate from all those things it would help you replace. And leave a copy at home with a trusted friend or relative.

Before you leave home, check to see if your homeowner’s policy covers your possessions while you’re traveling. You may want to purchase extra coverage if you’ll be carrying a laptop computer, an expensive camera or any other pricey items. Make an inventory (with photos is best) of everything you carry to expedite the insurance claim procedure, should you lose anything. Keep this list with your hot sheet in a separate place, perhaps in a money belt. As with the hot sheet, leave a copy at home.

Carry luggage that is ordinary but durable. Obviously expensive luggage tips off thieves that its carrier may be wealthy and its contents worth swiping. Think about it: if you were a thief considering two bags, one a famous-brand suitcase with real leather trim, and the other, an obvious discount store bag, which one would you snatch?

When you’re driving in another city, especially a really large one, consider leaving your car in a garage, rather than in a lot or on the street, even if it involves paying a hefty parking charge. If the garage’s policy allows, back into the space so that passersby can’t see your license plate. Some thieves target cars from out of town, figuring that travelers will have something worth stealing stashed in them and that they won’t be in town long enough to pursue their lost items—or their stolen car.

Don’t hide valuables under the mattress in your hotel room. This is akin to leaving a house key in the mailbox, under the door mat or in one of those fake rocks—it’s the first place thieves look.

Divide your money and stash it in different places—different pockets and bags. This way, if your wallet or purse is taken, you haven’t lost all your currency in one go.

Leave the fine jewelry at home. Unless you’re a member of European royalty, how many places are you traveling where you actually need the good stuff? Is there anyone on the road you’re THAT concerned with impressing?

This is especially important to consider if you travel some places outside the United States where all Americans are perceived as being wealthy. You may have only one good gold chain, but to someone in another country (or even in this one), you may seem to be wealthier than you actually are. Realize that your one chain may represent a year’s earnings for a family in some poverty-ridden part of the world. What we consider to be simple pieces of jewelry can make us targets in some parts.

Also, be cautious about wearing really good fakes, which could make you the target of thieves who might be fooled by them. Usually we’re traveling to see, not to be seen, so forget what others may think of how you look, and keep yourself and your jewelry safe.

If you absolutely must carry good jewelry when you travel, stash it in the hotel safe and get a receipt. No matter how nice the hotel is, its cleaning and maintenance staff may not be as honorable as its management. And when you leave the hotel wearing your best jewelry, keep it tucked out of sight until you’ve reached your destination.

The one mistake I witness most on the road is travelers digging around under their clothing to get traveler’s checks or cash out of a pouch that was secret until they exposed it for all the world to see. It’s smart to use a money belt or other under-clothing pouch for stashing money, travelers checks, credit cards, passport and other important items. But be sure to keep what currency you need each day close at hand where you can reach it without revealing the location of your stash. The eye of the unscrupulous is always watching, particularly where travelers and tourists gather.

This one sounds funny, but beware of “beware of pickpockets” signs. Often it is the pickpocket who posts the sign, knowing that people who read it will usually pat their wallets to be sure they’re still there, revealing to the pickpocket exactly where the wallets are stashed! Smart, huh?

Yes, so you have to be smarter. Essentially, don’t leave home with anything you’d suffer heartbreak or heart failure over losing. It isn’t worth the stress. If you feel you MUST carry it with you and if it IS valuable, make it so difficult to get to that thieves will look for an easier target.

© 2006, The Hungry Passport